Five Summer Projects

1. Toilet Training

Summer is a good time to finally get your child out of diapers. There's a large supply of unstructured time; nice weather for going around bare-bottomed; and in many cases the deadline of must-be-trained preschool providing motivation. Check our section on toilet training children with special needs for advice, tips, and a step-by-step guide to the "No-Pants" Toilet Training Method. The book Steps to Independence also offers good advice for tackling this and other developmental challenges.

2. Starting a Reading Routine

Want to keep your child's brain from turning into pudding over the summer? Starting a reading routine is one way to make sure there's a little intellectual stimulation amongst all the video games and TV watching and fun-in-the-sun. Follow these steps for starting a reading routine with your child, and then augment it with some fun learning games and educational software. Looking for something good to read? These five alternatives to Harry Potter are high-interest, low-stress choices.

3. Getting Your Records Together

So where are they -- in a drawer? stuffed willy-nilly in a file somewhere? piling up in some rickety stack? All those specialist reports and therapist reports and IEPs and research material and what-not can get out of hand quickly, yet being able to find what you need when you need it is essential for getting your child proper treatment and services. Make this summer your time to finally organize all that paperwork into a care notebook. Here's how.

4. Keeping a Journal

You've been meaning to. Maybe you've even bought a pretty blank book. Or two. But you just can't seem to get going. Keeping a journal is a great way to relieve stress, remember special moments, download deep feelings, and create a bit of time for yourself, but finding the time is sometimes less of a problem than finding the inspiration. Try one of these five ideas to give your journaling a jumpstart.

5. Making a Behavior Plan

The summer is when you're likely to have the most uninterrupted time with your child to try out behavioral techniques, set up routines, analyze behavior and implement a plan. Our section on behavior issues is full of helpful resources, from a primer on behavior analysis to tips on making behavior charts work to instructions on writing a school behavior plan to carry your summertime success into the school year.