Tips for Taking Care of a Child on the Autism Spectrum

June 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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As a parent, you have probably spent a huge portion of time thinking about your child’s future, especially if he or she has ASD – autism spectrum disorder. Aside from therapies and medical care, here are some simple daily things that will make a difference:

Be Positive

Just like with most people with ASD, your child will respond well to positive reinforcement. This means that when you praise your child for good behavior, it will make him feel good. However, you need to be specific about what you are praising him for to avoid miscommunication.

You also need to let your child know what you like about his behavior. Find things that you can reward him with such as stickers or extra playtime. As you would with other people, whether they are on the spectrum or not, you should value your child for whom he is. Loving your child as he is will make him feel accepted and loved.

Stay On Schedule and Be Consistent

Persons with autism crave routine. For this reason, you should make sure that you give your child consistent interaction and guidance. Doing so will allow him to practice what he learned in therapy.

Consistency makes learning new behavior much easier and helps people on the spectrum to apply what they learn to different situations. You also need to talk to your child’s therapists and teachers to align a consistent set of interaction methods and techniques to ensure that you bring what they learn home.

Schedule Their Play

By finding activities that are more fun and less like therapy, you will help your child to open up to you and form a special bond with you. If your child is autistic, then you know that forming a bond with him is difficult. Therefore, you should take anything that you can get.

Give It Time

Because you are likely to try a lot of techniques and treatments from centers such as ABA Detroit based therapy, you should practice patience while figuring out what works best for your child. Do not get discouraged; you should remain positive even if your child does not respond to a certain treatment method.

Take Your Child with You

If your child has unpredictable behavior, you might think that keeping him away from certain situations is best. However, if you start exposing him to everyday activities such as running errands and going to the bank, he will get used to the world around him. Although it might be hard at first, you give it a try.

Get a Support System

Raising a child with autism takes a toll on parents and is especially hard on single parents. Whether face-to-face or online, support from friends and family members will make you feel less isolated. Joining a support group is a great way to share information and advice and meet other parents who are in the same boat as you.

You should also consider counseling whether it is individual, marital, or family. What will make your life a little easier? You should think about it and do it. You can attend counseling sessions or support group meetings when your child is in therapy.

Look Into Respite Care

You should consider hiring a caregiver to help you take care of your child. Doing so will give you a much-deserved break so that you can relax and take care of yourself for a change. Moreover, when you get some rest, you will be in a better state of mind.

If your child has intense needs due to autism and you have other children to take care of, you will need the help.

Tabitha Gits is an influencer marketing pro with brownboxbranding.com who is passionate about building authentic relationships and helping businesses connect with their ideal online audience. She keeps her finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving digital marketing world by writing on the latest marketing advancements​ and focuses on developing customized blogger outreach plans based on industry and competition.

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8 Tips for Traveling Light with Kids

June 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

With summer coming up, you’re probably making plans to go on a vacation with the kids. Whether you’re planning to visit family or some fun destination that the kids will love, the secret behind a stress-free trip is traveling light. This is something I learned when my first son was born and I did a bit of researching to prepare. Aim at carrying the minimum amount of baggage and you’ll find that flights or car rides all progress smoothly. As the experts will probably reassure you, the older your kids are, the lesser will be the amount of stuff you have to carry along.

But, I have another secret to share with you that I’ve found very useful. When you visit a location intended for kids, you’ll likely find tons of stores that carry all the supplies you need. A great idea is to simply buy stuff that you need, use, and discard as you go along. Traveling light helps you let go of the stress of keeping track of the number of bags you have. Now, that’s an essential when you have a toddler squirming to get away to go exploring the airport and the brightly colored trash cans (and, well, everything else!).

I would only recommend that you carry some bare essentials to get you through the actual traveling from point A to point B. Here are the important items you’ll need.

