Even when offered the choice of playing with either a doll or a toy truck, girls will typically pick the doll and boys will opt for the truck. This isn’t just because society encourages girls to be nurturing and boys to be active, as people once thought. In experiments, male adolescent monkeys also prefer to […]
Hormones Explain Why Girls Like Dolls & Boys Like Trucks was first published to www.mysiblingdolls.com
As parents, we do our best to open the different possibilities for our children. We stock our baby’s shelves with all kinds of toys, from baby dolls to tractors and everything in between (read: gender neutral). So why is it that our little princess always reaches for the dressed-up dollies, and our young firefighter pulls […]
Why Girls and Boys Play Differently is available on http://mysiblingdolls.com
It’s the millennium and boys still like trucks and girls still like dolls. We are told that the source of these robust preferences must lie outside society — in prenatal hormonal influences, brain chemistry, genes — and that feminism has reached its natural limits. What else could possibly explain the love of preschool girls for […]
The blog post HERS; Why Boys Don’t Play With Dolls is available on http://www.mysiblingdolls.com/
An 8-year-old boy asked his mother: “Where are the American Boy dolls?” while they were at the sprawling American Girl Place store in Chicago, that mecca for big and little girls. They had just finished walking through the historical dolls gallery, after first looking at the dizzying array of dolls that could be made to […]
Where Are the American Boy Dolls? See more on: www.mysiblingdolls.com
In a Youtube video series titled “Ask Cristen”; host Cristen talks about dolls and boys, as requested by one of her commenters. During this series, the discussion was foused about the general effects of dolls toward children of both gender. Commonly, it has been a tradition that dolls are for girls and trucks are for […]
The blog post Why Don’t Boys Play With Dolls? is courtesy of My Sibling Dolls Blog
A British toy company, Makies, is known for being vibrant and diverse Infact, the company is known for allowing kids to customise printed dolls to their preferences. Thanks to the toy company, children can now make dolls in all different shapes, sizes, skin colours, and hair types. Makies is not stopping there. Now they have […]
A New Line of Dolls with Disabilities was first published on http://www.mysiblingdolls.com/
Enter a toy store, and what do you see? Toy products are often separated by gender — “pink stuff” and dolls are classified as “girl toys” and boys are directed to play with action figures and trucks. But that doesn’t mean that parents should insist and strictly let their children follow what is dictated by […]
The article Why One Dad Encourages His Sons To Play With Dolls Find more on: My Sibling Dolls Doll Blog
Since 9-year-old, Sam Gordon, a Football phenom, has been in the spotlight after her dad posted a highlight reel of her out-of-this world football skills. The video (and plenty of others) quickly went viral because she’s not only the smallest player on the field — she’s the only girl. Three years later, with the nickname […]
12-Year-Old Female Football Star Sam Gordon On Why Girls Should Play Sports was originally seen on My Sibling Dolls
Let boys be boys and girls be girls. Although we, parents, have no control over these things in the long run, and our children be themselves (whoever that is). No matter what we do to keep our daughters from wanting to play princess and wear pink and purple all the time, it’s not going to […]
The post Why I’m Letting My Girl Be a Girl Find more on: Loretta Boronat
Rebecca Cohen was spending time with her sister and her family, when something quite disturbing to her anti-sexist sensibilities occurred. It started when her 4-year-old niece began playing with the princess costume trunk she’d just received for her birthday. She was eager to show it off. As she entertained the whole family by parading around […]
Let Him Play With Dolls was originally published to My Sibling Dolls
Izzy Cornthwaite, Star Wars fan, wanted a Darth Vader costume and lightsaber for her eighth birthday. Upon exploring the UK Disney Store’s website with her mum, Rebecca, she was devastated to see that the outfit was listed as a “boys’ costume”. “Her face fell,” says Rebecca. Her eyes “filled with tears and she said ‘I […]
Darth Vader is for Girls, Too: The Young Fan Who Forced Disney to Change Toy Labels was first published to http://mysiblingdolls.com
Author Brian Gesko recalls that during his childhood, his constant companion was Babydoll Baby. She had red lips and big eyes embroidered on a plush face, and little brown knots sewn into her head for hair. For years, Babydoll Baby was his best friend. Gesko thought fondly about Babydoll Baby on Monday, when the Facebook […]
Are We Still Talking About Whether Boys Should Play with Dolls? See more on: http://mysiblingdolls.com
A Sesame Street episode in which “Baby Bear” is told it’s OK for boys to play with dolls has received Owen Strachan’s rant. Strachan is the executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and although his views on “biblical” gender roles are understandable, it may be different for other people’s perspectives; and […]
God Made Boys to Play with Dolls was first published on My Sibling Dolls Doll Blog
According to a study, baby boys may prefer to play with a Barbies over a Tonka truck. The research at the University of Western Sydney suggests this is because boys prefer objects with faces over machines. In the study, four and five month-year-old babies were shown pictures of male and female humans and dolls, as […]
Forget Toy Trucks and Cars! Young Boys Prefer Playing with DOLLS, Claims Study is republished from My Sibling Dolls Blog
Baby dolls are fantastic to have during the toddler years,both for boys and girls, because they are full of potential for teaching children about themselves and the world around them. They offer kids with a lot of opportunities to learn and develop their cognitive, fine motor, and self-help skills that are the building blocks for […]
The blog post Why Kids Should Play With Baby Dolls (YES, Even Boys!) was first published on My Sibling Dolls Doll Blog
What happens when a child decides to cross the gender boundaries? Society has known about gender stereotypes ever since- blue is for boys and pink is for girls. A scenario was set up at Meyer’s Toys in Livingston, New Jersey, and send in actors to see what the people would say when our father struggles […]
A Boy Wants A Doll: What Would You Do? is republished from http://www.mysiblingdolls.com/
A fraternal twins were brought up with so little discrepancies that it came to a shock when somewhere around their first birthday, the baby girl started favoring around the toy chest’s lone baby doll tending to its manifolds needs as much as her rudimentary coordination would allow and at the same time the boy twin […]
What My Twins Taught Me About Gender Stereotypes Read more on: http://mysiblingdolls.com/
Nowadays, shops have increasingly been under pressure into making toys ‘gender neutral.’ But why can’t we let girls just be girls and boy just be boys? It would take real courage from anyone these days to fight against political correctness of our time and at the same time follow your very own nature. It appears […]
Why It’s Not Sexist To Say Boys Should Never Play With Dolls was originally published to http://mysiblingdolls.com
Swedish regulatory group says that it is discriminatory for toy catalogs to show girls playing with tea sets and boys with Nerf guns. Reklamombudsmannen (RO) reprimanded Top-Toy, a license of Toys ”R” Us, for its “outdated” advertisements and has pressured it to mend its “narrow minded” ways of thinking. Thus, Top Toy introduced gender neutrality […]
You Can Give A Boy A Doll, But You Can’t Make Him Play With It is available on My Sibling Dolls LLC
Upon walking inside a toy store, you can see the evident usage of manufacturers for more and more gender messaging to sell their toys. The toys are specifically designed and marketed for boys and girls- without much overlap. Whether it be through color coding or design. It is clear that toy marketing reinforces gender stereotypes. […]
Should Toys Be More Gender-Neutral? is republished from My Sibling Dolls Blog
My very special customer, Catherine, posted this video of herself opening her My Pal of My School when he arrived at her home in Quebec, Canada. It is so rewarding to see something I created bringing so much happiness to someone so far away. Thank you, Catherine, for making this video!
