“Connection is not based on identification with others’ experiences or reciprocal sharing but rather on, assisting others and being assisted by others in the search for answers. We might even say that systemic constellation work is not really a group therapy but rather a therapeutic group experience.”
By Jennifer Cook O’Toole, social worker, teacher, “Aspie Mommy” and author of Asperkids. Long before my first baby could read, she knew her logos. Mommy…
“Disputes inevitably test mediators’ skills to the limit. They are also a powerful reminder of what I refer to in some detail in the book: namely that they should never be applied outside of a framework of appropriate professional values, attitudes and cultural sensitivity and awareness. Skills, strategies and professionals practice can never be value-free.”
“Having daughters on the spectrum has made me a better parent. I really think about my parenting, and I understand that my role is to help my girls develop into the best people they can be. It is not about me, and what I want for them. It cannot be about ego, and I think that is a valuable lesson that parents of children with special needs learn early on, but one that all parents need to learn.”
Here are some helpful tips for adoptive parents and foster carers to ensure that holidays are fun for everyone—especially for the anxious child. By Deborah Gray, MSW, MPA,…
Here, Jennifer Cook O’Toole – “Aspie Mommy” to three young Aspie children and author of the forthcoming book, Asperkids – shares some thoughts about World Autism Day, celebrated every…
A personal perspective from Tony Whatling, mediation consultant and trainer, and author of Mediation Skills and Strategies: A Practical Guide. Kabul revisited The flight from…
“I think it’s really important to stay in communication with us, as human being to human being – because we are still human beings with a spirit. And it’s spirit to spirit that we can really stay in touch.”
“One orthopedist operated on a boy without my knowledge on a Friday afternoon. Fortunately, the mother and grandmother knew I had insisted that physical therapy should be started immediately. The child’s school physical therapist was a friend and made house calls over the weekend, so the boy would not stay in bed. He was able walk for several more years because of this. Thus, parents and grandparents must be very aggressive in order to be sure that appropriate orthopedic surgery is being done and physical therapy received, as needed.”
“When we were creating our Reward Plan we decided that it had to be 100% focused on the positive… [W]e were well aware of the negative impact our son’s out-bursts were having on his self-esteem, and we certainly didn’t want to add to that! And so our Reward Plan was born, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it was almost an over-night success.”