Social Skills Unscripted

Have you ever felt caught in the middle between wanting to support your kids in what they want for themselves, and wanting to make sure they will be functional, successful adults?

It can be a tricky balance when it comes to setting boundaries, allowing failures, and giving advice.

In this week's e...

You know that visual of an iceberg that often gets used to describe things being 'under the surface'? It's a way to demonstrate what is seen compared to the monstrosity of what is not seen about a situation.

On this week's podcast/YouTube channel, I'm jumping into chores and hygiene. Talk about an...

A couple months ago I was talking to a mom about her family. She shared that her kids are both neurodivergent, and so is she, and so is her partner! She felt like the most challenging part was knowing how to support them socially when she feels socially challenged herself.

In my experience, whe...

Mel Robbins, one of my favorite people to follow and listen to, says, "You are one decision away from a completely different life." I'm a huge believer in the power of this concept. I also feel like it's very applicable when it comes to making friends.

Sometimes our kids struggle to make friends...

There's something about this time of year that seems to make parenting, teaching, just 'peopling' in general more difficult. 

The shine of the new school year has worn off.

Kids who haven't adapted so well to the transition are really struggling.

Holidays are on the horizon, which can cause ex...

We are back from fall break!

In the last 2 weeks, I have moved to another state and gone on an 8-day road trip by myself.

While it seems like this would mean less social interaction since I'm no longer around people I know, it has actually required so much more!

On this week's podcast/YouTube e...

I just spent the weekend moving to another state! I knew I was moving, but I didn't know where I was going for sure until about a week ago. My ADHD brain loves novelty, adventure, and change, so it's been a fun experience!

I chose the place I moved to because of a certain program they have there...

You know those times when your neurodivergent kiddo is being defiant, or argumentative, or disruptive? Maybe disrespectful, or even dramatic? What's up with that??

In this week's episode, I'm sharing multiple reasons why our kids can be 'prickly' sometimes. A lot of them are things you may have nev...

My main focus at Starfish Social Club is our kids' relationships with other kids. This is, after all, a social club to teach and support neurodivergent kids in getting along with other kids. 

But it's important to recognize that the main source of what our kids think and how they feel about relatio...

One of the most important pieces of advice I share with parents of neurodivergent kids to build connections with their kids and try their best to understand them. I realized I haven't talked much about HOW to do that.

Today's episode is all about this topic!

First, please stop asking your kid ho...

When I teach my students about the concept of 'reputation', one of the things we talk about is that it's totally fine and normal to act differently in different contexts. We SHOULD act differently at family dinner than in the school cafeteria. It WOULD be a good idea to talk to the principal or our ...

It's back to school season for those of us in the US!  

That's why my guest this week is someone who works alongside our kids in the school system every day!  

But first, a story.  

A couple years ago, I saw a social media post from this dude who is a therapist and teaches social skills to ADHD b...