Category Archives: Information & Research

Bad Behavior or Shedding Old Skin?

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Have you experienced some exciting, big changes in your child with Autism after an intensive therapy program? Did you find that shortly after you noticed great progress you were also witnessing some less than desirable behaviors?

When you start to “retrain” the brain, It’s like peeling layers of an onion and getting your child closer to their true self. Being previously veiled by sensory overload and expending most of their energy simply trying to navigate through day-to-day experiences, your child is most likely now starting to take interest in people rather than objects, become curious, and feel many emotions for the first time. Do they know how to deal with these emotions? Probably not!

You may start to see some challenging (and downright ugly) behaviors and automatically assume your child is regressing or your therapy is ineffective.

Remember that it’s like starting over in many ways. They are experiencing the world around them with new senses. While in survival mode, your child was incapable of learning some of the tools necessary for coping with everyday situations. After substantial progress is made in the way they process sensory input, they are now open to understand and practice these skills for the first time. But it does take patience.

Maybe they just found their voice and are starting to express extreme likes and dislikes, or preferences for people and activities. Maybe they are so curious they are asking incessant questions about every sentence that comes out of your mouth. Perhaps they are touching things more, or having a new kind of tantrum when they don’t get their way. Take a step back and remember this is all new.

Last night my son was in his room and I started hearing unearthly screams from behind the closed door, each swelling louder than the last, with increasing frustration. He was trying to make something work that wasn’t cooperating. My first instinct as a mother was to run in and comfort him and perhaps even correct the problem; I hated hearing him so upset! There was also a part of me that was flinching with each piercing scream, and I admittedly had control the urge to yell even louder to get him to stop.

Either action would have been a true disservice to him. What I needed to do was sit with him and explain what happens when we let ourselves get that frustrated with things. I needed to teach him a manageable protocol for dealing with those feelings, before they get to the point where he’s breaking items because he can’t get it them function correctly.

I made it clear that it was always okay for him to feel whatever he was feeling, but that there were other things he could do to deal with those feelings. We talked about how to handle it when something isn’t working – not continuing to do the same thing repeatedly (only harder), but to stop, take five deep breaths and either ask for help or start asking questions. What am I not seeing? Is there another way to do this? If it can’t be done, can I be okay with that? Can mom help? Should I call for her?

Social stories and visual cues are great tools – it’s a good time to revisit some past attempts that may or may not have been successful for you before. My son and I started employing American Sign Language and certain codes from the police and fire scanner to alert each other that it’s time to use one of our new behaviors. As often as possible, I lead him to try and work out the progression on his own instead of solely giving him exact instructions.

It’s a new and exciting time when this kind of progress is made. It’s also easy to have expectations about coping skills and behaviors you assume should come with that progress. It’s my experience that I can always use a “refresher course” on the very things I’m teaching my son for the first time.

How about you? What are some behaviors you’ve mistaken for regression? What are some ways you worked through them with your child? I’d love to hear your stories, so please comment below or post them on my Facebook page so we can help each other!

Round Two of Sound Training – My Son’s New Gains

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We’ve successfully completed our second round (“intensive”) of Sound Training and I am once again blown away by my son’s progress. It wasn’t until I sat down to create his update that I realized just how many new gains I’ve observed in the past few weeks.

During the “off time”, his brain is integrating all the changes that were created during his Listening Time. Remember, children may have different rates of integration when it comes to seeing noticeable gains. It is a process – not an overnight miracle!

You can check out the list of gains (and what I thought might be regression!) I saw after his first intensive here.

What’s new since then?

