We all have an optimal state for learning and processing information. Some of us have naturally high arousal and some of us have naturally low arousal. As adults, we automatically regulate our emotions and sensory needs and typically don’t even realize it. If we are feeling low, we may have an extra cup of coffee in the morning. If we are feeling stressed, we may twiddle our hair, listen to classical music, take some deep breaths or take a quiet break. Children with autism may have a difficult time doing this. It is challenging for them to understand their emotions and their bodies.

KidSpeak is taking a break from blogging to wrap up the rest of the summer semester, to prepare for the new school year and to spend some time with family and friends. We will be back in September with lots of new material to help you prepare for the holidays and for keeping your child social during the fall!

Many parents are hustling to get their kids fully potty trained before the new school year starts. We wanted to revisit our potty training blog and provide some helpful tips for accomplishing that goal.

Summer is a fun time to be a kid. You are out of school and it’s time to play! But summer can be a difficult time if you are a babysitter or a stay at home mom or dad. You have to fill each and every day with activities and you are faced with the challenge of how to keep things fun and entertaining for the both of you. Let us help you do just that!

When you walk into Parent Teacher Night what is one of the first things you see? Art! There are art projects on the walls, on the bulletin boards and more. Art is a part of each child’s life from preschool to high school and for some they continue this passion into their adult life.

Everyone likes at least one genre of music if not several. As adults music can serve many different purposes. We listen to music because we like it. It can help with our emotional states….music can calm us down and decrease our stress. Music can pep us up and get our energy going. Music can help us focus on important tasks. Music can be a social outlet. Music can also help us learn. This is the same for children.

It’s summer! Summer is a fun time to be a kid. You are out of school and now it’s time to play! But summer can be a difficult time if you are a babysitter or a stay at home mom or dad. You now have to fill each and every day with activities and you are faced with the challenge of how to keep things fun and entertaining for the both of you. Let us help you do just that! Each week we post new ideas on our facebook page from activities to free outings http://www.facebook.com/kidspeak.

Is change hard for your child? Do they become upset when things within their daily routines change? Do they question you, “When are we going…..”, “Why are we……”, “How much longer….”, etc? With summer approaching we wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a transactional support that may help your family: countdown calendars. Countdown calendars can help you and your child alleviate some of the stress that you may encounter throughout the year. The idea of a countdown calendar is to help your child understand when an event is going to happen.

Vocabulary, print awareness, letter knowledge, sound awareness and narrative skills are just a few pre-literacy skills that most preschool and kindergarten classrooms focus on each day. But how do you teach a child with autism, hyperlexia, and/or language disorders, these pre-literacy skills? This week we wanted to focus on just that. Here are the first things you need to know before working on pre-literacy skills at home:

Asking for “help” is a skill that sometimes can be difficult for children with language disorders. Instead of using their words they may:
1. Take your hand to the object (like taking your hand to the doorknob to open the door)
2. Give you the object (like giving you the bubble container to open)
3. Cry/scream
Here are a few steps you can follow to help your child ask for “help”:
Step one: You will need a visual of “help”: