The Rhythm of Conversation | Episode 30
Episode 30: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman The rhythm of conversation. This video is especially nostalgic for me to watch now. In Episode 30, you actually see me teaching my son a strategy we called the rhythm of conversation. The strategy began because my son told me he wanted to be one of the “cool kids.” Of course, I told him he was already a cool kid. What he was really trying to communicate was that he wanted to make friends and was having difficulty connectin
Helping My Child Understand Autism | Episode 29
Episode 29: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman Helping my child understand autism. In Episode 29, we discuss something I believe is essential to self-awareness and self-advocacy: talking to your child about autism. When my son was about 8 years old, I realized I wanted to begin inviting him into his own IEP meetings. Then it occurred to me: How could I invite him into a meeting about him without first making sure he understood that he had autism? So, I told him. There
The Village Starts Before the Classroom in Warrenton, VA
Today I had the opportunity to return to Fauquier Community Action Committee Head Start in Warrenton, Virginia, an agency I have had the pleasure of partnering with for three years. One of the things I appreciate about this team is that every time I return, they are ready to learn, reflect, and add new strategies to their practice. In fact, they were the first Head Start program to put the Acorn Affirmation on their bulletin board. So, they have been sipping the Top-Notch Koo
Giving My Child the Gift of Time | Episode 28
Episode 28: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman Giving my child the gift of time. In Episode 28, we discuss one of the most valuable resources we can give children as they grow and develop: Time. I have never been in a rush with my son. My background in early childhood and human development taught me that skills build upon skills. I understood that there were foundational skills he needed before he would be prepared to develop the next level of skills, and I wanted to g
Teaching My Child to Speak Up for Himself | Episode 27
Episode 27: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman Teaching my child to speak up for himself. In Episode 27, we discuss developing self-advocacy—the ability to understand what you need, identify who can help you access it, and speak up for your own best interests. I began this work with my son long before he had the words to advocate for himself. Even when he was not yet verbal, I understood that the absence of spoken language did not mean the absence of an opinion. So, I
The Acorn in the Eyeglass Case in Tallahassee, FL
Today, I had the pleasure of working with the Capital Area Community Action Agency team right here in my own backyard of Tallahassee, Florida. It was invigorating to watch the team grasp the concepts of the Top-Notch Village™ framework. It always does my heart well to see the lightbulb moments and the a-ha moments on people’s faces as the pieces begin to connect. Then, at the end of our time together, I received a the most beautiful Godwink. The Early Childhood Development Ma
Helping My Child Build Friendships | Episode 26
Episode 26: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman Helping my child build friendships. In Episode 26, we discuss my son’s growing desire to make friends and establish meaningful connections with people outside of our family. This was one of the more difficult parts of his development for me to watch. I wanted him to have friendships because he wanted them. But as his mother, there was something else underneath that desire for me. I know I will not live forever. I have alwa
When the Acorn Movement Took Legs in Hempstead, NY
This morning, I witnessed the most beautiful thing.❤️🥰 I watched the Acorn Movement take legs. At the end of my signature keynote, we have an Acorn Commitment Ceremony where service providers make a commitment to the children they serve. Typically, we use one tree representing the entire agency. The Assistant Head Start Director of the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County, Inc. in Hempstead, New York, had the brilliant idea to create one Acorn Commitment Tree for
Helping My Child Engage with Others | Episode 25
Episode 25: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman Helping my child engage with others. In Episode 25, we discuss a characteristic of autism that has required continued attention throughout my son’s development: he can become so deeply focused on his own thoughts and interests that he may not naturally acknowledge or engage with the people around him. As a Young Tree, relationships outside of our family were becoming increasingly important to him. So, we began working more
Helping My Child Read Emotions and Social Cues | Episode 24
Episode 24: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman Helping my child read emotions and social cues. In Episode 24, we discuss emotions, facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and other social cues that my son needed explicit support learning to recognize and interpret. As he developed, we practiced looking beyond the words someone said to consider the other information present in an interaction. What was their facial expression? What did their tone communicate? W
