Here’s a big question: if all children learn best through play, why would our children with autism be any different? At the World Conference of Early Childhood and Education held in Moscow, Russian in 2010, the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) published a statement (available here) on play-based learning. They underscored the enormous importance of purposeful play based […]
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The book by America X Gonzalez, Lois Jean Brady and Jim Elliot, Speech in Action: Interactive Activities Combining Speech Language Pathology and Adaptive Physical Education gives parents and support staff plenty of activities which compliment nicely with Floortime fundamentals to bring together language and movement. What is Speech in Action? Speech in Action is a combination of speech therapy and […]
Read moreIt feels good to finally stop reinventing the wheel. In the beginning of our family’s journey, I felt I lacked direction or a supply of ideas to help engage with my children. I wanted something tangible, a concrete roadmap from point A to point B. So we went and bought every type of toy the kids showed interest in. Not […]
Read moreI don’t think you would believe my week if I told you. Well, many of you have a life like mine, so you know what I am talking about. What I find interesting about living with my twins is how I, as a mom, have totally thrown myself on the back burner. Yes, I can sense many heads nodding in […]
Read moreHere is a fabulous document to help parents of newly diagnosed children, produced by Autism Speaks. It is American, but if you look at the information as a guideline it gives a great deal of information that is useful. It even looks at the different therapies to choose from. When we were diagnosed, it seemed too much information in different […]
Read moreI want all parents to hear this: you are not alone in those feelings of being scared and anxious. Even ‘veteran’ parents who have been living with a diagnosis of autism for their child or children have days when they do not have it together. Don’t kid yourself, we all go through a “pity party” from time to time, and […]
Read moreIn the beginning, finding activities to do for Floortime is easy since it is the child who chooses the activity. You are then looking to keep engagement and open and close as many circles of communication. Following the child’s lead is really important especially while the child is becoming more self-regulated. When that time comes, as it has for my […]
Read moreWhen our children were diagnosed with autism, we found out why they responded to the world in the ways they did. After the diagnosis, it seemed my husband and I asked ourselves two questions: What do we do now? And which program do we choose? Many sites on the internet did not paint a picture of hope that our children […]
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Recently, I noticed my five year old daughter was not screaming and going into meltdown frenzy when I would vacuum. In the beginning, having the vacuum out and getting ready to clean would send my daughter into an instant meltdown. For the last four years, I was only able to vacuum when my husband took her for a walk or […]
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