Appointment Support for Autistic Learners Begins with the Adults, Too You know the feeling. The appointment is days away, and something in you is already bracing. You run through the variables: how the waiting room might smell, whether the provider will be running late, what you will do if the learner you are accompanying cannot … Read more
New environments are part of everyday life. A visit to a relative’s house. A community event. A new playground. A family trip. A different store. Even a place we’ve never been before can bring new sights, sounds, smells, and routines. For many autistic learners, navigating a new environment is significantly more than a change of … Read more
Why constipation in neurodivergent kids is so often misread — and what their bodies actually need Some of the most chronic, exhausting, quietly distressing experiences in a neurodivergent child’s life happen in the bathroom — or don’t happen there, and that’s the problem. Constipation, withholding, irregular patterns, sensory distress around toileting — these are everywhere … Read more
Strong energy states — the ones often labeled as outbursts, meltdowns, aggression, or “challenging behavior” — are rarely about the moment they happen in. They’re usually about everything that came before. For many neurodivergent learners, strong energy is the end of a long chain: By the time the strong energy appears on the outside, the … Read more
What we miss when we mistake stillness for calm — and what neurodivergent learners need instead Some of the most anxious learners in our classrooms, therapy rooms, and homes don’t look anxious at all. They look composed. Quiet. Maybe even “good.” They turn in the worksheet. They nod when the teacher checks in. They sit … Read more