Tip 1. Let’s Begin with the Very Basics for Traveling Light

You’ll be surprised but the absolute essentials when traveling light can actually fit into the small handbag you have, like I read in the Lonely Planet. They are your travel documents, tickets, prescription medications, and cash along with your credit card. As long as you have these and you’re not headed for some remote, unfamiliar location, you’re sorted.

Tip 2. Carry the Food Supplies You Need to Make it to the Next Store

With kids of all ages, you’ll need just adequate supplies to make it to your destination like for the car or bus ride or flight. But at the same time, it’s also advisable to be prepared for unexpected delays. Make sure you have enough formula and clean bottles, pacifiers, diapers, a change of clothes, and lots of wipes. If you expect that travel time will be 6 hours, plan for at least 8. For older kids, bring filling snacks like nuts, granola bars, fruit, and any other favorite items. We all know what happens when your little angel announces she doesn’t like the taste of the new brand you’re trying on her. With kids, even if you’re trying to travel light, you just cannot get by without enough food.

Tip 3. Choose Lightweight Entertainment Options

Once your child turns 5, you can let him choose his favorite toys and items he want to have along. Buy him a small carry-on that he can drag behind him. Make it very clear that he’s responsible for it so it better be light enough so he can manage it by himself. With a little imagination, you can find tons of entertainment options that don’t weigh down small bags. Think paper, crayons, and paperback picture books. If your kids are old enough, think activity books that can keep them working for a good long while. And, of course, we have the video game consoles that can keep kids busy through long layovers, (thanks, Wanderlust!) and are a great idea for traveling light. Any kind of e-readers are also a blessing. They don’t take much room or weight allowance. Here’s another brilliant idea. Encourage playing imagination games. Like naming animals, “I Spy,” “who can spot a…,” or count some object. Like, even the pillars in the airport.

Tip 4. Carry the Sleep Essentials

Even if this rule works against your intentions of traveling light, go with it. All kids have some specific blanket, toy, plug-in nightlight, or pajamas without which they just cannot fall asleep. Never step out of home without it.

Tip 5. Bring Clothes that You Can Mix and Match

This rule is a great traveling light tip for both kids and adults. When you have so many kids’ essentials to have along, try to cut back on the stuff you’ll absolutely need. Carry along a few tops and pants that you can wear in just about any combination. Darker colors are a good choice so you can continue to use them until they get dirty. Focus on comfort and pick out quick drying clothing that is very convenient for washing. Use this rule when packing your kids’ clothing also. As for shoes, consider bringing dark colored, multi-use, comfortable footwear that you can use for a formal restaurant also.

Tip 6. Think About Doing Laundry

Most parents I know hate the thought of doing laundry on vacations. But, I personally feel that washing some of your things saves on the weight you’ll have to carry. If you don’t want to do this in the hotel bathroom sink, locate a laundromat with a washer and dryer. Though, if you’re carrying quick-drying clothing, an overnight session on the bathroom clothesline should do the trick. The best advantage – you’ll end up with less stuff to lug around.

Tip 7. What About the Stroller?

I agree, if you’re serious about traveling light, having a stroller along doesn’t seem like a great idea. I’ll simply leave this decision to you and the individuality of your child. When my toddler decides to take off at full tilt, I usually find that grabbing and settling him in the stroller saves me from chasing after him. But, if your little one just won’t sit in one, you could consider leaving it home. Though, I’ve often seen parents carrying their bundle of joy and using the stroller to drag other stuff. So, this tip’s all about personal choice.

 

Tip 8. Personal Items

When you’re trying to travel light and making sure you have all the stuff your kids will need, adult personal supplies tend to take a backseat. And, if you’re planning a beach holiday, I’ve found that essentials like sunblock, sunscreen, microfiber towels, and other beach supplies always top (and sometimes, takeover) the list. That’s when I discovered laser hair removal benefits. A few sessions in the months ahead of our planned trip and I could stop worrying about the shaving sessions each day. If you have boisterous boys like mine, you know quite well how making the time for a quick shower is a project by itself.
Trying to travel light with kids is possible. And, using my ideas, you might save on a few baggage retrieval struggles while your two-year-old warns the whole airport that he’s bored of waiting at the carousel. But, you’ll also have fun. And, put away a lot of memories. My kids, now teenagers love to look at old pictures of when they were little and in Disneyland. So, don’t let the scare of traveling with kids deter you.

