Posts tagged: behavior

It’s IEP Time… Put Our Dukes Down?

It can be hard not to go into an IEP meeting with an attitude of “me vs. them”, ready to defend your child. Especially if you’ve been pelted with behavioral labels, accused of not disciplining enough, or relentlessly badgered about why you are not medicating. And believe me, I’ve been called some really inappropriate names [...]

Sunday May 16th, 2010 in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

It’s Summer Camp Time Again… HELP!

I won’t lie, this time of year typically throws me into a panic.  Memories of being burned repeatedly and having my poor son bounced from program to program each summer makes me dread the search for a summer camp solution that is within a single parent’s budget yet offers my child the support he needs. [...]

Saturday April 17th, 2010 in , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

… and That’s What Little Boys Are Made Of

Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in the classification and response to Autistic or sensory-seeking behavior that I forget my son is also just a little boy. Boys! They are traditionally single-focused by nature, mechanically curious, and frankly, they do a LOT of things without thinking of consequences. In fact, people love to ask me, [...]

Wednesday March 31st, 2010 in , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

How to Make and Use Emotional Stage Index Cards

When speaking about Emotion Cards, there are two different types of uses and benefits: helping the child identify others’ unspoken emotional cues and helping identify the child’s own stages before a potential meltdown. Both are extremely helpful in introducing emotional identification, understanding, and regulation. Last year my son and I created Emotional Stages index cards [...]

Sunday March 21st, 2010 in , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Sensory Processing Disorder or Behavior Problems?

I could write several articles on EACH of the senses when it comes to this topic. There are so many variances and combinations of what each child with Sensory Processing Disorder experiences, and that’s WITHOUT Autism in the mix. We tend to see a child that misbehaves and acts quirky and defiant. I often get [...]

Sunday March 14th, 2010 in , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

DENIED! Why am I Doing the Happy Dance?

Six months ago I applied for SSI Disability to help me provide for my Autistic son. Meeting the income guidelines for this assistance, I jumped through all the required hoops of their dog and pony show. I supplied them with a 92-page history and timeline of all Justin’s diagnoses, school records, IEP copies, behavioral and [...]

Saturday March 6th, 2010 in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Why Gluten and Casein Free for Autism?

Persons with Autism tend to have food sensitivities more than food allergies. The biggest offenders can be gluten and casein. To most Autistic children especially, gluten and casein are the equivalent of poison. Gluten and gluten-like proteins are found in wheat and other grains as well as foods made from those grains. They are also [...]

Sunday February 28th, 2010 in , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Consequences, Consequences

There was a time when two to three days of the week I’d receive a phone call from the school demanding I come pick up my son for behavior they could not control. As a single parent working full time, you can imagine how well this went over. Aside from job concerns, I also began [...]

Sunday February 7th, 2010 in , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Why Does My Autistic Child Scream?!

Being a “space invader” Staring into lights Self-stimming, such as rocking, spinning, banging head, humming, or screaming Little or no eye contact Picky eater (especially regarding textured foods) Does your child display any of these “odd” behaviors? What we see as abnormal or sometimes even impish or difficult is usually related to the child’s attempt [...]

Wednesday December 30th, 2009 in , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »