“You never know what you can do until you try, and very few try unless they have to.”

—C.S. Lewis

Trying new things can be difficult or even scary for children on the autism spectrum. There are a variety of opinions on how hard we should "push" autistic children and adults to try new things. I personally think that it is a balance. I would encourage parents to keep a steady morning and bedtime routine but to try new things late morning or early afternoon when children are most alert, relaxed and in the right headspace.

We can do this in a variety of ways, subtly or deliberately. Deliberately could be " hey we are going to try one new thing every day this summer, at this time, we are going to try a new food (or hobby, or experience etc). You can do this as often or as little as you feel is necessary and healthy for your individual child.

As a parent of a child with autism I often find that too many changes, too many new things in one day, it may go well for a short while but it eventually bombs at nighttime so I suggest sticking to one a day, at least at first.

This is why I created "The Summer of New Things"

It is a resource to help introduce the idea of trying new things to your child. Summer is a fantastic time to check out what works and what doesn't, and without the daily pressure of school schedules it is my favorite.

Included are: A short story about a boy who likes everything to be the same but is encouraged by his father to do the Summer of New Things Challenge. Also included is a 3 page checklist of new things for your child to pick and choose or try to do them all this summer!

Helping you thrive inch-by-inch!

<3 Ashley