How to Start Finding Your Self Worth as a Stay at Home Mom

How to Start Finding Your Self Worth as a Stay at Home Mom

Are you struggling to find your self worth as a stay at home mom? I assure you that you are not alone. In fact, I would be willing to bet that nearly every stay at home mom struggles with this at some point. If you are a parent, I want to ask you something: How do you introduce yourself? I’d imagine that it goes something like this: I’m (insert first name here) and I’m (insert child’s name here)’s mom. There’s nothing wrong with this. However, I’d like to ask you something else: Who are you? What else do you have inside of you that really defines you? What are your passions? What are your hopes? What are your dreams? All of this defines you and makes…

Sensory Friendly Frozen Themed Slime Activity

Sensory Friendly Frozen Themed Slime Activity

Our family absolutely loves the Frozen movie series and while we definitely have our favorites (I love Olaf and Sven), the entire movie was a hit. My youngest started quite the impressive stuffed Olaf collection, and we have explored a few Olaf related things for her. Now, we wanted to take our sensory play a little bit further to include a sensory friendly Frozen themed slime. Why Frozen Sensory Slime? Why not? You may not be belting out Let It Go quite as often as you used to, but just give it some time. When you live in a house with young girls (or adults) who are as Disney obsessed as we are? Chances are likely that the next catchy Disney tune is only a…

What will happen to my child’s IEP?
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What will happen to my child’s IEP?

We as parents of special needs children have many challenges that we are facing during this time of crisis. With many of the schools across the country closed, many parents are now tasked with implementing school at home. But what about parents of special needs children? Yes, we are also in that boat of implementing school at home but our children are also losing valuable access to therapy services. These services are usually protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that puts the student’s IEP in place. What can I do about losing IEP services? IDEA or Section 504 of the Rehabiliation Act don’t specifically address school closures of this length. However, IDEA mandates that all eligible students still have a right to…

How to Survive a Quarantine with Your Autistic Child

How to Survive a Quarantine with Your Autistic Child

With all of the concern, and naturally so, about COVID-19, I wanted to share a few quick tips in case you find yourself in a state where they are enforcing a quarantine or if you’re self-quarantining for safety precautions. Really we don’t go a lot of places anyway, but here’s what I would recommend. How to Prepare for a Quarantine with an Autistic Child First things first, stock up on your necessities. This is common sense though so don’t go too overboard. But try to give yourself a little bit of a cushion. Secondly, help them understand what’s going on to the best of their ability. This doesn’t mean that you have to go show them what the virus looks like or how it’s spread….

Coping Tips for Families with Autistic Children

Coping Tips for Families with Autistic Children

Parents of autistic children are coping with a considerable amount of stress and an overwhelming amount of information about the disability. Often, the first step that many families face, is wading through a sea of information with no sight of dry land nearby. Families of children with autism can benefit from support from professionals, other family members, and society, in order to manage the stress effectively. Here are just a few ways parents of children with autism can reduce family stress. Coping Tips for Families with Autistic Children Parents of children with autism take on many roles in their child’s education. They must first recognize and pursue a diagnosis for their child. Once an accurate diagnosis is made, they must find a suitable program and…

Red Flags and Early Signs of Autism in Older Babies

Red Flags and Early Signs of Autism in Older Babies

Parents are usually in the best position to notice early signs of autism in older babies or toddlers. We do, after all, spend the most time with them. Still, it may be difficult to know when to voice these concerns. But if parents are more aware of and familiar with the initial signs of autism, they will feel more confident about discussing these things. Do you have a gut reaction about your baby’s autism? Sometimes parents just may have a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Granted, there might be something wrong. Or there might not be. Some children may seem more fussy or disagreeable, unusually sensitive in comparison to other children. Other children may be the exact opposite.  But is that always an indicator…