If you’re someone who would say “Oh, I can’t handle letting my kids make a mess! It stresses me out too much!” …Well, first step, let’s differentiate between “wet mess” and “dry mess”. These aren’t strictly liquids vs solids here. We’re using the words “wet” and “dry” in a more abstract way than that. But … Read more
On my recent post about children being developmentally ready for games with winning and losing, somebody asked me if the same information applied to video games, which was a great question. I think the umbrella term “video games” is pretty huge, and that sometimes makes it really hard to talk about what we’re talking about. … Read more
I can understand why some fidgets get labeled as “toys” — or worse, “distractions” — and taken away from kids who need them. It’s because they’re sold in bulk and trendy and seem like fun to all kids, not just kids who need a fidget to focus. Fidgets — sensory tools for tactile (touch) or … Read more
Autism, ADHD, and several other conditions — especially the type diagnosed often in childhood — are the same way. Emphasis on being the type that are diagnosed in childhood. Because when children are inconvenient, their adults tend to want an explanation why, as opposed to being able to patiently try to understand what’s going on … Read more
A few days ago, I was holding one of my children, who was distressed and melting down. We were sitting together on the couch while they sobbed, and then settled down, and then would remind themselves of why they were upset and start sobbing again. Meanwhile, their sibling was playing happily and extravagantly in the … Read more
Once you’ve “taught” them how to use something (even accidentally), I notice these things happen: -they start to believe there is a “right” way to play with the toy -they fall into a pattern of only wanting to play with it the “right” way -if the “right” way is tricky, they may want you to … Read more
While going through old posts, I found a great exchange in the comments that now I’m turning into its own post… Q: It’s important to me as a parent to let my child play freely and explore and learn through playing. However, their older sibling feels like they need to “teach” them how to do … Read more
This was a game-changer for me, so maybe it will be for you: You’re allowed to wear earplugs. It took until about 2021 for me to confirm something that I had suspected for a long time. I got my hands on an Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile Assessment and scored my own behaviors to see where I … Read more
PSA: Everything is “sensory”! (And, again, like I mentioned yesterday…”sensory” is actually an adjective, not a noun…that’s me being pedantic, but it is something that really indicates to me whether I’m talking to somebody who knows what they mean and what they’re talking about, versus somebody who’s trying to communicate in a jargon that they … Read more
Dear Autism, You are the reason why my little boy gets passionately invested in particular things the way that he does. Ever since he was tiny it has always been this way, because of the wiring of his brain shaped by you. Before he could talk, and sometimes after, he has gotten frustrated with my … Read more