LEARN is committed to fostering a culture that embraces what makes us each unique—be it race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disabilities/abilities, or socioeconomic background. LEARN aims to acknowledge the lived experiences and diversity of perspectives of our staff and welcomes our teammates to share their stories to help foster conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our communities.   By: Jasmine White, M.S., BCBA, Behavioral Concepts (BCI)   Today, the topics of diversity, equity, inclusion, and equality ar ..read more

The following is an interview published by Chicago Parent with LEARN Behavioral Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Hanna Rue, Ph.D., BCBA-D.   By: Claire Charlton Your child likely has the opportunity to build friendships with kids on the autism spectrum. How can you help cultivate these unique relationships? This back-to-school season, your child is settling into a new routine alongside children of many abilities, and as they are making new friends, now is a great time to encourage them to reach out and build a friendship with a child with autism. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, your chil ..read more

Heading back to school can bring a number of challenges for our kids, especially those with autism. Navigating new environments, teachers, therapists, and peers can each be a bit scary but full of opportunity. One very common request we get is about supporting autistic kids with their homework. How do you get your child to do his or her homework? There are many strategies to help keep your child on task; all of them tried and true. Here are some to consider: Make It Easier by Sticking to a Schedule Set a schedule and stick to it. Like any other priority, if homework always occurs at the same t ..read more

Getting ready for the new school year can be a hectic and exciting time. Transitioning from the extra playtime and novelty of summer back to the routine of the school year can be challenging. For children with autism (and their parents), all this change can feel overwhelming. Here are some suggestions for how to help ease your child’s back-to-school anxieties: Get a Sneak Peak Scope out the school and classroom in advance. If your child is going into a new classroom, ask to visit it at least once before the first day of school. If transition has been a struggle in the past, consider taking as ..read more

By Katherine Johnson. M.S., BCBA Senior Director of Partnerships, LEARN Behavioral Judy Singer is an autistic Australian social scientist. In the 1990’s, seeing echoes of her mother’s struggles in herself and her own daughter, it occurred to Singer that this common thread pointed to the possibility that their differences were actually neurological traits. They were having a first-hand experience of that part of biodiversity that is the natural range of variations in brain functioning: she coined it neurodiversity.  The neurodiversity paradigm considers all brains to be normal; brain diffe ..read more

LEARN is committed to fostering a culture that embraces what makes us each unique—be it race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disabilities/abilities, or socioeconomic background. LEARN aims to acknowledge the lived experiences and diversity of perspectives of our staff and welcomes our teammates to share their story to help foster conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion in our communities.   By: Asia Johnson, BCaBA, Autism Spectrum Therapies Asia Johnson (she, her, hers) is an Assistant Behavior Analyst in AST’s greater New Orl ..read more

School is out! Let summer break be a great opportunity to continue your child’s learning and growth. While summer can bring parents a welcome relief from making lunches and school drop-off and pick-up, it also offers time for kids to build valuable skills. Social skills programs are offered in several cities by different service providers and can offer a structured, play-based environment for children to build essential social, communication, cognitive, and sensory skills. Kids have fun and make friends as they learn while maintaining a helpful routine for themselves and their parents. Ma ..read more

Summer is a few short weeks away! The joy of completing the school year also brings the challenges associated with unscheduled days, unpredictable new environments, and the unexpected elements of the season. Here are seven helpful tips for planning your family’s summer that we hope will help create more fun and reduce stress: 1. Maintain Some Structure Try to maintain your child’s typical eating and sleeping schedule as much as possible. It’s not easy to stick to a schedule during summer, especially as this is a time when you want to let go a bit and relax. If you can maintain the basic s ..read more

Resources for families in the wake of Tuesday’s tragedy in Uvalde, Texas We all have been impacted by yesterday’s devastating tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. In times like these, we are often feeling many things like anger, anxiety, fear, grief, and sadness. It can be incredibly difficult as a parent or caregiver to know how to support your young loved ones and how to explain such a terrifying situation to them. We wanted to provide you with some resources to help your family navigate this difficult time.   Websites  Visit the links below to learn how you can support your child when traged ..read more

First off, let’s talk about gender identity.  How do you identify? I identify as floating between more of a masculine view and a gender-neutral view. If I was going to put a label on that, the closest I’ve heard is demi. Now of course, gender identity is different than gender expression. Can you tell me a little bit about your gender expression? I’d say my gender expression comes more with whatever accessories I have with me or how I decorate my house. Clothing-wise, I dress for practicality and male clothing is more designed for practicality rather than decorative purpose so I generally ..read more