“Don’t do that,” “Sit still,” “Stop,” “No,” and “That’s not how you do it.” By the middle of the day, many neurodivergent kids have heard all these things. Researchers estimate that by the time they are ten, kids with ADHD have been told “no” 10,000 more times than their peers. Constantly being corrected or told no can impact a child's self-esteem, confidence, creativity, and willingness to try new things.

It’s almost Halloween! This also means it’s the start of candy and sweets season. From trick-or-treating candy to pies, gifted cookies, and holiday parties, most of us will have far easier and more consistent access to high-sugar items over the next few months than we do the rest of the year. For many families, this extra access to sweets is totally fine. The sweets are a fun part of the season and cause minimal issues. If that’s true for your family or some of your kids, there is no need to do or change anything. There is nothing wrong with kids having extra sweets sometimes. 

However, many of the neurodivergent kids I work with have a combination of sensitive systems and executive function challenges. For some kids with this combination of traits, frequent access to high-sugar foods can result in behaviors that are surprising, confusing, and stressful for families. This might look like kids hoarding candy, lying about their intake, repeatedly consuming sweets until they throw up, or taking sweets that are off-limits.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! Dyslexia is the most talked about learning disability. However, it is often misunderstood. 

There are a few things that are important to understand about dyslexia.

First, dyslexia is a language-based disability. Difficulty with reading is one symptom of dyslexia, but it is far from the only one. 

Secondly, dyslexia is not caused by vision concerns. This means that vision or eye-based interventions like eye therapy will not address dyslexia. However, they may be helpful for people with dyslexia who have co-occurring eye muscle or tracking concerns. 

Lastly, dyslexia is not related to intelligence. People with dyslexia usually score average to above average on measures of intelligence. However, they take in, process, and retain information in a way that is different than neurotypical people. Since we live in a society that caters to the way neurotypical brains work, this, in practice, usually looks like kids with dyslexia struggling in some areas while excelling in others.

One of the most common questions I get from parents is: “Should I have my child evaluated?” This can be an emotionally charged and confusing question. Maybe you are wondering if the things you notice in your child are part of typical development or if they indicate that an evaluation might be helpful. Or maybe you are considering having your child evaluated but are unsure how evaluation would benefit them and are worried there could be negative impacts.

So this month, I will tackle the question of evaluation head-on. First, I’ll cover what evaluation is (and isn’t!), then discuss reasons to have your child evaluated and what can come from it.

Let’s jump in!

This month, I am focusing on one common neurodivergent diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Understanding of ASD has changed a lot in recent years, so in this post, I’ll cover how and why this understanding has changed, some basic information about ASD, and what to do if this profile seems like it could fit your child.