It is time to teach your son to shave. Shaving wasn’t on your radar until now. Maybe you have been shaving him or taking him to the barber. BUT…….. His beard is growing in too fast for the occasional barber visit. His coordination and safety awareness? Not as fast. He needs to learn to…… Continue reading The Easiest Manual Razor to Teach Your Special Needs Son to Shave
Tag: ASD
My new Audiobook, “Get Your Autistic Child to Sleep” Will Change Your (Night)Life!
Parents need more support to address sleep problems with their autistic kids. Too many sleepless nights. Too many terrible mornings. Good luck finding a provider that is both a licensed therapist AND a certified sleep therapist. Wait…. You just did; I am on of those rare unicorns, and I wrote a short ebook for you!!…… Continue reading My new Audiobook, “Get Your Autistic Child to Sleep” Will Change Your (Night)Life!
Build A Child’s Utensil Skills (Spoons, Forks, Knives) with my New Handout Pack!
Using a spoon and a fork are the beginnings of skilled tool use for children. It isn’t always easy. For special needs kids, these skills can take time to develop. Sometimes, kids decide they will use their fingers or suck their meals from a pouch. They will let someone else cut their meat for…… Continue reading Build A Child’s Utensil Skills (Spoons, Forks, Knives) with my New Handout Pack!
Does Your ASD Child Avoid Looking at You? Figure Out if Your Child Has Gaze Indifference or Gaze Aversion
There is a BIG difference between reducing gaze indifference and reducing gaze aversion. One requires treatments that focus on sensory processing to lower a child’s overall neurological arousal level. The other won’t respond significantly to sensory treatment, and requires behavioral and psycho-educational strategies. Can you tell the difference between them? Gaze aversion has a distinct…… Continue reading Does Your ASD Child Avoid Looking at You? Figure Out if Your Child Has Gaze Indifference or Gaze Aversion
7 Reasons Your Kid Autistic Kid Isn’t Sleeping Well
I treat kids on the spectrum every day. Parents have to understand where their sleep problem(s) are coming from: Many of my older kids are medicated for attention and anxiety. These drugs either are stimulants or have side effects that are stimulating. Sleep needs the opposite. Taking those medications too late in the day or…… Continue reading 7 Reasons Your Kid Autistic Kid Isn’t Sleeping Well
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?
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!
Screens, Sleep, and the Special Needs Child
Since becoming a certified sleep therapist I am now helping an OT client with their struggle to fall asleep. The child is taking stimulant medication as well as an anti-anxiety medication. Both drugs contributing to his difficultly falling asleep in the evening. The side effect profiles of these drugs are not surprising. The ASD…… Continue reading Screens, Sleep, and the Special Needs Child
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!
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
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
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
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
Why Teaching Dressing Skills is Essential to Potty Train Autistic Kids
Toilet training for kids with ASD is complex, and it can take a while. But while you are working on developing communication skills and increasing sensory tolerance, don’t forget to work on clothing management. WHY? Autistic children tend to have difficulty quickly and accurately sensing urgency. Unless you are glued to their side, and…… Continue reading Why Teaching Dressing Skills is Essential to Potty Train Autistic Kids
How To Help Sensory and Autistic Kids Cope With Haircuts
Most toddlers getting their first haircut are known to fidget and squirm around. Some cry. But they grow up, and out, of their fear and distress. If your child has sensory sensitivities or sensory modulation issues, haircuts stay difficult-to-torturous for a much longer time! Confusion, fear of strangers, and stubbornness don’t elicit the same…… Continue reading How To Help Sensory and Autistic Kids Cope With Haircuts
Is Your Child Jumpy, Distracted, Or Controlling? Sound Sensitivity Could Be The Problem
M.E. couldn’t pay attention to her homework. The landscapers had arrived, and the muffled sounds of their equipment had her looking around and running to the window every few minutes. Her brother sat on the floor with his LEGOs, oblivious to it all. He was four years younger, but his behavior was easier to…… Continue reading Is Your Child Jumpy, Distracted, Or Controlling? Sound Sensitivity Could Be The Problem
How To Pick A High Chair For Your Special Needs Child
My first Early Intervention home visits always involve seeing the child sitting in their high chair. Why? I learn a few very important things. I learn how the child is handled by the parent or caregiver, including whether they use the available strapping to secure them. Many don’t, and don’t realize that it is part…… Continue reading How To Pick A High Chair For Your Special Needs Child