Search Results for Emotional%20Connection

When Your Child with Asperger's Disorder is Bullied

Written By: Pamela DeLoatch | Resource Creation By: Keli McNeill | Design By: Sunny DiMartino, Christy Bui, Nathan Lueth
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.

Advocating for your Adopted Child with Complex Developmental Trauma

Written By: Aleksandra Corwin, Lizzie Vance | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton, Keli McNeill | Design By: Sunny DiMartino, Nathan Lueth, Christy Bui
Advocating for your Adopted Child with Complex Developmental Trauma

Lori Hetzel is the mother of a child diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). She describes the struggles her family encountered obtaining special education and resources for their daughter after they adopted her from Russia at age nine.

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

Written By: Amanda Ronan | Podcast Editing and Voiceover By: Heather Haynes | Design By: Sunny DiMartino
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.

Residential Care: A Story of Love and Caring for a Traumatized Daughter

Written By: Lizzie Vance, Aleksandra Corwin | Resource Creation By: Leeann Sanders | Designed By: Sunny DiMartino, Christy Bui
Residential Care: A Story of Love and Caring for a Traumatized Daughter

After years of rages and fighting, Lori Hetzel’s adopted daughter’s behavior, diagnosed as Reactive Attachment Disorder, turns in a dangerous direction, leading the family to consider options for her care they have never wanted to consider until now. Nadya’s extreme emotionality, aggressive reactivity, and unpredictability has left the family with no good, safe options for keeping her at home.

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

Written By: Aleksandra Corwin, Lizzie Vance | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton | Design By: Sunny DiMartino, Christy Bui
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.

Loving Your Child—No Matter What They Do

Written By: Pamela DeLoatch | Resource Creation By: Leeann Sanders | Illustrations By: Nathan Lueth | Design By: Sunny DiMartino
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.

Reflecting on Newtown and Coming Out of the Closet on Mental Illness: It's Time

Written By: Christine Walker
Reflecting on Newtown and Coming Out of the Closet on Mental Illness: It's Time

Each year we reflect on the anniversary of Newtown. During the recollection, let's make sure that we strengthen our commitment to preventing this from happening again, anywhere. One way is to read this emotional plea by Christine Walker, mother of a son afflicted with mental illness.

Fostering Emotional Connections with Your Child Who Has Autism

Written By: Amanda Ronan | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton | Design By: Christy Bui, Nathan Lueth, Sunny DiMartino
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.

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

Written By: Nancy Yeang | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton | Design By: Christy Bui, Sunny DiMartino
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.

Scaling Emotional Hurdles in the Classroom with Emotional Scaling

Written By: Geoff Campbell | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton | Design By: Christy Bui, Sunny DiMartino
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.

Tracking the Clues: Using Functional Behavioral Assessment to Help Kids with Special Needs

Written By: Agata Antonow | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton | Design By: Sunny DiMartino
Tracking the Clues: Using Functional Behavioral Assessment to Help Kids with Special Needs

Sometimes, children with special needs exhibit behaviors that seem random and are difficult to understand, leaving parents with the difficult task of figuring out what they mean and how to respond. In these situations, a set of tools known as Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) can help. Many parents have not heard of FBA, but counselors and therapists use this approach to systematically gather specific data about behaviors and decide on the appropriate intervention. FBA strategies can also be used in the home by parents struggling to understand specific behavior problems—and how to address them.

Returning to Safety: Understanding and Reducing Self-Injurious Behavior

Written By: Julie Wallach | Resource Creation By: Bridget Morton | Design By: Sunny DiMartino
Returning to Safety: Understanding and Reducing Self-Injurious Behavior

A seven-year-old girl's increasingly extreme self-injurious behavior requires understanding, thoughtful solutions, and careful planning. After a very challenging period of time, Lyla* receives the adult understanding, special education, and therapeutic care she needs to keep herself safe from her own harm.