As the parents of special needs children, we often believe that our friends with neurotypical kids couldn’t possibly understand, and this extends to family and even strangers on the street who give you a dirty look for not disciplining your child. In our minds, they...

Whether your child is verbal and capable of carrying out the activities of daily living, or has an intellectual disability and requires 24/7 care, the physical, mental, and emotional demands of caring for a child with special needs are always significant. This is why...

We have seen another elementary school shooting, more young children and educators died needlessly, and so many parents of special needs children are asking themselves, “What if this happened to my child? Would they understand? Would they be accounted for and safe?”...

As special needs parents, we all love the structure that school provides for us and our kids. That is, until school is out for summer, and my son is looking at me and asking, “What should I do today?” Less support for my son as well as new and varied routines always...

In last week’s episode, I showed you why you are always the expert when it comes to parenting your child with Autism. So, now what? Well, I’ve got one amazing tool for you to use for truly stepping into that role, so you can show up and parent from a place of...

Whether you are new to the diagnosis of Autism or an OG like me, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “You are the expert on your child.” But what does this mean exactly? Well, over the next two episodes, I’m taking a deep dive into what it means to be an expert. There are...

Do you find yourself time-traveling to the future and imagining a worst-case scenario for yourself or your child, even when it there doesn’t seem to be anything going wrong in that particular moment? Well, this is called catastrophizing, and you’re not the only person...

None of us really knows how life is supposed to go. But when it comes to parenting your child with Autism, do you find yourself thinking, saying, or shouting, “This should not be happening?” If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. This situation comes up for...

Our emotions are a lot like waves. They build up and they break, they ebb and they flow. You can try to stand firm in their way and get knocked over or pulled under, or you can let go, let them flow, and ride the wave until it meets the shore and disappears, and I’m...

All-or-nothing thinking, or being rigid, is generally defined by pairs of opposites. So, maybe you’re thinking of someone or something as simply good or bad, working or not working. But it can also show up as thinking there are only two choices available in a...

Remember the book The Little Engine That Could? Before The Little Engine has the courage to start up the hill, another character tells her, “If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t. Either way, you’re right.” This is the power our thoughts...

Whether you know it or not, there is a cycle constantly working in the background of everything you do, including dealing with the challenges of parenting a child with Autism. It’s called the Think-Feel-Act Cycle, and understanding how this process works in my brain...

Do you ever find yourself fixating on all the things your child can’t do, while paying little attention to the tremendous gains they’ve made? Well, this is your brain’s negativity bias at work. This comes up for so many of us when it comes to our parenting, but just...

I’m sure you’ve realized by now, no matter how hard we try, we can’t control our children’s behaviors. However, we can choose how we want to think about them. That might not sound particularly powerful, but trust me when I say it’s a real gamechanger. Your child’s...

How do you react when your child is having a meltdown? So many of us feel like we’re just one step behind, ready to throw a tantrum ourselves. When your child is having a meltdown, taking their behaviors personally is a normal automatic reaction. However, it is never...

Do you fear you’re not doing enough for your child with autism? Do you terrorize yourself with thoughts about their future, and how you’re not able to give them the right kind of support? Do you put caring for yourself on the back burner because you think, “I’ll be...