Lessons Learned from Parenting an Autistic Child

Lessons Learned from Parenting an Autistic Child

ByKori
0 Comments

In the 10+ years since Sweet B’s diagnosis, I’ve learned quite a bit about autism and about myself. There have been a lot of tears, a lot of anger, a bit of guilt and a bit of grief. There has also been a lot of joy and personal growth. I’ve shared a few things in the past, like dealing with the initial diagnosis and in the Autism A to Z series, I’ve also shared a bit of our story. This started as a personal blog, so I still like to keep some of my personal stories present. That’s why today I’m sharing 10 things that autism has taught me. If I really sat down and thought about it, I could probably write a book… but…

Dealing with Guilt as the Parent of an Autistic Child

Dealing with Guilt as the Parent of an Autistic Child

ByKori
26 Comments

The time that immediately follows an autism diagnosis can be some of the most difficult and challenging that a parent may ever have to face. In a previous post, I addressed dealing with autism and grief. In this post, I want to address something equally important- autism and guilt. Specifically, guilt as it comes along with being a parent of an autistic child. This was something I struggled with mightily in the beginning and still struggle with from time to time. After receiving her diagnosis, and wrestling with all of the other emotions that accompanied it, I felt so entirely responsible and guilty for what had happened to B. I’ve learned, over time, how to deal with this. That’s not to say that it’s completely…

Leaky Gut Syndrome and Autism

Leaky Gut Syndrome and Autism

ByKori
0 Comments

Have you ever heard of leaky gut syndrome? Or maybe you’ve heard of the possible connection between leaky gut syndrome and autism and you’re wondering- just what is leaky gut syndrome. I’ve been there. In that almost exact sequence- plugging into trusty Google “leaky gut syndrome and autism” Maybe it was one night reading about possible causes of autism or possible treatments for autism; I’m really not sure how it all came about. I just remember seeing the term and wondering just what the heck it was and how it could possibly be related to my daughter’s autism. Sure, I’d seen quite a bit of research done on gluten and how eliminating gluten and casein from the diet helped. But beyond that I hadn’t looked….

Treatment Options for Children with Autism

Treatment Options for Children with Autism

ByKori
0 Comments

Perhaps one of the more overwhelming things after receiving Sweet B’s diagnosis, was figuring out the best possible ways to help her. At the time, she was already receiving special education services, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy at home. But, it was also evident that she needed more support. As her mom, of course, I felt that I was more than qualified to help her in whatever way possible but I also realized that I was limited in my abilities. That’s not to say that I couldn’t have learned or that I couldn’t have prepared the type of environment that she needed. But what she needed was also beyond my own ability to provide. So it was at that time that I started…

Benefits of Crafts for Autistic Children

Benefits of Crafts for Autistic Children

ByKori
0 Comments

Though I’ve probably done more crafts and activities with Squeaker, I’ve wanted to try more crafts with Sweet B. She does projects at school that seem simple enough to expand on at home. I’ve also thought of going with an easier route and buying kits to do projects with her instead. This seems to be easier, on both her and me, so when I had the opportunity to try out two products from Cool Brands, I was pretty excited. One of the main reasons that I want to do more crafts and projects with her, aside from spending time together, is to work on her fine motor skills. I think that arts and crafts are of great benefit for any child, but especially for someone…

Printable Self Calming Strategies Cards for Autism Meltdowns
|

Printable Self Calming Strategies Cards for Autism Meltdowns

ByKori
6 Comments

One of the things that we’ve had to deal with when it comes to Sweet B’s autism is the occasional meltdown. She does have certain calming strategies in place and I’ve also learned to recognize her triggers. At school, she prefers to use her PECS book to communicate her preferred strategy, but we don’t have that at home. Rather, it’s up to me to watch and realize what’s going on. And while this method does work, sometimes I think it would be great to have a similar system here at home. To help us with that, I created a printable set of my calming strategies for her and since I like to share, I’m offering it up for free to share with you all. This…