A+ Playdate!!
Some playdates were tricky and took a lot of effort from me – keeping things running smoothly, suggesting ideas for games, or offering snacks. Not this one! These two were great together. After we mixed up the brownies and put them in the oven, they picked out all their own activities.
One Note
On playdate days, I would pick the kids up at school. Michael took a special needs bus and there were other kids on the bus who had different needs. I felt it was safer and calmer for the typical kids to ride in my car with Mikey. I had the luxury of making that choice since I was a stay-at-home mom. If you can’t do it that way, maybe it makes sense to plan playdates on weekends when friends’ parents can drive them, or you can meet up at a local park.
For more of my thoughts and ideas about playdates, click the link below. Since I wrote this last article, spell check has decided that playdate can be one word (which I love because that’s how it lives in my brain! So, from here on out playdate will always be one word. Hooray!!!!)
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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