Rethinking Hand-Over-Hand Assistance for Autistic Kids Somewhere along the line, many of us got the idea that our goal as therapists is to get our kids to reach their therapy goals. With that in mind, many of us dive in and do what it takes. Do we need to tell them what to do? Show them? Move their bodies for them? With the mission to overcome barriers and teach our kids new skills, many dedicated therapists will do any number of these things, for as long as it takes, to help our clients meet their goals. I’ve personally used hand-over-hand (using my hands to move a child’s hands) to teac ..read more

Is It Sensory or Is It Behavior…Or Are We Asking the Wrong Question? Note Watch the video above, or read the full transcript Read about identity-first language Get the latest details on the training Browse More Posts Making Schedules for Autistic Kids A great and easy-to-follow visual tool to support you in making schedules for your autistic clients – including how to build in flexibility! Read More 3 Essential Types of Visual Supports To Help Autistic Kids Succeed When you make visuals that are clear and meaningful, your client will show you how much it really helps ..read more

Nurture the Love of Learning with a Strengths-Based Approach to Autism Interventions A couple of weeks ago, a colleague* said something that hit me like a punch to the gut. She pointed out that for our autistic kids, we spend most of their school day and most of their therapy time working on the things that they find the most challenging. Meanwhile, neurotypical students, spend most of their time nurturing and cultivating their strengths.   A Lesson from My Own Life Take me as an example of a neurotypical school experience. One of my challenges is that I’m awful at memorizing. But ne ..read more

3 Surprising Phrases that Stigmatize Autistic People Most of us know that the words we choose to describe Autistic people matter. Nevertheless it can be tough to stay on top of what language reduces stigma and confusion and what language does just the opposite. Did you know the majority of Autistic adults prefer to be called “Autistic” not “people with autism”? It turns out person-first language (e.g. saying “person with autism”) may serve to increase stigma rather than remove it. Not only that, there are also good reasons to avoid phrases like “high/low functioning” and “non-verbal” when ..read more

Rethinking Planned Ignoring for Autistic Kids If you work with autistic children, you’re always looking for effective strategies to help your clients meet their goals. When challenging behaviors get in the way, many therapists decide that a behavioral approach is the way to go. They may choose to ignore their clients’ challenging behaviors, praise or reward positive behaviors, and provide clear consequences when children break a rule. While these strategies can sometimes be effective, there are good reasons to consider using a different approach most of the time with your autistic clients ..read more

Making Schedules for Kids on the Spectrum Note Free to share with link back to learnplaythrive.com Copyright 2018 Learn Play Thrive, PLLC Therapists, dive deep into how to make a schedule and so much more in The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism, an online self-study course open for registration 4 times per year. Browse More Posts Making Schedules for Kids on the Spectrum A great and easy-to-follow visual tool to support you in making schedules for your autistic clients – including how to build in flexibility! Read More The Best Therapy is Usually Simple When we stop rus ..read more

The Best Therapy is Usually Simple Sometimes doing therapy can feel like a performance. You plan this beautiful hour, orchestrate it, and then wait for your applause and bow… …and then the parents take their child back to regular life. Which is no performance at all. It’s rich and complicated and messy. And, usually, rushed. What’s the point of these perfect therapy sessions? To show off? To make parents see what would be possible, if only they could spend two hours preparing for every one hour spent with their child? I’ll admit, I’ve been guilty of these sessions at times. And let me tel ..read more

Why Sensory and Fine Motor Aren't Enough Here’s a scenario that happens to me a lot: A family comes to see me. They say, “Well we have another OT, but they’ve been working on stacking blocks and coloring for months. He doesn’t know how to play with other kids, screams every time I try to feed him, and going to the grocery store together is so difficult.” Now whether or not you’re trained as an OT, think with me, what are the most important occupations (daily activities) that a therapist could help this child with? Social play. Feeding. Community outings. Right? Here’s another one: A famil ..read more

Getting Unstuck with Self-Calming for Autism When we work with kids on the autism spectrum, we often find that self-regulation is challenging. Our young clients begin to get upset and don’t have the skills they need to wind back down again. Many of us know strategies that we think would help, but we have trouble getting the child to use the strategies when the moment comes. Has that happened to you? If so try this: Concrete steps to teaching self-calming to your clients on the autism spectrum. Step 1: When the child is relaxed and happy, do a little assessment to see what types of activiti ..read more

The #1 Reason OTs Feel Ineffective with Kids On the Autism Spectrum Most OTs want so badly to make a real impact in the lives of the people we work with. We want to feel like what we are doing matters for our kids and their families, that it is effective, and that our time has been well spent. When I first started out as an OT in early intervention working with kids on the autism spectrum, I felt immense pressure to really help the families I was seeing. The parents were exhausted, confused, and out of other options. They were counting on me to help. I did the best I could, but every day ..read more