Guiding Exceptional Parents

Guiding Exceptional Parents Giving you resources and knowledge so you can confidently and effectively help your exceptional chil

I support families in two related ways: (1) Care coordination for children with special needs, and (2) as a Relationship Development Intervention consultant*.

"No matter how much I mask, volunteer, or try to help, I eventually find myself becoming disliked and shunned." - sadly ...
09/14/2026

"No matter how much I mask, volunteer, or try to help, I eventually find myself becoming disliked and shunned." - sadly a common experience for autistic people in social groups. I love the last line: "There is extraordinary beauty in human diversity, but that beauty can only flourish when we stop demanding conformity as the price of living in society."



Community organizations shape many parts of modern life, but for some autistic adults, navigating the unwritten social rules can become an invisible barrier to life.

This whole series is excellent, and I particularly like this final essay. His guidance for teachers and employers, to he...
09/10/2026

This whole series is excellent, and I particularly like this final essay. His guidance for teachers and employers, to help their students/employees understand the purpose of learning, to provide autonomy, and to focus on process and dedication rather than outcome is spot on.




Being driven is a powerful strength for people with co-occurring autism and ADHD that brings dedication to what is valued, creating possibilities for growth, contribution, and achievement.

The idea that some sibling rivalry is due to conflicting sensory profiles is SO TRUE. I see it in so many families! I li...
09/09/2026

The idea that some sibling rivalry is due to conflicting sensory profiles is SO TRUE. I see it in so many families! I like her suggestions, and I also appreciate that she acknowledges that parents and their kids can also have conflicting sensory profiles.



Opposite sensory needs can cause conflict between siblings that is more intense than the usual sibling rivalry, but families can take steps to support these conflicting needs.

This article makes the case for a more nuanced view of the relationship between vaccines and autism. "Vaccination should...
09/07/2026

This article makes the case for a more nuanced view of the relationship between vaccines and autism. "Vaccination should therefore be considered neither the presumed cause nor an automatically excluded variable. It is one potential input into a much larger biological system."

Read here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/deconstructing-illness/202608/autism-and-vaccines-questions-science-hasnt-settled


Where are you in the debate over autism and vaccines? Challenge your perspective: It's not about winning the debate; it's about making our children safe.

Helpful guide to learn more about the private schools you are considering sending your child to.
08/27/2026

Helpful guide to learn more about the private schools you are considering sending your child to.



It can be really hard to get transparent, comprehensive information about private schools. Our investigative reporters share some suggestions for parents and guardians who want to collect it themselves.

This is really niche, but if you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, Marfan syndrome, or another connecti...
08/17/2026

This is really niche, but if you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, Marfan syndrome, or another connective tissue disorder, this guidance from the National Academies explains the possible impacts, as well as when those impacts are considered disabling under the Social Security Disability policy.



Heritable disorders of connective tissue (HDCTs) are a diverse group of inherited genetic disorders and subtypes. Because connective tissue is found throu...

Helpful description of a lesser-known condition that can co-occur with autism: aphantasia.Aphantasia is an inability to ...
08/11/2026

Helpful description of a lesser-known condition that can co-occur with autism: aphantasia.

Aphantasia is an inability to visualize mental images. When someone with aphantasia tries to visualize an apple, a loved one's face, or a childhood memory, they experience no mental pictures.

Instead of mental pictures, their mind works with facts, concepts, and knowledge. They know what a horse looks like — four legs, mane, tail — they just can't see one in their head.



Aphantasia means you can't voluntarily picture things in your mind. Learn the signs, how common it is, what it feels like, and take the free VVIQ test.

A consensus research definition for profound autism: "adaptive functioning well below age level, requiring adult supervi...
08/10/2026

A consensus research definition for profound autism: "adaptive functioning well below age level, requiring adult supervision to ensure physical and mental health, safety and well-being, being at least 8 years old, diagnosed with ASD, and having severely impaired cognitive abilities (reflected by IQ score below 50) and/or not verbally communicating other than single words or fixed phrases used predominantly to have their basic needs met."




Background The diagnostic term, autism spectrum disorder, encompasses the full range of impairments associated with the autism spectrum, a significant change from earlier DSM definitions that identified various subtypes of autism. However, the majority of autism-related research and cultural represe...

Living the dream....
08/03/2026

Living the dream....



For decades, ADHD was viewed as a childhood condition that mostly affected boys. Researchers now know ADHD manifests differently in girls, but many still go undiagnosed until adulthood.

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