In this week's AIM, we listen in to highlights from a recent YouTube livestream Q&A I

hosted along with an autism parent. Together we discuss tips learnings from our 60+ years experience.

Children and adults with autism experience their environment and social interactions differently. We have been afforded insights into these differences, often sensory-related but also cognitive, emotional, and physiologically-based, from first-hand reports. There are now dozens of books written by autistic individuals, including children. They are insightful and essential to learn from for parents and professionals alike...

There has been a great divide between behavior therapies and play therapies, historically in the field of autism therapy. But this is changing quickly, as behaviorists realize the power of playfulness to motivate children...

In this A.I.M. we remind ourselves about the importance of play. We’ll look at research that has uncovered the benefits of play for autistic children. And we’ll learn what the two secrets to being playful are....

On this week’s A.I.M., we look at voices of children and adults with autism to understand and to gain insight from their personal lived-experience. And we explore the tension between prioritizing learning from autistic lived-experience and recognizing the broad diversity within it. If we are all unique and different, then how relevant is one personal experience?

This week, your focus is to strike the balance between expecting more language and longer phrases from your child, while keeping communication with them light and effortless. Find new ways to turn saying words and speaking into play. Give yourself permission to be a little more silly with communication to entice your child to want to share more of it with you!