After a recent trip to the park with my 3 year-old daughter, I found myself looking through the pictures I had snapped with my iPhone. It was a gorgeous day, and she had really enjoyed herself. We both had. If I posted that smiling picture of her going down the slide on Facebook, it would look like […]
That Time I Practiced Bad Parenting (And How It Made Me A Better Special Needs Mom)
I am the mother of a child with special needs, and I commit parenting no-no’s everyday. Not just the “I’m-not-perfect-and-I-fail-occasionally-like-everyone-else-does-because-we’re-only-human” type of parenting no-no’s, no sir. Rather, I intentionally practice the art of bad parenting in specific times throughout the day and execute these times with precision, and poise. Well, maybe not poise–I’m kind of […]
For the Days When Everything Goes Wrong with Your Sensory Kid
Last week, I had one of those days. If you have a child with SPD, I know you know what I mean. The type of day that, despite your best efforts, everything makes your child unravel at the seams and no amount of patience, heavy work, or visual schedules can fix it. There are tears, rage, tantrums, […]
Why I’m Okay with Labeling My Special-Needs Child
Can I tell you a secret? It’s kind of counter-cultural, so it might sound a little off-putting at first, but hear me out: I have a child with some neurological disorders, and I’m okay with labeling her. Yikes. It does sound strange, when I read it back to myself. Can I explain what I […]
3 Things to Consider Before Giving Your Child Melatonin
It seems like everywhere I look, a new article is popping up about melatonin for children. Some articles sing its praises as a natural, sanity-saving remedy. Other articles scare the pants off of us by telling us our child’s hormones will be thrown out of whack and they will become dependent on it like little […]
How to Survive Being Your Child’s Emotional Regulator
Before I had a child, I thought being a mom was going to be hard. The world told me it would be, and I believed the world. I can say with certainty that being a stay-at-home mom is much more difficult than any other job I’ve had in my life, and I know I’m not […]
How To Respond When People Don’t “See” Your Child’s Disability
When people see my 2-year-old-daughter thrashing around and screaming in the grocery store, it’s easier to assume that I’m a bad mother, not that my child’s nervous system is glitching out and telling her the flickering fluorescent light is a sign of the impending apocalypse. Its easier to assume that I’m pandering to her when […]
5 Books About Sensory Processing Disorder
From the moment I learned that something called Sensory Processing Disorder existed, I was sure my daughter had it. I was desperate for knowledge–anything that might help me figure out how to help my child (and my sanity!) make it through the day. I had never even heard of SPD before, so I had no […]
4 Ways To Help Your Child’s Self-Regulation
Self regulation is one of those things no one notices it until its not there. Many children with Sensory Processing Disorder and other special needs lack self-regulation. So what exactly is self-regulation? And how do you help your child get it? Simply put, self-regulation is your ability to control your behavior and respond appropriately to your immediate […]
What is Sensory Processing Disorder? An Overview
If you’re anything like me, you came across the term “Sensory Processing Disorder” as the result of a series of frantic late-night Google searches with a crying baby/toddler in your arms. “Why is my child afraid of *insert name of non-scary sound*? or “Why does getting dressed make my baby scream for an hour?” Maybe […]
