Receiving an autism diagnosis for your child can bring up a lot at once: relief that you finally have an answer, grief for expectations you’re recalibrating, fear about what comes next, sometimes all in the same afternoon. That’s completely normal, and none of it means you’re not...
Autism
Discover how to help your autistic child get ready for their first haircut using simple preparation, sensory supports, and realistic expectations....
Prom is supposed to be a rite of passage, and for a lot of neurodiverse teens, it genuinely can be, with the right preparation. It can also be, as one psychologist working with autistic teens once put it, “a collection of the worst possible sensory experiences” a person can encounter: lo...
The turkey is not the hard part. The doorbell is. So is the sage smell in a kitchen that usually smells like nothing, the cousin who wants a hug, and the four unstructured hours between arrival and dinner. Autism Thanksgiving planning means preparing an autistic child for a day that breaks every rul...
The grill is on. The neighbors are out. Somewhere a few blocks over, someone is testing a mortar shell at 4pm for no reason at all. Memorial Day weekend compresses almost every hard thing into 72 hours: broken routines, crowds, unfamiliar food, heat, open water, and sudden noise. Autism and firework...
Pumpkin patches. Costume try-ons. A pillowcase promising more candy than one kid could ever need. Halloween sounds simple until you picture it through a different nervous system. Scratchy costumes, packed sidewalks, strangers in masks, and a schedule that throws bedtime out the window: for an autist...
Valentine’s Day sounds simple: cards, candy, a classroom party. For an autistic child, it can mean a full day of unpredictable noise, new textures, and social rules nobody wrote down. Valentine’s Day sensory activities give parents a way to prep for the parts that matter, cards, treats, ...
Twenty kids shouting at once. A lunch bag splitting open on the sidewalk. A bus engine idling six feet away. The day has not technically started yet. Field trips for autistic students are school outings planned with sensory, communication, and safety supports arranged ahead of time, rather than impr...
The first day of school does not start on the first day of school. It starts weeks earlier, at a kitchen table, with a laminated photo of a bus. School readiness skills are the practical abilities a child needs to take part in a school day: following a routine, separating from a caregiver, communica...