April is Autism Awareness Month! Please visit the Autism Speaks website here , for their Parent's Guide to Autism as well as information on available resources and tools.

Adoption is often spoken about as a joyful, new beginning – a story of love, belonging, and hope. And while these things can be true, they are only a part of a complex, intricate story. Another truth is that adoption cannot exist without loss. For an adoptee, that loss can be preverbal or stored in explicit memory, understood early or only later in life, and it is real and worthy of care. Supporting a child’s adoption grief requires honesty, emotional humility, and a willingn

Family bonding is more important than ever in today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world. As parents, finding meaningful ways to connect with our children and build lasting relationships can be a challenge. This is where New Year’s resolutions can play a crucial role. By setting goals together as a family, we can strengthen our bond, instill valuable life skills, and promote personal growth. Please read more on this topic by Pamela Myers, BSEd, at Child Development Instit

National Adoption Day is a collective, grassroots effort to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. A coalition of national partners — the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption , Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute , Alliance for Children’s Rights ,  and Children’s Action Network  — launched National Adoption Day in 1999. For more information, please visit the National Adoption Day website here .

October is Sensory Processing Awareness Month! Sensory processing issues are often first recognized during the toddler years , when parents notice that a child has an unusual aversion to noise, light, shoes that are deemed too tight and clothes that are irritating. They may also notice clumsiness and trouble climbing stairs, and difficulty with fine motor skills like wielding a pencil and fastening buttons. Read more on this topic at the Child Mind Institute here .

After a long, lazy summer, sleep habits, anxiety, and too much screen time can make for a rough ride when school starts. But with...

As we embrace the warmth and freedom of summertime, it’s an ideal opportunity to reflect on the importance of bonding and spending...

While it is common to think of physical health and mental health as separate, they are very much connected, although the connection has...

National Adoption Month is an initiative of the Children's Bureau that seeks to increase national awareness of adoption issues, bring...

Transitions are hard; there is no denying that, but they don't have to be miserable. Once the school year ends, routines and structure...

“I hate you!”, “I don’t have to listen to you!”, “Go to hell!”, “You’re not my mother/father!”, all of these may be common phrases for...

Ambiguous loss—a feeling of grief or distress combined with confusion about the lost person or relationship—is a normal aspect of...

Teens who have experienced adoption or foster care have faced a lot of change: healing from trauma, coping with major life transitions,...

Change is always met with resistance. If winters are hard for you and your family, you’re not alone. Understanding, creativity, and...

National Adoption Month is an initiative of the Children's Bureau that seeks to increase national awareness of adoption issues, bring...

Stress, apprehension, anxiety, and fear are familiar feelings for many of us involved in foster care and adoption. And our stress affects...

November is National Adoption Month! Read more about the history of National Adoption Day through this article by the Dave Thomas...

Between the ages of seven and twelve, many adopted children develop an increasing curiosity about their background and how they came to...

Helping a foster or adopted child stay in contact with members of his or her birth family can be time-consuming and sometimes emotionally...

What have I learned about parenting a child with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) over the past 22 years? I have learned that it...