Features:
Five Tips for Enjoying The Season with Your Special Needs Child
Excellent advice on how to optimistically and realistically plan for the holidays while enjoying time with your family.
Deanna Picon
Exploring Autism Handcrafted Art Made by Very Special Hands
Meet an motivational young autistic woman with minimal social and language skills who has discovered her talent for creating beautiful jewelry.
Amy KD Tobik
The Joy of Cooking this Holiday with Your Special Needs Child
The author of The Cookbook for Children with Special Needs shares tips for cooking with your child, encouraging more family time and helping your child feel involved in preparing for and celebrating the holidays. Includes step-by-step guide to preparing a delicious turkey and sweet potato mash.
Deborah French
5 Ways to Deal When You Don’t Want to Talk About Your Loved One’s Disability
The mom of an autistic boy shares strategies that have helped her change the course of conversations which solely focus on disabilities.
Elizabeth Alterman
What You Need to Know About Holiday Sweets and Your ASD Child’s Health Now
The CEO and founder of Naturally Healing Autism shares her tips on maintaining your child’s health during the holiday season including information on dangerous food additives, dyes and sugar intake.
Karen Thomas, CMT, CST-D
A Father and Son’s Perspective— Life, Love and the Autism Journey
The authors of the book Chasing the Rabbit A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the Spectrum have shared personal narratives that reflect what has made their journey together as father and son both unique and ultimately very rewarding.
Derek Volk and Dylan Volk
Making Holiday Memories with Your Special Needs Child
Description Learn about five festive activities you can adapt for every member of your family to participate in this holiday season.
Heather Greutman
Experiencing a Special Freedom Years After an Autism Diagnosis
The mother of a child on the spectrum comes to a personal revelation after what could have been a stressful trip to the amusement park.
Kimberlee McCafferty
A Sneak Peek…
Sticks and Stones – A Father’s Journey Into Autism
In his memoir, a teacher and parent shares his valuable insight on raising of a child on the spectrum.
Hank Smith
New Book Delivers Powerful Message of Kindness and Acceptance
Learn about an interactive website which allows families to create a customized storybook called Someone Special Uniquely Personalized Books in an effort to teach kindness, acceptance, and confidence.
5 Simple Ways to Help Keep Your ASD Child from Wandering
The author of the Tommy’s Lessons Series and Autism Safety Blog shares how to keep little ones safe from harm when wandering is an issue.
Natasha Barber
Two New Books Worth a Quick Look
Take a look at the latest in motivational and informative books that focus on autism. Whether it’s a gift for yourself or a friend, these two books are sure to inspire.
Dad Creates Simple App to Help Autistic Kids Communicate Better
A dedicated dad describes how and why he developed Live 2 Learn Differently, an app that helps children on the spectrum communicate and connect.
Andre Spivey
A Meaning for Life A Mom’s Perspective
The mom of a young boy with autism considers what makes life meaningful.
Summer Stewart
10 Tenets Your Special Needs Support Team Should Follow
A pediatric psychologist shares specific tenets your child’s support team ought to follow to ensure consistency and safety.
Mona M. Delahooke, Ph.D.
Fatherly Love I’m Dad to the World’s Most Dangerous Superhero
A touching narrative about a dad’s loving relationship with his young daughter, Zoe, who is on the spectrum.
Tim Landucci
New App Uses Technology to Help Autistic Kids Interact with Toys
A new mobile app called ABC, Talk with Me! uses augmented reality technology to help parents fight the battle against gadget-addiction and refocus their children’s attention on interacting with a classic physical toy.
Introducing an Exciting New Board Game That Promotes social skills
A school psychologist describes how and why she created a practical board game called Manners Mall that helps children on the spectrum practice much-needed social skills.
Lori Granieri, M.A.
One Mom Shares Tips on How to Face Autism Head On As a Family
The mother of three children, one with autism, stresses the importance of reaching out to other autism parents and getting involved in the community.
Pamela Bryson-Weaver
New Victory Theater Offers Second Season of Autism-Friendly Performances
Learn about New York’s New Victory Theater and upcoming autism-friendly events.
Dentist Develops New Calming Product for Kids on the Spectrum
The b-Calm – A Mother’s Review
A mother describes the positive results her child on the spectrum has experienced because of the bCalm sound system.
