I’m with You, Mikey!

By Erica Mauro | January 24, 2026 |
a rainbow arching over the dvd of The Big Zoo, an umbrella sticker in between two photos of mikey, in one he is looking out the rainy car window and in the other he is holding his DVD player and looking mildly unhappy/bored.

Swim practice four nights a week was getting to be a lot for me and Mikey. To be honest, I think it was getting to be a lot for Will too.  Our family rule is that once we start something, we commit for the season.  So, we all stuck it out. Even on rainy days when Mikey…

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‘How-To-Draw’ Books

By Erica Mauro | July 13, 2025 |
stylized photo of one of Mikey's drawings of a mouse with the title CREATE in handwriting.

Like Lego instructions, books showing how to draw different things are visual and sequential. They are easy to follow, even if verbal skills or reading skills are not a strength for your child. How to Start At a preschool level, typical kids can start to copy shapes.  For our kids, these milestones come at vastly different…

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Dot-to-Dot

By Erica Mauro | November 22, 2024 |
rooster and barn with the cover of a dot-to-dot book called, "Things that Go Dot-to-Dot Fun!" with a photo of a dot to dot pick up truck with hay in the background.

Mikey adores dot-to-dot books. He has loved them for as long as he has known how to count.  He understands how to do them and can complete them independently.  I think that is part of why he enjoys them so much.  They’re predictable and just challenging enough to keep him engaged. Recently, a friend sent us a whole…

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An Easy One

By Erica Mauro | October 4, 2024 |
Color by numbers chameleon with a title Color and Communicate

By now you know I am a huge proponent of journaling with your special needs child!  But, even a simplified version of journaling can work to build communication skills. You simply show your child a photo of their day.  Then you can ask your child some questions about the photo. They don’t need to write the answers.  They…

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