Category: Parenting

You know who needs gifts? New parents. The first three months of a newborn’s life are commonly referred to as the “fourth trimester.” This phrase was coined by Dr. Harvey Karp and it’s a clinical term for “hellish conditions.” The fourth trimester can be a rough season. New parents are

Smack. Big A starts from his position in my arms. Our heads swivel about. My youngest son is now howling and attempting to pull Big A from my lap. Welcome to a Tuesday afternoon. Big A has recently started school and has been engaging more at home since. Josh and

My youngest son feels aaalll the feelings, intently and in five minute interludes. As the mostly sensible adult that I am, it’s easy for me to side-eye these emotional displays. I understand that Mickey will be right back after a brief commercial. “It’s ok,” I’d respond to my toddler’s emotional

The weather is getting cold and my toddlers are going stir crazy. Thank goodness for fall crafts! Gather your extra fall-colored paper, empty toilet paper rolls, and some apples (don’t forget the glitter!). Encourage creativity, fine motor development and problem solving with these 10 fall crafts for toddlers. 10 Fall

In the spirit of Big A turning three this month, I’d like to share some of the best toddler toys for autism we considered for his birthday. It’s not so much that a toddler diagnosed with autism can only have certain toys. Or that certain toys that will make symptoms

Growing up, one of my best friends lived down the street from me with her terribly abusive stepfather and mother. Susie (the mother) was outside, dragging one of her daughters by the arm down the street, throwing punches and screaming curses. My mother and I were on the porch swing

Jeez, when did back-to-school season become Pint-Sized Prom? All the supplies, accessories, new clothes and haircuts to procure. Frantically arranging one’s children in perfect formations for the perfect first-day-of-school photos. It’s stressful, amirite? And mine aren’t even in school yet! I get residual anxiety just seeing those cute pictures with

Pointing is an important developmental milestone for young children. It helps them learn language, gives them a better understanding of their environment, and provides the ability to socialize with others in a meaningful way. Teaching pointing to your autistic child may be challenging, but it’s not impossible! We’ve been working

In my last article I wrote about the best parenting tip I’ve ever received. Catch up real quick and read it here. Nah? In a nutshell, the tip revolves around using non-reactive parenting techniques as tools for discipline and enforcing calm. Slightly controversial and unpopular opinion alert: this parenting advice

The best parenting advice I’ve ever received was delivered by one of my besties, Amanda. We’re both psychology nerds and love to talk about totally fun and not boring stuff like internalized vs. externalized anxiety and the role of perception. Somehow the subject turned to Big A (who was probably