Toilet training is, at its heart, building a child’s attention to their bodily needs and teaching them to physically manage them. They aren’t born knowing how far to push their pants down or how quickly they will need to get to the toilet after they sense urgency. The motivation will be there if they don’t…… Continue reading A Fun Game to Build Your Child’s Attention
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Do You Have a “Sensory” Kid Who Resists…Everything?
Sensory sensitivity often results in emotional sensitivity and sensory aversion. How could it not? They quickly learn that they get overwhelmed in situations that others do not. They don’t know how to handle being overwhelmed, and the adults around them might not know how to help them. Better to just avoid anything they don’t already…… Continue reading Do You Have a “Sensory” Kid Who Resists…Everything?
Struggling to Stay Dry All Night Long? What’s Different for the Child with Autism?
“Night training” is the training stage in which the goal is to achieve continence of urine overnight. This is accomplished by marrying awareness of physiological readiness with behavioral strategies. It is not something you wait for. It is something you actively work on with your autistic child. Just because your child won’t be dry at…… Continue reading Struggling to Stay Dry All Night Long? What’s Different for the Child with Autism?
How Do You Start Potty Training with an Autistic Child?
This question is fairly easy to answer: the adults build their OWN toilet training skills first! Why is that critical to success? Because kids with ASD will need trainers with better observational skills, better ability to adapt the environment and their prompts, and better understanding that the job isn’t done until the child is 100%…… Continue reading How Do You Start Potty Training with an Autistic Child?
Special Needs Kids CAN Cook; I Will Show You How!
My newest handout pack, Kitchen Skills Success, is on sale on my favorite site for therapists and parents, Your Therapy Source . It has a long history. I started writing this over 15 years ago, and then lost interest in turning it into a book. Now that YTS sells digital handout packs, its time has…… Continue reading Special Needs Kids CAN Cook; I Will Show You How!
The Expanded Second Edition of “The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child with Low Muscle Tone”, is Finally Here!
Low muscle tone is a symptom that makes potty training harder than anyone expects. Even experienced therapists don’t anticipate all of the challenges that arise. My most popular blog post is, and has always been, Why Low Muscle Tone Creates More Toilet Training Struggles for Toddlers (and Parents!) . There are good reasons for…… Continue reading The Expanded Second Edition of “The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child with Low Muscle Tone”, is Finally Here!
Can Your Special Needs Child Stay Dry through the Night?
Nighttime continence is one of the mountains to climb on the way to complete toilet training. I wrote two books on special needs potty training,( The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: From Diapering Differently to Using Public Facilities and The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone:…… Continue reading Can Your Special Needs Child Stay Dry through the Night?
Teaching Special Needs Kids How to Blow Their Noses
This is one of the most difficult self-care skills to teach a special needs child; maybe the most difficult skill I teach as an OTR. Why? Three good reasons: When they need to do it, they are uncomfortable or sick. Not a great state for learning. It isn’t a daily ADL for most kids. Many…… Continue reading Teaching Special Needs Kids How to Blow Their Noses
Why Your Gifted Kid Has A Lot of Stuff
Gifted kids (and adults) are well known for their intense interests. Their interests can be broad in scope and advanced for age. The three year-old that can tell you everything you want to know about the Civil War. The 15 year-old that built her own kiln. The 5 year-old that decided Impressionism is…… Continue reading Why Your Gifted Kid Has A Lot of Stuff
Teach a Child to Apologize Effectively
This is a skill that many adults haven’t mastered. They weren’t taught how, or they cannot bear admitting that they have wronged someone. Kids apologize without more than a “Sowwy” and rarely are required to do more than that. We fail them if we let that happen. It is a short trip from a hurried…… Continue reading Teach a Child to Apologize Effectively
Does Your Child Hate Hearing Hand Dryers and Flushing Toilets?
Hardly anyone finds public toilets a pleasant place when nature calls. But some kids (and adults!) react very poorly to the sounds of the public toilet. It might take some experience or some discussion to figure out that the sounds of the public toilet, specifically hand dryers and flushing, are what make them the most…… Continue reading Does Your Child Hate Hearing Hand Dryers and Flushing Toilets?
Teaching Special Needs Kids How to Write? I Wrote a Handout Pack for YOU!
My handout packs for pre-writing and handwriting with neurotypical kids have been a big success; lots of therapists, teachers, and parents have learned things that took me decades of professional experience and continuing education to master! NOW…it is time for children with special needs to get their own handout pack! I started with an expanded…… Continue reading Teaching Special Needs Kids How to Write? I Wrote a Handout Pack for YOU!
Teens, Hypermobility, and Intimacy
I decided to write this post because there is so little out there for hypermobile teens who find being sexually active either painful or frightening. Volume III of the “JointSmart Child” series hasn’t been written yet; I have been too busy with other projects, personal and professional. Volumes I and II are available on Amazon…… Continue reading Teens, Hypermobility, and Intimacy
Angelman Syndrome and Toilet Training: Start Early with Targeted Pre-Training!!
Children with Angelman Syndrome routinely have daunting challenges around toilet training, with very good reason. Significant delays in mobility, language, and fine motor control are common. Hardly anyone is thinking about toilet training when a child can’t stand independently and uses PECS for two desired objects. There are a lot of issues between their current…… Continue reading Angelman Syndrome and Toilet Training: Start Early with Targeted Pre-Training!!
Finally…A Handout Pack on Treating Trauma!
Pediatric therapists treat children with trauma histories and trauma disorders…all the time! Our NICU grads, kids with chronic medical conditions, and abuse survivors. They all can have trauma histories that make their treatment in OT, PT, and in speech therapy more challenging. I finally decided that I needed to share what I know about treating…… Continue reading Finally…A Handout Pack on Treating Trauma!
My New Handout Pack on Handwriting is ON SALE!!
I just finished “Handwriting Success”, the newest handout pack sold by Your Therapy Source . And it is on sale for the next week, until 3/13/23! After years of working with struggling writers, frustrated parents, and overwhelmed teachers, it was time to make something they can use. It pulls together all of the practical strategies I…… Continue reading My New Handout Pack on Handwriting is ON SALE!!
Are You Potty Training TOO LATE?
There is a simple answer: you train when you and your child are ready to train, and not a minute before that. But… you can miss the signs and train too late. Your pediatrician won’t tell you this, but there are hidden consequences to waiting to train. In the current tide of emotions on social…… Continue reading Are You Potty Training TOO LATE?
Can Adaptive Equipment Be Dangerous to Your Child?
That was a trick question: of course it can. The wrong adaptive equipment can create hazards as well as bad habits that are hard to break. And it happens all the time now, as parents and patients decide that they know exactly what is needed. It also happens when they aren’t provided with access to…… Continue reading Can Adaptive Equipment Be Dangerous to Your Child?
Is Independent Walking in the Classroom Overrated?
The “Holy Grail” for most parents of physically disabled kids is their child being able to walk around independently. This includes walking while in school. Most schools are not fully ADA accessible, making walking an easier choice many times. The oldest schools and the poorest districts frequently have the biggest problems and the least access…… Continue reading Is Independent Walking in the Classroom Overrated?
Why That Sippy Cup Could Damage Your Child’s Teeth (Hint: its not what you think!)
No, the cup isn’t deforming the positioning of their teeth. But that is a good guess. Most therapists know that the prolonged use of these covered cups slow down learning the mouth and jaw control needed to drink from an open cup. So that is a terrific reason to ditch the Sippy cup as soon…… Continue reading Why That Sippy Cup Could Damage Your Child’s Teeth (Hint: its not what you think!)