The holiday season is approaching! A big question on every parent’s mind is “what toy can I get my kid that they will actually play with?” We all know the feeling of thinking you’ve nailed the perfect gift only to see it sit on a shelf collecting dust. And sometimes, when it comes to kiddos with sensory processing challenges, the “perfect” toy we bought can be overwhelming. So to help us figure out the best way to find sensory friendly
It’s finally cool enough to enjoy some outside time with the family! But where should you go? If your kids are anything like ours, playgrounds are always a winner. A playground is a great place to get exercise, work on social skills, and explore freely. Traditional playgrounds, however, may not be that well-suited for a child with special needs. The good news is that it is getting much easier to find adaptive playgrounds all around DFW! Why are there more
Another Summer is behind us. Well, technically. It sure does still feel like Summer. But even if the weather is having a hard time letting go, Fall is upon us. With the changing season, comes changing routines, new events, and new experiences. Let’s talk a bit about how to prepare for those changes to make sure this Fall is the best one yet! Cooler Weather, New Clothes One big change that is inevitable is that it will be getting colder.
We hear the term “school readiness” being thrown around all the time. It is a phrase that can cause anxiety in any parent because it forces us to ask the question “Is my child really ready for school?” From there, the common spiral begins: “Did I do enough?” “Should we have read more?” “Is my child behind?” We all ask ourselves these questions even though we don’t truly know what “school readiness” even means. The truth is that there are
The ability to communicate is something that a lot of us take for granted. If we want something, or more importantly, if we need something, we have the ability to let people know in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, for some on the autism spectrum, that isn’t the case. With ABA therapy and time, we can teach all sorts of communication skills, but what do we do in the meantime when the inability to communicate causes problems? Problems like tantrums,
We all want the highest quality care for our children. That means finding the best-trained and most educated providers available. When it comes to ABA therapy, finding qualified professionals can be challenging. Many ABA companies hire individuals with minimal training, offering only a few days of instruction before calling them therapists. At The Helm, we take a different approach, ensuring all our therapists become Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) within 60 days of being hired. So what is an RBT, how
The Holiday season can be exciting, but for many of our families the changes to routine can cause stress! This month’s newsletter is full of fun, easy to implement activities and strategies to make the holiday time a little less stressful! Click the link to access winter activities, visual supports and awesome books that you can use all month long!
Here is a peek into some of the fun mother’s day crafts we are totally loving this week! All of these crafts are easy to complete with basic craft supplies hanging around the house. No need for extra trips to the store while we are all trying to stay safe at home!
Independent play can be a game changer. Independent play time can allow for a little piece of time to do all the things we do as parents. And let’s face it, right now we all could use a free minute to focus on something other than entertaining our kids.
Joint Attention and Autism: Six Steps to Play with your Child Our kiddos usually have no problem playing with an app, watching a video, or interacting with electronic devices. These activities can be helpful because they give you a few minutes of total peace to complete daily tasks such as making dinner, cleaning up, or laundry. But what happens when it is time to interact? These solitary activities don’t allow kids to develop joint attention skills that are crucial to