Have a wonderful holiday!

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3 Steps to assisting a friend in need

May 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

If you have a friend who is undergoing a great deal of problems like addiction, depression and other things, you may be wondering how you can help him or her. If this is you, you will find this article very helpful. You see, people who undergo these kinds of problems usually isolate and shut themselves alone, out of reach from the outside world. And as time passes, with them rejecting everybody, things will just worsen and get out of hand. By reaching out your helping hand first, you will be able to greatly decrease the chances of this happening and instead be able to help your friend completely solve the problem or issue.

 

Here are the 3 steps that will help you and your friend address their problems and issues;

 

  •    Establish a sincere and open communication

 

The very first and most important step to helping your friend is by having a completely open and sincere talk. In this process, patience and understanding will be tested. Most people who are depressed or are suffering from addiction are actually very stubborn, they will refuse help and won’t admit that they need you. They will wear that mask for as long as possible and will inevitably fall into deeper problems. Therefore, you need to constantly approach your friend or loved one and make them feel that you are always there to listen. Try to understand that beneath that prideful and arrogant attitude is actually a very lonely and afraid person. Once you destroy those layers and barriers, the open communication will naturally come. Once you earn the trust and start talking with your friend, try to identify the root cause of the problems. You also need to learn and identify the triggers that cause their depression or addiction. Once you finally have these things, you can actively guide them in avoiding these causes and triggers and slowly convince them to undergo treatment.

 

  •    Seek professional help

 

In some cases, it is always better to seek help and advice from professionals. These professionals are well-trained and specially equipped with the latest technology and treatment programs that will effectively address your friend or loved one’s depression or addiction. Through the years, with advances in medicine, different kinds of treatment programs have been constantly developed in order to treat the physical, emotional, spiritual and even social problems brought about by depression or addiction. You can check out The Drug Rehab Agency for more information.

 

  •    Stay and be there for your friend through and through

 

Treatment will not be easy and fast and there will be many stages that will require emotional support especially from trusted friends. Therefore, you need to be with your friend all throughout and help him get through his problems. You know what they say, problems are easier dealt with when you have someone facing them and conquering them with you. Also, depression and addiction can reoccur at any point in the future especially if the same conditions that caused it in the first place are met again. Thus, guarantee your friend that once he gets through this ordeal, you will still be there helping him to get back on track again.

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3 Ways to Living a Healthier Lifestyle

May 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Health threats are all around and the modern lifestyle is contributing to a dramatic increase in risk, prompting many to adopt life choices that preserve, protect and promote their health. Today’s health and wellness business is a multi-billion dollar industry proving the demand and need of people to shift to a healthier lifestyle.  Yet, amidst this limitless influx of science, information, and technology, many continue to agonize over unhealthy lifestyles, sedentary jobs, fast food, and other stuff that puts their health under threat. Many, knowing these things continue to procrastinate and make excuses as to why they are not on their way to a healthy lifestyle right now. Some may feel it hard to start and some are afraid to fail. Yet all of these can only be solved in actually acting on them.

By acting to improve your health through better lifestyle choices and habits, you gradually develop the momentum that can take you to your dream state. Again, you need to act first. For those who are clueless in where to start, here are 3 ways to live a healthier life starting within your very own home.

1.    Opting for Healthy Food Choices

You are what you eat, and if you want to be healthy, you need to start eating healthy. Take out food with massive preservatives out of your fridge, throw away junk foods, and stay away from fast food. Make healthy food choices by knowing what to eat and actually eating them. Substitute your pizzas with real cooked food. Do your own shopping and fill your fridge with fruits, vegetables, and many healthy choices. Drink less sodas and coffee, or keep them at the minimum. Water should be your main drink, make sure you drink enough in a day.

