As soon as your child got their diagnosis — and potentially even before — you probably started modifying their environment. You made safety changes at home (like child-safety locks) and sensory adjustments, as well (like removing something overstimulating from their room). But don’t stop there. For a child with autism, the right environment makes all…
One of the core deficits with autism is social skills. Individuals generally possess a desire to interact with those around them — but often do not know how to begin. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and other emotions. Fortunately, this presents an opportunity. By understanding how autism affects social development and social skills, the…
When one of your children gets diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it can feel like your focus narrows. From that point on, a lot of your attention goes toward helping that child navigate the unique path in front of them. If you have other children, you may feel tension in trying to support both…
Sleep is critical for everyone. However, falling asleep and staying asleep can be particularly challenging for individuals with autism. Fortunately, there are some strategies that can help. To help you set your child up for sleep success, our team recommends these five steps. Prepare Their Room Since children with autism are more likely to have…
How Group Activities Work in an Autism Therapy Setting As a parent of a child with autism, you might be skeptical about group sessions. You may have watched your child struggle on the playground or worried about them getting along with their peers. Within these tailored group sessions, we give kids the chance to explore…
In the United States, the average age of a child diagnosed with autism is over 4 years old. While that may seem young, that average is actually far older than experts say is ideal. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as 18 months. Identifying this disorder early…
When you have a child with autism, finding the most effective treatment possible often becomes your highest priority. While many treatment approaches are available, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been extensively evaluated over decades of clinical research and is considered to be the gold standard. Endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General and prominent American medical…
On June 17th, 2021, Stride Clinical Director, Dr. Ashley Whittington-Barnish, and Chicago (South Loop) Lead BCBA, Molly White, presented a Virtual Parent Workshop for Chicago Autism Network. In their presentation, Dr. Whittington-Barnish and Ms. White delved into ways to recognize challenging behaviors and discussed helpful strategies to address them. They also spoke about the important…
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens both our physical health and social and emotional health. In the following webinar, we will address ways to incorporate and practice social and emotional skills in day-to-day life at home for a preschool age child.
This webinar from Stride Autism Centers provides very useful tips to help kids with mask-wearing, hand-washing and more.
