Tag Archives: development

Considering 50: Trajectory of Development, Independence, and Accidental Unfoldings

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

Often birthdays are a quiet affair at our house, which is just fine with me, but this October marked my 50th and we ushered it in with a wildly fun Elton John themed party. Seriously, for people who are pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in ableism, acceptance, accident, Activist, Autism, Goals, letting go, Space and Pace | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Relaxed and it is soo good: Meeting Sensory Needs…

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

It is interesting for me to consider H’s sensory needs and how these seem to have shifted and changed over time. In many ways his sensory processing differences are not as obvious in terms of needing accommodation as they once … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Resiliency, Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD, stim | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Cleaning H’s Room – Round Two

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

Ding, Ding… And we’re at it again… or maybe more like … still!! Four days ago I started a little project that was necessary so that I could move ahead with creating a much-needed office space for myself. I mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Handling Change, scaffolding, Star Trek, Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Welcoming Dissent… Self-advocacy, the communication hierarchy, and rethinking tone

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

My thinking and learning around the ideas and concepts of self-advocacy is being nudged by the work I am doing supporting educators in their inquiry projects in a Graduate Program entitled, Supporting Diverse Learners. I have been explaining the importance … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Communicate, limits, promote social understanding, self-advocacy, Special Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The link between self-understanding and self-advocacy

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

I can get very excited about the topic of self-advocacy. I am supporting H in his journey, but as I support his learning there are a number of things I have been pondering… Opportunities to develop self-understanding: I think part … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Journey, self-advocacy, worry | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“Whisper me, Mom”: Autism and Supporting Development

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

When H was tiny I used to whisper words to him when we were out, because he lacked words of his own in an unfamiliar environment, or with unfamiliar people. I would lean in seamlessly – almost invisibly – so … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Communicate, connections, language, mentor/apprentice, Vygotsky | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Adding the I to IEP: H is at the table

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

There was another first for our 13-year-old this week. We worked with the wonderful team at H’s Distributed Learning School to update his Individual Education Plan (IEP) and for the first time ever H was there to take part. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Autism, Distance Education, Distributed Learning, Goals, HFASD, IEP, inclusion, scaffolding, self-advocacy, Shame, Special Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Calm… Autism and breaking the time/space continuum

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

There is something about childhood and the ability to lose yourself in time just witnessing the poetry in the movements of an insect or the clouds. Those small things contain the entire world. I often ponder that as adults we … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, Aspergers, Autism, calm, childhood, fitting in | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I am so OK with being wrong…

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

I am WRONG… rather often actually; I don’t know – what I don’t know – until I have found out – that I don’t know it… As convoluted as that may sound, it makes sense really. It is a relatively … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, being wrong, discomfort avoidance, good enough thinking, Handling Change, handling discomfort, Resiliency, Special Education | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Preoccupation with another layer of autism stigma: Crap…this goes deep!

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

I have been preoccupied with the ideas of self-advocacy lately. I am so motivated to delve into this – to understand more about the developmental components and the building bricks that will support the skills of advocacy.  I know… I … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, Arizona TASH, Aspergers, Autism, Autism Positivity, connections, Diagnosis, label, Laura Nagle, Neurotypical, perspective of others, promote social understanding, self-advocacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments