One of the things that is most frustrating for parents of kids on the spectrum is to deal with meltdowns. They are one of the hardest parts of being an Autism parent. But they are even harder for a child than they are for a parent. When addressing meltdowns, it is always better to try to help avoid them in…
Autism is a difficult but rewarding journey for parents, but what about their other, typically developing children? The siblings of children on the autism spectrum play a very important role in the development of their autistic siblings. Remember siblings are just kids too. Being a sibling of a child with Autism can be a heavy burden for any child to…
Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, most schools and businesses in the United States are requiring masks. It seems like almost every day, parents are venting on social media about their children with Autism not being allowed into schools, being kicked off airplanes or being denied entry into entertainment venues because they cannot wear a mask. According to the National Rehabilitation…
Oftentimes, a parent has to wait a long time in order to get applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for their child. When services finally start, it can be tempting to jump right into things. However, doing so can be problematic for a child and lead to a poor or failed relationship with a therapist. That’s why it’s so important to…
By now, many parents have been homeschooling their kids for over a month. For some, it has gotten easier but for some it is just a big, huge, epic disaster. It may seem like your child is never going to listen to you. I have good news and bad news. The bad news…. A lot of schools may not reopen…
As therapists quickly scramble to adopt teletherapy as the primary model for delivering educational services such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), speech therapy, occupational therapy and special education instruction, there is understandably a lot of anxiety on parts of both parents and practitioners. There are a lot of questions and concerns as to whether or not it would even work.…
There is nothing in life more amazing and miraculous than having children. Approximately one eighth of a second after my wife showed me the double blue line on that little white stick, the enormity of what we had done hit me like a freight train into a nitroglycerin plant. The #1 shock in my life was now occurring, I was…
Whenever this boy, let’s call him Jack got excited, he always flapped his arms. I was taught to tell him to have quiet hands. Flapping arms is a part of Autism called stimming. As a society, we don’t like when people do it because it is different and different makes us uncomfortable. So, I was taught that to make everyone…
As a parent, you want to believe that you will always be ready and able to protect your child. There is no greater bond than that between a parent and child. Most parents would give their lives to save their child without even hesitating. However, a time could come when you are rendered incapable of being able to take care…
Michelle Vinokurov aka Exceptional Shell was non verbal until the age 6! Now she is an autism advocate and keynote speaker! In this short clip from Bridge the Gap she shares what Autism was like for her as a child. Watch her full episode of Bridge the Gap here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU_9D-REImY Watch our other episodes of Bridge the Gap Bridge the…