One of our 4 Essentials at ThriveGuide is entitled “Attitude Impacts Behavior”. As a parent, you already know that what you think and how you feel can influence how you behave. Your actions go through the filter of your attitude. Therefore, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to how you feel during your interactions with your child...

Is it okay to joke about autism? How do you feel about it? Scientific research shows that laughing gives us significant benefits to mental and physical health. Could laughing more with the unique, often literal, yet creative ways that autistic individuals think and express themselves be a positive lifelong parenting strategy for those raising an autistic child and also for autistic people

themselves?

In February of 2020, one of the NBA’s most famous all-stars Shaquille O’Neal, shared an anecdote about his former teammate Kobe Bryant at the deceased Bryant’s Celebration of Life: During one game, when Kobe didn’t pass the ball, Shaquille barked the old adage “Hey, Kobe, there’s no “I” in team!” Apparently Kobe replied, “I know. But there’s an “M-E!” And smiled.

Teaching person-to-person is entirely dependent on a mutually respectful and motivating relationship. A successful teacher-student relationship is based in love, trust, and cooperation. In autism therapy, this is referred to as the Therapeutic Alliance.

Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. He is perhaps one of the most famous of the Persian poets and once wrote: “Listen to silence. It has so much to say”.

This week, I invite you to listen to this young autistic boy speak about his experience of learning to talk. Benji is a bright and animated young boy who shares some good tips!