autismfamilystory. com

I wanted to do do a blog post on this topic for a long time. This topic is very close to my heart as I have first hand seen people making an assumption about my son's abilities as he is non-verbal. I want to tell everyone that even though most of our kids on the spectrum are nonverbal they can learn. and understand. I have also seen first-hand well-meaning professionals speak about the kids in their presence. This is the worst thing someone can do as our kids are not in a position to defend themselves even though they understand everything. We need to believe in our own children first so other people can follow suit. When Aarian was first diagnosed with autism we were so worried as to how we will be able to teach him letter sounds and reading. I was surprised one day when by accident I discovered my son was able to read. That was an eye-opening experience for me. I decided that day I was going to help my son to reach his maximum potential. Our kids cannot speak but they can thi...

  We are still amid the pandemic. The summer has almost gone by. It is almost time for back to school. It is no surprise this time the back to school is different than any other year. Here in Ontario, Canada there is an option for kids to go back to school in person or study virtually through distance learning if parents are not comfortable sending kids back to school.  It is a well-known fact child with autism thrives on a routine. It is a fact that many kids with autism have low immunity when compared with other kids. My son is no exception. It has been very stressful for us to make a decision with him going back to school in person.  He loves going to school which is extremely important for his overall development and socialization. But considering his overall health we have decided for him to do distance learning at least for the time being. His safety is our priority at this time. It is important for you as a parent to decide what is in the best interest of your chil...

Leisure skills are very important for all kids to occupy themselves when they have some free time. They are extremely important for our kids on the spectrum as most of our kids need constant adult engagement at all times . We have now been amid the pandemic for over four months and parent exhaustion is a real thing we all are experiencing now. The children have been home for a few months and to keep them occupied every minute of the day is tiring and stressful. We are living in a world full of technology. Our children with autism naturally gravitate towards it. Some of them get very addicted to screen time.  It is our responsibility as parents to teach them to develop some leisure skills which are screen-free. Most of the children on the spectrum tend to fixate on certain things. We can use these interests to our advantage and teach them important skills. I have personally experienced the stress over the years as my son needed constant attention when he was growing up. If we le...