At School
Writing Connection
One of my kids who does not like to write and feels particularly threatened by writing, really does like to have some kind of transition object to hold in the hallway while we walk from […]
adhd
Autism
New Space in Your Brain
I want you to imagine for a moment that…everything is really good right now. Imagine that all the things on your to-do list that feel like “have to”s (instead of “get to”s) are taken care […]
Autism
In Pursuit of Diagnosis
If you are pursuing diagnosis for your neurodivergent child, it’s okay to take your neuro-affirming lens back “off” in order to talk to the doctor about your child. What I mean is that you are […]
Autism
Fluctuating Skills (AA23)
Many neurodivergent people (not just Autistic people, but including Autistic people) have skills that fluctuate from day to day. This comes up so often in IEP meetings that I’m sitting in. People will say of […]
Humor
“Air-Conditioner Escaping Disorder”
Let me tell you a fable. Once upon a time, an expert doctor was studying a child who ran away from rooms that had air-conditioners in them. Air-conditioners had only recently been invented, and it […]
Autism
Co-Occurring Conditions (AA23)
Autism and ADHD. Autism and OCD. Autism and anxiety. Autism and Tourette’s. Autism and trauma. Autism (as a diagnosis) very commonly accompanies other diagnoses as well, which typically fall into different categories: some of them […]
Autism
Sensory Processing, Explained (AA23)
“Sensory” is one of those buzzwords these days in parenting groups, on Pinterest, and in relation to different diagnoses. I’ve seen people use it to mean pretty much everything. When I talk about sensory processing, […]
Autism
Explaining Neurodivergence with Phones
One way that I sometimes explain the concept of neurodivergence — that autism, or ADHD* are different wirings of the brain, without being something “wrong” with the brain — to children (or sometimes to their […]
At School
Low Attention
Low attention is not a moral failure. The picture I got from talking to the teacher about the boy was very different from the picture I got when I worked with him. “He leaves things […]
Autism
Sensory Profiles
“Sensory” is one of those buzzwords these days in parenting groups, on Pinterest, and in relation to different diagnoses. I’ve seen people use it to mean pretty much everything. When I talk about sensory processing, […]