How We are Prepping Our Daughter for 6 Months Out of the Country
My family is going to Argentina for six months. We are leaving in the beginning of June and coming back in the middle of December. We are going for my husband's job and we're pretty excited about it! The question I've been getting a lot, though, is how are we preparing our daughter for this big change and this trip? For context, our daughter is seven. She is autistic and change is hard for her. So I wanted to share a couple of things that we are doing to help her with those transitions.
Putting Together The Autism Binder
So my seven year old is autistic, and when she was going through the process of being diagnosed, a family member recommended that I start putting everything together in a file. The file included her evaluation, anything I was concerned about, her IEP, etc. and that turned into this binder. Each year I add to the binder, and it's time to do that now. I need to add the stuff from this year into the binder, also get a new binder. So while I'm reworking the whole thing I figured that I could show you everything that goes into this as well as all of the supplies that you need, including the $5 download that I created that makes putting it together a breeze.
What We Are Doing During Our Daughter’s Break From Occupational Therapy
So as you all know by now we are moving to Argentina for six months. Conveniently our move happened to also coincide with Jackie's occupational therapist of 2 years going on maternity leave. She's been in occupational therapy every week for almost three years, but we decided that it would just be a good time to have a natural break instead establishing a relationship with a whole new therapist. However, occupational therapy has been really great for Jackie and it's also been great for me because when I'm struggling to help her work through something, I can run it past her therapist and she helps me brainstorm ideas. I knew that we needed to figure out something to do while we are having our break from OT, so let's talk about it!
Snack Boards and ARFID
I know every single content creator out there has some version of a snack board they make for their kids, but since my daughter has ARFID I wanted to share ours because it is actually a really big deal for our family.
Updating My Daughter’s Visual Schedule Board
My daughter's visual schedule board needs a little bit of an update. She's three years older than when I originally made it, and the frame I was using just doesn't have enough space to put as many activities throughout the day as my daughter would like.
Home Decor That's Neurodivergent Friendly
I wanted to share some neurodivergent friendly home decor ideas. As a reminder, I have ADHD, my husband has ADHD, our daughter is autistic, and we have a 10 month old. These things work for our neurodivergent house, they might not work for yours, but there's some ideas to start you off.
How We Keep a Routine During Winter Break
Keeping a routine during a break from school is especially important to our Neurodivergent house. My husband and I both have ADHD, our daughter is autistic and we have a new baby this year as well. I have inattentive ADHD, which means that I thrive not on a schedule and left to my own devices. I am perfectly content to lay around and do nothing all day. On the other hand, my autistic daughter desperately needs a schedule and routine in order to do well throughout the day. So let's talk about how we manage that during a break from our normal routine.
ND Friendly Holiday Gift Ideas
There are tons of holiday gift guides going around, but I wanted to give you a gift guide is a little more niche: one specifically for the neurodivergent loved one in your life. These are all gifts that we have gotten and have at our home and we absolutely love each them. Obviously every neurodivergent person is going to be different. So that might not be a good fit for them, but this is a good starting point.
Accommodations We Use in Our Neurodivergent House for the Holidays
Accommodations we use in our neurodivergent house for the holidays. As a reminder, both my husband and I have ADHD, our daughter is autistic and we have an infant. Many of these accommodations we already use throughout the year, but some are specific to the holidays because of how different things are this time of year.
Social Stories to Help Prep for the Holidays
It's holiday season and if you have a neurodivergent family member, you know, this time of year can be kind of hard. With all of the excitement, parties, holiday foods, family and fun brings new routines, loud noises, new smells and over stimulation. All of this can be very overwhelming for someone neurodivergent and it can be hard to know how to help them navigate this time. So I have rounded up all of the social stories that I already have available on my site that can help prepare your neurodivergent family member for all of the change and potential travel that you may have this time of year.
My Process for Making a Space More Neurodivergent Friendly
If you've been following me for a little while, you know that a lot of the DIY projects that I do in our home are to better utilize the space for our neurodivergent family's needs. While I've talked about WHAT makes these new spaces neurodivergent friendly, I want to talk through my process of HOW I better utilize our space to make it more neurodivergent friendly.
Where to Find Sensory Friendly Halloween Costumes
It's almost Halloween, which means it's time for Halloween costumes. If you have an autistic kid or a kid that struggles with sensory input, this post is for you! I want to share a few shops that have really great sensory friendly Halloween costumes while also being great for every day clothes too!