“Did you notice how angry your sister is getting when you talk to her like that?” “Can you see that mom is frustrated when you’re not listening?” “What do you mean, you didn’t think she was sad? She’s crying!” These might seem like things only parents with kids on the Autistic spectrum may say to…
Category Archives: Skill Development
Truth or Dare
We’ve hit another strange milestone. I think the child has learned how to lie. Not that she does it well, mind you. Previously she has been honest to a fault: Why is your brother crying? Because I hit him… Ah. Whether I liked the answer or not, at least I knew it was true. There…
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…
Soothing An Anxious Child
Some kids just pop out of the womb self-assured and confident. Mine, not so much. Raising 2 former foster kids, assurance is like a foreign language in their minds! It’s been a huge learning process for us to figure out what works and what doesn’t in helping them find confidence in stress. And I know…
Helping Kids With ADHD Make Friends
“They don’t want to play with me!” She yells, stomping up the stairs and throwing her book bag down the hall. As is my daily habit, I wait until she blows off steam and it’s calm in her room again. Then I walk in, plop on the floor next to her where she’s creating an…
Progress Report
About eight months ago I shared a story about the challenges of my daughter interacting with neurotypical peers on the playground after school (and presumably during school, though I am not there to witness it.) At the time she was trying to master the game of bar tag, and all of the social intricacies surrounding it,…
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…
Homework Strategies for Moody Kids
A few weeks back in school and all the old frustrations are in full swing. The pencil-breaking. The paper-ripping. The weeping. The gnashing of teeth. You’d think schoolwork was, in fact, hell on earth. But really it’s just hell to a child with a learning disability. Especially one that’s at the mercy of bipolar mood…
What to do?
I have a few issues, just like everyone else. However, my current giant flaw is my inability to be mean. Seriously, I’m totally a “tell it like it is” kinda girl, but I can usually say it with as much grace as I can muster. I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings or make them…
When I Discovered I Was Part of The Problem
Ours isn’t the usual superhero story. When I brought my daughters home from foster care I anticipated grief, health issues, tantrums (they were both toddlers, after all). But I didn’t think that 7 years later, one would be healthy and well-adjusted while the other seemed to fall apart emotionally and physically in spite of interventions….