Kids Master Skills BLOG

As the school year moves forward, I find myself thinking about the word break. It is a word that shows up in classrooms, IEPs, and behavior plans, yet it is rarely examined closely. We talk about breaks as if they are one thing: A pause. A reward. A moment away from work. But when you respectfully try to understand Autistic students, it becomes clear that breaks are not interchangeable. A break that supports one child’s nervous system may dysregulate another. And a break that

🌱Last month I visited a school where a little boy, Mateo, was working with a behavior technician who had been hired to deliver Autism “therapy.” She was kind, patient, and clearly wanted to help. But as I watched her try to manage his overwhelm with a laminated token board and a series of rehearsed prompts, something became painfully clear. She had never been taught how to understand what his nervous system was trying to communicate. ➡️ No one had taught her about sensory ov

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am thinking about simple meaningful moments in my clinic. They remind me why our work matters and how powerful small, attuned and affirming interactions can be.

The first few weeks of school often go smoothly. Everyone is fresh, polite, and hopeful. But for many Autistic students, that “honeymoon” depends on masking—suppressing natural regulation needs and social communication differences to blend in.

With Department of Education layoffs in the news over the past few days, I thought it might be helpful to share my understanding and interpretation of what this means to many people

Sometimes I think how lucky I was that my handwriting came easily. Because if my teacher had ever tried to place her hand over mine — or under it — to guide my pencil, the very thing meant to help would have unsettled me.

When I walked into the classroom, something was deeply off — I felt it in my bones.

But as  I reflect on this now —both as a neuroaffirming OT and as an Autistic person—I see something different. I see a child whose nervous system is communicating . . . something.

Thankfully, today many occupational therapists want to embrace a neurodiversity-affirming practice. But HOW do we do this exactly? We...

Let's talk about REPETITIVE ACTIONS in autism. Like OPENING and CLOSING doors. Like looking through a book OVER and OVER and OVER again.

"A jar of jam on the dinner table set him off." "Her chicken nuggets were cut in half and not whole." "The teacher wore a baseball hat...

When it comes to supporting autistic children, one question I am often asked by occupational therapists is this: “How do I work with an...

Research shows that ABA results in behavioral improvements, but only in the short term without long-term benefits or generalization of a child’s skills and competence.

The terms non-speaking and non-verbal may sound identical to many people. But there is a different and important distinction which is...

As an autistic person, one of the most CHALLENGING concepts I deal with every day is the following: Things are not Black and White. There...

I often see children’s actions labeled as “sensory seeking” when in fact they are truly reflecting difficulties processing and...

Today I will address a challenging transition for many children, namely walking INTO school at the start of a new day. This transition...

An important topic is “special interests” in autism. A question frequently asked is about how school professionals, OT included, should...

Celebrating an autistic child’s strengths is key to develop their self-esteem and sense of agency. But how can we shift gears and see...

As a pediatric occupational therapist, this is one question I am asked frequently. Although people have often heard the term sensory...