Families of Children with Disabilities Need and Deserve a Village
Parents Under Pressure: Struggling to Raise Children in an Unequal America recounts the stories of six overburdened families slogging through the cracks in America’s support systems. In one chapter, Victoria and Nathaniel, whose child has autism, cerebral palsy, and limited ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), find obtaining and coordinating services as strenuous […]
Continue readingBenefits, Uses, and Importance of Occupational Therapy for Autism
What is occupational therapy? The role of occupational therapy for autism is to help the child participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. (“About Occupational Therapy,” 2019) Occupational therapy takes a holistic approach to the client’s wellbeing. It addresses the physical, psychological, and cognitive aspects […]
Continue readingYou Are an Important Part of The Solution In The Autism Diagnosis
Three years ago, my husband and I were facing very difficult questions. Those questions often didn’t have simple answers, and worse, the professional answers we received didn’t always mesh with other professional answers. How would I navigate this? I can tell you my pediatrician felt that my son was “just a boy.” Had I listened […]
Continue readingHow to Create the Dream Team for Your Autistic Child
You won’t be able to build a dream team, even in a city rich in services if you don’t first identify what you and your child need, and that is difficult because you probably don’t know all that is out there, and what you need often changes. Look to your child for guidance. Once you […]
Continue readingAutism Myths vs Autism Facts
While the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been used by scientists and doctors for decades, we don’t have all the answers surrounding this developmental disability. Finding the advice and support autism families need can be challenging as there is a lot of inconsistent information and technical progress can be slow. To understand autism and […]
Continue readingBest Sensory Room Ideas for Children with Autism
What is a sensory room? A sensory room or sensory integration room is designed to provide calm, focus, and comfort to people with sensory processing problems, which often includes people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as DSM-5, mentions the atypical response to specific […]
Continue readingParenting A Child With Autism Is a Valuable Full-Time Job
I don’t have a job yet my calendar is filled with to-dos, appointments, and tasks required of me. I have a psychology degree hanging on the wall that everyone around me seems to have forgotten collecting dust as I interact with therapists that often think of me as “just another special needs mom.” I attend […]
Continue readingEmotional Therapy: How to Bridge the Gap For People With Special Needs
If humans are anything, first, we are emotional beings. Newborn babies in the NICU are proven to have increased chances of survival directly correlated with how much physical contact they receive. This has been the root of hospital volunteer baby huggers programs in which they bring in volunteers to simply hug and cuddle infants to […]
Continue readingHow To Find Balance, Meaning, and Joy Through Autism
My son, “Pookie” is 16 years old, nonverbal, and very severe on the spectrum of autism. He is the absolute light of our lives, and contrary to what outsiders may think, we have not been shortchanged on jot…we are the lucky ones; the ones to be envied. Here are a few of the ways that […]
Continue readingBetter Understanding Hyperlexia and Comprehension in Autism
Many parents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children are aware at some point that their child has a very accelerated splinter skill, a specific task that does not generalize to other tasks. For some parents, they may have noticed that their child is very advanced in art or music, and yet some highly advanced abilities […]
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