Opening boy doll Trevor Samuel Find more on: My Sibling Pal Dolls
Ulla Seckler is a German immigrant who lives in Colorado with her family and makes beautiful handmade dolls to sell on the internet. While at the playground with her kids, she met a young mother with her four-year-old son and found out the woman’s dilemma about wanting to give her son the dollhouse he wanted […]
Waldorf Wednesday is Back! Or why Boys need dolls! is republished from http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
A lot of campaigns like ‘No Gender December’ (a campaign that encourages people, especially parents, to consider what kinds of toys they ought to buy in the lead-up to Christmas) and ‘Let Toys Be Toys’ strongly suggest that the gender stereotyping of toys restrict the creativity and development of children. Many parents disagree with this, […]
The post Barbie for boys? The gendered tyranny of the toy store Read more on: http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
Back in August, Target announced it was phasing out gender-based signs in some departments. And the giant retailer certainly made good on that promise right away despite the many criticisms it has received. Its stores all over the country have already removed references to “boys” and ”girls” in toy, home, and entertainment aisles. Toys are […]
The case for gender-neutral toy marketing See more on: My Sibling Pal Dolls
Barbie dolls are being modified to have slightly thicker thighs. And it’s not because they want to realistically represent the women of today, but to accommodate a rechargeable battery into each leg to power the concealed microphone that will make Barbie speak. Yes, it’s the new talking Hello Barbie. The new doll was on the […]
Is Brainy Barbie Really Any Better? See more on: My Sibling Pal Dolls
Katie Marcum is one mom who won’t tolerate letting other people tell her or her son that they are doing things wrong. She believes in letting a child express their freedom and choices– and that includes wearing pink, playing with dolls, or having nail polish on their toes. She agrees wholeheartedly with what she overheard […]
The article It’s OK That My Son Plays With Dolls Find more on: My Sibling Dolls
With Black Friday fast approaching and the holidays right around the corner, most parents’ thoughts usually turn to shopping for their loved ones especially their kids. But despite toys becoming increasingly more elaborate and expensive today, the gender binary in children’s toys has remained constant. For birthdays or Christmas presents, girls get Barbie dolls, baby […]
Girls, Boys, and Toys was originally published to http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
Peter Morris, senior adviser at the National Congress of American Indians, believes in letting his eldest (a four-year-old boy) play with dolls and wants the world to know it. This is his reaction to an incident in Washington, D.C where they we verbally accosted by another mum who thought it was “so gay” to see […]
Why I want my son, and all boys, to play with dolls Read more on: My Sibling Dolls Blog
One parent recounts how stumbling upon a pair of Zibits selling for dirt cheap at a favorite discount store led to an afternoon of pretend play when the kids basically turned the robots into remote-controlled dolls. They played popular children’s games like Hide-and-Seek and Tag, but also dug into their imagination to invent games such […]
The blog post Should Boys Play with Dolls? Black Friday Find and Grab was first published to http://mysiblingdolls.com/
UK Education minister Elizabeth Truss, speaking in a magazine interview, said that she doesn’t believe girls should be ‘pushed into fashion over farming’ and that parents should encourage and not force any interests on their child. She further says that parents should let their daughters play with gender-neutral toys like Lego to enhance their chances […]
The following article Gender-Specific Toys: Daughters Should Be Playing With Lego, Not Dolls is republished from http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
Mikki Willis of Ojai, California is a father who became a global internet sensation because of a video he posted back in August showing his support for his son’s choice of a toy –specifically, an Ariel doll from The Little Mermaid collection. It all started when his four-year-old son Azai received two of the same […]
Dad who praised his son for playing with a mermaid doll takes the four-year-old and his beloved toy off-roading to prove ‘how fierce a dolly can be’ is republished from My Sibling Dolls
Even in this age of advanced technology and supposedly progressive ideologies, there are still people who like to impose and instill in the children’s minds gender stereotypes that are old-fashioned to say the least. Ultimately, these children are forced into their “gender roles”- and and that is exactly a path that we need to steer […]
The following blog post You can’t like flowers, you’re a boy! Find more on: http://www.mysiblingdolls.com/
Kids constantly face a kind of pressure to fall in with established gender norms which are both strong and pervasive in our society. And nowhere is this more evident than with their toys and clothing. Each parent’s take on the matter is different from one person to the next. A lot continue to say they […]
The post Why do we still care if boys play with dolls? is courtesy of My Sibling Dolls Doll Blog
Infancy and preschool years are the most crucial time in a child’s life. It’s the time when they are developing new motor, cognitive, language, and social skills. That’s why it’s important to have the nursery and the playroom incorporate within them some elements that promote early childhood development. Toys should not only provide fun but […]
Ways to Nurture Early Childhood Development is available on My Sibling Dolls
The misguided and unfounded idea that vaccines cause autism was opened up again during the final 15 minutes of the second Republican presidential debate. The entire exchange, although brief, was uninformed and helped perpetuate misinformed beliefs that directly and negatively affect the autism community at large. CNN’s Jake Tapper, who moderated the said debate, posed […]
The following post 9 autism facts the presidential candidates (and you) need to know was first published on My Sibling Dolls LLC
Society is obsessed with labeling what is masculine and what is feminine. This obsession could lead to problems about gender roles especially for children who are deprived of their self expression at an earlier age. A boy playing with toys perceived to be for the opposite sex does not necessarily mean he is less masculine, […]
When boys play with dolls Find more on: http://mysiblingdolls.com/
Jennifer Zosh and her colleagues wanted to find out how the kinds of toys parents and their children play with impact their interaction with each other. Their study used a traditional, non-electronic shape sorter and an electronic shape sorter toy to compare the differences between each parent-child pair who participated in the experiment. The shape […]
The blog post Research shows that the type of toys matters when it comes to how parents speak is republished from http://www.mysiblingdolls.com/
Melissa Sohm, mother to 2-year-old Ryder, believes that gender differences are innate; and that the division between ‘girl stuff’ and ‘boy stuff’ seems arbitrary. She also thinks that holding on too tightly to gender roles is a disservice to ourselves and to the children. From her experiences and observations (such as during playtime), girls and […]
My son is a boy’s boy, but he plays with dolls was originally published on My Sibling Dolls Doll Blog
Soon-to-be-married couple Anita Lesko and Abraham Nielson, who are both on the autism spectrum themselves, will be joined by people who also identify as autistic on their special day. This will be the first-ever wedding where everyone on the wedding party (including the ring bearer, harpist, wedding cake baker, groomsman, usher and more) is an […]
Meet the First Couple to Have an All-Autism Wedding: ‘Autistic Children Can Grow Up and Have a Happy Life,’ Says the Bride See more on: http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
Jason Lunden, a scientist who has high-functioning autism (or what was previously known as Asperger’s syndrome), works as a postdoc with Emanuel DiCiccio-Bloom who is one of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s top autism researchers. Lunden has earned his PhD in neurobiology from Temple University in Philadelphia. He want to devote his scientific career […]
Rutgers scientist with autism uses experience in lab See more on: My Sibling Dolls
Britain’s biggest department store, Harrod’s, reopened its 26,000 square foot “Toy Kingdom” which has been broken into six interactive “worlds” instead of separating its aisles as pink for girls and blue for boys. It’s one small step in the right direction toward breaking down gender divide that starts at an early age through playtime according […]
Read More Here: When kids play across gender lines
Recently, the rampant increase in cyber breaches across many major companies have exposed highly sensitive customer information (like social security numbers, bank accounts and other vital identifying information) to fraud and other cyber crimes. This has prompted a lot of people to question these companies and to demand a huge improvement of the safety of […]
See More Here: Employers Take Note: People with Autism Ideally Suited to Fill Critical STEM Jobs
Abi Bechtel used the power of social media to call the attention of retail giant Target regarding their gender-based signs on toys, and she definitely got their attention. While shopping at one of their stores on June 1, she noticed an aisle that differentiated between “building sets” and ‘girls’ building sets” and decided to snap […]
Read Full Article Here: Boys can play with dolls, too
A mom, who is an avid listener to Fresh Radio 95.3 in California, sent an email on their #MOMday asking for some helpful advice on a tough choice she has to make soon. Her 3-year-old son (whose birthday is coming up) wants to get a dollhouse for his birthday gift but her mother-in-law is adamantly […]
See More Here: #MOMday – Can Boys Play with Dolls?
