When I Realized Why My Son Melts Downs at Home but Not at School
Tonight my son walked through the door from school, and immediately I knew. He didn't have to say or do anything. I just knew. Call it mother’s intuition, or call it years and years of practice, but I knew something was wrong. It was the delayed effect. My son has had a tricky day at school. He has held it together for nearly seven hours. Then he walks through the front door, and bam! He's somewhere safe and familiar, and he can't contain the pressure anymore. It creeps out o
Thanksgiving with Sensory Processing Disorder
Thanksgiving. A time with family and friends, good food, good times and good memories. I think it's ingrained into the brain of a mom to imagine a picture perfect Thanksgiving dinner. A beautiful table setup with all the food coming out hot, on time and cooked to perfection. The family sitting nicely together, getting along and praising the kids for eating such a wide variety of foods. But then there’s reality. While we all struggle trying to make the holidays as awesome as w
7 Valuable Lessons for Parents of Children with ADHD
I struggled for the better part of seven years, desperately seeking answers to help my child. I felt lost, alone, helpless, like I'd failed as a mother, and unsure of where to turn next. I thought of talking to his pediatrician or seeking counseling, but I never took the leap because his behavior would improve just enough for me to stop worrying momentarily. Then the tailspin would return, and we would plunge back into the confusion. But while it's taken time, I have gained k
How to Help Kids Deal with Embarrassment
Don't minimize their feelings, but do praise them for being resilient For most adults minor embarrassments are just a part of life -- annoying, but inevitable and hardly a big deal. But for many kids, embarrassing experiences can be very upsetting and, in some cases, may lead to serious issues like anxiety and avoidance. We can’t protect our children from embarrassment, but we can help them build the resilience and confidence they need to deal with it in a healthy way. Model
Taking a Different Perspective on Autism
To many who come across autism in passing, it may be considered a disability through which people are rendered in some way unable to function as "normal" people and thus (this part is usually unconscious) perhaps "less valuable" than those who do not have autism. As the parent of a child with autism, I would suggest the reality is starkly different. From what I’ve observed, the most obvious difference in the experience of autistic people is the degree of sensitivity. For an a
It's Not an Excuse. Or a Label. Or a Weight to Carry. It's Just Who You Are.
I don't talk to my daughter enough about her ADHD -- in part because I don't want her to feel different or burdened, but also because it's just really, really difficult to strike that perfect balance between explaining her brain chemistry, encouraging her to do her best, and reminding her that I'll love her no matter what. I hesitate to talk openly to my daughter about her ADHD. What if she feels like something’s wrong with her? What if blaming an acronym for her behavior mak