Michaels Special Treasures

06/09/2026

🚨 PARENTS & CHILDCARE PROVIDERS: BIG updates from today's Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) meeting! 🚨

If you have a child in daycare, are applying for PreK, or work in early education, you need to read this. 👇 Drop a comment with your thoughts and SHARE to keep our community informed!

🌟 1. The ELITE Initiative
Huge news for families of children with disabilities or behavioral challenges! TWC is officially rolling out the Early Learning Intervention Training and Education (ELITE) Initiative. The goal is to provide immediate support to kids without making families wait months for an official diagnosis.
Their two main goals:

Boost support for families and childcare facilities.

And

END the expulsion of children from daycare centers due to undiagnosed disabilities or behavioral challenges.

👉 Next Steps: TWC is launching specialized training for childcare staff to better equip them to support these amazing kids.

🏫 2. Childcare Scholarships Waitlist
The need for childcare assistance remains incredibly high across North Central Texas. Right now, there are 14,079 children sitting on the waitlist. Here is the current breakdown:

317 — High Priority (Veterans, Foster families, families experiencing homelessness, and children with disabilities)
1,089 — Priority Two (Childcare professionals and college students)
12,637 — Others

The Silver Lining: Last quarter, TWC pulled 1,643 applications from the waitlist, successfully awarding childcare scholarships to 482 children!

🎒 3. TEFA (Texas Education Freedom Accounts)
The demand for TEFA funds is absolutely MASSIVE. This year, 37,000 PreK applications were submitted (compared to an average of just 18,000 for other grades!).

🎟️ Lotteries are DONE. If you were awarded TEFA funds, you should have already received a notification.

⚠️ CRITICAL DEADLINE: You MUST elect your school of choice by July 15th. If you miss this deadline, your TEFA funds will be removed from your account and passed on to the next family on the waitlist. Don't let this slip by!
Stay Informed! 🐥

Want to stay in the loop on Texas early childhood legislation? Check out earlyedcanary.org (the Early Ed Canary) for incredibly useful information on new policies and funding that are working their way through the state government.

Let's discuss! What are your thoughts on the ELITE initiative or the massive TEFA turnout? Let me know below! 👇🗣️

The Early Ed Canary shines light on important issues and policy developments within the early care and education space and sings the praises of promising practices, spurring positive change across North Texas and beyond.

06/05/2026

Gosh this boy is getting fast.

Going to have to change my attire to shorts and sports shoes so I can keep up. 😂

06/04/2026

This is such a powerful visual, and I had to share it with our community. 💙🧩

Lately, Michael has been doing so incredibly well at recognizing his feelings during the escalation phase. As he becomes more verbal, he is actually able to communicate with me when things are starting to get to be too much for him. It is a huge step!

Over time, I have also learned his specific triggers. Because of this, I am much better at stepping in and removing those triggers during the escalation phase, which often prevents him from ever reaching a crisis.

But sometimes, the storm still hits. ⛈️

When he does reach a crisis, we follow the exact steps in this visual. The most important thing we do is make sure he knows—without a doubt—that he is special, important, and unconditionally loved, no matter what.

I want to be completely vulnerable for a second. Like most autism parents, I hold myself to account far more than I probably should. He is my little boy, and my job is to protect him. Whenever we do have a crisis, I find myself constantly analyzing the leading events, trying to figure out what warning signs I missed and how I could have done better to help him communicate his feelings. It is heavy, but it comes from a place of deep love.

Can any other parents or caregivers relate to this feeling? Let’s talk about it below. 👇

Save this visual for when you need it, and please share it to help others understand what our kids are going through.

06/03/2026

Understanding an autistic meltdown changes everything. 💙🧩

The more I have learned about Michael, the more I’ve learned to recognize his early signs. Recognizing those signs taught me his triggers. Because we took the time to truly understand his world, I am so proud to say we are now down to very few meltdowns! 🎉

I wanted to share this graphic because it’s a fantastic starting point for understanding what’s really happening when a meltdown occurs. It is so important to remember that these aren't "tantrums"—they are overwhelming physical and emotional responses to things like sensory overload, feeling trapped, or sudden routine changes.

