How You’re Accidentally Teaching Your Child to Ignore Their Body Signals
What’s inside this article: How well-meaning adults accidentally teach kids to ignore their body signals, why this matters for emotional…
Parent Advocacy & Self-Advocacy
7 articles
Why Teachers Are Ditching Behavior Charts and Token Economies and What to Do Instead
What’s inside this article: Why behavior charts, clip charts, and token economies backfire, and what actually works instead. Practical, connection-based…
18 Effective De-Escalation Strategies For Defusing Meltdowns
What’s inside this article: An overview of the escalation cycle, how the nervous system responds during stress and what that means for your child’s behavior, and evidence-based, supportive de-escalation strategies to help you compassionately support your child during meltdowns and outbursts. Understanding Meltdowns As a parent, it’s important to know some safe, helpful de-escalation strategies…
Teaching Kids to Advocate for Their Sensory Needs: 3 Simple Strategies
Toddlers are generally really excellent self-advocates for their own sensory needs. Of course, that’s to the detriment of several other things. Toddlers have a complete disregard for social norms, a lack of basic dignity, and an inability to understand that their actions are impacting others. The end result is that their advocacy for their own…
9 Tips for Helping Others Understand Your Child’s Sensory Needs
Supporting a neurodivergent child means not only understanding their sensory needs but also effectively communicating those needs to others. Whether you’re talking to teachers, family members, or other caregivers, providing a clear explanation of their needs while highlighting their strengths and what supports are beneficial helps ensure your child gets the support they need. In…
10 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress — For Parents of Neurodivergent Children
The holiday season can be particularly challenging for parents of neurodivergent children. Large family gatherings, the noises, smells, and the…
How Can an OT Help Your Child Develop Self-Advocacy Skills?
Self-advocacy is an important life skill that allows kids to understand and communicate their unique needs effectively with others. By using self-advocacy skills, neurodivergent children can more easily access support, accommodations, and services to help them be successful. This is especially important for autistic children who often need extra support navigating sensory challenges, complex social…