Nichole Zumbach Harken
5 Simple Things You Can Do to Make this a Holiday to Remember
Holiday events can be stressful or you can prepare for them in a way that enriches time with family. Here are five tips for making this holiday one to remember
Sarah Kupferschmidt, MA, BCBA
Expert Tips for an Awesome Aspie Holiday
In this episode of the Dr. G Aspie show, Dr. Frank Gaskill gives 5 tips to ensure that your Aspie can thrive during the holidays.
Southeast Psych
HELP My Autistic Child is Absolutely Terrified of Storms Now
Learn excellent ways to help a child with autism cope with overwhelming storm anxiety.
Angelina M, MS, BCBA, MFTI
Protecting Your High-Functioning Child without the Need for Guardianship
Learn about another option for protecting your child when there isn’t a need for guardianship.
Ryan F. Platt, MBA, ChFC, ChSNC
Deliciously Warm and Healthy Autumn Soup Your Family Will Crave
Learn to make this quick and healthy soup for those cold winter nights.
Autism Food Club
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Dear Readers,
FAMILY — how can one simple word have so many meanings? Most dictionaries define family as a group of people living under one roof under one head. Other traditional definitions include shared ancestry or common stock. While all valid definitions, I like to believe the word family can have a much broader meaning to include close friends, neighbors, coworkers — the people who love and accept you unconditionally and add positivity to your life. These are the people we need to embrace and include in our families.
As we planned our holiday issue, we considered what means the most to our readers this time of year. In addition to the need for understanding and support, our Autism Parenting Magazine families might need some advice on shedding some holiday stress. That’s why we asked Deanna Picon, founder of Your Autism Coach, LLC, to provide advice for those families who may struggle with feelings of guilt, loneliness and anxiety this time of year. We hope Five Tips For Enjoying The Holidays With Your Special Needs Child will help you reduce holiday pressures, realistically plan for the holidays and enjoy time with your family.
Maybe your family travels far to partake in large family gatherings, or perhaps you stay close to home for something more intimate. Regardless of size and proximity, we all well know holiday celebrations tend to create a source of stress on children with autism as well as other family members. Because of this, we reached out to Behavior Analyst Sarah Kupferschmidt to provide tips on making this holiday one to savor. Take a look at 5 Simple Things You Can Do to Make this a Holiday to Remember as you try to plan a stress-free holiday. We hope this will prepare our families so they can make this the best holiday ever.
One surefire way to connect with people you love is to work together in the kitchen. We asked Deborah French, author of the recently-published book The Cookbook for Children with Special Needs, to share some tips with our readers on how to promote holiday togetherness. Be sure to take a look at her simple guide to preparing a scrumptious turkey with sweet potato mash with the entire family in The Joy of Cooking this Holiday with Your Special Needs Child.
Another excellent way to connect with family is to play games. We recently learned about a new board game called Manners Mall and asked its developer, Lori Granieri, to share its inspiration with us. Take a moment to read Introducing an Exciting New Board Game That Promotes Social Skills as Lori explains how Manners Mall can help children on the spectrum practice much-needed social skills.
Finding activities your entire family can participate in during the holidays can often be a challenge when you have a child with autism. That’s why we reached out to Heather Greutman, a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant turned therapy/homeschool mom blogger. Be sure to read Making Holiday Memories with Your Special Needs Child as she has devised five activities to help bring your whole family together.
If you are looking for an activity to do outside the home as a family, consider finding an autism-friendly theater performance or event. If you live near New York City, for example, the New Victory Theater located in Times Square offers shows for families who desire a relaxed environment for individuals with autism or sensory sensitivity. Check out their upcoming schedule in the article called New Victory Theater Offers Second Season of Autism-Friendly Performances.
Since we are focusing on celebrating family this month, we are excited to feature multiple articles which revolve around the people we love. In addition to touching personal narratives from our readers, we have a special piece provided by a father and a son team. Take a look at A Father and Son’s Perspective — Life, Love and the Autism Journey in which we highlight Derek Volk and Dylan Volk, authors of the new book Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the Spectrum. Their personal narratives reflect what has made their journey together as father and son both unique and ultimately very rewarding.
As we head into the holidays let’s focus on creating our own special family together-time. It doesn’t have to be fancy and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Spending time with the those who love and accept us can be the best gift of all. And if you are able, invite other people in need of family to rejoice with you. Let’s celebrate!!
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Kind regards,
Amy KD Tobik
Editor-in-Chief
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