All children exhibit less-than-desirable behaviors at one time or another. Sometimes children exhibit many of these behaviors throughout the day, especially in the case of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The behaviors can take over everyone’s lives and become the focus of our interactions with these children. Too often we blame the child, when what we …
When thinking about autism and all that is involved with it and other similar neurodevelopmental disorders, we sometimes overlook the possibility of co-occurring conditions like anxiety. All too often I hear responses about a child’s odd behaviors in relation to him or her “being naughty,” or that “it is just his or her autism”; but, …
Question: I have an 8-year-old daughter who has struggled with communication, behavior, and social skills since she was a toddler. She has been diagnosed with encopresis and we have been to see more specialists than I can count at this point. School doesn’t seem to feel there are significant issues, but she is having increasingly …
Question: My daughter just wants to touch people all the time. It’s frustrating and at times can be very embarrassing. She’ll even walk up to strangers. What can we do to stop this? If we tell her “No!” she gets a funny little smile on her face and then sometimes does it again! Help! ~ …
“I wish you guys would move to the end of the driveway, so I didn’t have to walk so far.” These were the words of a young girl trick or treating at our house this year. It seems that every generation gets just a little worse with this sense of entitlement. What causes this? Maybe …
By: Courtney Kowalczyk, M.Ed. Anxiety can be debilitating for many individuals, especially those affected by autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Last month, I shared specific symptoms and changes in behavior to consider when determining whether or not your child or student is anxious. Now that you know what to look for in relation to anxiety …
Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty kind of person? Does it really make a difference? I think it makes a huge difference in your overall functioning, and the quality of your life. Optimism can lead to accomplishment. If you think something is …
I continue to stand amazed at the power of using non verbal communication. I was just watching a tape of a family in their assessment from six months ago in which they talked a lot. As a response their child would do one of two things – repeat it or get up and do what …
I was thinking this morning on my drive to work that it was Thursday and my turn to post, but what to post? I decided it would just be a general post about the past week. This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity not only to spend the whole weekend with some of my …
One of my duties here at school each day is to wait with the kindergarten through 2nd grade children who are picked up by their parents each day. Every day I see children’s faces light up with huge delighted smiles as their parents come to pick them up. The kids are genuinely happy to see …
