Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) create diagnostic puzzles that confuse even experienced clinicians. Emotional intensity? Present in both. Social struggles? Absolutely. Relationship difficulties? Check on both sides. Because the symptoms overlap substantially, distinguishing between these conditions becomes extremely challenging. But here's the critical issue - getting the diagnosis right determines [...]
Parents notice something different. A toddler won't look up when you call their name. Playing with other kids at the park seems harder for your child than for others. Maybe conversations feel one-sided, or tiny changes in routine trigger big reactions. These moments often send families looking for answers, which brings them to autism [...]
Autism looks different in every child. Some speak in full sentences, hold down jobs, and live independently. Others never develop verbal language and need assistance with everything from getting dressed to staying safe. The gap between these experiences is enormous, which is exactly why the DSM-5 introduced three levels of autism back in 2013. [...]
When you hear the diagnosis, the question hits immediately: why? Parents desperately want answers. They need to know what happened. But autism spectrum disorder doesn't come with a simple explanation - it's woven from multiple threads, not tied to one single cause. Research has come a long way in understanding what causes autism. What [...]
Asperger's syndrome still comes up a lot when people talk about autism, even though the medical terms have changed. What is Aspergers, exactly? The term used to describe kids who talked on time - or even early - but couldn't quite figure out the social rules everyone else seemed to get instinctively. Their vocabulary [...]
What is masking in autism? It's when autistic people hide their natural behaviors to fit in. Someone forces eye contact even though it's uncomfortable. They rehearse conversations for hours beforehand. Instead of flapping their hands, they tap their toes inside their shoes where no one can see. This constant act drains you completely. Every [...]
Autistic burnout is different from regular tiredness. It can last weeks, months, or even longer - a state of complete exhaustion that happens when an autistic person's ability to cope with everyday life gets totally overwhelmed. Kids, teens, and adults all experience this crushing exhaustion. A child who used to handle school fine suddenly [...]
Sensory regulation is the key to a happy and focused life for children on the autism spectrum. Think of the world as a volume control. For many children with autism, this volume control is constantly turned too high or too low. Sensory processing helps them adjust this internal volume. When a child with autism [...]
This Scribble blog post was written by Emily Grant, Occupational Therapist. How can you help your child develop a growth mindset? Does your child often give up quickly when faced with a new challenge? Have you ever heard them say “I can’t do this” or do they ask you to finish tasks for them? [...]
