Our Content
Perspectives For Parents:
Advice & Support from Parents & Caregivers
One Quick Question: “Will my young child with special needs need to do therapy forever?”
July 22, 2021
If your child has a disability, it may feel like they will be in therapy forever. In this 2-minute video, Anne Hindrichs and Kim Haynes from the McMains Child Development center in Baton Rouge give us the straight story.
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One Quick Question: My child is turning 3 and is ready to transition out of Early Intervention… but no one is calling me back about school or services. What should I do?
July 13, 2021
Your child is turning 3 and is ready to make the transition from Early Intervention to pre-school or services, but no one is calling you back. Now what? In this 2-minute video, Joyce Ridgeway lays out what you can do next to advocate for your child.
Read moreProviders and teachers: want to support children with disabilities? Support their parents.
June 30, 2021
Providers and teachers: you know that one of the best ways to support children with disabilities is to support their parents. Exceptional Lives makes it easy.
Read moreWhat is Sensory Processing? And can it help explain my child’s behavior?
June 2, 2021
Sensory processing issues make it difficult for our brains to process and filter information that comes through our senses. So how do we support our children?
Read moreThe Boys (and Girls) of Summer
March 29, 2021
When it gets sunny out, we all start to think about summertime. But camp plans are complicated, especially during COVID, and even more so for those of parenting children with disabilities. Here, two parents of children with disabilities share their plans for child care during summer.
Read moreMy child has a disability and I do not: How do I make sure she has role models?
January 26, 2021
Last Wednesday my daughter saw herself in the mirror. We watched the presidential inauguration together and she saw herself reflected everywhere we looked. There was Captain Andrea Hall, the hearing daughter of a Deaf parent, recited the Pledge of Allegiance in ASL, my daughter’s primary language.
Read moreHow can I make remote school easier for my child (and me!)?
January 21, 2021
I’m not going to ask how remote school is going for your family because I see you sitting with your phone in the one quiet corner of the house taking a minute to yourself. I get it. I’d share my secret stash of chocolate if I could. This isn’t easy to manage.
Read more2021 Parenting Mantras
January 8, 2021
2020 was a tough year for us parents (and for everyone), and 2021 has started off with quite a bang. But a new year gives us a chance to pause, breathe, and set our intentions for how we move forward with our children. Here are some of our favorites.
Read more5 myths about adopting children with special needs – from a 12-year-old adoptee and her mom.
November 20, 2020
November is National Adoption Month and my daughter, Lucy, and I want to talk about some of the myths we have heard about adopting children with special needs.
Read moreDeaf with a capital D
September 22, 2020
My daughter can hear the doorbell ring -- once in a while. She can hear dogs barking and she says something that sounds a lot like “bless you” when you sneeze. She sings “Wheels on the bus” without any recognizable English words, but with a close enough approximation of the tune that anyone would recognize…
Read moreMy favorite thing about being Deaf, by Addie
September 21, 2020
For International Week of the Deaf 2022, Addie, age 11, tells us her favorite thing about being Deaf.
Read moreWondering if you made the right decision about back-to-school in 2020? Bring cookies.
September 2, 2020
I want to talk to you about back to school. (Hang on one second while I stuff cookies in my face. This is my new coping strategy for how to deal with back to school feelings and I don’t have time to judge myself about it right now so let’s just let that part be.)
Read moreWhat do you mean, ‘Self Regulation is the new IQ’?
August 22, 2020
Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR explains more about self-regulation following her presentation with ELI's Kitchen Conversations, Summer Style webinar series where we talked about mixing Occupational Therapy into summer fun at home. Find the full webinar (30 minutes) with closed captions and transcript here: /webinars
Read moreWhat if the siblings are always around?!
August 22, 2020
Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR answers this question that many of us are asking, how can we support our child with self regulation challenges when we're also managing multiple siblings? This question is a follow up from ELI's Kitchen Conversations, Summer Style webinar series where we talked about mixing Occupational Therapy into summer fun at home.…
Read moreWhat are some activities for children who have difficulty accepting different foods or textures?
August 22, 2020
Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR answers this question from Abby (thanks, Abby!), following ELI's Kitchen Conversations, Summer Style webinar series where we talked about mixing Occupational Therapy into summer fun at home. Find the full webinar (30 minutes) with closed captions and transcript here: /webinars
Read moreI can’t always understand my child and I feel terrible-Help!
August 22, 2020
Cindy Harrison, M.Sc., Reg. CASLPO – Speech Language Pathologist helps us think about how to speak to our child when we have trouble understanding him or her. This question is a follow up from her presentation with ELI's Kitchen Conversations, Summer Style webinar series where we talked about mixing Speech and Language Therapy into summer…
Read moreAm I doing enough?
August 22, 2020
Cindy Harrison, M.Sc., Reg. CASLPO – Speech Language Pathologist answers this important question we ask as parents, "how do we know if we're doing enough to help our children?" This question is a follow up from her presentation with ELI's Kitchen Conversations, Summer Style webinar series where we talked about mixing Speech and Language Therapy…
Read moreWhat strategies can I give my child to help her be understood?
August 22, 2020
Cindy Harrison, M.Sc., Reg. CASLPO – Speech Language Pathologist answers this question about helping an older child to problem solve ideas to help people understand what she is trying to express. This question is a follow up from her presentation with ELI's Kitchen Conversations, Summer Style webinar series where we talked about mixing Speech and…
Read moreHow can I connect with my child who prefers to be alone?
August 22, 2020
Marcela Mota Aversa is a Clinician & Early Education Mental Health Consultant at The Home For Little Wanderers and a Gallery Educator at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. In this video clip she answers "how can I stay connected with my child when he seems to prefer to be alone?" This question is…
Read moreHow can I help my child to not spend so much time on screens?
August 22, 2020
Marcela Mota Aversa is a Clinician & Early Education Mental Health Consultant at The Home For Little Wanderers and a Gallery Educator at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. In this video clip she answers "how can we help our children to stay off screens even when we as adults are on our phones…
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