Halloween for Children with Autism – It May Be a Trick to Have a Treat: PLAY Project Tips to Make Your Halloween Fun! (For ages 10 and under)! Richard Solomon, MD No matter the age – if you have a child with autism, “Halloweening” may be a challenge especially during this ‘scarier than Halloween’ pandemic!...
De- schooling Autism “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” by Richard Solomon MD, FAAP September 2020 Everywhere you look in the news now, there’s an article about the return to classes in the fall and the chaos that COVID 19 is causing school...
By Diane Cullinane M.D. “‘Good job!’ is a phrase used frequently during treatment sessions with autistic children. What message does a child receive from hearing, ‘Good Job!’? We hope they hear our interest, encouragement and approval. However, when ‘Good Job!’ becomes a habit, is it still successful in conveying this meaning? Or, does it simply...
Written by Richard Solomon, MD For the longest time I wondered why so many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) loved trains and wheels as their favorite ‘special interests’. When I finally figured it out, I not only answered my question but learned something fundamental about human nature. Let me start by telling you about the...
“Play provides a beautiful avenue for relating, learning, and just having fun in and of itself,” explains Ashley Case, a pediatric occupational therapist by profession and a full-time mom, in her article published on Motherly: “To the parents who don’t think they’re good at ‘playing’—you are.” Case encourages parents to play with their children, provides...
Autism & Kindergarten Readiness* Richard Solomon, MD Is Jacob Ready for Kindergarten? Jacob Grant (name changed) is five years old with a birthday in December. The family arrives at my developmental and behavioral pediatrics practice for some advice. They live in Michigan. Jacob has had an excellent, comprehensive, and intensive intervention program for the last...
Dear Dr. Solomon, My husband and I have two daughters, Zoey, 4 and a half and Autumn Sky, 2 years old. Zoey is autistic. After a healthy pregnancy, she was born on her due date. From the beginning she had trouble transitioning to her new life. Her first year (and beyond) quickly filled with appointments...
By Onna Solomon, MSW Parent Question: It seems we are getting a bit of a mixed message between our P.L.A.Y. and ABA therapists. Our daughter often becomes frustrated and will be aggressive when she struggles to communicate what she wants (she is not talking, but does use some signs). Our lead ABA therapist said we...
We are so grateful for the opportunity to share what this family has to say about their experience with The P.L.A.Y. Project: How old is your child? Would you mind sharing your child’s story? My son Preston is 4 1/2. We first got involved in The P.L.A.Y. Project a year ago after he was evaluated...
A P.L.A.Y. Project mom has graciously allowed us to share a guest post she recently wrote for jenniferajanes.com’s series Autism Is… In Tammy’s post, ‘Autism Is…My Greatest Teacher,’ she shares several important lessons she has learned from her daughter, noting that “in reality, Beth has taught me more than I have taught her. I knew...