2.    Manage Your Time Well

Time management is not only a productivity hack, but it is also a health hack. By managing your time efficiently, you spare yourself from stress that affects your digestion and overall mental and physical health. Allot time for cooking healthy food and working out. Most importantly, allocate ample time for sleep and rest. Without sleep and rest, your body can’t function properly and it affects your physique. You can only get the most from your diet and exercise when you combine them with sufficient rest and sleep.

3.    Create a Home Gym

While you can always sign up for a membership in a gym near your home or workplace, setting ample space for a workout area at home can encourage you to exercise more. Trips to the gym can mean dressing up and getting ready, which exhausts people mentally most of the time. With your own home gym, equipped with the right equipment, you can always get workout access any time of the day for any small amount of time you have.

A healthy lifestyle begins with a choice, followed up by action, and fueled with dedication and consistency. The best time to start is today.

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Color Switch: Challenges

May 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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My kids and their friends are gamers. And by that, I mean they enjoy playing all sorts of video games. From chatting with other parents, I’ve realized that older children tend to prefer console games. If you’ve spent $60 a pop on too many PS4 or Xbox titles, then you know what I’m talking about. Thankfully, it seems that most younger kids are into free games. While we may not enjoy in-game purchases and/or advertisements, free-to-play is a welcome idea. Color Switch: Challenges is a free game, and there are actually no purchases necessary (or even available, for that matter). Better yet, there are no in-game ads, either.

Color Switch: Challenges is a uniquely fantastic game for several reasons. Firstly, it truly appeals to all ages. The objective is easy to understand, the controls are enjoyably basic, and the game looks good, too. Secondly, Color Switch: Challenges is different every time you play. Here’s how it works:

Each gamer controls a colored ball. Clicking the mouse or tapping the screen moves the ball upwards. If untouched, the ball falls realistically, as if pulled down by gravity. Players must keep bouncing the ball upwards to avoid falling out of sight. But, several obstacles stand in between the start and finish lines.

Obstacles come in the form of multicolored circles, diamonds, and rectangles. Plus, every obstacle moves. Some spin, some slide, and others change size. Most of the time, players have to figure out how to move through the shapes. Passing through them requires touching matching colors only. Since the obstacles move constantly, it can be very difficult to avoid non matching parts.

The colors are completely random, which means there’s no way to cheat. Walkthrough videos will only help so much, because the timing will always vary. As such, I’ve found Color Switch: Challenges to be more mentally stimulating than other free games. It requires players to think, adjust, and actually learn as they play.

Color Switch: Challenges is new and readily available on Poki. However, it’s not the first of its kind. This game is based on Color Switch (without ‘Challenges’ in its name). The original game was one of the most successful mobile games of the past two years, with over 150 million downloads. Chances are, your children might already be familiar with Color Switch. If they are, I still recommend giving the Challenges edition a try.

This new version of the game is much more focused than the original. Challenges are essentially small puzzles. In this game, players won’t spend hours doing the same thing over and over. Instead, they will work on manageable puzzles. Getting past three obstacles at a time is encouraging and fun. It’s not daunting, and it’s far less frustrating than trying to beat an impossible-to-reach high score.

Color Switch: Challenges bridges the gap between arcade and puzzle games, providing plenty of entertainment for younger and older kids. It’s great for parents, too—whether you’re a savvy gamer or just want to dabble in the fun.

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Main Features and Benefits of the EntrePass Visa for Entrepreneurs

May 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment

The scheme “Entrepreneur Pass”, also referred to as “EntrePass” or “Entrepreneurs Visa” was introduced in 2004. Its main purpose was to welcome foreign entrepreneurs with innovative and inventive business proposals. A major benefit of this scheme is that it will help Singapore to become a regional business center and increase its appeal to the world’s leading entrepreneurial minds.

