Welcome to the Guiding Growth blog, we’re so glad you’re here!
As a parent of a child with autism, you already wear so many hats—caregiver, advocate, and everything in between. This blog is here to support you with practical advice, expert insights, and real stories from families just like yours.
Whether you’re looking for tips to make daily routines smoother, ideas to support your child’s development, or answers to questions you’ve been pondering, you’re in the right place. Our goal is to make your journey a little easier and to help you feel confident every step of the way. Let’s grow together!
You can leave a session with three separate scraps of information and no clear record of what happened. One parent remembers the therapist's advice, another caregiver remembers the child's mood shift, and the clinician has a rushed mental note that feels too thin to trust later. Therapy session notes are what turn that blur into […]
Therapy Session Notes: A Guide for Parents & Clinicians Read More »
You're in the middle of a busy day, and your child has already had a rough stretch. Maybe there was a meltdown before breakfast, a hard transition at school drop-off, and a night of broken sleep, but now you're staring at a clinician who asks, “When did this start, and what seems to set it
Your Child Development Tracker Guide for Neurodiversity Read More »
You're probably already doing behavioral data analysis, just without calling it that. You notice your child melts down more often after a rushed morning. You remember that sleep was off the night before. You wonder whether a noisy store, a skipped snack, or a change in routine played a part. Then the day gets busy,
Behavioral Data Analysis: A Guide for Neurodivergent Kids Read More »
You sit in the specialist's office with your phone open, three note apps half-organized, a paper from school folded in your bag, and one important concern already slipping out of reach because the visit feels rushed. By the time the appointment ends, you've answered questions, heard recommendations, and left with the sinking feeling that the
Specialist Communication a Parent’s Guide to Better Care Read More »
You're probably reading this after a long day. Your child had a rough moment at school, or a meltdown in the car, or a shutdown that seemed to come out of nowhere. Then the pediatrician, therapist, or teacher asks a simple question: “What happened right before it?” And suddenly the details blur. Was it the
A Parent’s Guide to a Symptoms Tracking App in 2026 Read More »
Your child is on the floor, intently focused on lining up toy cars by color. Ten minutes later, they're crashing into couch cushions, chewing a shirt collar, or refusing to touch finger paint. If you're a parent of a 4-year-old, that mix of fascination, avoidance, energy, and overwhelm can feel confusing fast. Most parents I
You've probably been there already. Your child is in speech therapy or occupational therapy, you're working hard to support routines at home, and still you find yourself searching late at night for one more thing that might help. Better sleep. Less digestive discomfort. Fewer overwhelm moments. More ease in the day. That search is understandable.
Holistic Healing for Autism: Safe & Effective Approaches Read More »
Your child is sobbing in the grocery store because the lights feel too bright, the cart is squeaking, and someone brushed past their arm. Or maybe mornings fall apart over socks, shirt tags, or toothpaste. From the outside, these moments can look sudden or confusing. From the inside, your child may be dealing with a
Sensory Regulation Autism: Expert Support & Tools Read More »
You're probably here because you searched for symbols for autism and found a mess of mixed messages. One website shows a puzzle piece. Another uses a rainbow infinity loop. A school handout uses blue. An autistic adult you follow online says blue and puzzle pieces feel upsetting. You want to be respectful, but you also
Your kitchen table might look like a care team exploded on it. A developmental report is tucked under an insurance letter. The neurologist's medication change is in your email, but the school nurse still has last month's dosing sheet. You know the information exists. You just can't put your hand on the right page when
How to Organize Medical Records for an Autistic Child Read More »
Your child was fine in the parking lot. Then you walk into the grocery store and everything shifts. The lights are harsh. A cart squeaks nearby. Music is playing overhead. Someone brushes past too closely. Suddenly your child covers their ears, drops to the floor, or bolts toward the exit. Most parents know this moment.
You're probably reading this after a hard moment. Maybe your child is halfway dressed, one shoe is missing, breakfast is untouched, and a simple reminder somehow turned into tears, yelling, or total shutdown. By the time school drop-off happens, if it happens on time, you already feel like you've failed the day before it started.
How to Parent a Child with ADHD: A Practical Guide Read More »
You're probably here because you've seen magnesium mentioned in a parent group, a supplement roundup, or a late-night search when your child couldn't settle, sleep, or poop comfortably. You want to help. You also don't want hype, pressure, or false promises. That's a wise place to start. Magnesium for autism is one of those topics
Magnesium for Autism: A Parent’s Evidence-Based Guide Read More »
Your child is pulling you toward the pantry, crying harder by the second, and you know they want something. You just don't know what. You try choices. You point. You guess. They get more upset. You feel helpless, and they feel unheard. That moment is where many families start looking into a PECS communication book
PECS Communication Book Autism: A Step-by-Step Guide Read More »
You're sitting at a conference table with a draft IEP in front of you. The pages are full of phrases like “will improve social skills” and “will make progress in communication.” You read them, nod because everyone else is nodding, and still feel that sinking thought: This doesn't sound like my child. That feeling is
You're probably here because the same thing keeps happening. A pediatrician, BCBA, teacher, or therapist asks, “What did the last week look like?” and suddenly you're digging through texts, paper scraps, half-finished notes in your phone, and your own tired memory. By the time you piece it together, the details that matter most are fuzzy.
