Big Kid
Learning for Fun (and Not Just Gaming) During Coronavirus
Help! My autistic young teen loves these stay-at-home orders for COVID and just wants to play video games. How do I keep him interested in learning?
Holidays
Message in Teal & Blue Pumpkins (for Halloween Safety & Inclusivity)
On Halloween, pay attention to the Teal pumpkins and Blue candy buckets as they exist to make it a safer and inclusive holiday for kids with food allergies and with autism.
Health & Safety
I’m Convinced My Baby Has Autism
A new mom is convinced her 5 month old baby has autism. But the only red flags we are seeing relate to the mom’s anxiety right now.
Health & Safety
Separation Anxiety in Overdrive
A toddler has been experiencing atypical separation anxiety since her first few weeks of life. Her mom is not satisfied with the answers she has received thus far. What should she do now?
Big Kid
Another Portrait of Senior Year Triumph (or not)
As my youngest barrels through his senior year of high school right after my oldest, I’m reminded of what I love (and don’t) about this time of life.
Young Child
The Shoe Tying Battle, Revisited
What to do when your kid knows how to tie his/her shoes but chooses to not retie them. Is it a battle worth fighting or do you let it go?
Big Kid
College Application Time: Should Your Special-Needs Student Disclose?
When it’s time for your special needs child to apply to college, should they disclose? I think you know which side of this debate I’m on.
Big Kid
The Good, the Bad, and the Dorm
I’ve been focusing so much energy on getting ready to let go of my college freshman, I forgot I was going to have to do a trial run with her brother, first.
Big Kid
Drive, Baby, Drive: Time for my Youngest to Step on the Gas
As we ever-so-gently force my youngest to get behind the wheel, he’s learning he’s more capable than he thought, and I’m delighting in watching him do so.
Big Kid
Surprise: Both My Kids Start College in the Fall
My youngest is about to embark on a new adventure: college (as a dual-enrolled high schooler)! It’s weird and wonderful and scary and awesome.
Big Kid
Life’s Not Fair, Whether I Help My Teens or Not
The knife-edge between encouraging my teens to self-advocate and stepping in while I still can is a precarious one, especially in a world that’s unfair.
Relationships
Update On: The Homeless In-Laws
An update from a letter writer on a particularly hairy and sticky family situation and lessons learned for the future.
Big Kid
To Label Or Not To Label, That Is The Question
A reader wants to know the value of putting a label on a struggling older child, or does it even matter? I have strong opinions on this one.
Big Kid
Autism and Illness: Our Last Frontier?
As my autistic son grows and matures, his awareness and coping skills grow, too. But I’m still grappling with his awareness (or lack thereof) when he’s sick.
Big Kid
The Glass Is Exactly As Full As It Should Be
While trying to balance helping my autistic son’s potential and limitations, I don’t always get it right. The good news is, he does, in spite of me.
Big Kid
How To Help When Far-Away Family Is In Crisis
Today’s query asks if being far away means a concerned aunt can’t help her nephew, and my answer is that she can help more than she thinks.
Big Kid
The Poor Sensory Sport
A mom needs advice on how to help her sensory-seeking child handle disappointment on the sports field as it’s now starting to affect his relationships.
Big Kid
Dear Teacher: My Disabled Child Is Not Lazy
Having an invisible disability is hard; having an invisible disability as a high school student and being scoffed at by a teacher is worse. Don’t be that teacher.
Health & Safety
Why Are Girls With Autism Different?
It’s often said that girls on the autism spectrum “present differently,” but what exactly does that mean? Today we’re looking at both generalities and a few hallmark specifics of how autistic girls are unlike their male counterparts.
Toddler
Toddler Hearing vs. Toddler Listening
A parent (whose day job is as an occupational therapist) is trying to weigh some concerns brought up by her son’s caregiver his development against her own observations and professional opinion.