by Joyeberhardt | Jun 27, 2024 | ADHD, Child Development, Hypermobility
I found out that I was hypermobile before I found out I was neurodiverse. I was working in primary care at the time and had been dealing with horrible, debilitating shoulder pain for years. Finally, I went in to see a physical therapist, who told me that my...
by Joyeberhardt | Jun 12, 2024 | Behavior Challenges, Child Development, Fidgets
When I was growing up, if you were fidgeting with something in your hands—for example, while doing classwork at school—the perception was that you weren’t paying attention. I remember being reprimanded as a kid for making 3D pyramids out of post-it notes while...
by Joyeberhardt | May 22, 2024 | Autism, Child Development, Pets
It’s no secret that children feel a lot of big emotions. Most children will rather quickly learn how to express those emotions in a socially acceptable way. My child was not one of those children. My child—like so many neurodivergent children—was prone to huge...
by Joyeberhardt | Apr 28, 2024 | Autism, Child Development
April is National Autism Acceptance Month, and it’s great to see so much attention around autism awareness and acceptance. In recent years, I’ve definitely seen the way society talks about autism shift—but we still have a long way to go to destigmatize this...
by Joyeberhardt | Apr 12, 2024 | Child Development, Playful Parenting
Why can’t children just “do as we say” and follow our rules? Put on your shoes. Turn off the TV. Do your homework. Take a bath. They’re simple commands! However, for some children even the simplest commands are often met with meltdowns, defiance, and even aggression....
by Joyeberhardt | Mar 21, 2024 | Child Development, Parenting
My child started kindergarten. I didn’t know if they could draw a circle much less a picture of a face. They moved quickly and dance-painted with their feet. We’d roll out butcher paper and fill the void with tempura paint wonder. Often the mural turned into a slip...