  • Traveled for 7.5 hours in someone else’s car (with his immediate family and family friend) with no meltdowns or major issues (whoa! No seat kicking, bathroom catastrophes or tantrums!)
  • Interacted with a family friend – engaged her in games and conversation (he acted calm and polite, using manners and asking lots of questions – bravo!)
  • Took direction from family friend (responded favorably when asked to quiet loud voices or stop a behavior)
  • Rode his first “big person” roller coaster without fear (and what a ride to choose as a first! Dangling from the car, suspended horizontally… loops and craziness ensued!)
  • Looks to me for facial expressions/reaction/approval when he’s about to exhibit a behavior or perform an action (this is HUGE! The entire thought process of ‘will Mom get mad if I do this?’ was never present. He was simply incapable of processing a connection like that. I can’t be more thrilled.)
  • Brought two Cs up to As and Bs on fourth quarter report card (yeah!)
  • Started asking me questions about his Autism – wants to learn more, recognizes that he is not his diagnosis (his brain is really hungry to learn, not just soak up extraneous video game facts)
  • Willingness to help – will bring objects to or do favors for others (again – whoa! He even gets something from another room for his older sister if she asks!)
  • Desires more independence – makes own breakfast at times, somewhat dresses himself more often (this is extremely exciting for me. I sometimes forget how much I have to do for him until I take a step back and realize that it is atypical for a child his age)
  • Continues to create flipnote videos with more expressions and emotions in the scenarios (not just aping his favorite characters)
  • Was able to participate in the birth process and early rearing of six puppies until five were adopted out (this would have been a very unsafe and unsettling situation if he hadn’t made this incredible progress)
  • Is gentle and caring with the puppy we kept (I still have to keep a close watch, but he is interacting with animals much more appropriately than he had with previous pets)
  • Is a lot more expressive, which of course is not always an ideal situation for ME even though it is good for him to be in touch with his feelings (I’m BORED! Will this EVER END? I don’t WANT TO!)

All in all, I can’t WAIT to see what’s next, as the struggles are falling away from him like layers of skin shed and his true personality starts to really shine.

Don’t forget! If you want to hear more about Sound Training IN PERSON and you’re in the Atlanta area, come to An Evening Seminar with Angie Marshall… click here for the deets!

In other news…

I had my first mission as a volunteer Bike Medic with the Fire Department at the PDK Good Neighbor Day Air Show Saturday. I trained hard for this during the month of May and was absolutely honored to be able to serve my community as a First Responder in this capacity. I’m in a world of hurt currently, but it is the pain of accomplishment, so I’ll survive :)

Regression or Progression?

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I recently did my mid-integration checklist and interview for Justin’s Listening Training. As he is getting ready for his next intensive, I wanted to share some amazing gains I observed – new behaviors that I attribute to his first round of EnListen® and additional supports from home, including:

  • Introduction of Chewelry to redirect chewing (I’ll be dedicating an entire blog post to this great product shortly!!)
  • Addition of digestive enzymes, probiotics, and Omega Fatty Acid oil to his diet
  • Increased yoga and fitness routines after school

Understand that every child is different and may or may not show the same gains or at the same rate, especially after only the first intensive. These are things that improved in my child:

  • He now understands and carries out multi-step instructions (e.g., “Put on your socks, brush your teeth, and meet me in the kitchen.”)
  • Bathroom experience: his body now signals that he has to go – no more accidents (thank you!); it is an easier experience – 15 minutes in the bathroom instead of 45!
  • He is aware of possible consequences before proprioceptive crashing – Justin will now run up to things and stop and think first about whether or not it might be a good idea. He redirects himself for the first time.
  • Empathy, remorse – he consciously apologizes after accidentally hurting someone and doesn’t repeat action!
  • Fine motor improvement – he is better able to dress himself; he even wore jeans for the first time and buttoned them with no assistance!
  • Initiating bedtime on his own – he’s getting tired earlier in the evenings, and bedtime is no longer a long and drawn out process (except when he’s being a typical kid!)
  • Aware of why he has certain behaviors – when asked why he is displaying a certain behavior he is able to provide a logical answer rather than tuning out or shrugging it off
  • Report card improvement
  • Little to no spinning – much less stimming (excluding the return of recent verbal outbursts)
  • Realizing where he is in space – there is much less holding the walls when walking and chair tipping when sitting
  • Coordination, balance improvement – squatting, skipping, hurdles and obstacle courses, jumping improvement
  • Tactile gains – introduction of new clothing materials that previously were not tolerated
  • Initiating affection – this is a biggie! He is equating more with people and less with things.
  • Showing more independent thought and less echolalia (and much less regurgitated TV speak!) when asked questions or engaged in a conversation

