What is stimming? Hand-flapping, rocking, spinning, and flicking. Stimming is a big topic in the autism world, in fact, stimming is probably the most recognizable trait of autism and the thing that people think about most when they think about autism. It’s also the thing that neurotypical people mess up the most about autism. The
What is stimming? And why and when we need to stop stimming Read More »
You might think that the sooner you accept and embrace an official diagnosis of autism, the better. After all, knowledge is power, and the sooner you know, the sooner you can get your child the help and services needed. But knowledge does not have to be tied to a label, and there are circumstances in
When to embrace an official diagnosis of autism (and when to delay it) Read More »
When you think of ‘mindfulness’, what comes to mind first? Maybe a Buddhist monk posed in serenity? A blissful sunset? For me, it’s meditation. Or maybe yoga…two things I’m not very good at! My teen thinks immediately of my Calm app, which I love and he resists. The importance of mindfulness for kids and teens
The importance of mindfulness for kids and teens Read More »
At your wit’s end and ready to take away a toy or privilege? Taking things away is an effective discipline strategy…sometimes. To understand when to take away a toy, it’s necessary to first talk about when it is NOT that effective. The answer lies in equal parts behavior science and cognitive development, and operator error.
when to take away a toy or Privilege: six steps to success Read More »
I’m a very organized person. I love a schedule and sticking to it! My teen with ADHD also flourishes with a schedule, but on his own, he often lacks the organizational skills to succeed with one. I’ve discovered that it takes active practice (and some instruction from mom and dad) for my teen to learn
Five Study strategies for ADHD Read More »
When my teen was diagnosed with major depression, it was kind of an ‘aha moment’ for me. The symptoms of teen depression had all been there, but for over a year, I had been looking right past them, trying to connect his behavior to life events, disappointments, and other conditional things. When his therapist diagnosed
Four symptoms of teen depression and how to beat them Read More »
When it comes to parenting, the tools you choose to implement can mean the difference between a melt-down and a successful parenting moment. Rewards that work are key…as you’ll see in the example below: I could see his little body getting rigid and his eyes were dropping. A stand-off was imminent, and I had no
Choosing parenting rewards that work Read More »
I try not to bring up the trauma of the Jump Park Fiasco of 2019, but I learned some pretty great lessons about what happens when you think you have a great reward to encourage behavior, but it ends up not working AT ALL, so I am willing to share my trauma in hopes that
Parenting tip: what to do When rewards stop working Read More »
When should you give in to your kids? Ever? Never? Here’s the scenario: It’s five minutes past the drop-dead moment for getting in the car and getting everyone to the right place at the right time. I’m running on fumes fueled by the insanity of needing to bring a show-and-tell item that starts with the
the one thing you should absolutely always give into as a parent Read More »
Children respond to rewards…at least typically-developing children do. What about autism and rewards? Can they work in tandem? Rewards are a form of reinforcement, and reinforcement happens on a continuum. You have primary reinforcers on one of the spectrum and secondary reinforcers on the other end of the spectrum. Primary reinforcers are the things that
Autism and rewards: teaching your child with autism to understand typical rewards Read More »