Helping Hands Creations

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Today is the first day of our virtual study! 🎉 we are very proud of our virtual volunteers for our Animea: My Emotional Support Animal Cards!

I look forward to our journey together and sharing our results at the end of the study ❤️

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Today, I’m jumping into a difficult topic: masking.

Not every autistic or ADHD person can mask, but for those who do or want to, I wanted to share some thoughts.

Masking, for me, is NOT about hiding my feelings or pretending I’m fine. It’s about considering my needs, other people’s needs, and the situation I’m in.

I think the term “masking” gets mixed up with how other people use it. Sometimes people use it to mean bottling up who we are or what we feel — putting on a mask to perform and survive.

But for me, it’s not a mask to appear “normal.” I am masking my autistic traits, yes, but in a way that’s kind to myself and mindful of others.

At the end of the day, I want to connect with people, and not every autistic trait I have is something I want to encourage in myself.

As an analogy: instead of putting on a generic mask to pretend I’m “normal,” I’m handcrafting a mask that reflects someone I’m proud of.

Touching everything helps stop the sensory pain in my hands, but that can be distracting for others, so I carry a polished rock in my pocket. Not touching anything would also be masking — but it wouldn’t meet my needs. It would be denying what my body requires, which is the opposite of helpful.

Sometimes I won’t be able to mask every behavior. Despite years of trying, I still have a flat tone. I acknowledge what I can and am willing to change, and I accept what I cannot or am not willing to change. At that point, it’s out of my hands — it’s up to others to accept me or not.

Masking and unmasking aren’t simple, especially when we’re all using the same word to mean different things. We don’t always know each other’s needs, and sometimes our needs conflict.

But the main reason I wanted to talk about this today is simple: no matter how or why we mask, masking should NEVER hurt us.

Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

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A simple way to help with speech isn't even talking....it's building your mouth's muscles! A cool trick my daughter's therapists taught me: use a straw, bubbles, water, and a bowl to make HUGE bubbles!. It's been great! She "prepares" her car wash and then washes cars, it's a blast! Best part is, if she spills anything, it's easy to clean up

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When my kids are in a good mood, that’s when I gently challenge them.

Practicing while they’re in a good mood is a perfect for learning harder skills, like "bouncing back" after losing.

One of our favorite ways to build resilience is Flamingo Balance.

My trick is reframing “losing your balance” as a sign of needing to "try again" and not "losing."

We do it everywhere! While waiting in lines, at the aquarium, or just hanging out at home. Anywhere you can stand is an opportunity to practice.

The ability to bounce back from setbacks is built over time, and Flamingo Balance makes that practice feel fun!

I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine do. I can’t wait to hear how long they can Flamingo Balance~

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Hello everyone! I'm here with my weekly resource

Today, I wanted to expand my self-care game that I made last week.

Self-care is such a hard concept to understand, and I don’t think anyone ever takes the time to explain what it means it us.

Self-care isn’t just saying “love yourself” and you are done. In reality, it’s all the little actions you take day to day to take care of yourself.

But when you are autistic, it can be hard to sense these things. How are you supposed to know brushing your head reduces itchiness if you don’t even know what the buzzing on your skull means?

By manually practicing these skills, we can slowly but surely become more used to doing self-care activities and start to gain experience in how our body feels after doing these actions.

So last week, I shared a single paged version of this Self-Care Game.

But I REALLY wanted a version that had more visual support

The goal of both versions is to practice self-care. Any time you feel like your body needs comfort, but you aren’t sure what to do, bring out this game and practice!

Our bodies are different, so it’s important to treat them like they are different. It is not our fault that sensory issues and other parts of our disorder directly impact our ability to sense what our body needs.

But through kindness and fun, we can make learning more about ourselves a little easier.

Happy learning everyone!

Link to all the downloads and the template link

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Meal times used to be a drag. I knew we needed to practice using utensils, but my kids would get so frustrated that they would give up and throw the food or use their hands. My opinion is yogurt cereal is the best meal to practice with, hands down! What do y'all think? #parenting #autism

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When your kid is screaming and no end seems in sight… we can begin to roar like a lion and turn a distressing situation into a controlled outlet that feels like a game!

By allowing kids to set the pace of when to stop roaring? You reframe the situation into an invitation rather than a demand.

Learn more about what I mean in my video.

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Self-care was a REALLY hard concept for me to get. It wasn't until I saw "self-care" things listed that I realized it was actions I needed to take.

Self-care is acts of love to yourself. It's taking a moment to ask yourself what you need.

Valentines is a holiday of love, but it can feel like a lot of pressure to celebrate like "other" people.

So, I made this "self-care challenge" to help guide people to do acts of love for themselves. I know I kinda just stare into nothingness if I don't have a plan because I struggle to tell what I need.

So feel free to use this when you want to spoil yourself but don't know where to start.

Spend this holiday in a way that makes YOU happy. Whether with loved ones or yourself, we all deserve to feel loved.

Like my husband spoils me with alone time! Haha there's literally no rules other than feel loved.

Happy Valentine's Day

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Before physical therapy, my son physically couldn't sit up, even in a swing or going down a slide! He barely could sit in a chair before "melting" and sliding out of his desk. He would rather walk around than sit because he just couldn't do it. He desperately needed core strength.

