Community-Curated Resources Are Here!
This means anyone can now submit helpful articles, guides, toolkits, or resources through our new submission form. Whether you're a student, educator, caregiver, or advocate, your voice matters here. Our mission has always been about building a more inclusive world together, and this new feature is one way we're making that happen.
H is for Hyperfocus & Special Interests: – Reframing Deep Focus as Connection, Not Dysfunction
There’s something uniquely electric about watching a neurodivergent child dive into something they love. Their eyes light up. Their focus narrows. Their energy shifts. It’s not just a preference—it’s a full-body, full-brain connection.
They might talk endlessly about their favorite topic. Or rewatch the same scene, draw the same figure, organize the same set of objects in a loop that looks random from the outside but feels deeply purposeful to them.
To some, it might seem like “obsession” or inflexibility. But more often, it’s joy. It’s regulation. It’s connection on their terms.
G is for Gestures & Nonverbal Cues – Reading body language, facial expressions, and physical movement as core parts of communication
Movement, posture, facial expressions, vocal tone, and body orientation are all communication tools. Sometimes, they’re a child’s first language. Sometimes, they’re their clearest. And often, they’re the safest.
But in systems built around spoken responses—school testing, classroom prompts, even parenting scripts—these nonverbal messages can go completely unrecognized. Or worse, corrected. And when that happens, the message is clear: Only certain kinds of communication count.
We have to do better than that.
F is for Flexibility (Not Force): Why Transitions Shouldn’t Hurt
Transitions are some of the hardest moments in a child’s day—and they often unfold in very public, high-pressure environments: classrooms, grocery stores, playgrounds, bedtime routines, or while trying to get out the door in the morning.
An adult says, “Okay, time to go!” and suddenly the child is on the floor, screaming. Or they freeze. Or bolt. Or collapse in tears.
What’s happening in that moment isn’t defiance—it’s dysregulation. It’s not about refusing to follow directions. It’s about a nervous system that doesn’t feel safe making that shift, especially without enough time, context, or support.
E is for Echolalia – Repeated Phrases Are Communication
If you’ve ever heard a child repeat a question over and over—or quote the same line from a favorite show all day—you’ve experienced echolalia.
And if your first instinct was to say, “I already answered that,” or “You don’t need to say that again,”—you’re not alone. Most of us were never taught what echolalia actually is.
Here’s the truth: Echolalia is communication. It’s not nonsense. It’s not defiance. It’s not a behavior to fix.
Echolalia is how many neurodivergent children make sense of the world, build language, self-regulate, and connect with others—especially when they don’t yet have the words they need.
D is for Demand Reduction: Honoring Capacity Through a Low-Pressure Approach
Demand reduction is about creating space for safety and connection by easing the pressure—not removing expectations entirely, but softening the way we invite participation.
When we lower demands, we honor a child’s current capacity. We shift from “How do I get them to do this?” to “How can I meet them where they are?”
C is for Co-Regulation: How Caregivers Can Help Kids Manage Big Emotions
If you've ever told an overwhelmed child to “calm down” and it only made things worse, you’re not alone. For children, self-regulation—managing their emotions and reactions—doesn’t come naturally. That’s where co-regulation comes in.
Rather than expecting kids to handle big emotions alone, co-regulation is the process where caregivers model and provide emotional stability, helping children develop their own self-regulation skills over time.
A Neurodivergent Family's Guide to Halloween Fun
Halloween can be an exciting yet overwhelming time for many children, especially those who are neurodivergent. The bright lights, loud noises, crowded streets, and changes in routine are part of what makes the holiday fun, but they can also be sources of stress. Here at Valley Inclusive PlaySpace (vips), we know this firsthand—not only as an organization serving neurodivergent families but also as individuals living these experiences ourselves.