Sara Winter is a mom of two boys and the founder of squag.com a recreational application for kids with autism to connect with one another.
I’m in a unique position in that my work life and my family life are incredibly intertwined; they have been for a while now. It allows me to pull learning and relationships through both to do my best work. The theme that seems to come up over and over again lately is encouraging others to [...]
My parents have a cottage on a remote lake deep in the woods. We’re lucky enough to go to each summer. One of my favorite happenings in nature is to encounter a deer unexpectedly in my path. There’s something about seeing deer in the wild that is so connective; they lock your eyes without flinching [...]
Social media has been a game changer for artists, bloggers, poets, whiz kids and film makers in the ASD community. Leaders like Carly Fleischmann, Paul Siebenthal, and Kerry Magro have found their voice and it’s given them ability to reach so many parents, kids, educators and professionals living and working with awesome kids on the [...]
I sat in the dark and cried this afternoon. Please don’t get the wrong idea – they were tears of joy. I was sitting in the school gym at my nephew’s school. The kids were rehearsing their end-of-the-year school play. I’ve worked as his aide at this particular school for the better part of a [...]
“Without our traditions we are as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” -Fiddler On The Roof, 1964 Tradition = Regulation I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions lately (both religious and otherwise); observing them, creating them and seeing them through the eyes of my kids. It occurred to me that traditions and rituals are [...]
One of my all-time favorite TED talks is Approaching Autism Theatrically in which the totally brilliant Stephen Volan discusses how his experiences in an improv theatre troop helped him to learn the social language of neurotypicals. While Volan discuss the productive uncertainty of improv, theater (as a more general framework) has all the necessary components to [...]
Friendship is one of those intangible words we throw around a lot. But what is a true friend anyway? Just recently, I witnessed a great discovery in the classroom I work in. The sixth graders were asked to write a poem about friendship. I work part-time as an aide to my nephew Leo, who has [...]
In today’s world we all decompress in front of our screen of choice – Whether it’s texting on our phones or cheering on our favorite football team we all need to detach for a moment (or longer) in order to take . For many kids with special needs, screen time is almost always associated with [...]
What is Handle? H.A.N.D.L.E is an acronym for Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency. It was created by Dr. Judith Bluestone, who developed it based on her own experiences with autism. Why I Like It H.A.N.D.L.E is a sensory integration therapy and it’s changed the way I look at everything. It’s taught me to read [...]
School is well under way and I see many kids walking through the halls literally under a mountain of stuff. How do we help kids on the autism spectrum not only keep track of it all, but in a perfect world, take ownership? Here are five tips I’ve learned along the way as a fly [...]
