Have you ever thought about how your words can change the way someone sees themselves? When Susan Golubock , an autistic retired occupational therapist, said, “If someone had just told me it’s okay to be different, everything could have changed,”  it stopped me in my tracks. Because how many times have we—parents, teachers, or therapists—used words that were never meant to hurt, but did? Words like “obsessed,” “fixated,”  or “perseverates.” We were taught to use them to d

Have you ever watched a child push too hard, crash into things, or seem “too rough,” and thought, “They just need to calm down”? What if I told you they’re trying  to calm down — their body just doesn’t know how? When an autistic child pushes, pulls, jumps, or squeezes, it’s not random. It’s communication. The body is sending a message:👉 “I need input. I need to feel where my body is so I can feel calm.” In this week’s conversation, Susan Golubock, autistic occupational ther

Have you ever looked at a child or client who won’t start  — a task, a conversation, or even a simple request — and wondered, “Why won’t they just do it?” Do you even feel this yourself sometimes? We’ve all been there. As therapists, teachers, and parents, it’s easy to interpret hesitation as defiance, avoidance, or lack of motivation. But what if that pause, that moment of stillness, is actually the brain working hard to connect the dots? In this week’s video, Susan Golubo

What if being praised for following directions and “fitting in” came at the cost of losing who you truly are? For many autistic...

Have you ever walked out of an autism assessment with pages of scores and a sinking feeling of now what? Traditional, deficit-based...

Have you ever walked into a therapy session feeling anxious, unsure how to connect with your autistic client or student? Maybe you’ve...

Last week, we introduced the “Teach Me the Way I Learn So I Can”  form. Parents, teachers, and therapists loved the idea—but many of you...

Starting school—or starting something new—can feel overwhelming for autistic children, their parents, and their teachers. One of the...

How often do we hear an autistic child’s behavior  labeled as “bad”? 👉 Kicking a wall. 👉 Shouting in class. 👉 Repeating the same...

When we think about supporting autistic children, most of us lean on structure, routine, and repetition. These tools feel safe,...

When most people hear the term “joint attention in autism,”  they picture a child looking at an adult, following a point, or sharing a...

Have you ever worked so hard to support an autistic individual—only to feel stuck, like progress isn’t happening no matter how many...

Understanding Autistic Communication Through Actions I remember watching a client hit their head repeatedly and feeling absolutely...

Ever wonder why a child stops trying to communicate? It might not be about ability—it might be about your response. Every gesture,...

Have you ever walked into a session—or a parenting moment—already overwhelmed, only to find that the smallest thing sets you off? Maybe...

What If the Behavior You’re Trying to Stop Is the Key to Understanding? So many parents and professionals ask the same question: “Why is...

“Stop comparing us to neurotypical development.” That powerful quote from Susan Golubock, a retired autistic occupational therapist,...