Social Skills Unscripted
The number one reason parents register their kids for either the group program here at Starfish Social Club or my 1/1 support is because they recognize their child doesn't have friends. This can be a very emotional and pivotal point for parents.
But you know what event may be even...
One of the things I really enjoy about being an adult is being able to figure out what I need to be happy and functional. It has taken me a while to be honest, but I'm grateful to have the autonomy to know what I need and be able to integrate the things I need into my life.
Our kids often...
My main goal here at Starfish Social Club is helping kids learn the skills and strategies that make it easier for them to make friends. While we all notice when our kids are struggling socially, I don't think we always realize how much it can impact the quality of their lives.
I came...
When I was little, the situation that was most likely to cause me to melt down was having to wear shoes. I HATED wearing shoes. I spent a lot of my childhood in Jellies. (If you don't remember Jellies, they were my generation's version of Crocs.)
One of the big challenges with...
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Have you ever thought about how much your ability to communicate shapes your life?
This has been on my mind a lot recently. From moving to a place where I don't know anyone to traveling to countries where English isn't the native language, I've become very aware of...
I am often part of conversations about the need to parent and teach our nontraditional kids in nontraditional ways. Sometimes I'm even leading these discussions. Usually this has to do with the way we utilize incentives, consequences, resources, accommodations, teaching strategies,...
The number one concern I hear from parents is that their child or teen or young adult doesn't have friends. That is by far the primary reason parents enroll their kiddos in my program.
The second most common observation parents share with me is that their kiddo doesn't get social clues and...
I've been noticing a lot of articles and posts lately about emotional regulation. I've even seen it mentioned that difficulty with regulating emotions is the ONE symptom of ADHD that everyone who is diagnosed experiences.
Because of this, terms like 'overreactive',...
I often struggle to describe exactly what I teach to the students in the program here at Starfish. Partly because my ADHD brain has a hard time translating my thoughts into words sometimes, and partly because there is just SO much that goes on here!
I usually use the term 'social...
Have you ever been part of a conversation or been in a situation where you feel like you are missing something? Where it feels like everyone else knows what's going on except you?
This week's podcast/YouTube episode with Dr. Michelle Hu dives into what it feels like to ALWAYS feel that way....
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This photo is of my extended family at Christmas dinner, taken when I was a child. Can you spot me?
Yep, I'm the kid who is NOT having a good time.
Why? I have no idea. All I know is that I was a difficult kid.
Why? Again, I have no idea. I was...
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Since last week's podcast/YouTube episode became this week's episode, I decided to publish two episodes this week. Now I kind of feel caught up!
While it's not fun to talk about depression and anxiety, I feel like it's definitely necessary.
I looked...