Less than desirable changes noticed:

  • Expressing more frustration – this is due to experiencing certain feelings for the first time. Listening Training has begun the process of allowing him to be receptive to and in touch with his emotions. Justin will need to now learn how process those appropriately.
  • More meltdowns
  • The return of noises, verbal outbursts and personal space issues
  • Less motivation to complete schoolwork

Although this may appear to be a regression in behavior, I realize that Justin is experiencing a reorganization of how he sees the world and processes information. It’s going to take time for these changes to be integrated into daily practice. I have to dig a little deeper. Some of these behaviors are not necessarily a regression, rather familiar ways of coping with new feelings and experiences.

He is also reflecting his new feelings of frustration through verbal stimming and needs to learn new and appropriate ways of expressing them.

The next intensive will continue to address sound sensitivity as well as introduce organizational skills and theory of mind.

It is easy to focus on the behaviors we don’t want from our child when we see them, and immediately assume things are headed south once again. I don’t know about you, but raising a child with Autism is a roller coaster ride full of gains and regressions. It’s part of the process and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Looking at this progress now on paper, he truly has made some incredible gains. It is imperative that the school and I continue to support him with reward systems, redirection, and behavior alternatives as he learns to integrate information in a new way.

TYSA Brings TOPSoccer to the Community Again

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Spring is in the air, and on the TYSA soccer field it is also buzzing with excitement! Young athletes with a spectrum of disabilities – some familiar with each other from the program’s debut in Fall 2010 and some new faces – greeted each other on Sunday, March 13 at Henderson Park.

“We are very excited about the start of the second season of the TOPSoccer Program at TYSA.  The feedback from the parents, players and volunteers from our inaugural season has been tremendous.  We look forward to building upon the initial success of the program and the opportunity it provides to these young athletes.  It is, without a doubt, one of the most rewarding and fulfilling programs the TYSA has been involved with since it’s inception in the late ‘70’s”  says Ken Barnett, the Director of the TOPSoccer Program at TYSA.

TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based soccer training program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by Tucker Youth Soccer Association volunteers. The program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl, who has a mental or physical disability. Our goal is to share the love of soccer with young athletes with disabilities. Through TYSA’s TOPSoccer program, these special young athletes feel that they are an integral part of Tucker Youth Soccer Association.  This program is open to all kids with any type of physical or mental disability between the ages of 6-18.

The TOPSoccer program at TYSA has been partially funded through grants from US Youth Soccer and adidas®.  These initial grants are helping to support the cost associated with starting this special program by allowing TYSA to provide TOPSoccer player with the basic equipment they need to participate in the program.

As the parent of a child on the Autism Spectrum, I am delighted to see the return of the amazing program, and so is my son! He greeted old teammates and welcomed new faces as he ran onto the field last week to start some drills.

I am really grateful for TOPSoccer; he hasn’t been able to participate in any type of organized sports in the past. It was also a great measure for me to see all the coordination and movement work I’ve been doing with him at home pay off in a safe environment!

TOPSoccer will meet in Henderson Park on Field 4 Sundays from 1 – 2 pm. Players and parents will meet on five Sunday afternoons for practice and then culminate in a Jamboree on the sixth Sunday.

Registration Fee: $25, which includes a Jersey, Socks, Shin Guards, a Ball, and a Carrying Bag.

Doctor’s approval required.

For further questions please contact Nancy Marsden, at admin@tysa.com or 404.219.3752.

Our Listening Training Experience So Far

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Listening Training? Huh? Is that some new form of obedience school for children?

No, silly! It’s an awesome auditory processing tool that I decided I wanted my son to experience.

From EnListen®:

Listening is the primary foundation for competency in speaking, reading, writing and social interaction. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is the passive reception of sound, while listening is the active acknowledgment and organization of sound. Listening is the interpretation of sounds in the brain. Individuals with autism and other learning disabilities can have significant listening disabilities.

The process began with an extensive questionnaire and interview to assess Justin’s history, strengths and deficits, sensory issues, diet, behaviors, and more. From that and the desired skill set indicator (specific, measurable goals), a listening program was custom-engineered and shipped to us for his first intensive.

