I won’t be able to host a LIVE Q&A tomorrow but if you have questions please leave them here and I’ll send you a personalized video explaining some support/suggestions in next steps.

I hope you all have a great day today. Sometimes Mother’s Day is met with a lot of mixed emotions. Whether that’s your own mother or your mothering journey. It doesn’t all look the same or feel the same. I hope you know how amazing you are, how much you do, the energy, the tasks, the food prep, the school drop offs, house manager tasks, and taking care and co regulating with your child. It’s not easy. And on a day like today, I hope you can rest, find a way to fill your cup, whatever that looks like for you. What does that look like for you today? maybe you’ll inspire another mom❤️

What do you wish someone would have told you in the first week after diagnosis?

One of the most impactful supports we can provide for ourselves and our kiddos is a clear visual space and accessible Lear ing environment, Autistic kids thrive on a clear, visual space and minimal clutter. This is one of the hardest things for me as a mom becuaee everything else just gets in the way. I chose 1 space, 1 space that supports our routines and independence. When this space is supported with all we need it’s less dysregulation on my nervous system and more independence for them. Is organizing your space easy or hard for you?

Today I was at a school and working with paras and teachers on how to engage and connect with their students. It was a life line to my soul! There was a new student in kindergarten and this little boy was not yet talking, not yet engaging with toys, not yet engaging with people. They quickly wanted to get him to sit at circle and I quickly wanted them to engage in what I teach and so we did. In 15 min segments of time, rotating paras Sensory Social Routines- its sensory- so movement, spinning, deep pressure, jumping and its social communication so working on smiles, laughter, continuation, initiations, gestures eye contact and we know that when your child is engaged in sensory movement its regulating to your supporting behavior. so we played row row row you boat and his progress from the first round to the 3 round blew us away! Once they knew what they were looking for, the paras notices and were excited to try and continue to do it. We worked on so many skills within that simple Joint action routines - using toys or objects to support engagement in a back and forth manner. This little boy didn't have a lot of toy play behavior just yet, he liked to tap things, shake things, walk around and throw things. I had to create joint action routines and we did this with structure. we started one with pillows he was sitting on pillows and I would provide a gentle deep pressure with one and put it aside and did this will the rest of the 4. Eventually he grabbed a pillow to continue! He didn't know this was a game he could play, but we taught him! Book routines- He wasn't engaged with books, but he touched them! and this is huge, we worked on a variety of skills to model and I know that with the framework I teach I know that eventually he will engage in books and communication and participation with come. If you have any questions about this, this is my zone of genius, ask away! If you're wanting your next step on how to engage and connect with your child, check out "Your Next Step" in the classroom and we can get started!