Autism

Anger Management… Can I Just Pout About It?

“I’m angry!” Those are two simple words that, ideally, should be relatively easy to say. I’m angry, I’m mad, I don’t like that, please stop. One would think that these sentiments would roll off the tongue and the receiving party could simply say, “I’m sorry, let’s work on this.” Right?! Simply put, no. It is not that easy. Anger is one of the most complex, misunderstood, misinterpreted, and generally mishandled emotion out there.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 | 3 minutes Read

Anger Management... You Want me to Breathe?!

Okay, you’re happily sitting in your living room watching your two loving, caring, adorable children play together when suddenly BAM, one snatches a toy away from the other and all hell breaks loose. There is screaming, shrieking, and ultimately hitting. Before you know it, everyone is crying and you’ve lost your opportunity to finish you’re cup of coffee. You’re angry, they’re angry; the whole mood of the house has suddenly turned.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 | 4 minutes Read

Anger Management... Talk It Out

“Tell me how that makes you feel…” I can hear men (and many women) cringing all over the world. Why are we like that? What is it about talking about our feelings that makes us all suddenly very quiet? We are willing to share intimate daily details on Facebook, but not share how we feel with our close friends and family members? People talk all the time. Talking is a very important part of life…especially the part about our feelings.

Friday, September 21, 2012 | 7 minutes Read

Anger Management... Walk Away

Sometimes it’s best to walk away. There are times when the best course of action warrants more than a deep breath or a conversation. Sometimes you try to calm down and you simply cannot do it while staring directly at your problem. You need a break, do a chore around the house, a bath, or maybe just a good scream and cry. Whatever it is you need, do it. No problem has been solved by staying in a volatile situation.

Sunday, September 23, 2012 | 7 minutes Read

Here, have a warm fuzzy

Merriam-Webster defines warm fuzzies as, “feelings of happiness, contentment, or sentimentality.” Honestly, it’s a phrase I use an obnoxious amount… at least according to my children. I gave out warm fuzzies to students in the classroom frequently when I caught a student going out of their way to be kind, help a friend, help and adult, etc. The warm fuzzies were simply pom poms with eyes. Sometimes they didn’t even have eyes.

Monday, October 11, 2021 | 3 minutes Read

Handling Crisis with Children

Crisis cannot be avoided. I don’t mean an, “oh no, we’re out of Dr. Pepper!” crisis. (And yes, at this house, for this mama, that is a crisis!) I am talking about the type of crisis that stops your family, friends, or the nation in its tracks. Those moments in each of our lives that make us stop and question the who, what, when, where and why of the universe. Crisis such as these are difficult to wrap our own heads around, let alone the highly intelligent, analytical, right vs.

Saturday, September 18, 2021 | 5 minutes Read

Dealing with Change

Change is hard. Very few people really like change. Most of us are perfectly content moving on day to day with no major disruptions. Sure, we like an occasional surprise visit, maybe a new dish at supper, even a new outfit from the department store, but a large change? Most of us will pass. Changes are especially hard for many neurodiverse people. Little disruptions in schedules wreak havoc on their busy and amazing minds.

Friday, September 17, 2021 | 4 minutes Read

Grades Don’t Give Me Warm Fuzzies

Grades don’t matter…there, I said it. As a teacher, I am not supposed to tell you this, but it’s true…OK, I will concede that grades are a necessary evil, but I promise you they don’t matter as much as you think they do. Grades, as I said, are a necessary evil. They are a requirement to not only judge a student’s progress, but to help administration and tie wearing number crunchers see how students- and teachers- are performing in the classroom.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 9 minutes Read

It's Okay to Hover

I’m a hoverer. I flit about like a nervous hummingbird. When I am sitting seemingly still, my mind is still jumping back and forth between all the little ducklings in my brood. Am I allowing the diva enough opportunities to grow and nurture her free spirit and fashion aspirations, while still planting reasonable expectations in her head for the future? How can I help my little Aspie deal with society and their lack of respect for anything that doesn’t fit the norm?

Saturday, July 15, 2017 | 9 minutes Read

A Girl on the Spectrum

I laughed like a hyena. There I was (isn’t that how all good stories start?) in the doctor’s office once again talking about autism…but this time we were talking about my little diva. What? In that moment it was either laugh or cry. Not because autism is a horrible diagnosis, but in that moment, I felt overwhelmed and as if I had failed my diva for the past seven years. I mean, come on, I’m supposed to be “The Aspie Whisperer,” how had I not nailed this one?

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 | 6 minutes Read

When Okay Isn't Okay

How are you? We ask the question all the time, but I hate it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as guilty as anyone of asking it. I ask it endlessly to my own family…even when I know something is decidedly not okay. The answer we all give is, “I’m fine,” or “I’m okay.” Why do we all ask the same question, give the same answer and move on. I think that this does a great injustice to all people who are not actually okay.

Thursday, August 13, 2015 | 5 minutes Read

Advice on Advice

As a people, we are full of opinions. Varying opinions are a necessary and integral part of what makes us human. But what happens when these opinions are given and intrude on our family or loved ones? We’ve all experienced those moments when someone gives us an unsolicited opinion about our children, or how we should raise our children. These opinions, though often coming from a place of well meaning, are hard to swallow.

Thursday, July 30, 2015 | 3 minutes Read