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The Behavior Observation for ASD tool, is designed to guide you in gathering and structuring the very information that can be crucial when speaking with a doctor about a potential autism assessment.
Happy Mother’s Day! Today, Sunday, May 11th, is such a special day, and my heart is…
Using these boards at home doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s all about weaving them into your daily routines. Here are a few examples:
Example 1: The “What Do You Want?” Board (Requests)
Let’s say it’s snack time. Instead of just asking, “What snack do you want?” and potentially getting frustrated if your child struggles to answer verbally, you can use a simple board with pictures of available snacks: apple slices, crackers, yogurt.
Every time a child interacts with these materials – squeezing, rolling, pinching, pulling, poking, or flattening – they are giving their hand and finger muscles a fantastic workout. It’s resistance training and dexterity practice disguised as play! Strengthening these muscles and improving control lays a crucial foundation for countless other skills.
Bringing basic sign language into someone’s life works best when everyone’s on board. Parents, siblings, teachers, therapists – the whole crew! When everyone uses and understands a few core signs, you create an environment where communication attempts are understood and reinforced consistently.
When you’re feeling drained, stretched thin, or burnt out, it impacts everything – your energy, your ability to be present, your patience, and ultimately, the quality of the support you provide. It also steals the joy from your life outside of work.
When your child experiences those huge reactions – the ones that might look like massive tantrums, complete shutdowns, or anything in between – it’s so easy to feel lost, frustrated, or even judged. But here’s something crucial I want you to hold onto: These intense moments are very rarely about defiance or being ‘bad.’ They are almost always involuntary responses. Think of it like a system overload, a distress signal saying, “I can’t cope right now!”
If you’re a parent or therapist supporting an amazing autistic child, you know that alongside the…
I’ve seen magic happen when we tap into the power of connection and purposeful play. One of the biggest “a-ha!” moments for many parents (and therapists!) is realizing how much communication blossoms when we create just the right opportunities for it.
