ANCHOR GROWKids, Youth & Family Support
ANCHOR ↗
KIDS + YOUTH DESK

Your brain.
Your body.
Your voice.

Use GROW to understand patterns, communicate needs, prepare for school or healthcare, build safer relationships, learn about growing up, and plan what comes next. You can use speech, typing, pictures, AAC or another communication method.

Open toolsRead guides
I need wordsBuild a message without explaining everything.My body feels wrongStart with sensations, not an emotion quiz.School is too muchMap where the day costs the most energy.I need recoveryReduce questions and demands first.I’m thinking about adulthoodPlan work, school, health, transport and support.
READ YOUR WAY

Guides that do not talk down to you.

Use Reader controls for Publication, Guide or Focus mode, text size, high contrast, reduced motion and Listen.

Health

Sleep Problems Deserve a Real Look

Sleep can be affected by routines, sensory conditions, anxiety, pain, breathing, medication, circadian timing and many other factors.

Birth–11 mo 1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Communication

AAC Can Start Early

Pictures, signs, gestures, communication boards and speech-generating tools can support communication before, alongside or instead of speech.

1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Daily Life

Toileting Without Shame

Toileting combines body awareness, motor planning, communication, routine, privacy, sensory tolerance and health.

1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11
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Safety

My Body Belongs to Me

Children need concrete, accessible ways to understand consent, privacy, safe help and how to communicate stop.

3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Identity

Why People Stim

Repetitive movement, sound, touch or visual patterns can support regulation, expression, concentration, pleasure or sensory seeking.

6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Body Awareness

Learning Your Body’s Signals

Interoception is perception of internal body signals such as heartbeat, breathing, temperature, hunger and gut sensations. Research in autism is mixed, so individual differences matter.

6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Identity

Who Gets to Know?

Diagnosis, disability, health and accommodation information can be personal. Teens need developmentally appropriate involvement in disclosure decisions.

12–14 15–17
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Transition

What Changes Around Age 18

Legal and educational decision-making changes as a student approaches adulthood. Families and students need clear state-specific information before the change.

15–17 18–21
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Transition

Preparing for a First Job

Job readiness includes transportation, communication, schedule tolerance, task clarity, sensory conditions, pay and knowing when to ask for help.

15–17 18–21
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Growing Up

Hygiene Without Shame

Bathing, deodorant, hair care, dental care and laundry combine sensory tolerance, sequencing, time awareness and social expectations.

9–11 12–14 15–17 18–21
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Parents’ Guide to Change Well established

The Autism Spectrum Is Not a Line From “Mild” to “Severe”

“Spectrum” is often pictured as one line. In practice, autistic traits and support needs vary across communication, sensory experience, repetitive/restricted patterns, learning, executive function, health, motor skills, self-care, safety and environment.

6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17 18–21
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Learning

A Test Score Is One Data Point, Not the Whole Child

Standardized tests can provide useful comparison data, but performance is influenced by language, motor demands, attention, fatigue, anxiety, sensory conditions, familiarity with test format and access to communication.

3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Development

When Autism and ADHD Overlap

Autism and ADHD commonly co-occur. Attention regulation, impulse control, time awareness, sensory load, intense interests, task initiation and social demands can interact in ways that look different from either diagnosis alone.

6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Mental Health

Autism, Anxiety and the Problem of Overlap

Anxiety can coexist with autism, and some behaviors associated with uncertainty or sensory overload can resemble anxiety. New or escalating fear deserves its own assessment rather than automatic attribution to autism.

6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Parent Guide

What Makes a Therapy or Support Goal Worth Pursuing?

A useful goal connects to health, safety, communication, participation, independence/interdependence, learning, relationships or the young person’s own priorities. “Looks more typical” is not enough by itself.

1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17 18–21
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Communication

Speech-Language Therapy: More Than Speech Sounds

Speech-language pathologists may address receptive/expressive language, speech production, social communication, literacy-related language, feeding/swallowing in appropriate scopes, and AAC. Goals should match functional communication needs.

1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Daily Life

Occupational Therapy: Start With Participation

Occupational therapy can address participation in daily activities such as dressing, feeding, school tasks, motor skills, routines and environmental access. Sensory approaches should be connected to meaningful functional goals and measured outcomes.

1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Parents’ Guide to Change Well supported; diagnostic practice evolving

Why Some Girls and Other Children Are Identified Later

Autism can be missed when a child’s interests, social strategies, language or outward behavior do not match older stereotypes. Masking, supportive environments and diagnostic bias can all affect when difficulties become visible.

6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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Communication

Speech Apraxia, Motor Speech and AAC

When speech motor planning is difficult, what a child can think or understand may not match what they can say clearly. AAC can provide access while speech assessment and therapy continue.

1–2 3–5 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17
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