Autism Therapies and Treatments

One mom shares her experience of Peer Coaching Circles and explains how, by joining with other parents, autism families can find great support. Everyone travels on their own path. On my journey, I have moved, overcome, and in vain left some of the pebbles behind. Each path is a path of clearing, reclaiming, and reconnection

Rebecca shares insight into how occupational therapy has helped support her family and her son through sensory processing disorder. I was a behavioral intervention specialist for children with autism before becoming a dedicated mother of two—and I still couldn’t get a grip on my bulldozer of a son who could demolish a room or family

Our bodies have an intrinsic ability to sense and position themselves in space, called proprioception. A set of sensory receptors in our joints, muscles, and skin shape the proprioceptive system, responsible for building full-body awareness. There are simple tests you can do to try this out, like stretching your arms out in front of you,

This is the story of Frankie, a young boy with autism who stopped toe-walking and learned to talk after his family discovered MeRT therapy. For the first few months of Frankie’s life, his father, Frank, had no inkling that something might be different. Frankie is his first and only child, and in the glow of

Parents of children with autism are likely to have heard about the concept of using a fecal transplant in hopes of reducing autism symptoms. The idea is one that has undoubtedly gained momentum and popularity in the field over the past few years. If you’re a parent wanting to learn about the fecal transplant procedure

From my sensational family to yours… What does a parent who wants his/her child to follow directions, pay attention, and perform well at school have in common with a teacher who wants his/her student to keep his/her body in his/her own space, do his/her work in a timely, neat manner, and stop disrupting the entire

Music has a strong effect on our mind. Music can work like a bridge of communication. This makes music therapy suitable for treating the particularities of many autistic children. However, due to limited information, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have many questions. Does music therapy simply mean singing with my autistic child?

Justin Bieber sleeps in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. He has one at home and one at his studio. No, if you are wondering, JB has never been diagnosed with autism. He says he uses the therapy to rid his body of toxins and decrease anxiety by supplying more oxygen to the brain. Consumer interest in

What’s happening to my child? I was a behavioral intervention specialist for children with autism before becoming a dedicated mother of two—and I still couldn’t get a grip on my bulldozer of a son who could demolish a room or family gathering and leave no survivors. I’m talking wild. Not just difficult in a mischievous,

I said it in my head… As I got back to the car, I felt destroyed. I’d carried Rory into school, he cried so bad, his body was like a real dead weight, he was like concrete, he had somehow found a way to be heavier, he is so strong but today he was even

I grew up having nine older siblings and adore them all to this day. But from the time Isaac gave me my first swirly, Maureen tickled me to tears, and Laura manipulated me into believing frogs aren’t animals, I learned that peaceful sibling relations require work and the ability to memory-hole trauma. Fortunately, I’m now

You’ve been through the identification process, and you have a diagnosis of autism for your child after noticing differences in behaviors and preferences; you may have been told by friends and family that your child would ‘grow out of ‘ something or that he is a late bloomer; after all, children do develop at their

The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many and can be particularly difficult for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With little time to prepare, they had to leave school and acclimate to distance learning, which doesn’t offer the support and structure of the classroom. Add in the boredom and frustration that can come with

When parenting children with autism, it is essential for parents and carers to understand all behavior is a form of communication. When that behaviour challenges parents and carers it is most often the environment, which includes the people within it, which triggers anxiety and the Fight or Flight response. Learning to understand your child and

“Imagine your son was dropped in the middle of China, without a phone, a map or a grasp of the language and he was expected to find his way home by himself.  Picture that and then you have an inkling of what life is like for him every day.”. (Tsachi Manor, Clinical Psychologist) If we

At first glance, simple toys may seem less “exciting” than the complex, high-tech toys children often find fascinating. All there is to do with wooden blocks is stack them, right? Wrong! Simple toys overflow with educational potential and have such an important role in development. From addressing fine motor skills to fostering imaginative play to

An autism diagnosis can bring major life changes for families and there are few resources available to help as they face an onslaught of important decisions. There are no easy solutions to address feeding difficulties, sleeping issues, and behavioral concerns. The stress on family life is truly taxing and there is little respite even if

Gardening can be a personally rewarding and gratifying activity. Some can equate gardening to your favorite leisure activity. It’s certainly mine. I only wish I had more time to be in the garden because it makes me feel calm, centered, satisfied, and happy. The next best thing to gardening is to share a few ideas

The treatment of lice is one of the primary reasons the insects are such an irritating pest. On their own, the creatures are itchy and annoying, and treating them is an extensive and time-consuming process. Treating them on your children is even more difficult, and if your child is sensory sensitive, it can be agonizing

Receiving a diagnosis of autism is overwhelming. Waves of emotions begin to flood your inner being, ranging from sadness to anger to feelings of anxiety. You begin to ask yourself questions like, “Why me?”, “What did I do wrong?”, and “What do I do next?” There is a plethora of information on the internet and

When you go to the doctor they always ask, “Is your child meeting milestones?” There are milestones each child should meet at different ages. The doctor will ask “Is he or she rolling over? Is he or she crawling? Is he or she talking?” The list goes on. I was the parent who always had