When her son (who has brain damage from a birth injury) was also diagnosed with autism a few months ago at the age of four, Meredith Masony felt that having a diagnosis frankly hasn’t made her feel any better, or that putting a label on his condition hasn’t given her some peace as she thought […]
See More Here: My Kid in the Closet: 5 Things I’ve Learned About My Autistic Child
It’s not everyday that we see teen shows tackling serious stuff, but popular TV sitcom “Girl Meets World” is about to take on some real-world issues like autism in its upcoming episodes. In one story development that will air this Friday (Sept 11), Farkle (one of the show’s main characters) thinks he has Asperger’s Syndrome– […]
Article Source Here: ‘Girl Meets World’ Is Taking On Autism In A Very Special Episode That’s Bound To Be Emotional
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology that was conducted by Paola Escudero of the University of Western Sydney in collaboration with the University of California used eye-tracking technology on children aged 3½ months to five months to determine their preferred object or toy, and came to the conclusion that the preference […]
Read More Here: Boys are born to prefer dolls over masculine toys like cars
Top Toy, one of the largest toy chains in Sweden, has published a gender-neutral Christmas catalogue featuring photos of boys playing with dolls and girls holding toy machine guns– and it has sparked another round of debates about views on gender roles in the country. Basically, the company produced identical Christmas catalogues for both Toys […]
Article Source Here: Swedish toymaker publishes ‘gender-neutral’ children’s Christmas catalogue
Brooke Lumsden’s heart sometimes breaks when she finds her 9-year-old son crying and wishing he was “normal” just like everybody else and often questioning himself about his interest in “girl’s toys”. At a young age, Brooke tried to make him understand that if he tries to make others happy by doing only the things they […]
See More Here: “Mummy. Why can’t I just be normal?”
The stereotyping of toys has caused a multitude of traumatic experiences for many young children. When a boy is caught playing with dolls by other boys, he would feel embarrassed and out of place. This prompts the boy to either lie or deny or run away. But the fact is, there is no reason why […]
Post Source Here: Boys Playing with Dolls! Oh No!
Diagnosing autism is a complex and often inexact science. However, new research shows two distinct genetic tests may help to identify, genetic mutation attributed to the autism condition. Researchers believed that this information can help parents identify if their next children will develop the same condition in the future and help parents create a more […]
Article Source Here: How Genetic Tests Could Help Parents Better Understand Their Child’s Autism
“Everyone loves buying dolls for baby girls and cars and trucks for baby boys — it’s simply what we do,” This statement comes from Dr. Paola Escudero, lead author of a recent study from the University of Western Sydney MARCS Institute that actually ended up challenging the widely-held theory that infant boys have an innate […]
Original Post Here: Boys Favor Playing With Dolls More Than Trucks: Researchers Find Male Babies Gaze Longer At Objects With Faces
There is a revolution happening in the toy industry. Niche markets that don’t conform to mass market tastes are gaining their own voice and calling for more diversity in toys. With the advent of Facebook and crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, that market is now very accessible and major companies are slowly falling in line. There […]
Read Full Article Here: Historical Figures Get the Superhero Treatment With New Toy Line
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated that about 1 in every 68 children are diagnosed with some level of ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and boys are nearly five times more likely to have it than girls. This proves true across all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic lines. “Autism” doesn’t just refer to one, […]
See More Here: New technologies analyze brain chemistry to develop treatments for autism
Aurora Sherman of the School of Psychological Science at Oregon State University has found that girls who play with Barbie dolls perceive fewer career options for themselves than for boys. the finding are based on an experiment conducted where the researched controlled a variable (i.e the type of toy each child played with) and produced […]
Original Post Here: Playing with Barbie dolls could limit girls’ career choices, study shows
By the age of 3, children become aware of their gender identity and start to form an awareness of the behaviors, interests and/or activities that are associated with their gender. Interaction with peers is one important way in which children learn about gender roles and develop gender-typed behavior and attitudes. From an early age, children […]
Read Full Article Here: Peer socialization of gender in young boys and girls
Many young adults who grew up with autism have the development skills of a child but are currently learning to live on their own. Through the right support (and also with the help of technology), individuals can learn to build a life despite the autism. DARS, or the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (and […]
See More Here: Programs seek to help young adults with autism gain independence
Parents these days are becoming aware of gender stereotyping and try to expose their children to toys and activities associated with the opposite sex. Although they may be becoming more mindful, it is still easy to get caught out with little gendered remarks that slip out unnoticed. In hundreds of little ways, parents can sometimes […]
See Full Article Here: Can boys play with dolls?
We Rock the Spectrum kids’ gym is opening in Derby to help in the growth and learning process for kids with sensory disorders like autism. The new gym provides a place for fun but also serves for a bigger purpose said CEO, Dina Kimmel. Dina Kimmel, whose own son has autism, started the gym 5 […]
Post Source Here: Gym opens to help kids with autism, sensory processing disorders
UK organization Let Toys Be Toys is calling on all retailers and manufacturers to drop the gender-stereotyped toy marketing strategies that organise toys by aisles and packaging for ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ and instead arrange them by theme and function rather than gender. For them, it is crucial for children to have access to a range […]
Originally Published Here: Why it Matters
Toddlers are just toddlers and spending many hours in imaginative play with other children or by themselves is an essential part of their development. They have no concept of gender specific programming; it is something that is learned from parents, older siblings and society in general. But toys today are becoming as gender specific as […]
Post Source Here: Gender & Toys: Does It Really Matter?
Autism Science Foundation founder Alison Singer thinks we may have been right to look at whether vaccines might be a cause of autism, but both have become so highly entangled over the past years– and an overwhelming amount of evidence has shown no link between the two– that she thinks it’s time for people to […]
Original Post Here: NOVA’s ‘Calling The Shots’ On Autism And Vaccines
If you find your boy playing with dolls and stuffed toys, there’s no reason to be worrying he would grow up gay. Melissa Atkins Wardy (a mother of two) believes that boys playing with dolls are learning about care and affection, things that would essentially help them as good fathers. She recalls how these values […]
Learn More Here: Boys Who Play With Dolls
Laura Perrins, a mother, is reacting to how some politicians and The Times are advocating that women are needed in engineering whether they have the inclination for it or not. She calls this the great Equality Spreadsheet which promotes that the hopes, dreams and desires for girls and female students do not matter but that […]
Read Full Article Here: Laura Perrins: The equality spreadsheet must be obeyed. Boys get to play with dolls, girls with spanners
Film production company CEO Mikki Willis believes in letting his boys choose their life. And that is exactly what he did when he accompanied his son Azai to the toy store to exchange one of the two identical gifts his son got for his 4th birthday with an Ariel doll that the little boy ended […]
Source Here: Dad cheers when son picks an Ariel doll: ‘I let my boys choose their life’
In the 1970s, gender stereotypes for children were less widespread when the advertisements showed gender-neutral roles for toys. But this changed in the 1980’s and 1990s when television promoted gendered toys and a study by sociologists showed that it is because of how toys were being marketed. Some people have raised issues on this. But […]
Source Here: Boxing Up Toys According To Gender − Who Is To Blame For Stereotyping Children’s Toys?