This intensive, two-hour sessions per day for fifteen days, consisted of low-frequency music files and narrated stories. He listened in special bone and air conduction headphones to sounds with different filtering, gating and delays sent separately to the right and left ear to wake up the brain and stimulate his vagus nerve.

Low frequency training addresses issues with basic body functions, including fine motor skills, toileting, balance, appetite, sleep, spinning, and the need to crash into things (sensory-seeking proprioceptive behavior). The vagus nerve connects the brain to the body’s major organs, delivering vital messages via the parasympathetic nervous system.

Our Experience with Listening Time

I thought it would take an Act of Congress to get my child to sit still and listen to ANYTHING for two hours. Knowing that he could engage in conversation, do homework, draw, or sleep during Listening Time helped my willingness to try it :)

He LOVED this time. Every day there was a new experience that he looked forward to; each session alternated between music and narrated stories. But this isn’t just “music therapy”, the files are engineered to delay and repeat in specific ways that wake up the brain and “rewire” neural pathways! By day two, he actually fell asleep during Listening Time. YES! (it works whether the child is awake or asleep)

It was made very clear to me that this is a long-term process, not a magic bullet or overnight solution to anything. Each intensive consists of roughly two weeks of Listening Time and a four-to-six week “integration” period before the next one.

The Noticeable Changes

Each child is different, and I was also prepared to see no real gains within the first intensive, which was to be expected. In fact, there was a strong possibility of seeing some regression, or behaviors getting worse before they got better. We had a mixed bag of experiences, all positive in regard to the big picture.

I first noticed Justin expressing frustration at small things quite a bit. He had a few more tantrums and meltdowns than I was prepared for. However, I was able to take a step back and realize that he was feeling things for the first time and had to learn how to react and respond to these new feelings. This was good!

He started falling asleep to Listening Time, and was relaxed and in bed by 9:30 several nights in a row! You don’t understand, this is a child that even with a Melatonin pill in his system would be-bop around like a whirling dervish until at least midnight. This was HUGE. It also meant we started consecutively making it to school on time for a change!

Other amazing observations include Justin being able to do his homework in his own handwriting and having an easier time in the bathroom; his typical 45-minute potty experience began taking 15 minutes or less. Wow.

It’s been a few weeks since his first intensive and he continues to show new behaviors that astound me. He recently looked at a bad grade in school and showed remorse that he did not complete the assignment. Given another chance, he was able to draw the conclusion that he could change his grade by completing it then and promptly did so. He apologizes when he unintentionally hurts me and is much less hyper. He is starting to think through responses rather than mimic phrases.

I know these things will continue to improve as I support him fully with other modalities and tools we already use, as well as clean up his diet (progress, not perfection!). I love being able to ease some of his struggles without attempting to change who he is.

The next intensive will address planning and organization, language, multi-step instructions, magnitude, expression, and more, so we’re VERY EXCITED about that!

I will be releasing a video and free report that goes into more detail about EnListen®… stay tuned as I share with you our journey with Listening Training!

And uh…thanks for listening.

Sorry… I had to :)

Why Are Our Children So Unhealthy?

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We are living in a time when billions of dollars are being spent on treatments, causes, and sometimes even cures. We are missing the biggest factor: Prevention.

Why are our children so unhealthy? For the same reasons we are!

  • Poor food choices (processed foods, and misleading “health food” packaging alike)
  • Instant gratification society (particularly as it relates to fast food)
  • Not drinking enough water
  • Lack of movement and exercise
  • Stressful lifestyles (is your child’s schedule as hectic as a 30-year-old’s calendar?!?)
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Environmental factors

Additionally, some children with autism may be at nutritional risk due to their behaviors around foods and eating. Food refusal and difficulty in introducing new foods into the diet are common. Entire food groups may be refused due to sensory integration issues as it relates to food colors, textures, smells, and more.

Researchers have also found that peptides from improperly digested casein (milk) or gluten-based (wheat) foods affect brain function in some individuals with autism. Successfully putting your child on a Gluten Free Casein Free diet can be extremely challenging and requires diligence, commitment, and dedication to following through.

Typical child's diet? I wish!

