Here we are a few weeks into the school year. Some parents may want to request for in home providers to go into school and observer the child. Requesting a classroom observation can be difficult and I often get a lot of questions from parents on how to approach the teachers. Here are a few tips on how to keep things child focused and accomplish a lot in a short time.
First of all, it is important for the teachers to be on board and feel comfortable with another person in the classroom.

We all have goals for our children. Early on we decide on the goals we are shooting for, what is it that we trying to accomplish, where we want our children to be in a month, a year or ten years from today.
Our goals change constantly (as they should) and we move from wanting them to talk, to wanting them to make friends, to keeping their friends and so on.

I recently had the opportunity to work with a few older individuals on the spectrum and I learned so much about their perception on the world around them.
Here are a few thoughts:
Cristina: “How did you feel about high school?”
Client: “I hated it!”
Cristina: “You made it through high-school! Was it hard?”
Client: “At first. After a few months I figured out a way to go to detention – it is quiet there and there are not a lot of people around...”
Cristina: “How did you manage that?”
Client: “I would hit a child in the morning or talk back to a teacher”

I have been watching a few superheroes movies lately which got me thinking… Let’s imagine a planet called Communication. The planed is protected by two powerful superheroes: Gestures and Words. Let’s try and figure out which one is more powerful :)

Social Thinking Groups offered in North Dallas for children and adolescents with a diagnosis of Autism, PDD, PDD-NOS, Asperger's Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disability, ADD/ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, and individuals who do not have a diagnosis but need support in social situations.

That would be a NO!
Although, I specifically said in my previous blog that I am not taking any smart comments regarding my hating to travel, most of my friends regressed to the annoying 3 year old stage that we call the “Why” stage.
Seriously, you all seem to have great issues with reading comprehension –IF you can see that you need help I can give you some numbers of great professionals who can help you work through that. :)

So, I just got back in town from a training at Michelle Garcia Winner’s clinic in California (MGW developed a comprehensive curriculum for individuals with autism with an emphasis on social cognition –www.socialthinking.com). More on the things I learned in a future blog.

I know most of you out there are reading this title are saying: “Not for my child!” You are absolutely right! If your child has sensory processing issues birthday parties are a total nightmare for the child and for the entire family. This used to be the case for my little Chandler (She is not really mine but throughout the years I have been fortunate enough to be part of her life and provide her with the support she needed). How does Chandler feel about birthday parties?

Throughout our life we all create safe places where we can go and get ourselves reorganized when our world is shaken or turned upside down. Sometimes these places are imaginary (what we call a “happy place”) and sometimes they are physical places such as our bedroom or any other place that has certain characteristics (quiet or loud, dark or bright, small or big – whatever works for each and every one of us).

Here are three great things I learned at a recent conference from our speaker, Peter Gerhardt. (“Applied Behavior Analysis and Effective Intervention for Older Learners with ASD: Transitioning to Competent Adulthood")

1. Teaching skills out of natural context can help the person gain access to reinforcement in the classroom but can get them arrested at the mall.
   In the classroom:
   Student: "Can I touch your nose?"
   Teacher: "No"