Thought Process

Mikey pushing the grocery cart with the title “I AM STRONG AND CAPABLE."

Giving your child opportunities to do things independently is important, but none of us want to put our kids in danger. I hope today’s post will demonstrate how I thought through these issues with a special needs child. Here’s an informative post on how we decided to let Mikey walk up from the bus by…

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Zip, Snap, Velcro

stylized photo of Mikey in a raincoat and a backpack clipped across his chest

We have simplified Michael’s wardrobe to allow him to be totally independent getting dressed and using the bathroom. That said, even if you choose shirts without buttons and pants without zippers, your child will need to zip their coat, Velcro their shoes and snap the buckle on their backpack. The toy company Melissa and Doug…

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Putting on Shoes

two sets of shoes up on the wall in front of their airplane seats, one pair of hiking shoes with crossed legs, one pair of white converse, legs uncrossed.

Putting on their own shoes can give kids a feeling of independence and personal responsibility. When you’re teaching them, keep these two important things in mind. Kids don’t automatically know how to tell left from right and they don’t always put the correct shoe on the correct foot. Secondly, tying shoelaces is a higher-level skill…

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Managing Overwhelm

Mikey sitting against the wall on our porch, legs folded and hands in his lap with a calm look on his face

We all recognize the signs that our child is getting overwhelmed. We look for quick exit routes, but what if there are none available? We were out at the store the other day and I noticed Mikey getting agitated. There was a loud family near us and another family with a baby whose cries were…

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