A Message to Parents

Dear Parents, I am finally back after a long silence for almost two years. It is very hard to disengage myself from thinking and writing about...

Posts Tagged ‘parenting’

“Dad’s in Heaven with Nixon”, An Amazing Movie!!!

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

This movie is a true story about Chris Murray the autistic boy who turned out to be a talented artist. I have just watched this movie on Netflix and was shocked by the autistic artist who was hiding his talent for so long before he let it emerge. It is a movie about an autistic

“Adam” A Great Movie! Very Inspiring!

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

I have watched this movie twice and I was really touched by the potential that everyone of us posesses to live a happy and successful life, even individuals with ASD. I would love for people with Asperger’s Syndrome themseves to watch it too. Parents of children with Asperger’s Syndrome and educators in special education would

iPad and Android tablet Applications

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

Technology is invading our lives whether we like or not. We might as well use it to our advantage. It is not an exception anymore to see Ipads in schools and SDC (special day classes). Children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) are facinated with this new technology and are very comfortable using it either for

A Tip for Easier Transitions

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

Rigidity and intolerance is one of the autism most common traits. Sometimes it is hard for children with autism to switch from one activity to another. Children with autism usually have OCD’s (Obssessive Compulsive Disorders) that are very hard to fight or eleminate. So, while they are so focused and “obsessed” with a task at

Modify Undesired Behavior

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

The tip in this article helps modify the undesired behavior by modifying the child’s emotional state. All you need is a mirror. I rely here on the child’s visual skills. I tried out this technique and it worked out pretty well with a student with autism. Inspired by “The Two-Factor Theory of Emotions” that I

A Simple Tool for Discipline

A Simple Tool for Discipline

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

I simply call this tool “the cards system”. It is a disciplinary tool that can be made at home and it doesn’t cost a penny. I spend maximum 10 minutes to make it. For consistency reasons, it would be great if both, parents and school used the same tool. Parents, who implemented the idea and applied it

Symptoms or Signs of Autism

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

Initially, the blog’s main mission was to provide tips to help parents and educators handle some autism-related problems. But some readers are asking for more information about symptoms or signs of autism, so I decided to incorporate this subject in my blog. I am leaning toward using the word “signs” rather than “symptoms”, since autism

The Siblings of An Autistic Child

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

I am going to talk about a very common mistake many parents of children with autism get caught/trapped into. If the siblings of a child with autism happen to be typically developed (neuro-typical), they usually grow up in an atmosphere different than their peers with typically developed siblings. Having a member of the family with autism,

Back-to-School Preparation

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

As a child, I always loved this time of the year. Nevertheless, it always came with some apprehension and some stress. The idea of being in a new class, having new teachers, new classmates, or even going to a new school, was a little bit unsettling. I didn’t know what to expect. In particular, the

Teach Independence

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting

The ultimate goal, both, parents and educators are working for, is to render children with autism as independent as possible. We look far ahead, and picture them as adults, living independently, without the need of having us around. The best thing to do is to start the process as early as possible. Early intervention assures