Helping Kids Identify Moods

ByKori
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One of the things that Sweet B has consistently struggled with are abstract concepts such as moods. She’s done somewhat okay with concrete concepts such as colors, numbers, foods, or anything else that has some sort of association with the senses. If she can feel it, see it, taste, smell it, or touch it- she’s more likely to remember what it is and have an easier time with learning it. Of course it still takes repetition, but that’s just how she learns. With abstract concepts, on the other hand, it’s definitely been more of a struggle. But, I’ve also learned (through trial and error, and a lot of assistance from her team of teachers and therapists) that visual representations do a world of good. By…

Top Ten Books about Autism for New Parents

ByKori
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If you are a new parent to the world of autism spectrum disorder, let me be among the first to bid you welcome. This diagnosis is not an easy one to deal with at first but it will get better. It may not seem like it right now, but in time, you’ll start seeing some bright spots. If you need it, take a moment and read some of these encouraging quotes for autism moms. I’m not suggesting that you go out and celebrate your child’s newfound diagnosis, but for right now- take a deep breath, count to ten, have some coffee (with some Bailey’s if you need it), and relax. You’ve got this. My daughter was diagnosed in 2004 and one of the first things…

How to Identify and Deal with Dyslexia or Dyscalculia
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How to Identify and Deal with Dyslexia or Dyscalculia

ByKori
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Do you know someone who struggles with dyslexia? Or maybe you’re an adult with dyslexia that hasn’t been diagnosed until now. Whatever the case may be, dyslexia is out there and it’s one of the more common learning disabilities. In fact, more than 3 million individuals in the United States alone are diagnosed with dyslexia at one point in their life or another. But why do I care? Because, I feel that it’s important to bring light to all sorts of learning and developmental disabilities. I myself struggle with a learning disability called dyscalculia which is similar to dyslexia. That’s why I wanted to share some tips and advice for identifying and dealing with dyslexia and dyscalculia. As a child, I struggled with proper handwriting,…

Choosing a Developmental Pediatrician

ByKori
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If you have a child with a developmental disability, such as autism, you may want to consider finding a developmental pediatrician. This is in addition to your child’s regular pediatrician. But why would you consider this? A developmental pediatrician is a specialized pediatrician and they may be better equipped to answer questions or make certain referrals. But how do you go about choosing a developmental pediatrician? We’ll talk about that today and also a little bit more about what a developmental pediatrician does. Having a developmental pediatrician is certainly not necessary, but having one on your team of support might be helpful. In our case, we looked for a developmental pediatrician to get Sweet B’s official diagnosis. She had already been evaluated by an early…

Building Daily Living Skills in Kids with Autism

ByKori
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Daily living skills are so important to learn for any child. With my autistic daughter, we were so happy to partner with Gain to help with building up her functional life skills. As Sweet B gets older, we’re trying to help her do more things on her own. Some things, like hygiene are taking longer, but other things like putting her dirty dishes in the sink and helping me put away dishes are easier. I think it’s because it’s more systematic and easier for her to understand. But we still want to work on daily living skills so, we’re going to talk about building up daily living skills in kids with autism. Of course, one important thing to keep in mind is that one person…

Our Love/Hate Relationship with Balloons

ByKori
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I’m always looking for different ways to help meet Sweet B’s sensory needs and give her different experiences. One of the ways that we’ve done this is with balloons though I will be the first to admit it- we have such a love hate relationship with balloons. Why? Well, pretty simple and I’ll get into it with a list of pros and cons. For the most part they have become a regular part of our sensory play at home, though a little more sparingly since Squeaker arrived. Pros of Balloons for Sensory Issues: * Texture * Size * Diversity- whether filled with air, helium, water, shaving cream, or beans, we get a lot of use out of our balloons. * Colors Cons of Balloons for…