Special Needs Archives

Autism Chores

August 28, 2017

Having autism does not mean that doing chores is out of the question. Quite the opposite, actually. Don't underestimate the willingness of a child or teen with autism to help out around the house or yard....

Air Travel with Autism – Tips on What to Bring Aboard

July 21, 2017

Air travel with Autism can be a challenge. Preparation is key! Familiarizing your child with the airport and with as much of the process as possible is the place to start....

Air Travel with Autism – Flying High

June 28, 2017

Air Travel with Autism can be difficult. Airline travel isn't something we do daily or weekly, so establishing a routine with it is problematic. Airports can be overwhelming for the senses. Airplanes are noisy. Seems like there are rules and regulati...

Special Needs Summer Fun

May 22, 2017

Special Needs Summer Fun – The countdown to summer most likely began a couple of months ago. Once spring break comes and goes, the end of another school year looms in the distance like a rogue wave on the ocean. It’s headed directly for our h...

How to be an Active Advocate

April 28, 2017

In order to advocate, you must speak, support, and assist in favor of (the person or the cause). It’s going to take more than you expect: inner strength, determination, time, patience, and money. Effective advocating can challenge parents, drain t...

Autism Awareness: Is It Enough?

April 1, 2017

Building awareness can be a full-time job or a temporary gig. But does all the effort involved amount to true action or reform? Is action even a preferred goal of awareness raising? And how does one measure the success of the efforts (if not by doll...

Going Gluten Free: Helpful or Hype?

March 16, 2017

The special needs world comes with a plethora of acronyms and abbreviations. From diagnosis (ASD, ADHD, PDD-NOS…) to education plans (IEP, LRE, BIP, ESY) to dietary interventions (GFCF, LOD, SCD), parents can easily become tangled in a chain of let...

Mindfulness During Meltdowns

February 21, 2017

Staying grounded in the midst of chaos is achievable. When a child is having a meltdown of epic proportions, serenity is threatened. The thought becomes "What can I do to stop this?" Maybe stopping a meltdown isn't the answer. Stopping a tantrum is ...

A Child with Autism – A Person to be Loved

February 3, 2017

Autism. For some, it’s a word rarely heard, rarely used. For others, Autism is a reality that enters their life like a fog bank creeping up from the horizon. Or, in some cases, it can be like a firework exploding inside their home. When a person, ...