Teaching in Life for Life
The power of expectations & responsibility for children with autism.
Practical insights and techniques for parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists to help children with autism and other developmental disorders learn about life and improve their communication skills.
Set expectations
Clear, developmentally appropriate expectations give children the opportunities they need to grow.
Build responsibility
Responsibility transferred to the child, day by day, through real participation in daily life, builds independence.
Grow communication
Language grows through connection, not drill. Every interaction is a teaching opportunity.
Meet Dr. Nancy Z. Schwartz, Ph.D., CCC
Forty years of practice, distilled for families.
As a passionate advocate for children with autism and other developmental disorders, I share practical insights with parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists. Over four decades of clinical work have shown me, firsthand, the power of relatedness — of being with a child — to support their learning about life and their communication.
Together, we can empower children to thrive.
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From the blog
Latest articles
- Cognitive flexibility
Oops: Inadvertently supporting cognitive inflexibility
July 26, 2026
Sometimes life gets in the way and we wind up fostering cognitive inflexibility!
Facilitating the child’s ability to accept change:
July 26, 2026
Accepting change needs to be practiced and remembered!
- Attunement
- Participation in Life
- Verbal Reasoning
What to do in the pool by yourself!
July 25, 2026
An answer to: "I don't know what to do by myself in the pool. Come in and play with me" that supports cognitive flexibility.
Summer time fun!
July 16, 2026
There are so many fun activities to do in the pool to support relatedness across: attunement, visual referencing, and coordination!
- Declarative Language
Do's and Don'ts for Effective Declarative Language Use
July 3, 2026
Some practical guidelines to help you navigate the use of declarative language effectively:
- Declarative Language
An example of declarative language usage within an everyday task:
May 19, 2026
When you are starting to use declarative language, it is hard. You should not try to use declarative language all day because then you will feel like a failure as it is highly unlikely that you will remember to use declarative language while you are busy taking care of everyone! A more productive route, in the beginning, is to a choose specific activity, e.g. when you are getting the child ready for bed. You could begin by planning ahead.
Stay connected
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