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Periods and Pads and Pain, Oh My! Promoting Independence During Self-Care – Skills for Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder
As a parent, our biggest concerns for our children involve teaching them to be successful individuals who can advocate for themselves, providing them with an education to help them grow into successful adults, and keeping them safe. A common goal amongst all parents is to raise their children to be...
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Guiding Your Child with Autism Through Puberty
The early changes of puberty usually occur between the ages of 9 to 13 years (Odel, 1989). They are noticeable in girls by the budding of breasts and then pubic hair, with menstrual periods starting between 11 to 14 years of age. Boys usually develop testicular enlargement and then pubic hair...
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How Can We Make Spirituality a Permanent Part of Our Adult Son’s Life with Autism?
My son Daniel is a 31-year-old young man with autism. Like many families with an autistic member, our lives have - ahem - been interesting, distinctive, contained a certain element of surprise and provided a trail of unanticipated sweetness. I’ll take just one category of our life...
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When Residential Schooling Is an Option
As a single mom of a nine-year-old autistic son, I would never have imagined my son being placed in a residential school setting. All of the autism characteristics were there at the tender age of two. Through early intervention services and then my son being placed in a New York City District 75...
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Back to School Tips for Parents of Children with Special Needs
As families soak up the last few weeks of summer vacation, they may be starting to think about the new school year approaching. For parents of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, it can take a significant amount of preparation to create a seamless transition. Families need...
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Five Tips on How to Best Support a Sibling of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Being the sibling of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other medical or developmental diagnoses can have its challenges, but it can also provide opportunities in building resiliency and compassion towards family members and others. The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental...
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Learning the Powerful Language of Inclusion: A Mother’s Journey to Acceptance and Hope
This article was developed from three major strands. First, the document’s inception originated from the author’s experience as an early-childhood special educator, a parent, and an administrator working with families. Second, the background came from the writer’s qualitative research about...
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Supporting Parents in the Transition Process
Adulting was on Oxford Dictionary’s 2016 short list for word of the year. “Adulting” is an endearing word that flashes an instant, sympathetic understanding about the scary, confusing, and sometimes dull aspects of being a grown-up. Parents watching their children’s wobbly advances toward...
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Autism Plus Wandering
When Liane Kupferberg Carter’s son Mickey began “escaping,” as she calls it, around age 2, “he was greased lightning,” she says. “I couldn’t take my eyes off him for an instant or he’d disappear — in malls, supermarkets, or in any public space.” As her son got older, things...
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Helping Children with Autism Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep Without Medication
Sleep is an essential restorative process for every child’s body and brain. Sleep has been shown to promote growth of one’s muscles, bones, and skin, help protect the heart, combat germs, sickness, and injuries, and impact one’s weight. Further, research has shown that sleep helps individuals...