Eligibility criteria for EntrePass

Here are the main criteria required to immigrate to Singapore with EntrePass Visa:

  •         The individual must have an extraordinary entrepreneurial or business background;
  •         The firm should not already be registered in Singapore’s business records;
  •         A period of at least 6 months should have passed since the firm’s founding;
  •         The prospected paid capital of the firm should be more than 50,000 SGD;
  •         If you are a shareholder of the company, your share ownership should be at least 30%;
  •         The entrepreneur needs to develop the entire business strategy and provide all relevant details, including their innovative approach, the aims and goals of the business, and its proposed benefit for the Singaporean economy and for local businesses.

All business entities are welcome to apply, but private companies may receive more benefits.

New business entities should meet one or more of the following innovative criteria:

  1.   The entrepreneur registers all their property through an accredited or specialized Singapore-based company.
  2.   The entrepreneur must have an angel investor or a venture capital (VC) company that is willing to invest more than 100,000 SGD in a new business.
  3.   The company should be registered as a participant in a startup incubation programme of the government.
  4.   The company must collaborate with a university or with A*STAR in the field of research.

Key features of EntrePass

Here are the main features of EntrePass:

  •         One can avail the benefit of EntrePass if the company is not registered yet or has been trading for at least 6 months. If over 6 months have passed after the company’s registration, the entrepreneur must apply for an employment pass rather than the EntrePass.
  •         A Singapore-based company should be willing to sponsor the visa application by paying for a bond worth 3,000 SGD. This money will be refunded upon visa expiry.
  •         It is crucial for the entrepreneur to have an extraordinary business plan for the future and a successful business background.

Entrepreneurs are recommended to find out as much as possible about their eligibility from visa experts so as to avoid rejection of the visa.

Benefits of EntrePass

The major benefits of EntrePass are given below:

  •         The Singaporean government issues the visa for a year with the possibility of renewal in the future.
  •         The entrepreneur is allowed a period of 30 days to set up their business after issuance of the visa.
  •         Businessmen can bring their spouses and children to Singapore after the first renewal of the visa and upon fulfilling certain conditions, which include:
  1.   Creating at least 4 jobs in the local economy; and
  2.   Spending more than 150,000 SGD.
  •         Businessmen can apply for permanent residency after their proposed business plan has been successful for 2 years.
  •         Business taxes in Singapore are very low, and the Singaporean government gives private companies huge tax discounts.

Understanding these requirements and features will help you when applying for your own EntrePass visa.

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Kids’ Clothes Don’t Have To Cost You A Fortune

May 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Whether it’s back-to-school time or you’re in the run-up to summer, your kids need clothes. With the crazy speed at which young kids grow, you need to be smart with your money when it’s time to hit some department stores again. If you know you’ve spent too much on children’s clothes in the past, here are some handy tips to make it less of a strain on your budget…

Stay Away from Collections

A lot of kids’ clothing stores will group all their collections right at the entrance of the store, where you can easily see all the pieces in one spot, and get tempted into a knee-jerk impulse-buy. Yes, those tops, skirts, along with the matching shoes and accessories might look adorable on the mannequins. However, your child really doesn’t care how well the different pieces of their outfit mesh together. If you see a pair of pants that you have to see on your child, then go ahead and pick them up. However, don’t get looped in and buy everything else in the collection. Try to bypass the new collections, and head to the back of the store, where you’ll find all the affordable clearance items.

Start Couponing

A lot of parents think that couponing has more popularity than it’s worth, and all those offers you come across are only there to get you in the store. Sure, businesses get on couponing schemes as a marketing ploy, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t save a huge amount through taking advantage of what’s on offer. Head over to a site like DontPayFull.com, and you’ll see a range of discount codes for popular department stores and kids’ clothing brands. These couponing sites go through their ups and downs, but it’s always worth having a look before you head out and start shopping.

Plan Ahead

Department stores start to close out jackets, sweaters and other cold weather gear once the spring range comes out. Obviously though, this doesn’t mean that your kids aren’t going to need winter gear in a matter of months. Start checking out more end-of-season sales, and save money ahead of when your kids actually need to change their wardrobe. Make a point of buying seasonal clothes that are just a touch large for your kids. This way, they can wear a certain item for a month or two, then store it away until the winter rolls around again. By leaving your kids room to grow, you’ll be able to go that much longer without having to buy more clothes.

