What is a Sensory Diet? You may have heard the term, “Sensory Diet,” but wasn’t quite sure what it meant. A sensory diet is a structured plan for addressing the sensory needs that are often associated with sensory processing, sensory dysfunction, and other sensory related issues. When is a Sensory Diet Used? A sensory diet is meant to help children or adolescents who have trouble with their ability to process information received through their senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, sound, and movement). Children with sensory issues often struggle with doing well in school and participating in eve ..read more

Whenever you feel like you can’t go on, you reach out to your support system. The people who are going to be there for you, and you for them, are what make life worth living. Your friends and family back you up when you feel like you don’t know where to turn. Family and friends are everything: They are our support systems, our lifelines, and our refuge when life becomes too hard to bear. Whenever we are struggling, we want to share those struggles with them. Even if they don’t understand what is happening, they will do what is necessary to give you what you need, because that is what people wh ..read more

Depending on where you live, it might not feel much like spring right now, but in just a few short days it will be time to go on spring break! Traveling during spring break (along with many in the rest of the country) can require some planning and traveling. The following are eight great places to take your family for spring break so you can get out of the house and have fun! Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida is one of the best places to take your family for spring break! From Disney World, Universal Studios, and LEGOLAND there is something in Orlando for the whole fam ..read more

You may think that if you have a child or multiple children with sensory disorders such as autism, a trip to the movies might not be the best idea for your family. What should be a fun family outing ends up being a dark room with loud noise creating an unpleasant time for special needs kids. What Is a “Sensory Friendly” Movie?“Sensory Friendly Films” are a special opportunity for individuals living with autism and others to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment. To provide a more accepting and comfortable setting for individuals on the autism spectrum or with special n ..read more

Back-to-school season is already quickly approaching with many schools starting the new school year in August and others after Labor Day in September.  As parents can relate, school supplies can get costly for families especially when having various school-aged children.  According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), spending on back-to-school for families with school-aged children and college is expected to reach an unparalleled $41.5 billion, up from $36.9 billion last year and the previous high of $37.1 billion in 2021. Back-to-college spending is expected to hit $94 billion ..read more

Welcome Chicas Chatting audience members! This post was first written by Mami of Multiples contributor, Alicia Gonzalez, and has now been updated as of 2023.  At this point, you might be feeling overwhelmed. Most likely, your child has simply demonstrated some developmental delays. Maybe you are a little further along in your journey and your child has just been diagnosed with Autism and you’re still not even sure how to tell your family, much less where to begin to get early intervention services. Just breathe. The fact that you are even looking is an amazing thing. That means tha ..read more

It’s a new year and every new year brings many promises and resolutions of things to change and try. But, it can be difficult to keep those resolutions beyond the month of January. For all the good intentions, only a tiny fraction of us keep our resolutions. According to a clinical research, only 8% of people keep their resolutions all year. However, it is important to remember that the new year is a time for people to reflect on their past year’s behavior and promise to make positive lifestyle changes. The following are four easy suggestions to try to help achieve overall resolutions for the ..read more

Christmas Tree Cake Pops CourseCake Pops, Christmas Tree Cake Pops, Dessert, Holiday Dessert CuisineChristmas (Holidays) Servings20-24 cake pops Ingredients 1Box cake mix, prepared and baked in two (2) 8-inch round pans ¾ cup store-bought frosting, vanilla 2sticks butter, softened 4cups confectioners’ sugar 4-5 tbsp milk 1 tsp moss green gel food coloring 1bottle or package sprinkles 1-2 oz. yellow fondant 20-24 lollipop/cake pop sticks Instructions Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. Ensure that your cake has cooled before beginning the cake pop process. In a ..read more

Who doesn’t love desserts and sweets during the holidays? We have partnered with Florida Dairy Farmers and Leche De Florida (FDF’s Spanish language website) as a Florida Dairy Farmers Holiday Ambassador. Leche De Florida and Florida Milk have a very sweet offer going on right now. Go to their Facebook pages (or website) for the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Stay tuned for the first recipe and enter to win a KitchenAid mixer and $250 VISA gift card to help you make all of these delicious cookie recipes! Find recipes and more information on the Florida Milk website: HERE ¡Por fin lleg ..read more

The very first thing that comes to mind when I begin to think about Christmas is the vast variety of cookies my mom used to bake when we were kids. She used to bake for EVERYONE and I am not exaggerating; all of our teachers, school bus drivers, mailmen, sports coaches, neighbors, etc.  and wrap them all nicely in a cute mug or tin box for me and my sister to hand deliver. Our kitchen was literally filled every kind of cookie you could imagine. I can remember like it was yesterday how sweet the house smelled and how every Tupperware and storage container my mom owned would be stacked on t ..read more