The Tooth Fairy
Like Santa Claus, we basically skipped the Tooth Fairy with Mikey. We had too many things to teach him and too little time to waste creating a story we would later need to un-tell.
So, we gave him some money for his piggy bank the very second his tooth came out. This had two major benefits. First, we do not have a 21 year old who thinks the tooth fairy is real. And second, he immediately got to put coins in his piggy bank (a fun thing for him) as soon as he lost the tooth (a possibly slightly traumatic experience).
We were able to pair the reinforcer with the slightly scary experience to make things go more smoothly with the next tooth.
Is That?
Is that a piggy bank dressed as a superhero NY Giant? Yes!
Go Big Blue!
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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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