Psychologists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and University of Stirling in England found that people with high autistic traits produced fewer but more original and creative responses when generating alternative solutions to a problem-solving test known as divergent thinking. This study suggests there may be advantages to having traits associated with autism. Dr. […]
Read Full Article Here: Psychologists Dig Into Link Between Autism And Creativity
Children seem to know intrinsically which toys to play– boys usually pick cars and girls would pick dolls. Although there is nothing wrong with boys playing with dolls and girls playing with cars, some people would find it uncomfortable. Teresa McEntire, however, is one of those people who believe that it helps children become more […]
Original Post Here: Boys Playing with Dolls and Girls Playing with Cars
The interests and careers that are heavily dominated by women are among the most devalued in modern society. Little girls are often discouraged from the toys that actually encourage an interest in science, technology, engineering and math. They are instead being pushed to play with things that encourage an early interest in beauty or fashion. […]
Post Source Here: Why do marketers get to decide what toys are right for our children?
The toy industry reflects the culture we live in. There was a time in the past when there were no black dolls, just blonde ones with blue eyes. Doctor kits were always “for boys only” and nurse kits were for girls. There were also neutral toys back then but they weren’t very popular. Beth Thames […]
Read More Here: A doll named Mike: the Target toy controversy reflects culture we live in
Wonder Crew is a Northampton toy line that produces dolls for boys. The company wants to enhance creativity of boys and develop their emotional intelligence, social skills and empathy which are normally cultivated when playing “girl’s toys” like dolls. They want boys to grow strong like superheroes, and also caring like their moms. Their toys […]
Read Full Article Here: Northampton toy line that aims to break down gender stereotypes, ‘Wonder Crew,” vies for Super Bowl 2016 commercial
One of the most sensitive issues in this modern age is gender equality. There has been a huge clamour for equal rights for all male, female, lesbian and gay individuals. The gender awareness movement has now captured the marketing arena as well, and department stores and toy sellers (including the marketing giant Amazon) are now […]
Source Here: Toys Should Not be Gender-Specific
For someone who’s been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger’s syndrome, Hunter Petrimoulx has a difficult time calming down and focusing for very long if too many things stimulate his mind at one time. And because of this, making friends and performing in a traditional classroom setting is a real struggle for […]
Learn More Here: Michigan nonprofit helps kids with autism overcome obstacles through water sports
Fans at the Red Sox-Indians game at Fenway park on Monday night (August 17) were treated to a stirring rendition of the national anthem by Christopher Duffley, a 13-year-old blind and autistic singer who serves as an inspiration to young adults. His heartfelt rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” gave the crowd and the players […]
See More Here: WATCH: Blind 13-year-old with autism sings stirring anthem at Fenway
The experience of parenting is an intense mixture of emotions ranging from exhaustion to gratitude to sadness to pride. But these emotions are even more amplified when you have a child who has autism. These parents face challenges that only other special needs parents can understand. With the use of a secret-sharing app called Whisper, […]
Post Source Here: What It’s Really Like To Have a Child with Autism
The Advance has just named Nick D’ Amora the most inspirational Staten Islander in this month’s poll which asked readers to nominate Islanders whose life is an inspiration to many. Nick has autism and is non-verbal, but he is able to host seminars and communicate and share his opinions and make his own choices. Nick […]
Source Here: Inspirational Islander Nick D’Amora doesn’t let autism hold him back
There are no time-outs from autism for some children and their families who constantly struggle with major communication delays, sensory issues, seizures and gastrointestinal problems every day. But for one perfect summer day, these families can have a relaxing and enjoyable day at the beach just like any other family. Cathy Jameson and her son […]
Read Full Article Here: One Perfect Day Indeed
For the second year in a row, the community members, partners and non-profits in Dubuque are holding a very innovative Back to School Bash in Comiskey Park to help families prepare for the opening of the school year. One of the remarkable ideas they’ve come up with for this year’s event is to give out […]
See More Here: Iowa barber gives haircuts to children in exchange for them reading stories to him
The debate regarding gender-specific toys continues to rage on, and supporters and opponents from both sides are still weighing in on this hot topic among many parents and researchers alike. Some parents argue that gender doesn’t need to dictate play and that it’s perfectly natural for children to try out many of the roles that […]
Read More Here: Are Gender Specific Toys Beneficial or Sexist?
As a child with autism, Arie Copley-Radder had a very difficult time adjusting to the overwhelming sights and sounds he encountered when he first started school. He would get confused and agitated and would show signs of aggression towards his teachers, which made other children afraid of him. But thanks to the Citywide Autism Program […]
Originally Published Here: MINNEAPOLIS STUDENT WITH AUTISM FEARS SCHOOLS WILL SHORTCHANGE KIDS LIKE HIM
For children with Autism in the town of Duluth, Minn., their weekly visits to The Gymnastics Academy on Arrowhead allows them to have a space where they can be comfortable and safe enough to run around and burn-off some of their pent-up energy. For Amanda Keppers’ son, Christopher Stark, it provides him with a sense […]
Learn More Here: New Opportunity for Children with Autism at Gymnastic Club
Psychology professor Timothy Jay suggests that a newfound rise in the use of profanity among children can be attributed to the general rise of swearing among adults since the 1980’s. But children don’t appear to be using worse swear words than before– just common swear words more often, the new research observed. Children who swear […]
Original Post Here: Kids are learning to swear younger
Children with autism socially engage in a very different way compared to those who are neurotypical (or “neurologically typical”, a term referring to people who are not on the autism spectrum). The assumption has been that children with autism have a hard time reading people and their emotions. The Expertise Hypothesis suggests, however, that those […]
Article Source Here: Children with autism shouldn’t be forced to socialise
For Chaz Harris, hearing about a 17-month-old boy who got beaten to death by his mother’s live-in boyfriend after “acting like a girl” was really upsetting news. He believes parents (mostly fathers) should stop being so afraid of the idea of their son playing with dolls or entertaining the notion that the child will become […]
Source Here: Would you let your son play with dolls?
According to statistics, there are about four times as many boys as there are girls who are diagnosed with autism every year. And research indicates that the reason for this could possibly be because many girls go undiagnosed since the disorder can present differently in girls than it does in boys. So when Dawn Dudley’s […]
Original Post Here: After daughter’s autism diagnosis, mom starts group to find more girls like her
Michelle Puopolo and Andrea Weck Robertson both have children that have autism– and both are part of a group of parents in Arizona that have founded and opened their own school for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder last year, thanks to the state’s private school-choice programs. All of the students in the program are on […]
Read Full Article Here: Parents of children with autism find school, thanks to school choice
When Kate’s almost four-year-old son overheard a stranger talk about an overly generalized and greatly perpetuated myth that boys don’t play with dolls, he was perplexed because of the fact that he and his brother play with dolls. So in his mind (since he and his brother were boys and they most certainly do play […]
Post Source Here: Boys Don’t Play With Dolls. Or Do They?
