Something innovative is happening in Canadian schools – particularly in British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. It all has to do with self-regulation: the ability to remain calm, alert and ready to learn. The Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative is a project based on the research of Dr. Stuart Shanker of York University. The goal is to to coordinate and share the best […]
Read moreBooks and reading are important in our house. My husband and I are both readers, and we believe reading is an important foundation of learning at any age. When our children were born, we filled our bottom bookshelves with books for babies and toddlers, and got ready…but there was a glitch. Both of our children were very averse to letting […]
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Editor’s Note: DIR/Floortime and RDI have some principles in common. Both are based in developmental psychology, and both build strong relationships between children and caregivers to help children move along developmental pathways. The emphasis is different, but we appreciate the wisdom both approaches contribute to our parenting! The RDI®program is a result of fifteen years of ongoing development and […]
Read moreI want all parents to hear this: you are not alone in those feelings of being scared and anxious. Even ‘veteran’ parents who have been living with a diagnosis of autism for their child or children have days when they do not have it together. Don’t kid yourself, we all go through a “pity party” from time to time, and […]
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The air is getting crisp, and September is approaching… If you have very young children, maybe they’re getting set to enjoy nursery school or kindergarten. Their classrooms are child-centered – lots of opportunities to play with a variety of toys, to explore and learn at centres, to interact in small groups with adult support at the developmental level that they […]
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A few weeks ago I came across a great web site www.ChallengeTheMyths.com. It was a site that debunks the negative stereo types that our ASD children face including: Children with autism can’t share affection. Repetitious behaviour (stims) are bad and should be stopped. Children with autism should be pushed to socialize as early as possible. ABA is the only evidence-based treatment for […]
Read moreIn the beginning, finding activities to do for Floortime is easy since it is the child who chooses the activity. You are then looking to keep engagement and open and close as many circles of communication. Following the child’s lead is really important especially while the child is becoming more self-regulated. When that time comes, as it has for my […]
Read moreWell, that doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Floortime, but all the same, who wants to be indoors in the summer? Here is a list of activities I think might engage my children. My list doesn’t look much different than a list of activities for typical young children, but the difference is in the purpose. We won’t […]
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