By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
What is temper tantrum? It is a negative attention seeking that the child resorts to, in order to communicate his frustration in a socially inappropriate way. Usually the child’s frustration arises when a need or a desire hasn’t been met. Temper tantrum is a form of meltdown among many, like aggression, running off, screaming, and
Tags: autism, communication, parenting, rules, schedule, sensory, techniques, temper tantrum, tips, visual aids, visual timer
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting, tips | 15 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting
We all know how tiring, exhausting, and sometimes draining life can be, if you have a child or more than one on the autism spectrum. In this post I would like to suggest some ideas for parents that might help them have a better-balanced life. Your daily schedule is so busy, and your child always
Tags: ADHD, autism, books, communication, parenting, personal time off, schedule, social interaction
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting | 2 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting
In previous articles I talked about the effectiveness of the reward system. First, I prefer to be positive and apply the reward (positive reinforcement) system as much as I can, and seize every opportunity to praise and encourage the children. Most kids work for rewards, and love to be praised and encouraged. But sometimes, the reward
Tags: autism, communication, consequences, discipline, incentive sticker sheet, parenting, rewards, rules, techniques, tips, visual timer
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting | 5 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting
The story today is about a first grade child with autism who hated to go on the play structure or the equipments on the playground (slides, monkey bars, ladder, spinning wheel, the firemen pole, spiral pole and so on). He used to run all over the place and I couldn’t bring him to go on
Tags: autism, communication, incentive sticker sheet, occupational therapy, parenting, reward, sensory, stickers, tips
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting | 12 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
The proverb says: The dog is man’s best friend. Dogs are loyal and they love their masters unconditionally (I prefer to use the word masters over owners). They communicate without language, and understand the body language. If your child doesn’t talk or has poor verbal skills she/he can still have a social life. A dog would be a close friend,
Tags: assistive dog, autism, communication, dogs, independence, parenting, senses, sensory, service dogs, social interaction, speech, tips, verbal skills
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting, tips | 7 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
The human development has three components: Physical (body), cognitive (learning), and socio-emotional development. The three components are tightly related and should develop harmoniously and simultaneously from the first day of birth. (1) For a typically developed child the vision skills must develop automatically along with the motor and cognitive (learning) skills. Many children with autism
Tags: autism, communication, eye contact, parenting, senses, tips, vision
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting, tips | 7 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting
You don’t know which placement is best for your child? Don’t worry! There is a whole system and a team responsible and devoted to find the best placement for your child. By placement I mean the program and the class that best fits your child’s needs. Know Your Rights In case you do not know
Tags: autism, communication, legal rights, parenting, placement, recommended, social interaction
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting | 13 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
The ultimate goal in special education is to help as many children as possible to get to the appropriate level of mainstream education. By mainstream, we mean a regular education class for typically developed children. The average number of kids in lower grade (kindergarten, first, second and third grade) is about twenty kids, and some thirty
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, communication, mainstream, parenting
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting, tips | 5 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting
There is a misconception about children with autism and relationships. Autism comes from the Latin word “auto” which means “self”. This is why children with autism have been attributed the unsociable characteristic: the word “auto” implies selfishness. However, in reality, these children are interested in having friends, holding conversations, and learning about their environment. The
Tags: autism, communication, parenting, senses, sensory, social interaction, visual timer
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting | 10 Comments »
By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips
One of the most characteristic traits of autism is rigidity, inflexibility, love for sameness and repetitive behavior. Why? Because it is easier to redo something than do something new. Even neurotypical people have a hard time making changes in their lives. It is easier to keep a routine. Change always comes with some effort. Tips
Tags: autism, discipline, flexibility, parenting, rules, techniques, tips, visual timer
Posted in autism, general advice, parenting, tips | 8 Comments »