For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, transitioning back to school from summertime takes some degree of preparation on the part of parents to ease the child back into the routine and structure of school life. Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher, offers some practical advice on successfully getting your child adjusted well before school […]
See Full Article Here: School days are around the corner
When one Quora user posted a question on the website asking if it’s normal for their 14-year-old daughter to still play with dolls, many of the other users in the community (with the exception of a few) were quick to reassure her that it’s perfectly fine and in some ways healthy. One user, Charlotte Lang, […]
Original Post Here: Is it normal that my 14-year-old daughter still plays with dolls?
On Thursday (August 6), Jon Stewart bid goodbye to The Daily Show with his friends and family at Comedy Central 16 years after he took over. The host left the show on a high note by holding a raffle that he announced back in April to benefit the charitable cause New York Collaborates for Autism. […]
Post Source Here: Jon Stewart used last show to raise $2.2 million for autism
Mary Corriher (founder of Dancing in the Rain) used to teach troubled children and those with learning disorders. It was from that experience that she observed that every child has the ability to learn, they just have different ways of learning– and it is up to the teacher to find the most effective way. That […]
Read More Here: Dancing in the Rain Launches a Website Offering Children’s Toys to Help Children Learn and Use Their Imaginations
A research funded by Autism Speaks and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health called “Brief Report: Forecasting the Economic Burden of Autism in 2015 and 2025 in the United States” is calling to action some policy changes for early intervention, employment and other programs that support the independence of adults with autism. The […]
Post Source Here: Autism Cost Estimated to Reach Nearly $500 Billion, Potentially $1 Trillion, by 2025
For Brian Higginbotham and Christian Mitchell, who are both experienced professionals involved in the fighting industry and both fathers to sons who are on the autism spectrum, the term “fighting for autism” has taken on a literal meaning. The two met a couple of years back, when Higginbotham came across the Australian-based Facebook page of […]
Original Post Here: Fighting For Autism
Amy Goodman, Director of Autism Now at The Arc of the United States, wrote a piece about accepting people with autism for who they are and not for whatever label is given to them. She emphasizes that autism is more than a medical condition, but a way that a person thinks, feels and expresses themselves. […]
Read More Here: Autism Acceptance – Accept Me, Not A Label
When Summer Len Davis was considering buying her son (whom she affectionately calls The Stinky) a baby boy doll, she wasn’t expecting her husband (aka The Workaholic) to be so adamantly against it just because he’s a BOY. In Summer’s mind, all she wanted was to give her son an opportunity to nurture his caring […]
Article Source Here: BABY DOLLS FOR BOYS? OF COURSE IT’S OK!
Candida Peterson and her team of researchers are conducting a study to disprove the widely-held belief and commonly accepted label that individuals with autism “do not know how to empathize” — meaning, they don’t have the capacity to understand the feelings and thoughts of others. By showing children between the ages of 5 and 12 […]
Originally Published Here: Kids With Autism Can Read Emotions Through Body Language
Economists from the University of California, Davis, Health System are now estimating that the current and future costs of caring for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States will continue to escalate in 10 years (from around $268 billion for 2015 to $461 billion for 2025) unless effective interventions and preventive treatments […]
Post Source Here: Autism costs could skyrocket, experts warn
Taking care of a child with autism day in and day out can sometimes take a toll on parents and the family dynamics, and a few hours of respite can do wonders in reviving the spirit and replenishing their energy to become better caregivers. That’s why Ben Lanius, CEO of HighPoint Global (an Indianapolis-based government […]
Read More Here: Families ‘able to breathe’ with new autism program
A new study from MARCS Institute Babylab at the University of Western Sydney suggests that the preference for gender-specific toys (i.e. dolls for girls and trucks for boys) are not present in babies that are four or five months of age. This challenges the commonly held belief that these preferences are inborn and proposes that […]
Post Source Here: Research finds baby boys love dolls more than trucks
People sometimes have this general misconception that autism is a childhood disorder and tend to forget that those children who were diagnosed with autism eventually grow up and become adults/young adults in our society. Even though individuals of all ages on the autism spectrum struggle as a result of social deficits, majority of treatments and […]
Originally Published Here: Young adults with autism show improved social function following UCLA skills program
Parents and professionals alike within the autism community are excited about a potentially powerful breakthrough program in the treatment of children with autism. The program, called Invirtua 3D Digital Puppeteer, involves modeling avatars using simple controls to interact with the live, animated 3D characters and operates like a digital puppet show. It was created by […]
Learn More Here: Autism breakthrough: Animation program helps children
Children at the Autism and Behavioral Intervention Center in Draper, Utah can now enjoy playing in their newly built playground thanks to the generosity of Vivint– a leading smart home technology provider whose services include home security, energy management, home automation, local cloud storage, and high-speed Internet solutions to more than 850,000 customers throughout the […]
Learn More Here: Utah company builds playground at autism school
The Governor of the State of Nevada, Brian Sandoval, has passed an initiative last June 2015 that promises $71 million in additional funding in the next two years for the care and rehabilitation programs that benefit children with autism. The funds will be coming from the general fund, with more than $35 million from Medicaid […]
See Full Article Here: More Autism Funding Will Likely Benefit Kids in School
It is undeniable that Society draws the line in the gender divide very early on in a child’s life. Children are exposed to an endless stream of reminders from parents, schools and the media of what a boy and what a girl should say, think, do, or be. But actually to a child, pink is […]
See More Here: Nail Polish Boys & Trucker Girls: Gender Exploration in Children
Some 50,000 individuals with autism turn 18 years old and basically shift from high school to adulthood every year in the United States. The problem is, a lot of these transitioning youth are not getting the support they need from vocational services and their high schools to help them bridge the gap between school and […]
Read More Here: YOUNG PEOPLE WITH AUTISM NEED HELP LANDING JOBS
Autism is an unseen disorder that is hard to diagnose and even harder to accept. ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, as the name suggests, is a very broad disorder that can affect individuals in unique ways. Bringing light to this disorder may be a challenging thing to do, since most people would not understand it, until […]
Originally Published Here: Light Across The Spectrum: The Challenges of Autism in Iran
Lily Kongslien recalls her sweet childhood memories of playing with her dolls and letting her imagination run free and just generally enjoying herself as a kid. She wasn’t born into a life of luxuries, but she made the best of whatever she was given. Take for example the way she and her mother made dresses […]
See Full Article Here: My Dolls, My Playmates
Part of Microsoft’s commitment to help the autism community is having autistic men and women in the company’s full employ for their mathematical and coding skills, patenting a pair of glasses that will detect the emotion of the person being looked at, and being proud partners at the Special Olympic Games. This week, Microsoft employee […]
Post Source Here: Check out Neuroversity, a game that helps people with autism develop career skills
Entering into college can be an overwhelming prospect for any student who just graduated from high school. But for a group of 11th and 12th graders on the autism spectrum, starting college can be made a lot better by attending a week-long College Success Camp offered by the University of Cincinnati’s Advancement and Transition Services. […]
Read Full Article Here: Camp helps students with autism prepare for college
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have noticed the sudden rise in the number of autism cases in the US from 2000 to 2010 and are attributing it to a reclassification system aimed at categorizing individuals with intellectual disability as autistic. The number of cases reported under the autism category jumped from 93,624 in 2000 to […]
See More Here: Researchers Claim ‘Reclassification’ For Spike In Autism Cases In US; Prevalence Pattern Still The Same
As with most parents, including some who generally do not believe in gender stereotyping, Joel Troxell wasn’t comfortable with the idea of his son playing with dolls — even the ones that are shaped and dressed in a gender-neutral fashion. If he had his way, his one-year-old son Nathan would have nothing to do with […]
Originally Published Here: Boys and Dolls
Pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Dolls are for girls and cars/trucks are for boys. These are just some of the social conventions that we have that Melissa Hines, a Professor of Psychology (specializing in child gender roles) at the University of Cambridge, wants to challenge. She claims that human development and […]
Read Full Article Here: There’s no good reason to push pink toys on girls
People sometimes have a tendency to come to quick (and often misguided) conclusions about people with autism. And some of these assumptions can be really hurtful. The media itself plays an important role in the creation and elimination of these stereotypes, depending on how people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are presented to the general […]
Learn More Here: 10 Truths About Making Friends When You Have Autism
Time and again, highly-trained service dogs have proven to be a good companion for children with autism. But recent studies were published in 2012 where French researchers observed 260 homes with at least one child with ASD, and it showed that introducing pets in general can increase the child’s interactions with other family members because […]
Read More Here: Studies show that pets are good social buffers for children with autism
There’s always a visible line that separates the toys for girls and the toys for boys. Just like how we categorize clothes: Blue for boys, Pink for girls. Toys are one of the earliest signals of gender-discrimination. We may try to deny it, but that’s how things have always been for toys as far back […]
Read Full Article Here: Boys and Their Toys: Should Little Boys Be Allowed To Play With Dolls?
