Our common bond as parents, no matter our educational level, is that we all walk into individual education program (IEP) meetings wondering if we are going to fight for and get what our child needs in order to succeed that school year. “Fight” is not an adversarial word here. It is a strong word meant…
The social communication impairment that prevents children with ASD from expressing themselves or asking for what they need not only negatively affects their well being, it also contributes to elevated stress for parents. The time and money required for therapies for their children also may prevent many parents from devoting resources to their own self-care.…
When parents first learn of their child’s autism diagnosis, they may feel overwhelmed with the need to learn about the details and complexities of autism spectrum disorder. They have to not only educate themselves about the medical details, but also the range of treatment options available. Understanding a complex disorder such as autism can be…
Everyone likes to have friends. For autistic kids, making friends often is not easy. Conversely, for their typical peers, getting to know autistic kids can be hard. In an effort to reduce those barriers, OAR is releasing a series of one-page friendship tip sheets is geared towards helping non-autistic kids be understanding, supportive friends to…
This blog post has been adapted from “Chapter Two: Individualized Education Programs” of OAR’s resource “Navigating the Special Education System”. One of the first phrases to come to mind when talking about special education is the Individualized Education Program, whose abbreviation, IEP, instantly becomes one of those acronyms that parents remember for life. The IEP…
Many of OAR’s resources are available in Spanish to support Spanish-speaking families, educators, and clinical professionals within the autism community, including: “What’s Up with Nick?” This colorful, kid-friendly booklet is the story of a new autistic student named Nick, told by one of his neurotypical classmates. The story teaches young children that autistic students may…
Our autistic loved ones have touched our lives in profound ways. Each day, they teach us something new about ourselves. Last month, we asked you, our readers, to share what makes you thankful for the autistic individual(s) in your life. We are grateful for the stories you all shared. We chose to share these because…
It’s not easy to be the sibling of an autistic person. As our autistic siblings face challenges and trying times, so do we. Though others may expect us to innately understand and love them without any moments of frustration, it’s not that simple. In fact, the struggle some siblings face can lead to hurt and…
Whether your child struggles with nonverbal communication or has atypical speech patterns, therapy should not end when they leave school. While shadowing and participating in speech therapy in the school setting, I realized that there are numerous ways parents can reinforce the lessons learned in speech therapy at home. READ, READ, READ, AND THEN READ…
In a time like this where change is inevitable, some autistic children need constant support at home that many parents are not able to provide because of work or various home responsibilities. Whether it is a change of schooling, lack of a set schedule, or event cancellations, Autistic children are facing great challenges with their…
