As therapists we often get the question: “How can I teach my child with ASD at home?”
Fortunately, it is much less complicated than you might think. You don’t need fancy and expensive toys. All you need is patience and creative ideas. Ideas to create ample opportunities for teaching. There are so many activities we do in our day to day lives that can create a great learning environment.
Have you recently asked yourself, how am I feeling or what do I need? Did I have any time for myself last week? Last month? Last year?
With all the extra demands at the moment, children at home, well, maybe your answers would be :
“I am alright.”
“I don’t have time!”
“I’m fine!”
“It’s not important, and my child comes first!”
Recharge your batteries
We might be fine if we took some time for ourselves. All of us need to recharge our “batteries”. Usually, with children at home, shopping, cleaning, a busy life, some parents say that the bathroom seems to be the only place they can be alone for a few moments. Sometimes not even that, until someone knocks at the door and asks something (if you are lucky enough be able to close the door!).
Ignoring our needs and lack of self-care can cause a “snowball effect” and contribute to the stress we might be feeling. Self-care is not selfish, it is a human need. (more…)
The Coronavirus crisis has resulted in a lot of societal changes, all of which have occurred very quickly. If your children are still attending school, their day is looking very different. They might now be attending without their friends, their classroom and playground arrangements may be different and it’s likely they have more teachers than they normally would as schools readjust to dwindling numbers. If your child is now at home, their daily experiences too, are very different.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the lives of families, including the lives of our children. You may notice that your child is more needy than usual, more argumentative than normal or for older children, quieter and preferring to be in their own space. This is to be expected as they adjust to a completely different routine… You will be seeing changes in your child’s behaviour over the next few months.
Here are some suggestions for how to minimise the impact on your family: (more…)
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor planning and programming disorder that affects speech coordination. A child knows what to say but they find it hard to speak as they might not be able to move their lips, tongue and oral muscles appropriately in order to say the specific word. There is no muscle weakness, as it is the brain that finds difficulty in sending the messages to the muscles in order to speak.
Access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for young children with disability is not equal across Australia. Where you live can hinder access to information about disability support, assistance to apply for it, and timely access to services.
Sadly, long-standing problems getting children into disability support were part of the reason the NDIS was introduced in the first place.
Your location can exacerbate inequity at three points: noticing your child needs support, proving they need support, and finding suitable support near you.
We interviewed families with a child who went through the NDIS process and the organisations that support them. Based on our research, we’ve collated some tips to ensure your child can access the NDIS if they need it.
With the start of the new school year now underway, some parents wonder how they can best help their child settle easily into new school routines.
Psychologist, Michael Carr-Gregg, spoke on Radio 6PR about school routines and argues it’s better to get started early and it’s worth the battle: “Getting them to go to bed, have a ritual, have a routine; it actually reinforces what family is all about” (29/01/20).
So, how do you help your child get into a new routine? It takes time, but once established, will make daily family life far more peaceful.
Bed Time
One important decision NDIS participants will need to make is how to manage their funding.
There are three ways to manage funding – NDIA-Managed, Plan-Managed and without doubt, the option which gives participants the most flexible, the Self-Managed option.
Self-managing offers a range of benefits for participants including the flexibility to use non registered providers and the ability to negotiate the costs of supports. (more…)