Best 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 […]
Continue readingBenefits and Uses of Weighted Vest for Autism
What is a weighted vest? A weighted vest is a garment worn over clothing with extra weight added within the vest. This is done either by using heavy fabric or filling the vest’s pockets with weighted objects such as steel bars or sandbags. It is designed to add between five to ten percent of a […]
Continue readingThe Therapeutic Connection With ASD – How to Know When It’s a Good Fit!
As a parent of someone on the spectrum (child, teen, adult), you are likely familiar with the process of navigating a variety of services. In my office, parents of older kids frequently recall specific therapists along their journeys who were game changers. These therapists saw inner strengths and potential in their children that had otherwise […]
Continue readingTop Therapy Services That Need to Be Considered With Autism
Recently, parents of a 3.6-year-old child diagnosed with autism with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in a US public school district approached me for some general tips on parenting a child with autism. I am a physical therapist with a special interest in the educational impact of a diagnosis like the autism spectrum, attention deficit […]
Continue readingWays Emotionally Supporting Special Needs Parents Leads to Success
There is an endless array of articles, advice and information on the internet about autism and its impact on families. Much of the available information includes costs of raising a child with autism. Many articles are geared towards parent experiences with applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, speech, and occupational therapy (OT), while other online information […]
Continue readingTop Ways Occupational Therapy Can Help Kids With Autism Every Day
There are many different methods of therapy that can be useful for helping children cope with the symptoms of autism. Since there are different types of autism and a wide variety of environments that autistic children may be raised in, it’s a good idea to figure out which type of therapy will best suit the […]
Continue reading