Monthly Archives: December 2018
Rethinking Autism and “Picky Eating”
Published by: Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism
Written by: “Seeking Sara”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been ashamed of what I do and don’t eat. The stigma of being a “picky eater” has followed me my whole life, bringing comments (and no small amount of exasperation) from family, friends, wait staff, and strangers.
I’ve recently been examining why I struggle with certain foods, and have come to the same conclusion as I have with much of my post-autism-diagnosis self-exploration: I’m actually incredibly strong, and my experiences are real and valid.
Why am I so “picky”? Well, if you could experience my senses for a few hours, I bet you’d be more understanding, less judgmental, and I’m fairly certain you’d stop using the word “picky” pretty quickly.
Often times, I want desperately to like a food, to be able to order anything at random, or to just eat whatever is put in front of me without hesitation. But for me, food is almost always a relentlessly overpowering experience. Click here to read the rest of the story.
RESOURCES
4 techniques for picky eaters with autism
8 secret strategies for sensory issues with food
Encouraging picky eaters to try new food
How to help your child with autism overcome picky eating
Mealtime and children on the autism spectrum: Beyond picky, fussy, and fads
Picky vs. problem eater: A closer look at sensory processing disorder
Anxiety or Agression? When anxiety in children looks like anger, tantrums, or meltdowns
Published by: Hey Sigmund
Written by: Karen Young
Anxiety can be a masterful imposter. In children, it can sway away from the more typical avoidant, clingy behaviour and show itself as tantrums, meltdowns and aggression. As if anxiety wasn’t hard enough to deal with!
When children are under the influence of an anxious brain, their behaviour has nothing to do with wanting to push against the limits. They are often great kids who don’t want to do the wrong thing, but they are being driven by a brain in high alert.
If we could see what was happening in their heads when anxiety takes hold like this, their behaviour would make sense. We would want to scoop them up and take them away from the chaos of it all. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they should be getting a free pass on their unruly behaviour. Their angry behaviour makes sense, and it’s important to let them know this, but there will always be better choices they are capable of making. Click here to read the rest of the story
Holiday Fine Motor Activities
Fine motor skill activities should include skill development in using the small muscles in the hand. Most activities focus on using pencils, scissors and tongs. This holiday season, why not engage your special needs child in a fun, engaging activity that will help to improve the pincer grasp and hand manipulation? The following links include fine motor activities with many items you can find around your home.
5 fine motor holiday activities
Candy cane Christmas fine motor skills activities for kids
Candy cane pipe cleaner garland
Christmas cards cane fine motor activity
Color sorting activity for Christmas
Pom pom painting Christmas tree craft
Present wrapping fine motor skills activity
Recycled cards Christmas fine motor skills
Recycled ornament garland craft
Resources For Teaching Sequencing Skills
Sequence is defined as a set of related events, movements, or things that follow each other in a particular order. For many children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities, the ability to arrange thoughts, information and language may be a challenge due to issues with their executive function capabilities. The following resources, tips and strategies will help you teach sequencing skills.
How to teach sequencing skills at home
How to teach sequencing skills to children
How to teach sequencing to preschool children
Sequencing activities for students with autism
Sequencing skills teaching strategies
Strategies for teaching your child sequencing skills
The importance of sequencing skills in a child’s development
