You may have heard of ‘executive functioning’ at your child’s school, OT office, or psychiatry appointment. It’s kind of a big deal. At the same time, executive functioning is very basic. You use executive functioning skills every day! So, what is it? The executive functions are a set of processes that allow you to manage
What are executive functioning skills? Read More »
You want your child to behave in a certain way, perform to a particular standard (say, in school), or simply not embarrass you with a tantrum in the grocery store aisle. But how to motivate kids who don’t want to comply? I have one kid who is motivated simply by guilt…he’s a parent pleaser and
How to motivate kids (when nothing seems to work!) Read More »
Willful behavior is worrisome, but good news…sometimes, your child may not be acting willfully at all. Your defiant child may be going through something else entirely. Case in point: The task was simple, or seemingly simple. My young friend had stepped on another friend’s fingers and he needed to do the socially appropriate thing and
Rethinking Willful behavior: Is my child defiant or is something else going on? Read More »
We already know that behavior is simply any action that can be observed and measured. And we’ve learned that ABA therapy can greatly help kids with autism. Part of ABA therapy is teaching new skills, and another part is discouraging undesirable behaviors. We’re going to focus on the teaching new skills part. One thing your
Creating social narratives to help kids with autism Read More »
Six weeks and two days was as long as I lasted. Yes, I counted the days. I had always thought of myself as the fairly strong-minded, perseverant person. I was completely prepared for motherhood—the sleepless nights, the changes to my body, the mental and physical toll—all of it. I felt like I was walking into
Why your parenting needs science Read More »
“THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!” Whatever it is–tantrums, hitting, whining—there are childhood behaviors that just reach their shelf life, like, yesterday, and you want them to be gone. There’s a trick to make this happen right? Easy parenting tools I can use? Sort of. Well, not exactly… but don’t give up yet. Stay with me.
Easy parenting tools: The one ‘trick’ your parenting toolbox needs Read More »
…and why it sabotages their parenting In my job as a behavior analyst, I have a front row seat to people’s parenting behavior. The parenting mistakes and the wins. I get to be in the trenches with people as they are working on being the best parent they can be and it is an honor—and
Six parenting mistakes I wish parents would stop doing… Read More »
“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” How many times do we say this sentence as parents, hoping our child will retain the information we’re giving them? This is true, certainly, with typically-developing kids, but eye contact and autism are equally, if not more, important. Importance of eye contact and face attention: To develop
Eye contact and autism: the importance of face attention Read More »
What is joint attention? Joint attention is the ability to share a common focus on something (people, objects, a concept, an event, etc.) with someone else. It involves the ability to gain, maintain, and shift attention. Joint attention serves as a referencing tool that uses shared gaze (visually focusing on the same thing) and/or gesture
Defining behavioral science: What is joint attention? Read More »
At eighteen months, I laid out a set of flannel planets across the living room in hopes of engaging my son. He was constantly in motion, rarely stopped to interact with his parents, and just seemed uninterested in what was going on around him. Still, he was very verbal. Extremely so, as well as highly
Early signs of autism that are easy to miss Read More »