Most children go through a period of picky eating once they start to become more mobile. This stage of selective eating is thought to have evolved as a mechanism to keep children safe as they explore their surroundings and gain more distance from caretakers who previously handpicked all food. Many children naturally outgrow this stage […]
Why My Autistic Son Has Blown Away The Ages & Stages.
We had the boys’ 3 year check up this month, where we filled out the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. If you aren’t familiar with this, it’s a way to measure a child’s progress in order to see if there are any delays. I’ve attached a picture of his most recent scores today: […]
What can I do now at home to help prevent or treat developmental delays? -A Guide for Concerned Parents Part 3
This is part three of “I Think my Baby has Autism. -A Guide for Concerned Parents”. The first part, What are the early warning signs of autism? How can I tell the difference between a sign of autism and normal behavior? covers the early warning signs of autism for infants and toddlers and discusses what developmental delays […]
I noticed some red flags in my baby or toddler. Now what? -A Guide for Concerned Parents Part 2
This is part two of “I Think my Baby has Autism. -A Guide for Concerned Parents”. The first part, What are the early warning signs of autism? How can I tell the difference between a sign of autism and normal behavior? covers the early warning signs of autism for infants and toddlers and discusses what […]
Stop telling worried parents that Einstein didn’t talk until 4 and start giving them practical advice.
On parenting message boards, facebook groups, and elsewhere online, I see posts by parents concerned about the development of their children and, at one time, I was making those posts. Even in groups populated by well-educated, well-informed parents, it is quite common for these concerned to be brushed off as parental worry. I’ve seen and […]
How to set up a play area and encourage speech in young or speech delayed children [Part 1]
This is the first of a two part series on encouraging verbal communication in young or speech-delayed individuals through play. This section covers how to encourage verbal communication in general. The other one can be found here. One of the most common concerns I see posted on parenting message boards is lack of or delayed […]
How Blue Cross Blue Shield and a handful of Senators are blocking autism insurance reform in North Carolina.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is more common than childhood cancer, cystic fibrosis, and multiple sclerosis combined. In the US, autism affects 1 out of every 68 children, while in North Carolina, that number is 1 in 58. Although it has no cure, there are treatments and the best current treatment available, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, […]
Military children with autism are at risk with the newest changes to their health care policy.
Edit: thank you so much for all your help. You made this change a positive one. My son was diagnosed with autism in April and, in that month, I didn’t know if I would ever have a normal Easter Egg hunt with him. He wandered around aimlessly and, since he didn’t understand pointing and only […]
We need your help. Some of the new changes to the Tricare ABA policy will hurt autistic children.
EDIT: Thank you so much for your help! The changes made have worked out to be beneficial to our family thanks to your support. We still need to fight to cover those who have retired, but we were able to keep the services we have. On September 24, the policy on ABA therapy was updated […]
How to find a good ABA therapist so that ABA can be safe and helpful for your autistic child.
When my son was diagnosed with autism at 17 months by a developmental pediatrician, she suggested I enroll him in ABA therapy immediately. She gave me a sheet with a long list of providers and very little information about each one. My son’s Early Intervention coordinator had warned me that I needed to carefully screen […]
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