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A Highly Effective Toilet Training Program Based on Applied Behavior Analysis Principles
Learning to use the bathroom independently is a critical life skill for any child, but especially for children with autism spectrum disorder. It boosts their self-confidence, enhances their quality of life, and enables a deeper integration into educational environments, social gatherings, and...
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Maintaining and Improving Skills During COVID-19 with Robot-Assisted Instruction
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many children are falling behind due to compromises in therapy and education services. Children with disabilities who previously had stable access to regular in-person therapy are losing that access, leading to regression (Jones, 2020). While tele-care and remote video...
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10 Strategies to Teach Your Autistic Child About Money
Let’s face it - money is essential to every single person’s life. Money is a tool that allows us to negotiate our welfare and independence in the world and has an incredible influence on anyone’s life. That being said, if it isn’t managed properly, it can quickly become an overwhelming...
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Ethical Implementation of ABA Programming in Schools: A Guide for Professionals and Parents
For over fifty years, research has demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication and appropriate behavior. According to the Association for Science in Autism Treatments (ASAT), ABA is the only scientifically validated...
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Use of a Specialized PBIS Framework to Organize and Deliver Evidence-Based Practices to Children with Autism
A significant challenge facing autism service providers is the effective and consistent delivery of evidence-based practices to the children they serve. A number of research reviews, including the National Standards Project (Rue, Knox, Welchons, Murzycki, Pollack, & Class, 2015) and the...
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Basic Guidelines for Choosing an Advocate for Your Child
Working with your school district to ensure your child is receiving an appropriate education can be challenging. Often parents feel they are not equal members of their children’s educational team, and that decisions are not always made with their child’s unique needs in mind. Add the...
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Talking to Siblings About ASD
Siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have unique needs and may have a range of feelings, both positive and negative, about their experience with their brother or sister with ASD. They may be reluctant to share these feelings with parents due to feelings of guilt (Opperman &...
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Supporting Siblings is a Family Affair: Thoughts From an Insider to Help Guide the Conversation for Best Outcome
The impact of having a child with a disability extends far beyond that individual and impacts the parents and siblings over the course of the family’s lifetime (Harris & Glasberg, 2003: Powell & Ogle, 1985). Developmental disabilities are certainly not universal in how they impact the...
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Stronger Than We Think: The Advantages of Neurodiversity in the Face of Adversity
COVID-19 presents huge challenges and added layers of vulnerability for children and adults with autism and other special needs and their families. Some experience more adversity than others because of race and social class. However, it is my belief that neurodiversity has some built-in advantages...
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Help for Parents Managing Challenging Behaviors for Children with ASD During COVID-19
The last several weeks have resulted in significant changes for families, as parents and children are now spending most of their time together in the home. Many parents are trying to balance work, child-care, and distance learning for their children, while also trying to manage children’s...
