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Binders and Breakdowns: A Mother’s Introduction to the Individualized Education Plan Process

Binders and Breakdowns: A Mother’s Introduction to the Individualized Education Plan Process

An Individualized Education Plan takes time to create and implement, often requiring a year or more of testing, meetings, and decision-making to determine appropriate educational instruction and supports for a student with special needs. When Angie digs into the process, she learns more about education than she ever thought possible, and wades through bureaucracy, advocating for her son.

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Scaling Emotional Hurdles in the Classroom with Emotional Scaling

Scaling Emotional Hurdles in the Classroom with Emotional Scaling

Some children have difficulty understanding their emotions, which can sometimes lead to class-disrupting episodes of anger. By working closely with students and using strategies like emotional scaling, teachers and educators can help students better understand emotions, changes in intensity, and coping strategies, which often leads to increased self-control in the classroom.

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Swing Low, Swing High: Parents Moving into Emotional Scaling for their Daughter

Swing Low, Swing High: Parents Moving into Emotional Scaling for their Daughter

Parents of children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and other trauma and stressor-related disorders try many techniques to mitigate the problems with emotion regulation and aggressive behavior. Emotional scaling can help children with RAD to better understand their emotional experience in order to regulate their emotions and behavior before experiencing outbursts of agitation and aggression.

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Through His Eyes: Natural and Logical Consequences at Home

Through His Eyes: Natural and Logical Consequences at Home

A father struggles with having his son, who has behavioral issues, understand the consequences of his actions. After a visit with a behavioral counselor, he learns about behavioral strategies, and also finds a window into his son’s world that allows him to better see and understand his perspective.

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Helping Students Follow Classroom Expectations and Rules with Collaborative Problem Solving

Helping Students Follow Classroom Expectations and Rules with Collaborative Problem Solving

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is an effective alternative to delivering negative consequences to students who aren’t consistently following basic classroom rules and expectations. A relationship-based, nonconfrontational approach, CPS helps teachers and students work together to understand everyone’s concerns, then arrive at a mutually beneficial solution.

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Collaborative Problem Solving:  Parents and Children Working Together to Solve Everyday Problems in the Home

Collaborative Problem Solving: Parents and Children Working Together to Solve Everyday Problems in the Home

Parents may often grow frustrated when their child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder becomes increasingly defiant over a necessary daily task, such as teeth brushing, bathing, or getting out of bed in the morning. Before frustration reaches a boiling point, or resorting to punishment, parents can work together with their child to understand and express each other’s concerns and come up with a solution that works for everyone involved.

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Prader-Willi Syndrome: It’s Not Just the Number on the Scale

Prader-Willi Syndrome: It’s Not Just the Number on the Scale

Parents of children with Prader Willi syndrome begin preparing for the food-related challenges associated with this disorder from day one. With a wealth of PWS literature on how to handle the constant food-seeking behaviors, parents learn to lock cupboards, manage meals, and limit pocket money. But other, less-discussed characteristics of PWS, particularly extreme and sometimes violent behavioral problems, can be just as difficult to handle. In this article, you’ll read about the challenges that Natalie faces as a result of her son Jason’s meltdowns and learn some strategies for handling these episodes.

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My Child with High-Functioning Autism Doesn’t Look Like Yours

My Child with High-Functioning Autism Doesn’t Look Like Yours

Why does one child with Autism behave differently from another child with the same disability? While the neurospectrum disorder can cause social, communication and behavioral changes, from mild to severe, the impact of Autism is magnified when a second (or more) disability is involved. Read on to find out how parents can understand and help a child challenged by Autism, in addition to other chronic disorders.

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Fostering Emotional Connections with Your Child Who Has Autism

Fostering Emotional Connections with Your Child Who Has Autism

As the parent of a child with ASD, you experience the love and connection with your child in ways that are different, but are no less important and valuable. By learning techniques that suit your child’s needs, you are helping them to reach their full potential and giving yourself the opportunity to experience that emotional connection.

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Loving Your Child—No Matter What They Do

Loving Your Child—No Matter What They Do

There are countless books on parenting, but nothing fully prepares you to be the parent of YOUR child. Every child is different, every situation is different, and every day can be different than the last. For parents of children with special needs, this is surely the case. There is no manual for how to handle meltdowns, rage episodes, and aggressive behavior and there is no clear cut answer to how you should FEEL about your children during these times of struggle.

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Navigating “The Cliff”: When Your Child with Autism Grows Up

Navigating “The Cliff”: When Your Child with Autism Grows Up

When a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder grows up they are faced with new challenges. Learn more about how you can navigate through these and obtain your child's bright future.

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Choosing Out-of-Home Care for Your Child with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Choosing Out-of-Home Care for Your Child with Prader-Willi Syndrome

It's only normal for parents to want to be everything to their children. That's a tall order for any parent, but when your child has Prader Willi Syndrome, "everything" is more than any one person can be. Read about how one parent learned that letting experts help manage his son's disorder give him the chance to focus on being a father.

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Adopting a Child of Trauma: Gaining Perspective on What Your Child's Behavior and Rage Are Telling You

Adopting a Child of Trauma: Gaining Perspective on What Your Child's Behavior and Rage Are Telling You

As the parent of a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, Lori Hetzel knows that her daughter's intense emotions are trying to communicate what she is unable to express with words. Nadya's extreme behavior is the only tool she has for expressing her fundamental need for security. Read about Lori's efforts to maintain perspective during crisis, and then consider three perspectives to help you as you approach your own child's extreme behavior.

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Feeling Guilty When Raising a Child With Special Needs

Feeling Guilty When Raising a Child With Special Needs

Parents are often their own toughest critics. When the idyllic picture of what we thought our family would look like is a stark contrast to what the reality is, we add on even more stress by feeling guilty about what we did or didn't do in a a sea of very complex situations. For parents of special needs children, these instances are magnified, but they are recurring thoughts of every parent, nearly every day. Break the cycle of guilt for your sake and for the sake of your child.

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The Emotional Turmoil Surrounding Extremely Aggressive and Violent Behavior in Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Emotional Turmoil Surrounding Extremely Aggressive and Violent Behavior in Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parenting is always a journey that you can only try to be fully prepared for; however, parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can require an entirely different set of preparations. If you are the parent of a child with ASD, remember: you’re not alone—there are many options available for help.

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When Your Child with Asperger's Disorder is Bullied

When Your Child with Asperger's Disorder is Bullied

It's not just about your child being picked last for the kickball game or not making new friends at school, it's about the derogatory comments towards your child from other children or the lack of empathy from the adults in his/her life. Finding the right tools to help your child with Asperger's and Autism Spectrum Disorder and educating those who interact with your child, will help lead you all down a path towards a bright future for your child.

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Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome: Impulse Control Issues and Dishonesty

Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome: Impulse Control Issues and Dishonesty

When the lies about food become too much to handle, there might be another factor at play. Follow along as Ben's struggles with food are taken to the next level and begin to become more than his parents can manage alone.

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