Hard to believe we are almost to the end of 2020... and what a year it has been! I (Katie) am really excited for the next few weeks to unplug from everything (literally... thanks a lot 2020!) so I can relax and spend time with my family.

Before I can really be "on break" this season, I have a few things left on my to-do list. It's hard to finish out the year strong! This is true for all of us, but ESPECIALLY our kids with ADHD, learning and language differences, autism, or anxiety. Some days, the hardest part is just getting started! 

A few weeks ago, we shared some of our favorite tools and strategies for getting started. Today, I'm going to be talking about a few more tricks you can use to help your child (or yourself, no judgement here!) get started on a task. 

1. Externalize Time 

Many children (especially those with ADHD) have difficulty conceptualizing time and understanding how long a task will actually take to complete. They may also have difficulty with the passage of time...

"There are no right answers to wrong questions.” – Urusla K. Le Guin

Do you have concerns about your child's ability to process information? Do you ever feel like you are talking, and they aren't really "listening" to what you are saying? Many parents have heard of Auditory Processing Disorder, but the symptoms can be hard to pin down - especially when autism, ADHD, or a language disorder are involved. To help clarify this complex diagnosis, we have gone to an expert in the field of hearing - Dr. Lindsay Cockburn, a pediatric audiologist in Los Angeles, California. Thank you Lindsay for sharing your expertise about auditory processing disorder! We are so happy to feature your knowledge on the blog today. 

What is auditory processing?

Hearing is perceiving that sound is present. Listening is an active process that involves paying attention to what is heard. Auditory Processing is making sense of what you are listening to. Auditory Processing involves the brain using prior knowledge, experiences, and language skills to give sounds and speech meaning. ...

Last week things were getting pretty rough in my (Lori's) house. We were dealing with frequent hitting, kicking, throwing, pinching, yelling, and slamming doors. Despite having a reward system at home, I really wasn’t using it often. I found myself resorting to punishment. When the kids broke a rule and became physical, I took away television for the rest of the day. The thing was though, I had not made clear expectations or rules with my kids. And of course, when I provided a punishment, that resulted in an increase in behaviors, frustration, and overall sadness. It seemed like we weren’t getting out of the negative cycle!

I know this is a pattern that many of us face as parents. Fortunately, I was able to pull us all out of this negative cycle pretty quickly. I’m happy to say that the hitting and tantrums have decreased while the kindness and sharing have increased. Today, I want to talk about the very simple and highly effective strategy I used—Praise.

Now, many of you might be th...

At the beginning of the year, many of us set goals for ourselves. Perhaps you set a goal to be healthier, travel more, or apply for that promotion at work. Lori talked last week about setting 2020 parenting goals and gave several concrete strategies to help you meet those goals. I’m sure you have a lot on your plate already, but I’m going to add one suggestion for the new year: make it a goal to read often with your child (no matter how old they are!). There are many wonderful reasons to read with your children, and this becomes especially important if they have a diagnosis of ADHD, autism, learning disorder or language challenges. In fact, research shows that reading with your child can help improve your child’s executive functions, as well as social skills, comprehension, vocabulary, and the list goes on.

In the interest of transparency, I need to share that for me personally, reading to my children (ages 3 and 5) sometimes feels like a chore at the end of a long day. My kids have a...

Over the past few months, we have been sharing about executive functions: what they are, why they are so important, and how we as parents can support children with ADHD, autism, learning disorders, and language challenges with these skills. One question we consistently hear from parents is, “How do I know what skills are appropriate for my child at a certain age?” This is a great question! Many times, parents fall to one end of the spectrum; either they expect too much from their child, or they assume that their child cannot do tasks independently, and end up “over-helping,” which can accidentally make children more dependent on their parents (oops, I know that is NOT your goal!).

To help you understand where your child should be in their development, we have put together some information about what you can expect at various ages. Before we start, it is SO important to understand that every child is different! Executive function skills develop differently in everyone, so keep in mind ...