I just wrote a new set of handouts for Your Therapy Source. This time they are about going BEYOND Tummy Time, picking high chairs, booster seats, and getting baby wearing right when your child has special needs. These are great for therapists in Early Intervention, but parents can also buy them on the…… Continue reading Need to Pick a High Chair for Your Preemie? I Got You!
Author: Cathy Collyer
I am a licensed occupational therapist, licensed massage therapist, and certified CBT-i sleep coach in private practice in the NYC area.
I have over 25 years of professional experience in adult and pediatric treatment. It has been a joy to help people of all ages improve their ability to grow and thrive! Occupational therapists are focused on enhancing a client's functioning in everyday life. We are practical healthcare providers, interested in teaching, adapting actions and environments, and building a client's useful skills for living their best life, regardless of their challenges.
I am the author of five books, including "Staying In The Room: Managing Medical And Dental Care When You Have DID" and "The Practical Guide To Toilet Training the Autistic Child". I lecture on many subjects, including sleep, trauma, and development. Contact me to learn more about how I can help you achieve YOUR goals!
Make Life with Your Special Needs Child Easier: The Special Needs Toileting Handout Pack is Finally Here!
After writing The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child I got a lot of feedback on how great the book was. And how long. It seems that some professionals and a lot of parents are so crushed for time that they wanted a “Cliff Notes” version (showing my age, I guess…!) So I decided…… Continue reading Make Life with Your Special Needs Child Easier: The Special Needs Toileting Handout Pack is Finally Here!
How Early is TOO EARLY to Potty Train?
I have been asked this question twice by friends in the month since my new book, The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: Sensory-Motor Secrets to Success, came out. My answer hasn’t changed, but my awareness of how other people view readiness has. The short answer: You can train successfully much earlier than…… Continue reading How Early is TOO EARLY to Potty Train?
Can You Prevent Pelvic Floor Issues by Changing Everyday Habits?
So many hypermobile kids and adults develop pelvic floor problems. They surface as issues with bowel and bladder control, mobility problems, and when kids become sexually active, a host of sexual dysfunctions. Wouldn’t it be better to prevent problems than solve them? Of course it would. That was a rhetorical question, posed out of frustration…… Continue reading Can You Prevent Pelvic Floor Issues by Changing Everyday Habits?
The Secret Weapon To Get Your Autistic Child Sleeping Better
You will need to address your own sleep skills. This is more than the classic “Put your mask on before trying to place a mask over your child’s mouth” on an airplane. Raising a child with autism is a lot of work. A lot of love, but a lot of time and effort. Nothing is…… Continue reading The Secret Weapon To Get Your Autistic Child Sleeping Better
Can You Successfully Treat Sensory Issues in Gifted Kids?
The short answer is: Yes, sort of. The long answer is that without understanding the source of the sensory issues as a brain difference instead of a brain disorder, you will not make the gifted child’s functioning better, and you could contribute to lowered self-confidence and performance. Gifted individuals process their world slightly differently than…… Continue reading Can You Successfully Treat Sensory Issues in Gifted Kids?
The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: From Diapering Differently to Using Public Facilities
Toilet Training a child with autism is not easy. It just got easier for you. The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: Sensory-Motor Secrets for Success is finally done! I wanted to share everything I have learned as a pediatric occupational therapist for over 25 years. And everything I have…… Continue reading The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: From Diapering Differently to Using Public Facilities
Why Learning to Get Dressed Is Such a Challenge For Autistic and Sensory Kids
Almost all young children are little natives; they often prefer to be naked or almost naked. Even when chilled, a lot of kids balk at putting on clothing. If your child has an ASD diagnosis or a sensory processing issue, their desire to stay undressed may not be just a preference. They may find the…… Continue reading Why Learning to Get Dressed Is Such a Challenge For Autistic and Sensory Kids
Why Does Autism Create so Many Toilet Training Struggles for Kids (and Their Exhausted Parents)?
It isn’t that parents and professionals think potty training an autistic child will be easy. They know it could be a challenge and it could take longer than training a neurotypical child. They simply don’t expect it to be so consistently tough and to have so many unexpected twists and turns. Some of them can…… Continue reading Why Does Autism Create so Many Toilet Training Struggles for Kids (and Their Exhausted Parents)?
