One of the greatest joys of teaching students with autism is watching them become more confident in their abilities and take pride in their accomplishments. As they learn salient skills for completing daily routines and develop a greater sense of responsibility, students naturally become more self-determined and desire greater autonomy. Given systematic training, coaching, and…
Helping Your Loved One Get Active
Physical activity can be challenging for individuals with autism because many struggle with motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and balance. And letās face it ā like many of us ā they often lack motivation to exercise. They may not recognize the value of activity or see its connection to how they feel. According to the CDC,…
Promoting Independence with Supported Decision-Making
Many 17-year-olds cannot wait for the day they will be on their own and can do whatever they want! Even as people warn that being an adult has challenges, they believe they will figure it out. When my neurotypical, oldest daughter reached adulthood, I was able to relate to this frame of mind. After much…
Improving Health and Building Community in Asheville
Every Monday from 3 to 4 p.m., you can find a group of people of all ages running and walking at French Broad River Park in Asheville. Each time a participant completes the half-mile loop, a check is placed next to his or her name on a giant chart. They are all members of the…
Camp Royall Gives Sisters a Chance to be Themselves
The Miller sisters, Mikayla and Mackenzie, joined us at Camp Royall for the first time this summer, and they had a blast, each in their own way. Mikayla, who is 16, shared that she was a bit nervous and didnāt know what to expect from camp, but she truly flourished. She made several really good…
10 Tips for Navigating our Journey
Letās face it, raising children is difficult. And, raising special needs kiddos can feel impossible at times. When my son was very young, I frequently felt overwhelmed with it all. We had lots of medical appointments, therapy sessions, therapy homework, and behavioral outbursts to manage. We were entering a new world, the disability world, and…
New Timeline for Medicaid Transformation
Update, March 2021: If you are looking for more recent information about Medicaid Transformation, please visitĀ this post. Editorās note: ThisĀ is an update toĀ informationĀ postedĀ July 16, 2019.Ā TheĀ managed-careĀ rolloutĀ has beenĀ changed to one phaseĀ for the whole stateĀ in February 2020, rather than starting in November 2019Ā with some counties.Ā Open enrollmentĀ is now scheduled toĀ end on DecemberĀ 13 for all counties.Ā The NC Department of…