15 Sensible Organization Tips for Teenagers with Autism

15 Sensible Organization Tips for Teenagers with Autism

As we approach back to school time, and for anytime of the year really; it comes time to also help make sure that our kids are ready. Not just at school, but also at home. In fact, I would say that getting organized at home can be just as challenging as getting organized at school. This is especially true for parenting teenagers on the autism spectrum. Teenagers, in general, have difficulty it seems with organization. I know it was never really my strong point when I was younger. Organization Tips for Students to Use at School When it comes to helping your teenager stay organized at school, here are a few suggestions. You can talk to your teens teachers or have this worked into your…

How to Toilet Train an Older Child or Tween on the Autism Spectrum

How to Toilet Train an Older Child or Tween on the Autism Spectrum

One of the struggles that many parents of autistic children run into, is that their older child still isn’t fully toilet trained. Most, not all, children are fully toilet trained by the time they’re 4. But, for our autistic children? This just may not be the case. For many of us, we start wondering if we can find a large special needs potty for toilet training.  Even with resources and tools like bathroom charts or visual schedules, sometimes it’s just downright difficult to accomplish this task. Add to that, most of the existing resources and books are geared towards younger children. While we can still adapt some of those resources, like books, we also want to be respectful to our autistic child. Common toilet training…

How to Teach Schedules and Routines to Your Autistic Child
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How to Teach Schedules and Routines to Your Autistic Child

I will likely say this until I’m blue in the face, but having a routine and structure for your autistic child is important. Any child, on the autism spectrum or not, benefits from having routines and schedules in place. This predictability provides security. Even young children can benefit from having a routine in place.  But how do you start with this? Many are not born with time management skills and many adults often struggle with time management as well. And really, it’s one thing to teach time management, but it’s another thing entirely to put that all into practice. Here’s how to teach schedules and routines to your autistic child in ways that make sense. How to get your autistic child on a predictable schedule…

Back to School Survival Tips for Parents of Autistic Children
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Back to School Survival Tips for Parents of Autistic Children

Just as your child is going to receive a back-to-school supply list? Here are a few things that you should be doing to get ready for back to school. Yes, you- mom or dad of an autistic child. There are some specific things that you’re going to need. I won’t leave you empty-handed though. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find a handy checklist with these back to school survival tips for parents of autistic children.  What parents of autistic children need to do before school starts Aside from the back to school shopping for supplies or clothes, there are a few key things that parents need to do before the mad-rush of back to school. And yes, parents of autistic children, that includes…

10 Tips for Supporting Your Autistic Tween through Puberty

10 Tips for Supporting Your Autistic Tween through Puberty

There are a number of areas that change during puberty. This includes physical changes, cognition, relationships with peers and family, and increased independence. Teenagers may also become more confident in their personal opinions regarding politics and religion. Often, this represents a change from concrete thinking to more abstract thinking. Social relationships are also changing. Not just with their peers but also with their parents.  So how do we, as parents, best support autistic tweens (or preteens) through puberty? What to expect when your autistic tween hits puberty Teenagers with autism struggle with the same things as their neurotypical peers, this much is true. But, they may have more difficulties or their struggles might be more pronounced and noticeable.  For example: So you might be wondering,…

Shape Recognition Worksheet for Children with Autism

Shape Recognition Worksheet for Children with Autism

While most of my autistic daughter’s academic needs are met through her IEP goals at school, we also do some work at home. This is either through our own ESY (Extended School Year) at home or during her afterschool at home. I structure my plans around her IEP goals and what she wants to work on. We mainly focus on her fine motor skills, literacy, and self-help skills. But, on occasion, we’ll also bring more fun stuff in. This simple shape recognition worksheet was designed with my autistic daughter in mind. Though, you could also use this with a toddler or younger preschooler alongside some of my preschool printables. How to connect this worksheet to real life For my autistic daughter, anything that we are…