My ASD Child

“My son just turned 11, is in 5th grade and it’s suspected he has high-functioning autism. He is super quiet at school, does not have any friends, hangs out by himself on playground and lunch, has a strong fear of the school fire alarm. At home he is talkative but does have many routines as well as he sometimes checks things excessively. With extended family he is talkative and great, and walking the dog he’ll converse w/other dog owners, etc. (same at tennis lessons, pretty comfortable with others). Does not have any friends but wants them and is very aware he’s basically silent at school and wishes he wasn’t I believe.  Recently, the school psychologist suggested he be officially diagnosed for then he will get all the services available from now on. I’m very concerned he will be stigmatized and teased from now on if we do that formally at school. What do you think? I want the absolute best for him all around and I wonder if he were stigmatized at school, that humiliation may s

“When should I begin to talk with my grandchild about his grandfather’s (papa’s) sickness that will result in death? How best to approach the subject? Thank you for your assistance.” CLICK HERE for the answer... More resources for parents of children and teens with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's : ==> How To Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums In Children With High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's ==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism ==> Launching Adult Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance ==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management to Children and Teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism ==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism: Comprehensive Handbook ==> Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book

Kids with Asperger’s (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) tend to “act out” their feelings. This is how they communicate. They show you how they feel with their whole bodies, not just their words. The message of a meltdown is: “I’m frustrated and upset, and I don’t know what lead up to it or what to do about it.” Our role as moms and dads is to read these hidden messages and help our “special needs” kids express their frustration and confusion in more appropriate ways. CLICK HERE for more...

How was Thanksgiving last year? Did your “special needs” youngster handle the day with grace and gratitude, or did you see new behavior problems amidst the holiday hullabaloo? Witnessing more than the average amount of behavior problems during the "long" Thanksgiving weekend is not unusual, particularly when you spend the holiday with a lot of friends and family members. As much as you may attempt to keep life consistent, Thanksgiving often disrupts the routine, causing sleep and meal disruptions. Your child usually (a) sleeps less soundly if he is not in his own bed, (b) goes to bed later than usual, (c) gets too much attention from family members, and (d) gets more sugar than usual. No matter the specific cause of the behavioral issues, you are left to deal with a youngster who is not himself. Whether he is showing behavior problems or attitude issues, your child is behaving uncharacteristically. This can confuse the most well-meaning mother or father. What do y

Music has been a major factor in my life. Playing music has been a hobby since age 6, and helps me keep my sanity as an adult. Having been a music teacher since the mid-1980s (and later, a music therapist), I discovered that my brightest students were on the autism spectrum. They had the tendency to devour lessons as quickly as I could deliver them. Music was a language that bridged all gaps in communication to my autistic students. I've created a new website that I'm dedicating to all my past, current and future "gifted" students on the autism spectrum. We will be looking specifically at "improvisational soloing" for guitar. If you have children or teens who play guitar, tell them about this new "online guitar instruction" website. I hope they enjoy my lessons.   Click here to visit the site, and stay tuned because there's a lot to come (and yes, I've tried the make the site "cool" so that it would have some appe

Young people with Asperger’s (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) usually live in the moment and have difficulty moving from one activity to the next. Stopping an activity in mid-drift interrupts their train of thought, which pushes them out of their comfort zone. As parents, we are often thinking of what we must do next, or even what happened in the recent past. While it may be easy for us to switch to the next activity, and while we know why a particular switch must occur, kids on the autism spectrum do not think this way. We, as parents, need to think like our “special needs” children. CLICK HERE FOR MORE... More resources for parents of children and teens with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's : ==> How To Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums In Children With High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's ==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism ==> Launching Adult Children with

“I have a grandson who is 10 years old, diagnosed with PDD and Asperger’s when he was 5. Currently we are home schooling him and intend to continue however which online learning programs would best fit for language, math, science and writing. We had him in school however in our area they have taken away special classrooms and have assigned regular teachers with special aides when needed. Too many changes took place and he was unable to cope thus the homeschooling. We tried to enroll him in the Virtual classroom, but they could not accept him because his IEP indicates that he has a modified curriculum in English and math. We have him doing courses from Time 4 Learning and Adapted Mind for math. Is there any more out there that are visual learning?” Here are several homeschooling resources for parents with kids on the autism spectrum: Watch Me Learn teaches kids social skills, language skills, functional skills, motor skills, and much more! Full-scale video-based social ski