The most difficult challenge for a person with autism is the part where he or she can barely communicate with the people around them, this is especially true for children. Michelle Gruba focuses on the prevailing cases of children with autism going missing. In most cases, these children are found dead or sometimes not found […]
Originally Published Here: The Autism Epidemic That Can No Longer Be Ignored
Knowing about the possible relationship between autism and nutrition could be a big advance in the study of the disorder. Research was completed to focus on the nutritional status of individuals affected with autism and spotting the difference with people who don’t have it. Theoretically, the study supports that perhaps nutritional intake may have a […]
Read Full Article Here: Review examines nutritional issues related to autism spectrum disorder
This story is about a young woman who discovers her purpose in life through singing and bringing inspiration with her awe-mazing voice. Annie Titus was diagnosed with autism, but it didn’t stop her from searching for her life’s real meaning. She soon discovers her hidden talent in singing, and what a talent it is! Indeed, […]
See More Here: VIDEO: Woman with Autism wows with amazing voice
Raising kids with special needs is never an easy task for any parent, but knowing that you are not alone, makes the burden a little lighter than it usually is. An inspiring story of how a mother initiated the creation of a somewhat paradise for children with autism disorders. This play place is not just […]
Learn More Here: Play Place for children with autism is more than a playground
Double standards dictate that it’s perfectly okay for girls to cuddle dolls, and totally unacceptable for boys to even hold one. But when grown up, both genders are expected to be the nurturer of their baby, and we wonder why men know less about maternal care. Author Michelle Yulo wrote her opinion on what she […]
Learn More Here: Why can’t a boy play with a doll?
Prevention is better than a cure, but in the case of autism in children prevention is yet to be discovered. Perhaps for now early detection and diagnosis is the next best thing. Most cases of autism are diagnosed by the age of 4 years old. But according to research, it can be detected as early […]
Post Source Here: Early Autism Intervention Can Affect Kids’ Outcomes, Says Study
What if the one answer to autism could be found in some plant that’s not even known to have any effect on the disorder? That’s exactly what they are hoping to find at the Shriners Hospital for Children. A group of dedicated individuals are starting their explorative journey in search for anything meaningful that would […]
Learn More Here: Shriners doing autism study using diet
When Harrods’ Toy Kingdom in Britain reopened this month, both parents and the kids were in for a big surprise. As the toy store reopens its doors to the public, the 26,000 square-foot store made the eyes of their customers wide with the new look the store had. No more demarcation between the aisles, no […]
Article Source Here: When kids play across gender lines
Most of the time, we see children play with dolls and it is comforting to know that this activity can actually be very beneficial to the child, especially during the early stages of development. At Texas Child Care Quarterly there is an article focusing on the discussion that doll play is essential and even school […]
Article Source Here: Dolls and doll play: A new look at a familiar prop
A brave and beautiful 18-year old girl is diving into the Fashion world, and she is doing it with great style. Her name is Madeline Stuart. She isn’t like any other model we know, and she breaks the mold when it comes to our society’s common standard of models. Maddy has Down’s Syndrome. This is […]
Read Full Article Here: Madeline Stuart, Model With Down Syndrome, Lands Two New Fashion Campaigns
In Canada, everyday heroes like firefighters are given basic training and instructions that aims to educate them about identifying, handling, and understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder and the people who have it. The training was led by Bill Cannata, who is currently the Coordinator of the Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition (ALEC). To find out […]
Article Source Here: Interview – William Cannata talks about autism awareness training for firefighters
One of the greatest challenges for people with autism is the difficulty to communicate and relay their thoughts to those who care about them. A man’s life story tells us an inspirational incident when finally his thoughts were allowed to flow out of his mind and conveyed through his works of art. Ryan Tracy’s story […]
Read Full Article Here: Communication breakthrough: Man with autism finds voice through poetry and painting
One child’s trash could be another child’s dream treasure. Probably one of the most genuinely touching stories of 2015 is this article, which narrates how a group of selfless individuals have come up with an amazing idea of collecting old toys, refurbishing them, and giving them to children who would need them more. They call […]
Post Source Here: Banking on Toys and impacting the lives of 48000 children every year
It is our obsession with labels and color-codes that made pink the international color symbol for girls, and blue for boys. A great article by Susie O’Brien discusses her observations about the reality of stereotyping and gender-discrimination. In one of her blogs she wrote about the obvious division between “toys for boys” and “toys for […]
Read Full Article Here: Why do girls play with dolls and boys with cars?
Parenthood is not an easy task to do, especially for parents of children with autism. Both the pressure and stress levels can be overwhelming with all the challenges their children face everyday; it can even get to the point of affecting the marriage of the couple. A research study entitled “The Power of Positivity: Predictors […]
See Full Article Here: Predicting happiness of couples raising children with autism
This is a very inspirational story about a young boy from Maine, who has helped raise funds at such a young age, all for the benefit of children who are diagnosed with autism. Connor Archer is on the spectrum himself. He was diagnosed with autism when he was just 3, but it didn’t stop him […]
Learn More Here: Old Town High senior’s efforts to overcome autism, help others paying off
Autism has a very vast and diverse coverage, that understanding it is almost, BUT NOT, impossible. In one of Steve Silberman’s TED talks, last March he shares his opinion about ”the forgotten history of autism”; according to him, over the years, it has taken a bit longer than expected for science to get a good […]
Source Here: Why Were Cases Of Autism So Hard To Find Before The 1990s?
