Dental Care for Children With Autism Children with autism are likely to suffer many more oral health problems than children without autism. Parents and caregivers can do several things to make oral hygiene and dental visits easier for their autistic kids. Implementing behavioral techniques, using autism-friendly dental products, and seeking out dental professionals with specialized …
In our early childhood center, we have children who range in age from 3-7 years old. To have meaningful sessions with children, play therapy is an effective technique. This is because play is a core component for child development. According to Lynne Kenney and Rebecca Comizio, play is crucial to the child’s cognitive development, motor …
Our lives are full of transitions and tasks that need to be done daily; these could be things such as doing homework, getting paperwork done, or making dinner for your family. These may be simple tasks that everyone does, but some individuals may have a more challenging time than others. Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum …
Education is a noble profession, and it places a notable and extraordinary demand on its members. In addition to asking our teachers to educate, influence, and guide our children toward a successful future, we also ask them to steer kids through the social and emotional upheavals of growing up. In some cases, this also means …
“So you help people get jobs?” The dreaded question that occupational therapists (OTs) hear all too often about their role as a practitioner. To us, the word ‘occupation’ is our pride and joy, and it is often misunderstood. In occupational therapy, “occupations refer to the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families, and …
ACES, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, come in many forms, from physical and mental abuse to neglect and household dysfunction. In 1998, CDC-Kaiser Permanente published a groundbreaking study that investigated the impact of ACEs on physical and mental health problems in over 17,000 adults. Now that we understand how toxic stress affects the minds and bodies …
In the world of social work, we employ countless techniques and therapies to support marginalized groups of people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. In the educational world, ABA is considered the “gold standard” for autism treatment. What is ABA? ABA is abbreviated for Applied Behavior Analysis. It is considered the best practice for teaching …
Ahh, the magical world of art– painting, drawing, music, coloring, the list goes on and on. The most magical part about art, though, is that it is good for the mind, body, and spirit. In middle school, I remember being most excited for art. I was, by no means, a “good” artist, but that did …
When I was a child, I had a golden retriever named Genesis. Most of my cousins and friends were terrified of his stature, but I found his presence and interactions with me therapeutic in the truest form. He would sit next to me as I did my homework, waiting patiently to be rubbed. When I …
