No experience with social stories but I did nanny for an extremely shy 4 year old. It helped to invite someone over for a play date and have an activity ready for them. I would do the activity and kind of help the shy kid through a conversation. (Ex: we would decorate cookies and I would say: whoa! Did you see how many sprinkles___ put on her cookie!? And shy kid would respond “wow! That looks really cool. Do you want these sprinkles too?” or something like that.)

I think the familiar environment, one-on-one interaction, me being there for support, and having an activity to distract all helped make shy kid feel more comfortable.

I’ve had a mixed experience so far; still have to fight and advocate for my son. Had to work to find therapists he connected with. It’s a blessing and a curse, it’s great they coordinate and offer these services. However, when I was struggling to find an available occupational therapist I wasn’t able to reach out to anyone directly on my own. Everything needed to go through our care coordinator. At times I would rather just handle everything on my own.

That out of pocket cost is so high! I wonder if they would let you set up a payment plan or something. (Maybe even reduced cost for a virtual session? I wasn’t a huge fan of zoom therapy sessions because my son wouldn’t pay any attention to the therapists. They used “coaching model” though where they would tell me what to do and I would interact with my son during the session as they would. A zoom session could be a good solution since you wouldn’t need to travel and it may be cheaper?) Hopefully this next referral works out though and he can qualify for services that way!

We haven’t really tried anything different really. He’s still so young and I feel like it’s hard to know what’s terrible twos vs autism so I’m just doing everything I would normally.

The only thing I would probably have done differently dietwise is cut out any unnecessary sugar but my son doesn’t like anything sweet to begin with. He refuses candy and won’t drink juice. The only thing he will eat sometimes is frosted animal crackers or plain cake (no frosting) which we reserve for special treats. We pretty much do all organic and I try to limit processed food in the house in general.

I highly recommend you team up with a naturopathic doctor or nutritionalist if you’re considering a gluten free diet. A lot of gluten free products contain binders and all sorts of extra stuff to make it gluten free, you would want to know what to look for and what would be healthy replacements for gluten products (I think bread especially is a bad one) I’m not an expert though, I watched a random video on gluten free products and can’t find the link.

For tantrums: He is super attached to this grey blanket from target so I literally have a closet shelf full of them. He uses it to self soothe so I don’t ever want to be without it. One other thing I really really try to do is teach him deep breathing when he’s upset. I figure if I can get some framework for healthy coping skills laid down it’ll be easier when he gets older.

In terms of other stuff, like stimming behavior, I just let him do his thing. I join in and spin car wheels with him or make him sensory bins. Rather than fight anything, my strategy is to embrace it as long as it’s not hurtful. He marches to his own beat and I’ll join in whenever and wherever I can.

We have him signed up for every therapy he’s eligible for and following all the therapists suggestions at home. (Babysitters and grandparents follow them too) We’re focusing on stretching his attention span, making more eye contact, building fine motor skills, and regulating his sensory needs. He just started in person a few weeks ago and it’s is so so so so much better. I hate zoom therapy sessions.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions though or if you find something that works for you. Always interested to learn new things that could help our special guy!

I’m sure I’ll love the close age gap one day but man is it tough sometimes! I’m sure you can relate!

We’re struggling with sharing in our house. Both kids are just constantly grabbing toys from each other and triggering meltdowns. Its driving me crazy. I had to figure something structured to help me keep my sanity. No idea if it’s actually working but doing something is better than doing nothing.

Let me know how the activity goes if you try it! The shy kid I nannied for loved anything creative so most of the activities we did were making things. I found a bunch of books by MaryAnn Kohl with a project ideas that are great (this was before Pinterest existed but I’m sure they’re all on there now) The big messy art book and science art had some of her favorites in it. I can share some ideas if you need them!

Hmm I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, would practice basic social skills. The play date would help him build a relationship with someone new though and make friends outside of family.

My kiddos are 18 months apart (2 1/2 and 1 year) and I try to incorporate an activity for them to do together every day (even if it’s just a short one like taking turns stacking blocks) just so they learn to share and develop some social/play skills. (My oldest is autistic and wants nothing to do with other kids. We had my sons 1st birthday a few weeks ago and anytime another kid tried to play with him he would walk away. I’m really nervous about school in a few years and if he will be able to make friends)