Child Development
Toddlers & Shame
It’s confusing to be a toddler. Toddlers often want to be “big kids” and be grown up (especially if they have older siblings)…but they may also really want to be “babies” and be taken care […]
Social/Emotional
Philosophy
Compliance isn’t Respect
“Compliance isn’t respect, and noncompliance isn’t a lack of respect” is a big lesson for adults to learn. One thing that has continually blown me away as I’ve learned and grown on this journey of […]
Elementary
Making Myself Busy
This post has an audio and video recorded version for those who prefer to learn by hearing rather than by reading. Scroll to the bottom for the video of me reading it. On a recent […]
At School
Creating “Calming Sensory Spaces” in the Classroom
A recording of myself presenting on the topic, “Creating ‘Calming Sensory Spaces’ in the Classroom”. I presented this first to teachers at the school where I work, and then made minor adjustments and recorded […]
Elementary
The Difference Between Play & Fun
This little piece of art by Lynda Barry stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw it: It’s so true! And it’s also true that it’s easy to forget as adults and classify […]
Elementary
At School
Stars and Rainbows
(From the archives of my own personal FB page, a story from when I was an early therapist. I would do some things differently now, but I still appreciated the story.) *** I have a […]
Activities
“Touched-Out” Roughhousing
Here’s an unconventional tip for parents who are sensory-sensitive or get “touched out”. First of all — there’s nothing wrong with you if your preferred level of touching, snuggling, hugging, wrestling etc in a day […]
At Home
A Successful Meltdown
(At the time of my writing this, my son was 3 years old.) Yesterday evening was the best meltdown we’ve had in a long time. How’s that for a starter sentence? This is an incredibly […]
Personal
“Stop Crying”
“Stop crying” was one of the most repeated things I heard in my childhood — definitely the most repeated “correction” I ever heard. I was constantly crying too much. And constantly in trouble for it. […]