5 Ways to Encourage a Loving Relationship with a Special Needs Sibling

5 Ways to Encourage a Loving Relationship with a Special Needs Sibling

As a parent of children with special needs and without special needs, sometimes I just had to wonder as to if they would have any sort of relationship. Here’s what I’ve learned when it comes to encouraging a loving relationship with a special needs sibling.  When Squeaker was born, it was like a whole new world of parenting had just opened up. Of course, it would weigh at the back of my mind, that maybe she would also be on the spectrum. I knew that it was entirely possible so I tried not to get too ahead of myself. But, as she continued to grow and develop on a typical level; my worries ceded. Now, however, I knew that I was going to be faced with…

How To Help Your Autistic Child with Santa

How To Help Your Autistic Child with Santa

Seeing Santa Claus can be a challenging task for any child. I have several pictures of myself with Santa when I was younger- and in all of them I’m either crying or wiping up tears. For autistic children, seeing Santa Claus can be a downright nightmare. Both for the parents and the child. In fact, Sweet B stopped seeing Santa Claus after she turned 5. Even at school, she just did not like dealing with Santa. It just wasn’t worth the struggle or the meltdown that came with it. But is there a way to make it easier? Here are some tips and advice, along with a free printable letter, for how to help your autistic child with Santa. And if you’re looking for help…

10 Tips for Playdates with ASD Kids

10 Tips for Playdates with ASD Kids

When my autistic daughter was younger, playdates weren’t really something that we did. Part of this, I admit, is because I found the task to be daunting. Not only for her, but also for me. There was definitely a time in my life when I didn’t want to leave the house or deal with people at all. Now, I’m somewhat home bound by choice but nothing like I used to be. Sometimes I think she may have benefited from play dates or going to birthday parties with NT (neurotypical) peers. Other times, I’m not sure. She’s never really shown interest in children her age and seeks out adults instead of peers when she wants to play. That’s just how she’s always been. But that’s not…

19 Ways to Support Children with Autism or ADHD at School and at Home

19 Ways to Support Children with Autism or ADHD at School and at Home

I have received emails in the past about how parents have used my autism printables for their child with ADHD. And that got me wondering and that got me researching. I wanted to find out more and I wanted to see the differences, but also the similarities.  It wasn’t until recently that I realized how similar autism and ADHD are. Of course, I acknowledge that they are separate disorders. However, I also recognize that there are several similarities in how they present. Because of that, I wanted to start offering more resources for parenting children with ADHD. I figured that starting with ways to support children with autism or ADHD would be best. And we’ll start with how to support them at school. These ideas…

Trick or Treat Cards for Nonverbal Autistic Children

Trick or Treat Cards for Nonverbal Autistic Children

  When it comes to Halloween and autistic children, it can be a tricky holiday to deal with. Help your nonverbal autistic child with these printable Autism Trick or Treat cards.  Halloween is usually an enjoyable time of the year for children of all ages. For children with autism, however, Halloween can be difficult. Parenting a non-verbal autistic child has been challenging. Holidays are not always fun, but we make do. For some, it may be too overwhelming and for others, this may be the best time of the year. We’ve talked about how to have an autism friendly Halloween before, but today I wanted to share a free resource. Hopefully this will help with making Halloween easier for your child and I wish I’d…

Releasing My Mom Guilt: My Need to Stop Comparing My Daughters

Releasing My Mom Guilt: My Need to Stop Comparing My Daughters

After my neurotypical daughter was born, I couldn’t avoid falling into the comparison trap– not comparing her to other children, but to her older sister who just so happens to be autistic. This was unfair to both of them but it happened none the less. I’m not perfect. In fact, there are a few ways that I’ve become quite the failure though I’m also doing my best to rectify that. I have plenty of bad habits, and I’m also doing whatever I can to overcome that. But there’s still one that I can’t seem to shake and I wonder if I ever will be able to. I say this because it involves my daughters who are 12 years apart in age but so similar in…