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Home Support
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How do I toilet train a child with autism or developmental delay?
Start when your child shows physical readiness rather than at a set age. Use a predictable routine, a visual schedule, calm responses to accidents and generous praise for every small win. Children with autism or developmental delay often need a longer timeline and smaller steps — and that is normal.
Read the answer AnswerMy child asks the same question over and over — why, and what do I do?
Children repeat questions to feel safe, to manage uncertainty, to practise language, or to stay connected with you. Answer once, calmly and consistently, name the feeling underneath, use visuals, and gently build tolerance for waiting. It's usually normal; seek a check if it's intense or distressing.
Read the answer AnswerMy child avoids eye contact — should I worry, and how do I encourage it?
Occasional reduced eye contact is common and usually not alarming on its own; watch the wider pattern over weeks. Encourage it through face-to-face play, following your child's interest, fun faces and warm responses — never force it. Seek a developmental check if it persists with other social-communication differences or any loss of skills.
Read the answer AnswerMy child can't sit still — is it ADHD, and how do I help them focus?
A child who can't sit still is not automatically showing ADHD — high energy and short attention are normal in young children. ADHD is only considered when restlessness and inattention are strong, last over six months, and cause difficulty across more than one setting. Meanwhile, short tasks, movement breaks, one instruction at a time, routine and protected sleep genuinely help focus.
Read the answer AnswerWhy does it matter that my child does not point?
Pointing — especially pointing to share interest — is an early sign your child wants to connect and is a foundation for language. Most children point by around 12–14 months. If your child is over 15–18 months and not pointing, a gentle developmental check is wise, particularly alongside limited eye contact, few gestures or no words. It is rarely a reason to panic and often responds well to early support.
Read the answer AnswerManaging Sibling Aggression at Home
Sibling aggression is common when feelings outpace words. Manage it at home by keeping everyone safe first, spotting triggers, coaching feeling-words, praising kindness and giving each child one-on-one time. Seek a developmental check if it is frequent, injuring, worsening, or paired with speech delay or distress at change.
Read the answer AnswerSchool Refusal — How Parents Can Help
School refusal is usually anxiety, not defiance — your child is avoiding something that feels overwhelming. Stay calm, find the worry underneath, keep mornings predictable, plan a gradual return and partner early with the school. If refusal lasts more than a week or two, or comes with panic, tummy aches or sleep changes, seek a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerKeeping a Child Who Runs Off Safe in Public
Children often run off from excitement, sensory overload, or because stopping and waiting are still developing skills. Keep them safe with layered protection — close supervision, physical safeguards like wrist links and ID, teaching a calm 'stop and wait' habit, and reducing triggers such as crowds, noise and hunger. If running off is frequent or dangerous, a developmental check helps target the right support.
Read the answer AnswerChild Night Waking: What Parents Can Do
Most childhood night waking settles with a steady wind-down routine, consistent sleep and wake times, and helping your child learn to settle back on their own. Respond calmly and briefly with lights low, and give changes one to two weeks. Have waking checked if it comes with snoring, gasping, pain, fear, or developmental concerns.
Read the answer AnswerToilet Training Regression: A Calm Parent's Guide
Toilet training regression is usually a normal, temporary response to stress or change, not a failure. Stay calm, never punish, look for a trigger, rule out constipation or a urinary infection, and rebuild gentle routines. Seek a review if it persists beyond a few weeks or comes with pain or other developmental concerns.
Read the answer AnswerShould I Stop My Child's Hand Flapping or Stimming?
In most cases you should not simply stop hand flapping or stimming — it often helps your child self-regulate or express emotion. Keep them safe, understand what the stim is for, and gently offer a safer alternative only when it causes harm or blocks learning, never forcing it away.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is my role as a parent during my child's therapy?
Your role as a parent is to be your child's everyday teacher and the bridge that carries skills from the therapy room into real life. Therapists guide and measure; you practise little and often in daily routines, follow your child's lead, and share everyday wins. This parent-mediated practice multiplies the effect of every session.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is my role as a parent in my child's therapy plan?
Your role is to be the bridge between the therapy room and home — practising small goals daily, noticing and sharing progress, keeping attendance steady, and shaping the plan to fit your family. Therapists guide; parents make change last. The plan is built with you and reviewed together at a Pinnacle centre.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity for achievement orientation?
One simple everyday activity is the 'finish-it-together' challenge: give your toddler a small, achievable task, stay beside them until it's complete, and celebrate the finish. Completing tasks and being praised for effort builds early persistence, motivation and the joy of mastery.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with activity completion?
Try a "first–then finish basket": a short, 2–4 step task with a visible end — like posting five blocks into a box — so your child experiences finishing something all the way through. Show the whole task, support only as needed, and warmly celebrate the moment it's done.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with adaptability?
Try the "Same Game, New Way" routine: take a game your child loves and change one small thing, celebrating their flexibility. This playful, predictable practice builds cognitive flexibility and adaptive skills in children aged 3–7.
Read the answer AnswerOne Everyday Activity to Build Your Child's Adaptive Skills
A simple daily snack routine — pouring, spreading, peeling and tidying up — is one of the best everyday activities to build a 3–7 year old's adaptive self-care skills, because real-life repetition drives independence faster than drills.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with adaptive skills?
One easy everyday-therapy activity is shared handwashing: break it into tiny steps, keep the routine the same each day, and let your toddler do one small part. Repeated daily self-care routines are how adaptive skills grow — celebrate the try, then hand over one more step over time.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with aggression control?
One calm everyday activity — a 'calm-down corner' with a settling glitter jar — helps a 3–7 year old notice and release anger safely, building emotional regulation through repeated co-regulation rather than punishment.
Read the answer AnswerOne Everyday Activity for Your Toddler's Attachment Response
Try 10 minutes of daily "Special Floor Time": sit at your toddler's level, follow their lead in play, and warmly respond to every look, sound and return to your lap. These serve-and-return exchanges build secure attachment by teaching your child you are a reliable, safe base.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with attention?
One simple home activity for toddler attention is "one-thing-together" play: sit face-to-face with a single toy, follow your child's lead, name what they do, and pause to invite them to look back at you. These short, daily, screen-free rounds build shared attention — the foundation of learning.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity for attention and inhibition?
Try "Freeze Dance": dance to music, then freeze when it stops. This playful game builds both attention (listening for the cue) and inhibition (stopping a moving body) in just ten minutes a day.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity for attention to detail?
Try "Spot the Difference" with a tray of real objects: let your child look, change one thing, then ask what's different. This playful game builds careful looking, comparison and selective attention — best grown in short, repeated turns with warm, specific praise.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is one Everyday Therapy activity to help my child with attention to others?
Try the "Look what I have!" game: hold an interesting object near your face, name it warmly, then pause and wait for your child to look at you — and reward that glance instantly with delight. Five joyful minutes a few times a day builds attention to others, the foundation of shared social interest.
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