Receiving a diagnosis of ADHD, ASD, or another neurodivergent condition for your child can be both overwhelming and reassuring. It helps you better understand your child's unique strengths and challenges, but discussing it with them requires care and sensitivity. In this article, Dr. Minna Chau, Chief Child Psychologist and Founder of Sprout in Motion, shares expert advice on how to approach the conversation with your child, empowering you to support their development and promote self-acceptance.

Speech therapists play a key role in helping young children feel confident and communicative as they approach their kindergarten interviews. Through targeted language exercises, social skills practice, and personalized support, they guide children to express themselves clearly and interact comfortably. This foundation not only boosts children’s interview readiness but sets them up for success in their early academic and social journeys.

Psychoeducational assessments help parents understand and support their child’s learning and development. By identifying specific needs early, like reading difficulties or attention challenges, assessments enable targeted interventions, personalized learning plans, and exam accommodations, empowering children to thrive academically. Working with qualified professionals ensures reliable insights to guide effective support strategies for your child’s success.

In inclusive education, shadow teachers, or educational assistants, play a vital role in helping children with diverse learning needs successfully integrate into mainstream classrooms. By providing individualized academic, emotional, and social support, shadow teachers foster inclusion, helping students reach their full potential while promoting a positive and collaborative learning environment for all.

Selective mutism is a complex anxiety disorder where children who can speak remain silent in specific social situations, often at the start of the school year. Understanding and addressing this condition requires patience and support from both parents and teachers to help the child gradually overcome communication challenges.

Occupational therapists help children strengthen essential executive functioning skills like attention, emotional regulation, and impulse control. Through targeted interventions, they address sensory processing challenges, supporting children's ability to focus, manage emotions, and plan tasks—crucial for academic success and personal development.

As AI technologies like ChatGPT emerge, there's excitement about their potential in education. AI can significantly aid students with dyslexia by offering personalized learning tools, speech-to-text features, and multisensory experiences. However, challenges such as access, cost, and ethical concerns need to be addressed to fully unlock AI’s potential in supporting dyslexic learners.

As a parent, noticing your child becoming increasingly anxious about going to school can be concerning. While occasional reluctance is normal, 'school refusal' involves extreme distress at the idea of attending school. This isn't just about not wanting to go—it's about intense fear or worry. Understanding the signs and knowing how to respond can make a significant difference in helping your child overcome this challenge.

Writing can be especially challenging for children with autism, often leading to frustration and problem behaviors. As writing demands increase around 3rd grade, these difficulties may manifest as refusal to work or even physical aggression. Understanding the root causes is crucial. This article explores seven reasons why writing is tough for autistic children, focusing on factors like fine motor skills, labeling, and organization. With targeted support and interventions, we can help create a more positive writing experience for these learners.

The start of a new school year often brings excitement and anxiety for both children and parents. One significant transition is meeting a new teacher. As a parent, you can play a crucial role in easing this change. This guide offers practical tips, such as preparing your child emotionally, sharing key information with the teacher, and establishing routines. By fostering open communication, staying positive, and getting involved, you can help your child navigate this transition confidently and set the stage for a successful school year.

Get ready for the new school year with ease! Avoid last-minute stress by gradually adjusting bedtimes, organizing study areas, and shopping early for supplies. Encourage high schoolers to budget and set study rules to ensure a smooth transition. Enjoy the final days of summer while preparing for a successful school year ahead.

Traveling by plane can be an exciting adventure, but for families with neurodiverse children, it can also present unique challenges. Navigating busy airports, enduring long flights, and managing sensory overload can be daunting. However, with thoughtful preparation, a compassionate approach, and the right strategies, families can embark on their journeys with confidence and ease. This blog will provide essential tips for ensuring a stress-free travel experience for neurodiverse travelers, from pre-flight preparations to in-flight strategies and building partnerships with airlines. By embracing these practices, families can create wonderful travel memories and make air travel a more inclusive and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Developing joint attention skills is vital for your child's learning, socialization, and overall development. By understanding the concept of joint attention and implementing strategies to promote it, you can support your child in building strong foundations for communication, social interaction, and cognitive growth. Remember to be patient, celebrate small successes, and seek guidance from professionals, such as behavior analysts and ABA therapists, who can provide tailored support for your child's unique needs. Together, we can empower children with autism to thrive and reach their full potential.

Extended breaks, like summer vacations or holidays, offer precious family time but can also challenge parents psychologically. This blog explores common parental struggles during these periods, such as burnout, stress, guilt, and social pressure. Discover effective coping strategies to maintain mental well-being, from self-care and time management to seeking support. Learn how to create a positive and fulfilling break for your family while prioritizing your mental health.

Even during summer break, you can help your child with ADHD strengthen their executive function skills, which include planning, organization, memory, and self-regulation. Take advantage of the break to engage in activities like planning a family trip, organizing a sports tournament, or creating a field trip itinerary. These fun and meaningful tasks offer excellent opportunities for your child to develop essential life skills in a relaxed, enjoyable setting.

For children with ADHD, forming friendships can be a challenging task, but parents can play a crucial role in helping them navigate social interactions. In this article, we are sharing with you 14 strategies that parents can use to assist their children in making friends.

Parenting with ADHD can be overwhelming, particularly if untreated, as it can impair organizational skills and stress management. Women often learn they have ADHD in adulthood, due to differences in how ADHD manifests in boys and girls, leading to underdiagnosis in girls. Many women with ADHD are misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression.

Treating ADHD in parents can significantly improve their ability to manage their children’s needs, including medication and appointments. This is crucial as untreated ADHD in parents can lead to inconsistent management of their children’s ADHD, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment.

When children with autism grow up, parents may consider sending them to mainstream kindergarten. However, parents may worry about whether their child can adapt to school life, what difficulties they may encounter, and whether they will exhibit problematic behaviours such as crying or throwing tantrums. Alternatively, if the child is already attending kindergarten, parents may frequently receive negative feedback from teachers, despite their efforts to teach their child at home. All of these issues can cause great distress for parents.

How Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Helped Me Regain Confidence in Managing My Child's Behavior

When I became a mother to my beautiful son, Shawn, I couldn't have been happier. However, as he grew, I noticed that his behavior was becoming increasingly challenging. At four years old, Shawn was often uncooperative, defiant, and seemed to struggle with self-control. As a young mother, I felt unsure of how to handle these issues and began to lose confidence in my ability to manage Shawn's behavior effectively.

Twice exceptional, also known as 2e, refers to individuals who are both gifted and have a learning or developmental disability. These individuals have exceptional abilities or talents in one or more areas, such as academics, creativity, or leadership, but also have a disability, such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism, that can hinder their ability to learn and function in certain areas.