Pam Parish beat me to it! She’s published a book, one that every prospective and current foster or adoptive parent should read. I discovered Pam Parish through and adoption group on Facebook. I went to her website and found so much helpful information, supporting parents of foster and adoptive children who’ve been through trauma. I…
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Supporting adoptive and foster families and families living with autism.
what to communicate with your child’s teacher: Autism in the classroom
School is starting soon. I think I just heard YIPEEES!!! from several of you. 🙂 Autism parents might be a tad more excited than the average parent for their child to go back to school after summer break, as that routine and consistency can make a night and day difference for our children. I don’t…
Read More6 tips on taking an Autistic child on vacation
Autism + vacation = more stress than staying home. Well, sometimes. We met family in Ouray, CO this past weekend. We had a great time, but preparations were a forethought to make it so. When you have a child with Autism, it’s especially important to plan your vacation. Be sure to read through all of the…
Read Morefoster care today & a look at Lisa Ling’s report on foster care for the Oprah Winfrey Network
Foster Care. It dredges up memories for me, it heaves horrible statistics, it heals children, it hurts children, it gives them hope, it scars them for life, it’s temporary, or it’s supposed to be. As part of Our America with Lisa Ling, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) focused on foster care the past couple weeks.…
Read Morehow to teach Autistic children to swim
Last week I wrote a post about the importance of teaching our children with Autism to swim. That post, 4 Reasons Why You Should Teach Your Autistic Child to Swim, has been shared over 3,000 times! If you haven’t yet, be sure to check it out. The number one reason is to prevent drownings, go…
Read Morequestions about birth family
Conversations have been interesting in our house recently. Conversations can be interesting when you adopt your child from foster care, or adopt in general. They can be even more so when your child obsesses about their past (okay she obsesses about everything). Lots of questions have risen about Payton’s birth family, and we’re answering several…
Read More4 reasons why you should teach your Autistic child to swim
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children with Autism. Parents whose children have died from drowning probably regret that their child didn’t learn to swim. Not all Autistic children will learn how to swim with ease, and panic can set in when someone (Autistic or not) falls into water, so even knowing…
Read Morelies are like flies and multiplying quickly: why adopted and foster children lie
“Caitlyn did it, not me.” “This kid ran past me, grabbed my backpack and…” “The car in front of me slammed on their brakes…” “The teacher never told me the assignment was due.” It seems like every adoptive, foster, and even biological family deals with lying. In fact, lying is the biggest struggle for many…
Read More“scream rooms” and shock therapy being used on Autistic children: Do you know what your school’s doing?
What equates a torture device? Something that makes someone go crazy? I’ve come upon two organizations in the last few months who use torture to get what they want (and really in the end they aren’t getting what they want). You may think this doesn’t happen any more, it’s 2014 for goodness sake. Well, that’s…
Read More6 reasons to hug
Have you ever received a hug from someone and felt better afterwards? Have you ever been one to dole out a hug and feel the hugee relax in your arms? There’s something about a hug that changes our chemistry. In the movie Temple Grandin, Temple creates a machine that basically hugs her, she says something…
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lovin' adoptin' & autism 