by Sara | May 6, 2018 | Autism, Life skills, Social Skills
Making Friends
Do you have a teenager that has difficulty making friends at school? Friendships can be difficult for some teenagers to form and then maybe even more difficult once they leave school. Making friends can sometimes be a hard skill for teens on the autism spectrum. They may have a hard time understanding how to make conversation or how to ask someone questions to get to know them better. It could be hard to find mutual interests. Or they may not even be interested in making friends. It can be hard to learn who is actually a friend and who may be someone taking advantage of you…
They may have difficulty reading body language to understand if someone is interested in what they are saying or not. They may have a hard time understanding how to work together or when playing games how to share. There are a lot of skills that go into making friends and these can be overwhelming and difficult to teach at times.
That is why we wanted to put together some FREE resources and websites for you to check out to see if they may help you and your teen with making friends. Finding meaningful friendships can have a wonderful social impact for all teens throughout their life.

Free Resouces!
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Check out our Free Social Situation Cards below! Feel free to download them by entering your name and email below. When you download this freebie you will also be signing up for our weekly newsletter!

We hope you find these free resources helpful on your journey to help your teen with friendships. Let us know in the comments below which freebie is your favorite or if there is anything else you would like to add!
by Sara | Apr 27, 2018 | Autism, Life skills, Positivity, Social Skills
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is an important skill to learn, especially for teenagers and older kids to help them manage and regulate their emotions as they become adults. Helping them see themselves in a positive light will have lasting impressions on them as they get older. They will have increased confidence in their abilities and hopefully see themselves in a positive way.
Finding activities that older kids will want to participate with can be a challenge sometimes. They may not see the purpose of the activity in the moment, but these types of activities can have a long-lasting impression on their lives. That is why we found some FREE activities that you can try with older kids whether you are a parent, teacher, therapist, or professional to help you find just the right activity for your teen.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure statement for further details.
FREE Self-Esteem Activities for older kids
Some of these free activities are on the website Teachers Pay Teachers where you will need to create a free account to be able to download these worksheets. Click the titles of the activities below to be taken to the free download!
Self-Esteem Activities for Secondary Life Skills Students
Self-Esteem Dice Game
Self-Esteem Activity: “I am special and unique!”
Counseling worksheet for self-esteem
Social Skills Rubrics: Self-Esteem Pack Freebie
18 Self Esteem Worksheets and Activities for Teens and Adolescents
We hope that you can find a free activity that will work for your situation. Let us know in the comments below if you found any of the activities helpful for your teen!
Looking for more amazing resources?
Check out our new ebook Making Sense of the Teen Years: A Sensory Processing Guide

by Sara | Apr 18, 2018 | Sensory

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for further details.
Books about Sensory Processing For Teens
As a family, we know that it can be difficult to find books and resources about sensory processing for teens. there just isn’t a lot out there and lots of the sensory activities can be geared towards little kids. We wanted to let you know about some amazing resources that we did find about sensory processing for teens and we hope that you find these books helpful as well as we did.


The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up: Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder in the Adolescent and Young Adult Years (The Out-of-Sync Child Series)


The Sensory Team Handbook: A hands-on tool to help young people make sense of their senses and take charge of their sensory processing


The Aspie Teen’s Survival Guide: Candid Advice for Teens, Tweens, and Parents, from a Young Man with Asperger’s Syndrome


Let us know if you find these books to be helpful for your teen in the comments below!
by Sara | Apr 18, 2018 | Autism, Sensory

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for further details.
Fidget Toys for Teens
Fidget toys and objects can be a great way to help teens with sensory processing difficulties calm down, organize, focus, and keep their attention. They can be a great tool when the teen is anxious, stressed, or needing to keep their focus in a classroom. It can be a challenge sometimes to find fidgets that teens will want to use. We have created a huge list of ideas for fidgets that your teen may like to use.
Flyspin Golden Wheel Hand Spinners 6 Sided Cool Metal Fidget Spinner DIY Toys With Premium Ceramic Bearing (Assembly Model)
Infinity Cube Fidget Toy, Luxury EDC Fidgeting Game for Kids and Adults, Cool Mini Gadget Spinner Best for Stress and Anxiety Relief and Kill Time, Unique Idea that is Light on the Fingers and Hands
5-Pack of Stretchy String Fidget / Sensory Toys (BPA/Phthalate/Latex-Free) – Stretches from 10 Inches to 8 Feet!
Spiky Sensory Ring / Bracelet Fidget Toy (Pack of 3) – BPA/Phthalate/Latex-Free – Fidget Toys / Sensory Toys
by Sara | Apr 14, 2018 | Autism
Autism Acceptance
April is more commonly known as Autism Awareness month, but I want to support Autism Acceptance month. I know that we always need to bring awareness to others about autism and how to support people with autism, but I want it to go a step father and bring about acceptance with autism. I want to be able to talk about autism in a positive light and share all the wonderful things about autism.
When I think about my brother I want others to see him for who he is as a person and how wonderful and amazing he is! Because he truly is an amazing person!! I love how his brain works with how good he is with computer skills, science, and history. He has an amazing memory and remembers things that I have a hard time remembering. He has so many strengths and I want people to see those things about him.
I wanted to share this with you all because I would love for you to share with me some positives that you feel about autism and what you wish other people would know about autism. This month let us bring love, joy, and happiness to autism and share why we love someone with autism! I would love to hear what you have to say! Please let me know in the comments below!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for further details.
Here are some great posts about Autism Acceptance and helpful posts about Autism.
Here is a list of some of our families favorite books about Autism!
The Reason I jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen Year old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida


The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism by Kristine Barnett


NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman


Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes you Knew: Updated and Expanded Edition by Ellen Notbohm


Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant


In a Different Key: the Story of Autism by John Donvan & Caren Zucker


Carly’s Voice: Breaking Through Autism by Arthur & Carly Fleishmann


A Parent’s Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: How to Meet the Challenges and Help your Child Thrive by Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, & James C. McPartland


The Anti-Romantic Child: A Memoir of Unexpected Joy by Priscilla Gilman


Autism Every Day: Over 150 Strategies Lived and Learned by a Professional Autism Consultant with 3 Sons on the Spectrum by Alyson Beytien


Somewhere Over the Sea: A Father’s Letter to his Autistic Son by Halfdan W. Freihow


The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed by Temple Grandin

Autism Spectrum Disorder (revised): The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism by Chantal Sicile-Kira


The Obsessive Joy of Autism by Julia Bascom

Kids Beyond Limits: The Anat Baniel Method for Awakening the Brain and Transforming the Life of your Child with Special Needs by Anat Baniel


The Social Skills Picture Book: Teaching Play, Emotion, and Communication to Children with Autism by Jed Baker


The Social Skills Picture Book for High School and Beyond by Jed Baker


I See Things Differently: A First Look at Autism by Pat Thomas


It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: An Autism Spectrum Guide to the Confusing World of Idioms, Metaphors, and Everyday Expressions by Michael Barton


Motivate to Communicate!: 300 Games and Activities for your Child with Autism by Simone Griffin


All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism by Shaina Rudolph & Danielle Royer