Category Archives: Typical Siblings

My Social Story

I am a big believer in social stories. I think they are probably one of the most underutilized tools for all children. My theory is because they require a fair bit of customized attention to detail for the recipient they are eschewed as being too labor intensive. We tend to like things that can be…

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Great Hope

That’s the kind of hope I need to keep on going in my larger, and much more significant Mommy duties. We’ve learned a lot about the care and feeding of these three precious lives.

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Magical Moment

I never would have walked away from her and sat in the shade to talk with another mom at that age. I would have been hovering over her and wondering where all the other parents were, anyway. Then I think of where she is now with her skills and another wave of relief washes over me. I can be one of the parents sitting over in the shade, still watchful, but more at ease.

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Getting a Grip

I probably should know better than to write a post late at night when I’m barely still awake and most of my thoughts are trending toward a rather negative vein. However, if I procrastinate (again) I’ll be posting late (again) and I’m tired of that trend, too. Just be aware there will be no sugar-coating….

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Santa Visit

Usually some friend invites us to a Santa event sponsored by their employer or business and we go to that. We didn’t get any invitations this year, so I figured we could just not mention it and move along. Not so fast there. The child insisted that we needed to go – all of us – to see Santa and make sure he knew which presents to bring.

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Different or Fancy?

It was a relatively easy, but somewhat mind-numbing task to accommodate the child’s fixed preferences at her place setting. We don’t have quite enough “matching” flatware pieces to make it to the next dishwasher run. We tend to run out of teaspoons and case knives before plates and bowls. Over the years of combining two…

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It’s Not a Race

I think we are about to hit an interesting phase of our family. The younger apparently neurotypical siblings are about to reach certain developmental milestones before their big sister does.  Little boy has just about mastered his daytime toilet learning. One of our first signs that he was physically ready for this achievement was that…

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…But What About the “Other” Kid?

Jack is homebound currently. We are anticipating him entering a virtual school next fall. If not, then he’ll homebound some more. Jack isn’t my only child. I have a very neuro-typical child. As a matter of fact, she’s the most wonderful kid in the whole world. She’s bright and compassionate and funny (just like her…

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Helping Siblings Deal with “Survivor” Guilt

A month ago my 8 year old entered a residential treatment facility. Three weeks and 6 days ago, my 9 year old began to feel horrible about it. No matter how hard things had become at home with her little sister’s behaviors, her absence brings anxiety. Partly because said 9 year old has challenging behaviors…

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Bedtime (Yawn) Routine

We figured out a long time ago that the child works best with routines, but with an occasional change of pace. I am also noticing that her apparently neuro-typical siblings can take advantage of routine to create chaos. Recently this has all appeared in the form of marathon bedtime routines that leave me ready to…

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