Motivation is a vital key for us to succeed in everything we do. In this video clip, a 30-year-old mother-of-two, Amber Holbrook, dared to do some physical challenges in a game show titled “American Ninja”. Her motivation was to spread awareness about autism, and to help others parents become aware that anything is possible, as […]
Post Source Here: An American Ninja for Autism Awareness
It is very refreshing to find a man, more so a father, who defines masculinity in a wider mindset than merely setting boundaries with the toys his child plays with. A father wrote his opinion on an issue that focuses on that of boys playing with dolls. It was indeed an eye-opening commentary. The article […]
Originally Published Here: Boys and Dolls: A Father’s Response
Let’s admit it, upon entering a toys store, we notice the division between the pink-motiffed aisle and the blue/green-motiffed aisle. Yes, gender-discrimination starts as early as childhood, and it even reflects how toys are packaged and how children are expected to choose their toys, based on their gender. Barbies and kitchen playset for girls, while […]
Read More Here: Do Girls Really Prefer Dolls? The Science Behind Gender Preference In Toys
Any parent who has a child with autism would do anything to diagnose and treat this lifetime disorder. For now, there is no definitive and reliable way to detect autism in children. Although there are many probable ways to find out if your child has autism or not, there is no “gold standard” that can […]
Original Post Here: Sniffing Tests Could Help Diagnose Autism, Say Researchers
Every child is special, that’s what we should always keep in mind. Whenever we encounter children with Autism, it must follow that we need to treat them like precious Gold. We need to handle them with extra care. Like this story of a young boy named Cooper, who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Cooper had […]
Source Here: Cooper & the Writing Board
An eleven year old boy was recognized as a hero in a local news channels ‘Hero’s Among Us’ segment. Jordan Nance, started a project in his sixth grade class that has turned into a world-wide online club called Amazing Awesome Kids Club. The club now has hundreds of members, and helps kids with self-esteem and […]
Learn More Here: Jordan Nance Overcomes Autism To Form Amazing Awesome Kids Club
From one extreme to another – that is one possible way you could describe the reactions to gender-labeling toys. Gender-neutral toy supports around the world are voicing their feelings regarding how child play; in Australia there is the ‘No Gender December’ campaign, in the UK you have ‘Let Toys Be Toys'; and in Sweden you […]
Article Source Here: Is it no longer OK to buy your daughter a doll?
A tattoo artist with a big heart made a little girls day when he custom designed decals for her leg braces. Aaron Guillemette, owner of Up In Flames tattoo shop was approached by Hope Laliberte’s parents Aaron Lebeau and Pamela Laliberte-Lebeau, to create the images they had in mind – two villains from Disney: Ursula […]
See Full Article Here: Tattoo Artist Turns Girl’s Leg Braces Into A Pair Of Wicked Awesome Disney Villains
Joe DeProspero, a fiction author and humorous parent blogger for parents.com shares in his blog/article his views on “genderizing” children. In his eyes, DeProspero says “genderizing” is something we are all guilty of; from the minute we find out someone we know is expecting we want to know the gender of the baby and buy […]
Read More Here: Honest Thoughts On My Son’s Playing With Girl Toys
A children’s book published over forty years ago by Charlotte Zolotow, called William’s Doll, has become a symbol for the struggle for equality in children, particularly when it comes to playtime. William’s Doll is about a young boy who desires more then anything else a doll to play with. His father has a hard time […]
Originally Published Here: William Wants A Doll; So Why Shouldn’t He Have One
A preschool teacher reminisces about the time he taught a group of children and one little boy in particular, comes to his mind. This little boy every morning would run to the dress up corner and put on a shimmery wedding gown. No one seemed to care, not even when he would dance and sing […]
Source Here: When Boys Love Barbie
In Seattle, the company responsible for the creation of cute interactive egg-shaped toys called Grumblies, will be launching a $89K Kickstarter campaign in order to bring their invention to the rest of the world. Grumblies are small social robots that interact with children, other Grumblies and applications through mobile devices and tablets. Grumblies have the […]
Original Post Here: Grumblies, the Fun Socially-Interactive Toys, Use Mobile Apps to Introduce Children to Emotions and Learning
More research indicates that paternal and maternal age play a role when it comes to children born with Autism. Sven Sadin, lead researcher with this new study and with appointments at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, published his findings in Molecular Psychiatry last month of his research of more then five million […]
Read Full Article Here: Young Women Bear High Risk Of Having Children With Autism
Fifty-four teachers in the School District of Philadelphia and two professors who specialize in Autism research are joining forces in hopes of offering better training and resources for teachers who care for students with Autism. There is much research that shows that early behavior interventions for children with Autism can help these kids learn new […]
Source Here: Teachable Moments Are Key Ingredients In Autism Therapy
The family of a man fired from his job at a Chili’s restaurant in Pittsburgh, has taken to social media to protest the firing of Bruce Casper. Crista Miller is defending her boyfriend from a wrongful termination after he was fired complaining to management about other employees using the word ‘retarded’. Crista Miller and Bruce […]
Learn More Here: Father Of Boy With Down Syndrome Fired After Asking Co-Workers Not To Use Offensive Language
Gretchen Schmelzer, writer and teenager, writes in her commentary blog post what it is like to be a teenager and to experience that challenging time in life without the vocabulary to describe what is going on. In her article, Schmelzer, describes what she is feeling as being on one end of a rope, while her […]
Originally Published Here: Parents Corner: The Letter Your Teenager Can’t Write You
Autistic kids are drawn to water, and if they have not been taught safety measures to practice while around bodies of water, their fascination can become fatal. Going under water is an intriguing idea for kids with Autism – maybe it is the idea of being surrounded by the water, feeling safe while the rest […]
Article Source Here: Water safety is a necessity for children with autism
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been considered the most effective treatment for depression, but unfortunately for many people suffering from the disorder, having the funds needed or means to get to an appointment can be impossible. A new online program called MoodGYM is changing the way people are getting cognitive behavioral therapy, and now many people […]
Originally Published Here: Online Therapy Could Revolutionize Treatment For Mental Health Conditions
Have you heard of STEM toys? STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and so STEM toys obviously are referring to the toys kids can play with that pertain to these interests. Many parents are becoming more interested in these toys for their kids, and especially parents of daughters when they learn how unrepresented […]
Original Post Here: 9 Best STEM Toys for Kids
A group of toy makers led by the company GoldieBlox, and The American Association of University Women are asking that when you go shopping for a girl, to forget the traditional pink dolls and opt for some very cool science and engineering toys. The nice thing too is that mainstream toy manufacturers are getting with […]
Original Post Here: Shopping for a Girl? Consider Science and Engineering Toys
Growing up in a home where you are a little boy who wants to play with dolls, but are shamed either by friends or family to steer clear of these dolls, often causes boys to grow up with unresolved emotional pain. Jason Michael, a gay man and journalist, and once a little boy who wanted […]
See Full Article Here: Boys Who Play With Dolls
BabyCenter.com has a great section called ‘Mom Answers’, and there you will find some thought provoking questions posed by parents, and you can browse the answers submitted by other parents. One parent of a 17-month-old boy asked what other parents thought of the fact she gave her son a baby doll to play with in […]
Article Source Here: Should I Let My Son Play With Dolls?
