Autism and Daylight Saving Time can be a complicated combination. Many individuals with autism value routine. It makes them feel secure to know when and why something is happening. So when the time changes each spring and fall, some individuals may feel a loss of control and have a more difficult time adjusting than some…
Pets and Autism: Challenges and Solutions
Pets are an amazing way for autistic children to experience companionship, understand boundaries, share responsibilities, and reduce anxiety. Caring for an animal also provides opportunities to learn new skills ā such as patience, empathy, communication ā while also supporting an avenue of emotional expression. Itās important for all families to do some research on the…
āAre Chicken Nuggets a Vegetable?ā and Other Mealtime Musings: Selective Eating in Autism
One of the first jobs of parenting is to keep your child healthy and nourished by ensuring they eat a variety of nutritious foods, alongside the extra treats and occasional Happy Meal that accompanies childhood. Before having children, many of us felt like this would be the easy part. Three meals a day, snacks sprinkled…
Itās Time for the Dentist!
What feelings does this title bring to you? I can tell you that just writing about the dentist brought up all the anxiety-induced emotions that having a loved one with autism spectrum disorder, I/DD, and/or anxiety can bring. I (Kim) vividly remember my three-year-old son needing to have his blood drawn. It took a papoose…