Different Skill Notebook

Welcome to the Different Skill Notebook Podcast, hosted by Ana Anselma, a smart parenting tool empowering families with vital life skills. In this episode, Ana delves into a transformative approach at the Social Mind Center's Brick Club, where listening first strengthens relationships with neurodivergent and autistic individuals. Reflecting on years of experience, Ana shares how listening and remo...

Welcome to the Different Skill Notebook Podcast, hosted by Ana Anselma, co-owner of the Social Mind Center and an educational consultant. In this episode, Ana delves into the crucial topic of social communication and autism, exploring why it's essential to equip neurodivergent individuals with the skills to communicate their thoughts, needs and desires more effectively. Ana shares insights from he...

In this episode, Melissa Pascucci shares her success finding and pursuing a profession she loves.  Melissa shares the steps she took to help find her new career.  Melissa never stopped attending events at her school, Marino Campus.  She participated in all professional and community events hosted and promoted by the Dan Marino Campus.  She emphasizes the importance of pursuing learning and growth....

In this episode, Melissa shares her journey after high school to find her place and purpose in the world.  Her employment experiences and career ambitions.  Her story is one of perseverance and hope. She expresses the need for autistics to be consistently exposed to different experiences and opportunities.  This helps them to figure out what may be the best fit for them.  She says independence for...

Before the term neurodiversity and neurodivergent came to be, I used the term autism mind. My son taught me 18 years ago that autism was a different kind of mind. He had a different process in which he approached his daily life. I realized the strategy was to equip him to navigate the neurotypical world. I taught him how the neurotypical world worked. How does the world work, and what does it expe...

      Seventeen years ago was the first time I heard the word autism. This episode shares the events that lead me to seek an evaluation for my son.  How did I know my son needed an evaluation? What did I do when I heard the word autism?  This series of episodes will discuss the start of my journey in seeking to know autism. Reflecting on what I have learned from my children and thousands of other...

    In this episode, Gaby Anselma joins us again to continue our conversation on anxiety. We discuss medication as a tool to deal with anxiety symptoms. Some of the other points discussed in this episode:  Medication is a tool, not a total solution to anxiety management. When do you decide to take medication?  What are some of the symptoms or signs that lead one to consider medication?  clouded th...

  Considering medication for your child is a serious decision. In this episode, we discuss the different factors and considerations involved. 1. Does your child/teen struggle with?  Attending or focusing Anxiety Self-regulation - organizing mind and body to achieve goal-directed behavior Emotional regulation Irritability Impulse control Cognitive inflexibility- restrictive behaviors Depression   2...

Healing  and Managing your Anxiety!   This is our second episode in the series of Anxiety Management. In this episode Gaby discusses what her anxiety looks like now in college. She has dealt with anxiety most of her life. In every season it looks different.  Gaby discusses what her anxiety feels like and how it impacts her thinking and effectiveness on a daily basis. Then she details for us 5 diff...

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL SKILL? When I think about our work at the Center teaching social competency, there are many layers to teaching these skills. For those who have social communication skills come easy. We never give much thought to what it feels like for those who struggle with social, emotional, communication, and self-management skills. If I were to pick one most important skill i...

  Teen Anxiety in High School Podcast Episode Summary: Over the last couple of years, there has been an increase in teenage anxiety and depression. Personally, we have seen the impact of this increase at the Center.  After seeing so many children and teens struggling with anxiety it is critical to prioritize:  Listening to a child or teen Understand all their needs Ensure that they have the words...

Is it Non-Compliance or inability to Self-Regulate?    In the last two months, I may have had more than two or three dozen conversations where parents share that they are getting notes home from the teacher that their child is non-compliant. In most cases, the child or teen is avoiding the task they are being asked to complete. It has always been my belief that no child wants to fail. There is alw...