So therapist taught me this exercise! My daughter helped me model it yesterday. It's simple, easy to repeat, and fun! It's so hard to get him to do a lot of exercises, but this one he loved since it was bubbles!

He wasn't trying to misbehave and get out of his seat, we just needed support. I highly recommend this for anyone that needs help with core strength.

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When your kids are moving too fast or bumping into everything…

It's time to sloooow them dooowwn in a fun and easy way.

Sloth Walk is all about teaching kids to redirect energy towards slowing down and relaxing their bodies.

The goal is to change the behavior. By using Sloth Walk, slowing down becomes FUN.

Today's video shows me breaking down our Sloth Walk exercise and all the fun ways you can use it with your child today.

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Professionals are always talking about the benefits of deep breathing....and it is for a reason, there are LOADS of reasons to do it. But when you are in the middle of an argument or overwhelmed? Someone telling you to take "deep breaths" is a sentence no one wants to hear! So instead, I challenge you reminding yourself through a poster or as a saved image on your phone. Here is a free poster you can download on our website here You can’t control others or what’s happening around you. But you can control your breaths. Let this free poster be a guide, one breath at a time!

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It can be hard to get neurodivergent children to focus on tasks you give them. Depending on the child, it can be painful or annoying depending on the task.

The best advice I can give you is: note the skill you need work in and tie it in a fun way that is interesting to THEM.

My son's special interest is animals and the skill he needs to work in is hand strength, so our solution was Play-Doh dioramas!

Through creativity and fun, we can help our kids thrive <3

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"Whale Breaths" is a daily lifesaver in my family. My children went from distressing meltdowns to >> telling themselves "I feel blue. I want Whale Breaths"

This type of growth is our goal for every child using our support deck.

Working on emotional regulation doesn't have to be hard or distressing.

When I built the exercise Whale Breaths, I wanted deep breathing to "make sense" but also be fun and easy. Whale Breaths is meant to be used whenever and where ever it's needed. I hope it impacts your famiily as much as it has for us!

We break down and demonstrates what Whale Breaths is all about!

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Cooking while autistic can be really hard, and the judgment that comes with struggling can feel even harder.

For me, cutting with knives was a genuine issue. After multiple times accidentally cutting off my fingertips, I became terrified. I started telling myself, “I can’t cook,” and avoided the kitchen altogether.

But that was a step backward—it was actually costing me my independence.

Then I realized something important: I don’t have to cut "like everyone else."

- I can use cut‑resistant gloves.

- I can buy pre‑cut ingredients.

Yes, it costs a little more upfront — but it’s still cheaper than takeout, and better for my health than fast food or skipping meals altogether.

I’m sharing this today because I want you to know: it’s okay to do things differently. It’s okay if certain tasks are harder for you. Your safety, health and self-care matter more than doing it the "right" way.

Food Safety Tips #1: Cutting Gloves – Helping Hands Creations Inc.

Cooking while on the spectrum can be a huge challenge—balancing sensory input, energy, and safety can feel overwhelming. To make it easier,

Cutting gloves are my go-to in the kitchen, what do y’all think? Any tips that make life easier for you in the kitchen?

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Pronoun Signs – Helping Hands Creations Inc.

These are perfect to use while watching movies and shows! Use by practicing with daily routines. Attachments

Working on speech doesn't have to be difficult, in fact it can be as easy as watching a movie with your kid!

We made "Pronoun Signs" that your little one can lift to describe characters on the screen. Here's one of our little ones watching her favorite TV show while practicing pronouns.

All you have to do is print, cut, glue the signs to a handle, and keep them by the TV for easy access.

My daughter's journey with pronouns has been a wild ride, but it's been a fun one. Happy learning everyone!

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When my kids are in a good mood, that’s when I gently challenge them.

Practicing while they’re in a good mood is a perfect for learning harder skills, like "bouncing back" after losing.

One of our favorite ways to build resilience is Flamingo Balance.

My trick is reframing “losing your balance” as a sign of needing to "try again" and not "losing."

We do it everywhere! While waiting in lines, at the aquarium, or just hanging out at home. Anywhere you can stand is an opportunity to practice.

The ability to bounce back from setbacks is built over time, and Flamingo Balance makes that practice feel fun!

I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine do. I can’t wait to hear how long they can Flamingo Balance~

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From the workplace to home, meltdowns impacted every aspect of my life.

People often mistake them for "tantrums" or behavior problems, but in reality, it’s about how our bodies process information.

It’s not a choice. It’s painful, confusing, and exhausting.

But my personal experience helped me develop a simple idea: Just like we have fire escape plans, we need Meltdown Plans.

I’ve been teaching Meltdown Planning for years, and with Gigi’s help, I’m finally sharing our customizable Meltdown Planning Poster! We’ve included templates, examples and "word banks" to help you build a personalized safety plan that fits YOUR needs.

I hope this custom template helps you develop your own safety plan that you’ll feel comfortable sharing with your support system—such as a partner, parent, or best friend. ❤️

Free Custom Meltdown Plan – Helping Hands Creations Inc.

From the workplace to home, meltdowns impacted every aspect of my life. People often mistake them for “tantrums” or behavior problems, but i