Selective eaters, whether on the Autism Spectrum or not, may be at risk for some vitamin and mineral deficiencies, especially with a diet that is high in overly processed foods. My eldest child – neurotypical – eats only four foods; that is if they are the right brand, have the correct consistency, and the moon is in the seventh house. And it’s Tuesday :) It has been this way since she was a toddler, despite an armory of tactics and years of struggle over the dinner table.

Whether you have a child that is a picky eater, has extensive food allergies, has problems with food texture, is always tired and lacks energy, or has chronic diarrhea or stomach distress, the bottom line is the same: our kids need better nutrition!

I am utterly thrilled, because I recently found a way to get 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains into my children (and in me!) without the power struggles, tears, ultimatums, and drama… I can’t wait to share more with you over the coming weeks! Look for updates and tweets about my experiences, and feel free to drop me a line if you want to learn more!

Why is My Child Crashing into Me and Screaming?!?

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In my house this weekend, my son was a human (LOUD!) bumper car. Despite all of my refined calming and redirecting techniques, the past few days brought loud screams interspersed with crashing into walls, family members, doors, mirrors, and repeated jumping and falling onto the floor. Ironically, light touches and loud noises from any other source but his own mouth send him into immediate meltdown. How can that be? How can crashing and tight squeezes feel great but a hand on his shoulder make him recoil as if he were being branded with a hot iron?

It can actually be very common for children with Sensory Processing issues to be both sensory seekers and sensory avoiders. How confusing and frustrating it can be!

What is sensory seeking?

As I’ve written before, Sensory Integration is the ability of the brain to detect, modulate, discriminate, and integrate the three special sensory systems – tactile (touch), vestibular (movement), and proprioceptive (body awareness).  Although these sensory systems are less familiar than the five senses we all learned about as children, they are critical in order for humans to experience, interpret, and respond to their environment appropriately.

Sensory seeking occurs when a child’s nervous system is under-responsive to the information being received by the brain, so they continually seek intense sensory experiences for an extended time period to compensate. Some typical sensory seeking behaviors include:

  • Hyper-activity
  • Impulsivity
  • Decreased response to pain
  • Crashing and banging into things
  • Craves “tight squeezes” or bear hugs others a lot
  • Screaming
  • Poor body awareness – clumsiness, touching objects or others too hard or too often
  • Staying in a soiled diaper or underpants

What is sensory avoiding?

Children with sensory avoidant behavior commonly have nervous systems that are overly responsive to sensation, which can trigger “fight or flight” responses to sensory stimuli.  They may demonstrate some of these behaviors:

  • Withdrawing from touch
  • Motion sickness, fear of heights
  • Anxious in over-stimulating environments (public places such as malls, playgrounds, etc.)
  • Picky eater – avoidance of certain textured foods, sensitive to food smells or temperatures
  • Doesn’t like being messy and avoids mud, dirt, messy foods
  • Struggles with self-care activities; will only wear certain types of material for clothing and or wear clothing in a particular way; complains about hair brushing, tooth brushing, and hair cutting.

If your child is like mine, we can relate to almost everything in both lists! However, I did have some success alleviating some of the crashing and screaming while we were in public, and I wanted to share what worked with you.

Things that helped

There’s nothing more frightening than standing in line at the grocery store and having your child uncontrollably scream crash into displays, climb on counters, and swing off things that are not meant to be swung from! OY! When this state of sensory seeking is reached, reasoning attempts fly out the window.

While we were out I offered some tight squeezes, head and shoulder pressure, and “contests” (bet you can’t crab walk to that bench and back in 2 minutes!). These did not stop the behaviors entirely but offered some relief to his body and allowed me a few more minutes to finish our errand. It is good to carry a weighted backpack in the car as an emergency sensory-seeking tool to help get you through a situation like that as well!

Once we got home, I was able to isolate him to a quiet room and really pay attention to what his body was craving. We used blanket rolling, full body pressure on a giant yoga ball while he was lying face-down, spinning, and our newest trick: wrapping a rolling pin in large bubble wrap and rolling it over his back! I then gave him some time in his tent with a digital timer. Watching the numbers count down always calms him. It was important that he knew it was not time out for misbehaving, rather a break that would help him.

