The Only Way Forward is Through ================== I was on a call with a mom of a 9-year-old girl who is high functioning on the spectrum. She is in general education class with an aid and talks. The only hiccup? She’s still not potty trained. Mom tells me, “She knows where to go. She uses …
🔥Burn the Boats: The Shift That Changes Everything Read More »
You Don’t Get to the Goal Without Missing the Shot ================== This may come as a surprise, but potty training my own kids wasn’t my finest moment. I used to describe it to friends and family as “the worst part of parenting”—and that was exactly the experience I had. I remember really struggling …
If I hadn’t pushed, would we be having this conversation today? ================== I still remember the day we got Julianna’s autism diagnosis at age 2. The specialists weren’t optimistic. They told me she might never speak, might never function in a mainstream classroom, might never… (fill in the blank with every limitation they threw at …
I had a conversation recently with a father that stopped me in my tracks. His eleven-year-old daughter with autism was killing it in so many ways – speaking in five-word sentences, crushing it in an inclusive classroom, following routines like a boss. But she still wasn’t potty trained.The problem isn’t her autism. The problem is …
Let’s talk about what makes a powerful autism parent You might think it’s a parent who’s been able to help their child with autism master all the basics – you know, potty trained, talking, and following the rules. But that’s not it at all. The most powerful parents I know are the ones who …
My daughter Julianna bombed her swim meet this weekend. Added time to every single race. It happens. It just wasn’t her weekend. When she came out of that pool Dad and I saw her` crying behind her goggles. My husband’s heart broke watching it. “I hate seeing her cry over this,” he said. …
Growing up, me was no picnic. I was the middle child of five, painfully shy, raised by a father who terrified me and a mother who was physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive. On top of that, I was bullied every day at school. In my darkest hours, I imagined a superhero or a …
The one who probably seems impossible to please. Here’s the truth: I don’t have a clear roadmap of what we need. But I watched my daughter go from non-verbal to giving class presentations. I saw how the right supports transformed her world. So when my gut says something’s off, I listen – even …
If you’re anything like the mom I spoke with yesterday, you might be thinking: “Sure, my child pees in the toilet now… but still hides to poop behind the couch.” Or “They’re only staying dry if I tell them when to go.” One of the most underestimated parts of …
Your Child’s “Half-Trained” Potty Journey is Still Progress Read More »
When Julianna was a baby I started taking her to swim lessons. At her first lesson she just cried for 30 minutes straight. The full-blown, hysterical, what-the-hell-am-I-doing-to-my-kid kind. That was Julianna’s first lesson. And her second. And her third and fourth. Most parents would’ve quit. Hell, I almost did. But then …