Echolalia in autism is the repetition of words, phrases, or sounds a child has heard, either right away (immediate echolalia) or after a delay, like a line from a favorite show (delayed echolalia). Research increasingly shows that this repeated speech often carries meaning: children use it to request, answer, protest, think out loud, or keep […]
Last reviewed October 2026. This article is general education and is not a diagnosis. A child who cannot stay seated at dinner, ignores directions, and melts down when plans change could be showing autism, ADHD, or both. That is why autism vs ADHD is one of the most common questions parents bring to us. ADHD […]
Last reviewed October 2026. This article is general education and is not a diagnosis or a substitute for care from your child’s providers. Your child refuses to get in the car, goes silent at the dinner table, or asks “Are we still going?” for the fifth time in ten minutes. It is easy to read […]
Last reviewed October 2026. This article is general education and is not a diagnosis. A toddler who is slow to talk can leave parents wondering whether this is a late start or something more. In the speech delay vs autism question, the clearest early difference is usually what happens around the words. Children with a […]
Weighted blankets show up on nearly every parent forum, therapy wish list, and sensory gift roundup, so it’s fair to ask whether weighted blankets for autism deserve their reputation. The research gives a more careful answer than the marketing does. The largest trial in autistic children found that a weighted blanket did not help them […]
Sooner or later, someone will tell you to make your autistic child look you in the eye. The worry behind that advice is understandable, because autism eye contact is one of the first things people notice, and the CDC lists avoiding or not keeping eye contact among the social communication characteristics associated with autism. My […]
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which gives families a full month to get ready. Good Halloween autism planning comes down to four things: a costume your child can tolerate, a door routine they have practiced, a route with a clear ending, and a plan for the day after. At Achieve ABA Therapy Group, […]
Family dinners look different when one sibling can’t tolerate the smell of certain foods, or when a game night ends early because the noise gets to be too much. That’s not a failure of the relationship. It’s one more thing families raising an autistic child, and that child’s brothers and sisters, are figuring out together. […]
Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and trunk-or-treats all sound fun in theory. In practice, they’re loud, crowded, and full of exactly the kind of unpredictability that can wreck an afternoon. That doesn’t mean fall is off the table. It means picking the right version of it. Here’s where Colorado families can find sensory-friendly fall activities this […]
Your child’s teacher says today was a good day. Circle time went fine, they followed directions, and they even helped a classmate clean up. Then you pick them up, or they walk through the door at home, and the switch flips. Crying, yelling, dropping to the floor, or going completely silent and refusing to talk. […]
Speech Delay vs. Autism: How Parents Can Tell the Difference