Other tools I love for sensory avoidance behaviors:

  • Noise-blocking headphones
  • Personal games to keep him focused
  • Favorite healthy snacks
  • Nature sounds on my iPhone
  • Wubbzy music :)
  • An escape plan!

What things help your child cope with sensory input?

How Does Fitness Help My Child With Autism?

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I don’t know about you, but for the past four years I’ve been trying to get my child involved in an extra-curricular activity, achieving less than stellar results. At age four, even before an Autism diagnosis, I knew he had an extraordinary amount of energy to burn and his sister was in Karate. It made sense to me to get him started in the youngest group. I thought it would teach him focus and give him an outlet for some of that energy. HA! Nice try, Mom. He was kicked out in the first two minutes of his first class, and asked never to return even as a spectator for his older sis. OY!

Since then, we’ve tried some easy sports, Cub Scouts, even a cooking class (an energetic child on the Autism spectrum with sharp objects… what was I thinking?!?!). It all boils down to the same issues: lack of coordination, lack of focus, too much energy, inability to be patient and wait his turn, unable to understand what is expected of him, sensory overload, gross motor deficits, and just plain behavior issues sometimes.

I’ve always made allowances (and excuses) for why we can’t participate in the same things as some of his neurotypical friends do. But now he’s 8 and he still can’t ride a bike. We will be trying piano lessons (a natural gift for him), but that still doesn’t solve any of the above named issues.

You ask, “Don’t they get fitness in gym class?” Not really. In fact, many schools have even CUT physical education from their curriculum due to budget cuts and increased focus on test scores! And sports (as I’ve experienced) are really hard to participate in when you can’t master basic, foundational moves or stay on task long enough to understand what to do.

Using my background of Autism Research and Fitness along with the mentorship of Eric Chessen (Autism Fitness), I adapted and developed a fun and effective way to help my child’s long-term skills in fitness and movement. The right fitness movements have an amazing ripple effect on the whole family. Here are some things that have improved in my child already, and will continue to do so as I work with him further:

Self-esteem and confidence. He sees himself being successful at the movements and courses we set up and it makes him want to try new things. He knows it’s a safe place to not quite get it right.

Coordination. His balance and posture have improved greatly since we started. He used to actually lean to one side and not be able to even stand on one foot! Now look at him go!

Sensory issues. His favorite fitness moves offer a wonderful sensory break from an overload or meltdown. The best part? Most of them can be done in a small space using just his body weight!

Attending. He can now stay focused longer when asked to do something, including waiting his turn! He’s far from perfect, but my motto is progress not perfection.

Goal setting. He finally understands the process of being unable to complete something and how practice leads to the mastering of a skill. This is huge!

Independence. He now takes pride in setting up his own mini obstacle course for us to do together. He can even create one for his peers to try!

Overall health and fitness level. Face it, getting up and moving is good for the whole family, even if you can just do a little bit! Turn off the TV, hide the DSi, take the batteries out of the Wii remote, and go outside and PLAY :)

Contact me to find out how I can also help your child succeed using Fitness 4 Autism! It’s really fun for the entire family!

FREE Sensory Integration Teleseminar JUNE 3!!

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  • Are you struggling with an Autistic child that screams all the time?

  • Do you have trouble calming your child at night?

  • Does your child on the Spectrum never seem to “wind down”?

  • How do you get the schools to cooperate and truly support your child?

  • Does your child spin, touch everything, appear over-sensitive to some things yet under-responds to others?

  • Are you frustrated with your child’s meltdowns in public places?

If you answered YES to any of these, I can help!

Whether you’re just discovering some unique “quirks” about your child that you’d like to explore further…

Whether your child has been newly (or even incorrectly) diagnosed and you’re feeling overwhelmed about what the next steps are…

Whether you’ve tried countless therapies, medications, or solutions with your child…

This call is for you. I want to help you understand and support your child with Sensory Processing issues.