Why Hydration is Your Superpower When Potty Training an Autistic Child
Hydration…a fancy name for drinking enough water. It could be the key to successfully potty training an autistic child. Why? Because if nothing much is going in, or nothing healthy is going in, nothing good will come out. A child who has a history of struggling to nurse or feed from a bottle often turns…… Continue reading Why Hydration is Your Superpower When Potty Training an Autistic Child
Toothbrushing Tools For Autism That Work!
Families ask me to come to their homes and teach their autistic kid how to correctly brush and floss their teeth. As an occupational therapist, I know good tools can do half of my work for me (Shush: don’t tell anybody that it isn’t always my many years of training and experience that make the…… Continue reading Toothbrushing Tools For Autism That Work!
A Simple Strategy to Manage an Autistic Child’s Fear of Practicing New Skills
Novelty can be very difficult for kids with autism. Very. Difficult. Learning a new skill is only one type of novelty in the life of an autistic child. But it can go badly, and without much warning. The meltdown from being asked to switch things up can be substantial. Mostly out of proportion to…… Continue reading A Simple Strategy to Manage an Autistic Child’s Fear of Practicing New Skills
Why Letting Your Child Snack All Day Can Damage Their Sleep Quality
I wanted to make the title stronger, more click-able. But in the end, I am not writing this blog to grab views. I am writing it to help people support children’s health. So I couldn’t use words like “destroy” or “torpedo”. But I wanted to. Because something as simple as snacking every hour or so…… Continue reading Why Letting Your Child Snack All Day Can Damage Their Sleep Quality
How To Decide Between “Boot Camp” and Gradual Potty Training
Whether or not you are training a special needs child or a neurotypical child, you will have to think about exactly which methods you will be using. The two general categories for training strategies are the “boot camp”, in which the child spends days living near the potty, focusing on toileting, and the gradual…… Continue reading How To Decide Between “Boot Camp” and Gradual Potty Training
How a White Noise Machine Will Help Your Kid With hEDS
This post isn’t about babies or toddlers with hEDS (so few of them get diagnosed that the experience alone would be a post!). It is for the older kids with hEDS. The ones enrolled in school, the ones who no longer think there are monsters in the closet or hug a stuffy tight at…… Continue reading How a White Noise Machine Will Help Your Kid With hEDS
How The Parents of Medically Fragile or Complex Kids Can Cope Better Every Day
When your child is medically fragile or medically complex, your old life really doesn’t exist any longer. But your new life screams for your attention. And you aren’t likely to have shrugged off any of the stressors from your old life; you still are likely to have a partner, other kids, a home, maybe a…… Continue reading How The Parents of Medically Fragile or Complex Kids Can Cope Better Every Day
How Occupational Therapy Helps Kids With Complex Medical Histories Heal From PTSD
Occupational therapists have been treating children with complex medical conditions for a very long time. In acute care, in outpatient clinics, and at home. It is only recently that their unique constellation of cognitive, sensory, and social/emotional reactions have been formally recognized as PTSD. Occupational therapists can help these kids and their families in ways…… Continue reading How Occupational Therapy Helps Kids With Complex Medical Histories Heal From PTSD
When Your Child’s Defiance is Coming From Being Neurologically Disorganized
Over a few decades of being a homecare OTR, I have seen a lot of different reactions from parents. And received a lot of different requests. The most honest ones are from parents who think their child is constantly defying them. They would like some pointers so they can stop wishing they were on a…… Continue reading When Your Child’s Defiance is Coming From Being Neurologically Disorganized
How to Handle Your Family’s Reactions to Your Gifted Kid’s Comments
We already know that it is common for a gifted child to challenge their teacher’s patience Why Gifted Children Aren’t Their Teacher’s Favorite Students…. . But what about their extended family? Do they take everything that comes out of a gifted child’s mouth in stride? Nope. The same reasons that teachers find gifted students less-than-adorable…… Continue reading How to Handle Your Family’s Reactions to Your Gifted Kid’s Comments
Use Dry Runs With Autistic Kids During Potty Training (Wait; What’s a Dry Run?)
I finished writing “The Practical Guide To Toilet Training The Autistic Child: Sensory-Motor Secrets For Success”. It was a labor of love, and a lot of work. I got to the chapter on safety and balance, and decided that I couldn’t wait until it is published to put out another post on why “dry…… Continue reading Use Dry Runs With Autistic Kids During Potty Training (Wait; What’s a Dry Run?)