You don’t make friends instantly because you have one thing in common! It takes time to make friends and you have to go through a bunch of steps before you can call someone your friend. Learn four steps to friendship and the social tasks you need to complete to advance to the next level. Comparing friendship to a video game, the object is to beat each level and move up to the final and best level of friendship, when you and your friend enjoy spending time together outside of any activity that you share. Learn how in this Tip O’ The Day.

Arguing destroys the fun and friendship! If you find yourself getting stuck in arguments, GET UN-STUCK! Learn this quick and easy script to free yourself from endless debates with two or more people shouting the same point back and forth. find out how to GET UN-STUCK FROM ARGUMENTS in this Tip O’ The Day.

Let’s define a conversation TOPIC as a file or an app that has a TITLE. When you click on the app, everything about that app opens up on your screen, and you can use it or play the game. Our minds have “files” with titles for each thing you know about or do. In a coversation, two or more people click on the same app and open those files. Then, you can share information and ask each other about them. Read more about how to use these mental files to make conversation easier!

DON’T ANNOY! There are certain behaviors that you might do that almost guarantee that kids will act frustrated or angry towards you. Learn several of the key things you should avoid - and what you can do instead - to NOT make yourself a likely target for meanness or hostility. Keep your great reputation and save the TEAM FOR FUN with this Tip O The Day.

Not all play is created the same! You need to play differently when it is cooperative imaginative play versus when you are playing something competitive like a board game or sports. The goal in BOTH is to have fun. But each has its own special objective. Cooperative play is to extend the play sequence and play LONGER. Make the fun go on and on. The goal with competitive play is to earn another game by keeping it fun with sportsmanship. You need to be a good sport both when you win AND lose. How do you achieve these goals? Read this Tip O’ The Day!

Conversation is like a friendly game of tennis. How do you serve up conversation, volley it back and forth for a rewarding amount of time, and change games(topics)? Find out in this Social Skills Tip O’ The Day!

Here is an email question I received from a parent asking whether their child is overscheduled with therapies and activities:

Parent: My son has swimming and basketball on Saturday, social skills groups with you on Tuesday, and a cooking class on Wednesdays. He always loved gymnastics and I would like to sign him up, but is that too many activities? How do I know how much is too much?

Me: Good question! It is always good to assess how your child’s activity/therapy load impacts them. First, consider…

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.