With so many different names for service dogs, it can be hard to decide which one, if any, might be right for your family. Caitlin Bird teaches parents how to train their own service dogs, and she explains to me when a family might decide to invest the time and energy into inviting these animals into their homes.
How do you know when it’s time to explore an out of home placement for a young adult with autism? Lisa C, a fellow autism mom of three, had to make this difficult decision for her 19-year-old son Ethan recently, and she shares her story with me today. Just making the initial decision was hard, but navigating insurance concerns and potential homes hours away made the decision even more daunting. Lisa’s story is one of hope, and I think you’ll appreciate her thoughtful perspective.
Putting your child in a floatie isn’t always the best way to keep them safe in the water. Being truly water safe means that a child should be able to demonstrate the 8 basic water safety skills. Tenaya Goldsmith, a swimming instructor for over 12 years, shares how you can teach your child, no matter their age or ability, how to be safe in the water.
I’ve been consulting with children and a few adults with autism for many years now. I had a revelation soon after I published my book The Verbal Behavior Approach. I now believe that there are three main skills every child and adult with autism needs to be successful. These skills for autism, I believe, are the...
Should You Use Chew Toys for Kids with Autism? Most infants chew on various toys and blankets, especially while they're teething. Some kids with autism - or signs of autism - continue to chew well beyond infancy. Whether they are chewing on their hand, shirts, sleeves of their shirts, or any nonfood items, it can…
Today, I am going to be talking about the Coronavirus and how it is affecting the autism world as we speak. I'm also going to be giving some really practical tips on teaching hand washing to kids with autism. Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around. So if…
The fourth area where people get stuck is self care. In this five-part stuck series, I want to talk about the five areas that I see parents and professionals get the most stuck. In Part 1 I talked about assessing language when a child is nonvocal. Part 2 was about teaching receptive language skills, and...
Back in June of 2004, my son, Lucas, was only six years old. He has moderate to severe autism so his behavior reflects his diagnosis. But one morning, he woke up with an acute onset of motor tics. The first day was really abrupt. He started flipping his shoulder and making a sound over and...
My video blog last week was on ruling out medical issues before treating problem behaviors in children with autism. So please watch last week’s blog first before this video blog on autism and pain if you haven’t done so already. This week I’m going to answer a question I get often: “How do you teach...
