You may have heard of ‘executive functioning’ at your child’s school, OT office, or psychiatry appointment. It’s kind of a big deal. At the same time, executive functioning is very basic. You use executive functioning skills every day! So, what is it? The executive functions are a set of processes that allow you to manage…
We want to shield our children from pain, difficulty, and trauma. This is natural. But we do our kids a disservice when we succumb to enabling. What is enabling? This is when we, as parents, inadvertently encourage unwanted behavior. Case in point: when we give in to a tantrum in order to avoid a scene…
And when are sensory issues a symptom of something else, such as autism? This is the question parents ask themselves a lot when seeing the signs of sensory processing disorder in kids. What is sensory processing disorder? Sensory processing disorder (SPD) affects how your brain processes sensory information such as things you see, hear, smell,…
Also known as a type of ‘talk therapy’, cognitive behavioral therapy for kids can be a really useful tool for children who have depression, anxiety, OCD, or ADHD, and autism. Because CBT focuses on thoughts and behaviors, it’s actually great for anyone, and I’ve benefited from it alongside my children. When you recognize unhelpful thoughts…
You’ve decided to get help for your child in the form of therapy, and have reached out to a therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist. Good job! But how to navigate the parent and therapist partnership? You will need to work as a team with mutual respect, support, and guidance. Here’s what you need to know: Trust…
Travel with special needs kids requires some extra attention, accommodations, and patience. I still wince when I think of the time my then five-year-old had such an out-of-control tantrum while inside a port-a-potty, I thought he might knock it over, with himself inside it! And that happened ten years ago! Parents of kids with special…