Please Welcome! Cynthia Tobar shares with us the structure and routines that she has implemented in their daily lives to help Jackson, her son, build self-regulation/management skills.  Self -regulation is a process internal to one’s self that involves “controlling one’s behavior, emotions and the thoughts in pursuit of long term goals. Self-regulation is the core aspect of adaptive behavior-meani...

Self -regulation is a process internal to one’s self that involves “controlling one’s behavior, emotions and the thoughts in pursuit of long term goals What are the skills behind successful learning in and out of a school environment? Self -regulation is a process internal to one’s self that involves “controlling one’s behavior, emotions and the thoughts in pursuit of long term goals. Self-regulat...

FREEZE: ANXIETY IN THE CLASSROOM We have all played the freeze game. When the music stops playing you remain still (Freeze) in place. The person who moves is out of the game. It has been approximately 9 weeks since school started and in this time we have had a common thread in many calls from our families’ teachers claiming non-compliance during certain sessions during the school day. The teacher...

Kindergarten Readiness - Independent Navigation of Environment   When our children are babies and toddlers, we do so much for them. They require so much attending and care since they are too young to do and care for themselves. As parents, we often see them as more dependant than we should. There is so much a two-year-old can learn to navigate their environment independently. It is at the age of t...

This episode will kick off a series focusing on building coping skills focusing on coping with anxiety.  Coping is a skill that is critical when things do not go as expected. This past year there has been a considerable increase in anxiety in children. Since the start of this year, most of my consults have been related to anxiety. Many of the children have debilitating anxiety. We have all been de...

  What is Anxiety? worry nervousness unease Signs of Anxiety: restless, nervous, tense, sense of danger, panic, doom, increased heart rate, breathing rapidly, sweating, trembling, weak, tired, trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than present worry, trouble sleeping, gastrointestinal problems. Strategy: Affirm: Validate the feelings of stress and worry. I always tell my children...

  This past year of the COVID pandemic disrupted the structure in our lives that provided security. School and work are part of our daily routines that brought us order and stability. COVID interrupted all lives, exposing us all to varying degrees of chaos and loss. Everyone has experienced some level of anxiety this past year. As parents, we want to press forward and get our children to learning...

  Welcome to the different skill notebook podcast.  In this episode, I share details of a consultation with a parent on coping skills.  Coping allows us to adapt so we can evolve emotionally and socially.  This past year we learned that becoming comfortable with discomfort can be a valuable skill.  We want to save our kids from their struggles however, this does not teach them how to deal with or...

Priorities with ASD & ADHD What comes first?    Welcome to the Different Skill Notebook! My name is Ana Anselma your host. In this episode, I bring you into one of my parents' consults where we discuss the learning profile of a child that has been diagnosed with Autism, ADHD & Dyslexia.   In this episode, we will review an Autism, ADHD & Dyslexia profile and prioritize an intervention plan based o...

  Welcome to the Different Skill Notebook. Today we have a guest speaker Samantha Salver a licensed clinical social worker.  COVID has brought to the forefront that academics may not be the most important skill to succeed. With home learning, parents have realized that in order to independently navigate a school day there are non-academic skills involved. Organized thinking and living are required...

Knowing My Needs!   In guiding our children to find their power and voice we want to instruct and guide them in self-awareness and self-care. The first step to self-advocacy is knowing yourself and your needs. When venturing on this journey of knowing self and self care always keep at the forefront of your mind “wonderfully and purposefully made”. And the knowing self journey is more about discove...

Adapting a Parenting Style   Welcome to the different skill notebook podcast! Today we have a special guest Samatha Salver, LMSW. Samantha is part of the Social Mind Center team. Samantha leads social communication groups, organized thinking/executive function coaching, and individual counseling. Visit her page on our website: https://www.socialmindcenter.com/coaching . Our conversation today focu...

Power to Choose! Self-Advocacy How to equip my children with words and communication skills to obtain what they need! The most important gift we can give our children is the freedom to choose, independence to exercise that choice, and the ability to live that freedom. Skill: Learning the words and skills to self-advocate. Review: What is language? Language refers to the words we use and how we use...