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Why do we scaffold or prompt autistic kids? When I ask parents and educators why they prompt children with different learning styles, I very often get the answer ‘because I want him to do it on his own, to become independent’. I understand that this is an ultimate goal for every parent, carer or educator […]

Do you feel like you over-prompt your autistic child during activities? Do you feel like you don’t support them enough?  The purpose of supporting or prompting your child, or ‘scaffolding’ as we call it in RDI is to give the child the optimal amount of support they need so that in the future, they can

The importance of scaffolding to grow your autistic child’s independence Imagine the world without scaffolding? How would world look like if we don’t support or prompt kids with needs. Autistic children need our support to help them bridge the gap between not knowing something and becoming more confident and to learn new skills. We do

Autistic children in mainstream schools This week I observed one autistic girl in mainstream school. She is in year 2. She gets full ABA support in the school environment, but she still struggles with learning. Very often, autistic kids struggle in mainstream school. I am not saying that mainstream school is not good for a

Mistakes we make with autistic children One of the biggest mistakes I notice we make quite often is that we don’t pay enough attention when a child is dysregulated. Instead of pushing the child to do more in this state, and instead of putting more demands on the child, we need to slow down. When

A better way to guide autistic kids Linda Murphy beautifully described in her Co-regulation Handbook some better ways to guide kids with different learning styles. I highly recommend parents and educators who are in interaction with kids with needs to read it and implement her tools. She teaches us that there is a better way

Mindful Communication with autistic individuals Mindful communication can enhance the guided participation relationship between parent (guide) and a child (apprentice), and is important for: 1.    building trust and closeness – connection. 2.    increasing back and forth communication (experience sharing), 3.    spotlighting meaningful experiences,  4.    modelling thoughtfulness,  5.    building resilience,  6.    building creating problem solving skills,  7.    focusing on the thinking process, not

How many activities or interventions should my child do? Many parents feel the pressure to do too much; thinking that if they do more activities, more games, more therapy, and more language support with their child, they will progress more.  I understand where this is coming from but in reality, more work and pressure doesn’t

Not giving up! No matter what. You have heard this a million times, and you will probably hear it a million more. Never ever give up on yourself or your neurodivergent child or student. Every single day I repeat to parents and educators of children with diverse needs to not to give up on them.

What are the goals I should work on with my child? One of the hardest steps for many parents is choosing the right goal to work on with their child. We often hear about academic goals set for the child at school, but what about goals for kids with different leaning styles at home? Children