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…

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…

How To Handle Diabetes in Children

How To Handle Diabetes in Children

ByKori
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Finding out that your child has diabetes can be life changing. I haven’t experienced it personally, but I did grow up with several friends who had diabetes and I’ve met several parents of diabetic children. I know it’s something that is life changing, whether it’s Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes that the child is dealing with. So, this post is about how to handle diabetes in children… even though I don’t have a child with diabetes, I felt that it would be important to get that information out there in the special needs parenting aspect. I am not a medical professional and any advice given here should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult with your child’s regular pediatrician. Type 1…

What To Do When They Wander

ByKori
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As a parent, almost nothing may scare you more than when you become separated from your child in a crowded area or public place. Or, what would you do when your child leaves your home in the middle of the night while everyone else is sleeping? Today’s post in Autism A to Z is going to cover just that: What to do when they wander. Having a child who wanders (or elopes, or bolts, or runs) can be incredibly stressful for not only the parents but for everyone in the family. I have a child who has wandered in the past and it is absolutely terrifying. What is Wandering? Before we get into advice and tips, let’s first cover what wandering means as it relates…