Daily Communication Log Autism: A Practical Guide Read More »
If you're reading about ABA home therapy at the end of a long day, you're probably not looking for theory. You're looking for something that helps tomorrow morning go better than today did. Maybe transitions are rough, maybe communication breaks down fast, or maybe you keep wondering whether what you're doing at home is helping.
ABA Home Therapy: Your Step-by-Step Parent Guide Read More »
You tell your child, “If you finish your homework, you can have screen time.” Some days that works. Other days your child argues, stalls, or seems not to connect your words to what happens later. A therapist might say, “We need to build rule following,” but that can sound more complicated than it needs to
Understanding Rule Governed Behavior ABA: A Parent Guide Read More »
It's late. Your child is finally asleep, and you're sitting with your phone, searching phrases like vitamins and autism, best supplements for autistic children, or can low vitamin levels affect behavior. One article sounds hopeful. The next sounds dismissive. A parent in a forum swears one supplement changed everything. Another says it did nothing. After
Vitamins and Autism: An Evidence-Based Parent’s Guide Read More »
You're probably looking at a pile of possible materials right now. A wooden board, a zipper from an old jacket, a light switch from the hardware store, maybe a few textured scraps you saved because they felt “useful someday.” The hard part isn't attaching things to a board. The hard part is building something your
Sensory Board Autism: DIY Guide to Build & Customize Read More »
You're standing in the kitchen after another hard moment. Your child just melted down over something that looked small from the outside. Maybe it was being asked to put on shoes. Maybe it was turning off a tablet. Maybe it was walking into a noisy store and suddenly shutting down. Now you're replaying it all.
Antecedent and Consequent: A Parent’s Guide to Behavior Read More »
Your child has a cupcake at a birthday party, a juice box on the ride home, and a few pieces of candy before dinner. Then the evening falls apart. They get silly and frantic, then tearful, then completely overwhelmed. You're left wondering whether you just witnessed a sugar rush, a sensory overload, or both. If
The Truth About Autism and Sugar: A Parent’s Guide Read More »
Your child walks through the door holding a sleepover invitation like it's a golden ticket. They're excited. You're proud. And somewhere under that pride, your stomach tightens. If your child needs nighttime protection, especially if they're neurodivergent and sensitive to fabric, noise, smells, or changes in routine, sleepovers can feel loaded before they even begin.
Your child is chewing the shirt collar again. Yesterday it was the pencil eraser. Last week it was the sleeve of a jacket, the corner of a toy, and maybe even hair or fingers. Most parents I meet feel two things at once in that moment: concern and confusion. You want it to stop because
Sensory Chew Toys for Autism: Your Complete Guide Read More »
You notice it while your child is standing by the window. Two fingers move quickly in front of their face. Later it happens again in the grocery store line, then during a favorite cartoon, then when the room gets loud. Your mind starts racing. Is this normal? Is it anxiety? Is it autism finger flicking?
Autism Finger Flicking: A Supportive Guide for Parents Read More »
You're watching your child line up for the school bus, or bounce at the park, or tear open a birthday gift they've wanted for weeks. Then their hands start moving fast. Up and down. Maybe both hands at once. Maybe with a squeal, a big grin, or a tense face that tells you they're overloaded.
It's 6:30 p.m. You've asked your child to start homework, clear their plate, or take one bite of a new food. Within seconds, the room changes. Maybe they cry, bolt, hide under the table, throw the pencil, or go completely quiet and shut down. You're not trying to be harsh. You're trying to get through
Escape Extinction ABA: Guide for Informed Decisions Read More »
Internal industry audit data shows that 80% of ABA session notes fail at least one payor requirement. That number changes the conversation. ABA session notes aren't just paperwork. They affect reimbursement, continuity of care, and whether a family can clearly understand what happened in therapy. As a practitioner, I've seen the same tension over and
Some mornings unravel before breakfast. A child freezes when it's time to get dressed. Shoes suddenly feel impossible. Toothbrushing turns into a negotiation. You repeat the same directions, louder each time, and everyone starts the day flooded. That pattern doesn't usually come from laziness or defiance. It often comes from a mismatch between what the
A Morning Routine Visual Schedule for a Calmer Start Read More »
When your child has unexplained stomach aches, rashes, or sudden behavioral shifts, it’s easy to feel lost. As a parent, your gut tells you something’s not right, and often, the first place we look is at what they’re eating. The single most powerful tool you have at this stage is a food and symptom diary.
How to Identify Food Sensitivities in Your Child Read More »