Share the Basics

One of the great things about having young kids is that they can share a lot of their clothes. Of course, your son might not be crazy about the idea of wearing a Frozen shirt, or your daughter a Star Wars one, but when it comes to the basics, kids can share all kinds of items. Plain snow pants, hoodies, jackets and gloves are all good items for this, and will save you having to buy two sets of everything for your kids. The next time you’re shopping, try not to get a theme on everything, and look for clothes in neutral colors like black, gray and brown. Graphics of your kids’ favorite cartoon characters can add a ridiculous amount to an otherwise affordable piece of clothing, so keep sharing in mind on your shopping trip.

Think Work and Play

There’s a big difference between what your kids should be wearing to school and what they can use for play time. Mainly, the distinctions you should be worrying about are price and quality. When you’re at the start of summer, and your kids have got months ahead of riding bikes, running around parks, and so on, target cheap, low-quality clothes. There are usually great deals on around this time that allow you to buy a few shirts at a bundle price, along with discounted graphics tees, sweat pants, shorts and flip-flops.

Sell their Old Clothes

Baby onesies can make a nice memento, but as your kids grow out of their clothes at a ridiculous rate, you’ll need some way of getting rid of them. Why not get some of your money back by selling them at a garage sale? Just like you, other parents are going to want to save as much money as possible on clothes for their growing kids. Gently used shirts, pants, and shoes are all good items for a garage sale, and the little money you’ll make back can make your next shop that much cheaper.

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Secret Tricks That Will Help You Find the Best Luxury Hotels

May 23, 2017 by 1 Comment

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It is actually fun to go on a luxury holiday every once in a while. Instead of planning an adventure, you can plan a trip that will pamper you to the max. The change in theme and the holiday experience you will get while on a luxury trip are definitely worth the extra travel expenses.

Even better, it is now possible to find great luxury hotels regardless of your budget. Not all luxury properties are created equal and in this article, we’re going to reveal some secret tricks that will help you find the best luxury hotels quickly.

Look for Luxury Property Chains

A lot of luxury properties around the world are managed by the same company. There are many special offers and discounted rates when you book through the official website, allowing you to still enjoy VIP treatment while keeping your travel expenses within budget.

There’s another trick you can try to find great deals on luxury property, and that is by signing up for the hotel chain’s newsletter. It is not uncommon for hotel chains to share exclusive deals to members of their mailing lists. You can take advantage of the special offers the moment they are made available.

Dig Deeper

Some luxury properties are not as easy to find. If you’re traveling to exotic destinations such as Indonesia or the Caribbean, take your time and find properties that are not always available through regular hotel booking sites.

There are special sites you can visit to gain access to these properties. Luxury Link, for example, has hundreds of hidden gems on its website. You’ll find the great deals on these luxury properties very attractive too.

Properties such as the ones available on Luxury Link are exclusive and often go two or three steps further to ensure their guests have the best travel experience. It’s definitely worth paying extra for a luxury resort hotel.

Check Your Credit Card

Some credit card companies actually work with luxury hotel chains and properties, so don’t be surprised to find special deals from your credit card issuer. You can even go on a luxury holiday for free using loyalty points or the credit card company’s other programs.

The same can be said for your Frequent Flyer card. The more mileage you have, the easier it will be to book a stay at the best hotels in the world without actually spending any money in the process. There are packages that include flights and accommodation; these packages usually allow you to save more on the VIP holiday.

Last, but certainly not least, always book early. Unlike most hotels, deals on luxury hotels are best found when you book early instead of booking late. There may be special occasions or promotional offers available. Be sure to compare these promotional offers closely if you are serious about keeping your luxury holiday affordable. With these secrets in mind, you will have no trouble at all finding great upscale hotels to try on your next trip.

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