Join me Thursday, June 3rd, starting at 10 am EST for a FREE teleseminar series with these AMAZING EXPERTS:

Experts have been featured in “Autism Tomorrow: The Complete Resource Guide to Help Your Child Thrive in the Real World”, Autism Society of America, Parent Magazine, WNBC TV, Philadelphia Business Journal, About Special Needs, Freedom at Your Fingertips, Try it on Everything (Documentary), the Sensory Integration Network in the UK and Ireland, and more!



In this content-rich teleseminar series the Experts will reveal:

•    How sensory integration is vital to how your child learns and functions
•    What your child may be experiencing when you think they are misbehaving
•    5 simple, yet effective tools to disarm the start of a sensory meltdown
•    What types of movements can improve cognitive functioning AND self-esteem
•    We know the five senses, but what are vestibular and proprioceptive functions?
•    A fun routine that may help calm your child at bedtime
•    What approach to take with your IEP meeting
•    How to address & support the emotions surrounding your situation – for your child,  siblings, and most importantly, for YOU

When the information we receive as sensory input through sights, sounds, touch, tastes, smells and movement fails to get properly interpreted, it can lead to a devastating reality. Children with Sensory Processing Disorder are often under assault by their own senses daily. They exhibit difficulty in daily functioning, social relationships, behavioral challenges, regulating emotions, self-esteem, and learning.

Wouldn’t you love to know more about these sensory processing issues and how they directly affect your child’s behavior so you can begin to offer compassion, support, and effective tools to help ease their struggle?

As a parent of a child with Autism, I’m committed to helping other parents through my years of personal research and by drawing from my resources, some of the top experts in Autism, Sensory Integration, and alternative healing methods. I can provide key insights, ease your frustration, and help you find the paths and tools that make the most sense for your family.

I can’t wait to see you on the call!

~ Debi

It’s Summer Camp Time Again… HELP!

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I won’t lie, this time of year typically throws me into a panic.  Memories of being burned repeatedly and having my poor son bounced from program to program each summer makes me dread the search for a summer camp solution that is within a single parent’s budget yet offers my child the support he needs.

I always assume that providing all pertinent information, tips, schedule samples, copies of the IEP, challenges, typical behaviors, and dietary restrictions up front will be sufficient and ensure success for all parties involved. Then, usually a week in, I get a call from the director who acts blatantly surprised and shocked that my son is having problems in large, loud groups and is acting out.

My all-time favorite exchange with a camp director was when my child was expelled from the Recreation Center program for the fact that he had to be watched. Devastated, I reminded him that I interviewed with him personally about my son’s situation, filled out all the appropriate support forms, and even provided extra sensory items. “You assured me you were equipped for special needs children.”

“Main stream special needs,” he replied.

“Main stream special needs? What does that mean?” I asked.

“Kids that act like everyone else.”

Ouch. Ignorance at its finest. I didn’t fight him, because I no longer wanted my son there anyway! Trust me, we never let the door hit us on the way out :)

Anyway… I think this list of questions for prospective summer camps for your child with Autism may help. I don’t want anyone to go through what I have these past few years!

Questions for Prospective Summer Camps for My Child

  1. What is the teacher/child ratio?
  2. Does the staff have experience or background in Autism and Sensory Integration issues?
  3. How are disruptive, sensory-seeking behaviors handled?
  4. Is anyone qualified to dispense medications (if applicable)? What is the procedure?
  5. Is there ample staff to watch my child at all times (who may be prone to wandering)?
  6. How many breaks will be provided?
  7. Are there other special needs children enrolled in the program (if it is not a special needs camp)?
  8. Are there alternative plans for field trip days if my child does not go? If he/she does attend and has a meltdown at the venue, how is it handled?
  9. What behaviors are absolutely not tolerated, and what warning system is in place for parents?
  10. How do you communicate best with parents regarding day to day progress?
  11. Can my child bring food from home due to a restrictive diet?
  12. How are behavior issues handled in general? (not sensory related)
  13. Are toys or comfort items from home allowed?

Hopefully this gets you started down the right road in finding a great fit for your child. The answers to these questions should provide a good indicator of the facility’s willingness to put your child’s success before their convenience or fulfillment numbers!

Some good resources to Special Needs camps can be found at Aspires,  My Summer Camps or Your Little Professor.