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Turning 18 – My Latest for CBC Parents
Both of my kids now are technically an age where the world considers them adults. This year, my youngest was just turning 18, when my nephew asked me if both of the kids were adults yet and that gave me pause. I mean first of all what is an adult? At what magical age or stage are we all adults? Happy Birthday! Second of all, I think most of you know that my kids are not neurotypical. They are neurodiverse kids aging during a pandemic and frankly that just hits different. So I wrote a little something about what is turning 18 anymore and what does it mean. This is…
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Special Needs Families in Ontario Need to Know This Now
Special needs families in Ontario struggle. If you are a special needs parent in Ontario, regardless of the diagnosis, you are struggling in some way. The emotional and physical burdens of parenting a child or youth with special needs, are draining. FULL STOP. Now add financial stress to that. Extra programs, time off work, specialty therapies – all of these cost a lot of money. Sometimes that is literally your grocery money. Other times it is your retirement plan. Financial costs are a huge strain to Ontario special needs families. There are some programs that help. Not everyone knows about them, but you need to know how to access these…
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What Does FASD Look Like?
What does FASD look like? This is one of the most searched phrases that lands people here on my site. So, I figured it was time to share a few facts. Some of you know that we adopted both of our daughters when they were small. Both of my kids have unique needs. My youngest girl has sensory processing disorder and Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. My oldest has anxiety disorder. I have a lot of experience as a parent of a child on the spectrum. Over the years I have also attended numerous conferences to gather information about how to parent a child with alcohol related neurological damage. Once upon a…
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Five Easy and Free Sensory Play Activities for Kids
With an increasing number of kids who have sensory processing disorder or sensory issues related to brain injury, concussion or autism, there’s a lot of new knowledge about sensory play and sensory activities. We started reading up on sensory play and sensory processing disorder years ago when Ainsley was first diagnosed. Depending on whether your child is sensory seeking or sensory avoiding any one, or all of these may appeal to them. FIVE EASY SENSORY PLAY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS Fill a sink with warm water and soap suds. Have them wash things. Toys, dolls, dishes. My youngest daughter, shown here, could do this for almost…