One of the daunting problems with finding a cure for Autism is the fact that in order to find a cure for any disorder, often a cause has to be known first. Parents of Autistic kids are willing to try anything to help their children and families, and one such mother, Susan Levin who’s twelve […]
Article Source Here: The Miracle That Cured My Son’s Autism Was In Our Kitchen
When a child or even an adult is diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, often such a diagnosis can cause the patient and their family to feel that they have been given a life sentence of limitation; however, Michael Tolleson, who is an adult that was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome three years ago, assures us that […]
Originally Published Here: Savant Artist Treats Autism As A Gift
When Zach Steele began Downers Grove North as a freshmen, he was a excited as any student starting a new chapter in life, but Zach who is on the Autism Spectrum, soon found his excitement turning into disappointment as the students, not understanding what it means to be Autistic, began pulling away and bullying him […]
Source Here: Downers Grove Teen with Autism Petitions School for Awareness
Ellen Snortland who teaches creative writing in Altadena, challenges us to take a look at stereotypes in the movies, particularly strong female leads like the Black Widow who is a superhero character in the latest Avengers movie, and how we do not encourage our boys to look up to such characters. Currently, the Black Widow […]
Read Full Article Here: Of Astronauts, Statues and Black Widows
Families in Massachusetts, that have children on the Autistic Spectrum, are finding it very challenging to meet the care their children need. For example, 8 year old Tyler who is on the Autism Spectrum, and his mother know from experience what happens when there are no beds available for patients with adolescent and psychiatric disorders. […]
Read More Here: I-Team: 8-Year-Old’s Hospital Stay Highlights State’s Challenges In Autism Care
Kimberlee Rutan McCafferty, journalist and mother of two children on the Autism Spectrum shares with us about her opportunity to interview and write a piece for the Travel Channel about a family who travels with an Autistic son around the world to very exotic places. For some families with children on the Autism Spectrum, the […]
Learn More Here: Extreme Travel And Autism
What do horsemanship, iPads and Autism have in common? Taken separately not very much, but when combined together you have a fantastic program that is helping children with Autism and special needs improve their communication skills. Fargnoli Farms in Apalachin are using their horses, and with the help of a grant from the Hidy Ochiai […]
See More Here: Horse Therapy For Local Kids With Autism
Seventeen year old community reporter, Isabelle Harris, takes a hard look at the effects of gender color codes in the toy industry, and poses some thought provoking questions in her commentary. Harris points out that while society these days encourages children to ignore gender stereotypes when it comes to they work they might want to […]
Learn More Here: It’s time to address the colour coded boundaries that tell children what toys they should and shouldn’t play with.
Let Toys Be Toys is a campaign that has the goal of influencing toy manufacturers and retailers to stop categorizing toys by whether they are for boys or girls, but instead categorize the toys in regards to their function. The campaign aims to educate everyone from the retailers to parents as to why the push […]
Post Source Here: Let Toys Be Toys – Why It Matters
Susie O’Brien, Australian journalist takes a look at what an Australian Senator is trying to achieve by launching a campaign called ‘No Gender December’, which aims to encourage parents to be open-minded when it comes to the toys they buy their kids and steer away from toy gender stereotypes. It seems that the Senator is […]
Original Post Here: Should We Stop Buying Gender Based Toys
In a segment of Huffpost Live, father of two sons, Joe DeProspero, and blogger for Parents magazine explains why he encourages his sons to play with toys that are considered traditionally girl toys. In a nutshell, he explains that by limiting what we allow our children to play with based on gender-typical toys, we are […]
Source Here: Why One Dad Encourages His Son To Play With Dolls
In his column for the Washington Post, Peter Morris, examines the role of the father and the problems they face by being treated by society as the ‘secondary parent’. In his own experience, he found that when his wife was expecting their first child, he attended every prenatal appointment and even a breastfeeding class, but […]
Original Post Here: Why I Want My Son, And All Boys, To Play With Dolls
In order to meet the needs of the quickly growing number of children diagnosed with Autism in America today, and to help the families of these children get the help they need, Dr. Laurie Sperry, Ph.D. has opened a new research clinic for Regis University graduates at Denver Tech Center. This program is unique from […]
Post Source Here: The Next Generation Of Autism Educators
Jeremy McKeen, writes in his commentary, why he is letting his little girl be a girl and his little boy be a boy. McKeen is an open-minded man, and one can easily pick that up as he explains that, despite the fact he has always offered his son and daughter a wide assortment of toys […]
Read More Here: Why I’m Letting My Girl Be A Girl
Professor Mohammond Mahoor of the University of Denver, over the last four years with other engineers and psychologists, have engineered and programmed a new therapy robot called NAO. This research and robot have the objective of helping kids with Autism interact better in social situations. Children with Autism, due to the sensory overload they experience, […]
Source Here: Robot Helps Children With Autism By Teaching Them Social Skills
Gender equality when it comes to children’s toys is getting a lot of attention in the media, and some of it’s biggest advocates are children expressing to toy companies their disapproval of labeling some toys for girls, and some for boys. When Izzy Cornthwaite saw that the Darth Vader costume she wanted was labeled ‘for […]
Original Post Here: Darth Vader is for girls, too: the young fan who forced Disney to change toy labels
The blog post Asperger’s Advocate: Fargo Man Travels World Speaking About Autism See more on: My Sibling Dolls Blog
Zach Zaborny, a twenty-five year old man with Asperger’s syndrome, as well as a college graduate, has become an worldwide advocate for people on the Autism Spectrum, and he travels sharing with audiences his experiences as a post-secondary student on the Spectrum. Originally, Zach was diagnosed with ADHD, but later at the age of 8 […]
The Best Tech Jobs For Individuals With Autism Find more on: MySiblingDolls
For children and young adults on the Autism Spectrum, there is often support provided by various organizations and sectors of the government; however, when these young people turn into adults, this is not often the case – today, it is estimated that 90% of adults with Autism are unemployed. Hopefully, this percentage will be reduced […]
The blog post Early Intervention Improves Long-term Outcomes For Children With Autism See more on: http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
A study that will appear in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shows that toddlers – ages 18 to 20 months – who are on the Autism Spectrum, and who receive early intervention and support, have a greater chance of improved intellectual ability and a reduction […]
The following article Toys, Household Items Affect Baby’s Motor Skill Development Read more on: MySiblingDolls Blog
With the goal of helping parents and caregivers better assess what toys and even household items like a sofa or coffee table, are best suited for the development of an infants motor skills, Priscila Cacola, an assistant professor of kinesiology in The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation has co-developed […]
Midstate Theater Offers Movies For Families Living With Autism was originally published to http://www.mysiblingdolls.com/
Children with Autism experience the world very differently then children without; sensory experiences like going to the movies, which is enjoyable for most, can be a frightening experience for Autistic kids – bright, flashing lights and loud sudden noises can spark a melt down at any given time. This summer, while many families will go […]
Peace Begins with Me was originally published to http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
The message of My Pal for Peace is “Peace begins with me.” It seems like we need it more and more each day. #Charleston
Teacher Sells Toy Collection To Help Child In Need Of New Wheelchair is available on MySiblingDolls Blog
Despite all the negative news media you can be exposed to on any given day, it is refreshing when a bit of news comes through that restores your faith in humanity, and in Indianapolis one such news article is doing just that. When Nat Ellis, a teacher at Klamath Union High School, found out that […]
The following article Why This Doctor Prescribes His ADHD Patients ‘Parks’ Instead Of Pills Find more on: http://www.mysiblingdolls.com
More then ever, over 10,000 children across USA are being prescribed drugs to treat many disorders including social anxiety, depression and ADHD. Pediatrician Dr. Robert Zarr takes a different approach with his patients and is prescribing, in his program DC Parks RX, time in parks and nature to prevent and treat many chronic conditions. Dr. […]
