An IEP meeting has been called on behalf of your child: now what? The process can quickly become overwhelming and daunting for parents. Especially if it is your first time navigating the process. So it’s important that you know what to expect. Also to keep in mind your rights as a parent throughout the process….

By Julie Richman Traveling with children can be daunting for any parent but taking a vacation with a child with special needs or multiple food allergies can be especially challenging. As a mom to a six-year-old child with several food allergies, a rare allergic GI condition called FPIES and a feeding disorder, I know all…

Having bowel movements is an important activity that most people do every day without giving it much thought or attention. However, sometimes we must pay extra attention to our children’s bowel movements to ensure that the bowels are functioning as they should. When kids stop going #2 regularly, it can negatively impact their physical and…

While all children have meltdowns, these behaviors can be frustrating and exhausting for both parents and children.  Meltdowns can be even more challenging for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, who may not have the skills to navigate their own emotional state and abilities to functionally communicate to others.  Not all meltdowns can be foreseen ahead…

Many times during speech evaluations, our speech pathologists here the question, “How much should my two year old be talking at this point?” There is a lot of variance at this age, however, for all children at this point, there should be a large influx of verbal language. As with any milestone, the number of…

ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis, which a scientific approach for understanding and improving behavior. ABA relies on evidence based interventions to help guide a child’s individualized treatment plan. Applied Behavior Analysis is often applied in populations with intellectual and developmental disabilities and research supports significant effects on increasing socially appropriate behaviors. ABA is used…

But Not Positioning Equipment Play is the ‘job’ of all babies, infants and toddlers – and play can be hard work! As parents, it is our job to facilitate this play by providing our children many opportunities to play in a variety of positions. This helps to enhance a child’s visual development, spatial awareness, social…

The following page details strategies that parents can use at home to facilitate language and encourage communication with their child from birth through age three. These strategies are designed to help children meet their developmental language milestones. From Birth-1 year: It is important to reinforce your baby’s communication attempts by looking at him or her,…

Does it seem like your child is a picky eater? Do you dread every mealtime because you feel like you are force feeding your child? Does your child refuse to put certain foods near his or her mouth? If this sounds familiar, don’t worry—there are methods to introduce foods into a child’s repertoire in fun…