People with autism spectrum disorder, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, can have “difficulty with social communication and interaction, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors.” While repetitive, self-stimulatory behavior, or “stimming,” is a common trait in people with autism, it’s not commonly accepted. Oftentimes, parents, therapists and educators …

Even if, like my husband, you are a staunch contrarian who scoffs at the act of setting new year’s resolutions, the symbolic act of kicking 2020 to the curb will probably tempt former skeptics this January. Many of us may have slid into new habits shaped in response to our …

Depression in all children, with or without a disability, remains a concern. According to a study published in the March 2019 issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, 3.2% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with depression. Adolescents with disabilities, particularly those with autism, have …

Thousands of fearless people across the country took to the beaches, parks, racetracks, pools, clubs and streets this holiday weekend, drunk with freedom, liberty and their constitutionally guaranteed right to kill as many people as they chose. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law cried over her baby’s hospital bed in the pediatric intensive …

Parents, could you be getting in your child’s way? While nobody can predict the challenges that today’s children will face as adults, child therapist Vivian Morgan has helped enough children and teens to pinpoint certain predictors of a child’s ultimate success. Morgan has seen children of all ages, circumstance and …

Some kids were born to love athletics. Others participate reluctantly or only when heavily bribed. No matter what your child’s ability or interest level, there’s no need for him or her to spend the summer playing video games on the couch. Baltimore’s Child has found sports camps and opportunities for …

When Maryland licensed its first medical marijuana dispensaries in 2015, Trent and Tina Stroup believed the move might hold promise for their teenage daughter, Addie, who faces multiple medical challenges including epilepsy and autism. The Stroups heard through multiple advocacy groups and resources that medical marijuana could be a panacea for people …

Beth Tober’s motivation to run derived from entering and training for races. But after amassing an entire drawer full of medals and race T-shirts, she felt her motivation flagging. “Why am I still just running?” she remembers thinking. “There’s got to be something more to it than this.” Her longtime …

Wandering into the office break room to fetch a sandwich bag full of limp celery, you see it, perched in the center of the table. With its cellophane wrap coruscating under the fluorescent lights, it is the first gift basket of the season. Within seconds, the moribund celery is forgotten. …

In September, a new coffee shop will replace the Starbucks on Dock Street. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee is, like Starbucks, a chain, but smaller and with a very different mission. Amy and Ben Wright, the Wilmington, N.C.-based founders of Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, named their coffee shops after their son …