In our efforts to support them, sometimes we over-prompt clients with autism spectrum disorder. Here’s how we get them to practice skills, in addition to car...

When I meet a parent of a child on the spectrum, or I’m training a therapist working with a child on the spectrum, one of my first questions is, “What motiva...

When we work tirelessly in sessions and we don’t see carryover (leading us to believe that parents aren’t practicing these skills at home), it can be very fr...

One of the most common complaints I hear from therapists is, I don’t feel like we’re getting anywhere in therapy. It’s so frustrating! We pour our hearts and...

I don’t have kids…so who am I to be telling these parents how to raise their kids? When I was first starting out as a 22-year-old speech-language pathology a...

On October 31st, what are the chances of this happening...? Parent: It’s time to go trick-or-treating! Let’s put on your costume! Child: NO! Ok, this is actu...

When the bones are good, the rest don’t matter Yeah the paint could peel, the glass could shatter Let it rain ’cause you and I remain the same When there ain...

Do any of these situations sound familiar? Situation 1 Child is working on putting a puzzle piece in a puzzle. Therapist: What animal is that? Child: [no res...

All kids on the spectrum have what I call, for lack of a better term, a breaking point. A child’s breaking point is the point when we’ve put too many demands...

Does this sound like something that would happen in a therapy session? Child: Can we play with this toy today? Therapist: First we’re going to play this game...

"But how do I track my data? "... is the most common question I get from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) after teaching them to shift their focus from st...

Let me introduce you to what I call the “Sensory Processing Seesaw”. Think of a child’s sensory processing as a seesaw. When something negative happens to th...

Think about when you were learning to ride a bike. Are you picturing it? You’re in the park, you’ve graduated from your training wheels and you’re ready to t...

You know that fight you get into every week with your husband? The one that goes something like this: You: You didn’t wash the dishes. Husband: You didn’t as...

Counting down is one of the most commonly used strategies for transitioning children from one activity to another. At school, children often hear their teach...

Floortime can be a life-changing approach for kids with autism and their families. Through Floortime, we encourage and support the child, but at the same tim...

Let’s talk about sensory processing. I know what you’re thinking, we’re not occupational therapists (OTs). That’s right, we are not OTs! But that doesn’t mea...

In a study at University of California, San Diego, 1,269 children between 12 and 36 months were screened for autism by trained psychologists. According to th...

Truth or dare? Truth: How often do you rely on toys and screens in therapy? Dare: I dare you to ditch the toys for half of your treatment session and see wha...

Having trouble inspiring a child with autism to use words? Tackle foundational communication skills—not just language skills—by infusing fun and silliness in...