However, this isn't a holistic list! Autism is a spectrum, and sensory profiles are incredibly unique to the individual. For example, one of Michael's major triggers is the 60Hz flicker that old-school fluorescent lights are known for—something most people don't even consciously notice, but to him, it's overwhelming.

This graphic is great food for thought, but the real magic happens when we take the time to learn the unique needs of the neurodivergent people we love. ✨

👇 I'd love to hear from other parents and advocates: What was an "aha" moment for you when you figured out a very specific, unique trigger for your loved one? Share in the comments so we can all keep learning together!

(Please feel free to share this post to help spread awareness!)

06/02/2026

"He just needs to try new things."
"If he gets hungry enough, he’ll eat it."

If you’re a parent to an Autistic child, you’ve probably heard these phrases more times than you can count. But here is what the world often misunderstands about "picky eating" in the neurodivergent community.

For my 6-year-old son, Michael, his go-to meals aren't just a preference. They are "safe foods." And understanding the difference changes everything. 🧩💙

Here is why safe foods are actually a lifeline, not a behavioral issue:

🛑 Sensory Predictability: The world can be an incredibly overwhelming place for Autistic individuals. Lights are too bright, sounds are too loud, and social expectations are exhausting. A safe food tastes, smells, and feels exactly the same every single time. It is a predictable, comforting anchor in an unpredictable world.

🛑 Sensory Processing: Autistic kids often experience intense sensory reactions. A tiny difference in a food's texture, temperature, or flavor that we might not even notice can feel physically painful or nauseating to them.

🛑 Nervous System Regulation: Eating a safe food isn’t "giving in." It’s a vital tool for emotional and physical regulation. Having access to safe foods instantly lowers anxiety and helps them feel secure enough to tackle the rest of their day.

When we pressure Autistic kids to "just try a bite," we aren't expanding their palate—we are often pushing them into sensory overload.

Fed is best. Period. Whether that means plain pasta for three days straight or a very specific brand of chicken nuggets, we need to drop the judgment at the dinner table.

If you want to help build a more accepting, understanding community for kids like Michael, please hit SHARE. Let's end food shaming and start supporting families where they are. 🗣️🌍

06/02/2026

I asked my 6-year-old son, Michael, what it feels like when he gets deeply hyper-focused on a topic he loves.

His answer changed the way I look at it forever.

“It feels like stepping inside a magic bubble where everything finally makes perfect sense. The loud outside world goes completely quiet, and I get to just float inside the thing I love. It's where I feel the most safe.”

We are so quick to label these intense autistic interests as "obsessions" or distractions. We constantly try to redirect them back to the "real" world.

But listening to Michael, I realize it’s actually a profound capacity for joy.

Next time a neurodivergent kid wants to tell you every single detail about their favorite topic, let them. You aren't just listening to facts—you're being invited into their safe place. 🫧🧠♾️

(Please share to help celebrate neurodivergent joy and acceptance today)

05/31/2026

Well, y'all... I officially got busted. 😅🕵️‍♂️

I was trying to be sneaky and film Michael while he was entirely in the zone playing Minecraft. I just couldn't help myself because he was doing his happy flappy hands. 👐✨

If you know, you know. He does this because his excitement is just too big to contain and it completely overflows! Seeing that pure, unfiltered joy is everything to me.

But definitely watch until the very end... the moment he completely calls me out for playing paparazzi is priceless. 😂

Parents, who else gets caught trying to capture these beautiful little moments?

Drop a ❤️ if you love seeing your kids unapologetically happy!

05/31/2026

I asked my 6-year-old son, Michael, what it feels like on the inside right before he gets overwhelmed.

His answer stopped me in my tracks.

“It feels like all the traffic lights in my brain turn green at the exact same time. All the thoughts and sounds crash into each other, and I don't know how to find the stop sign.”

As parents, it is so easy to only see the reaction on the outside. We forget about the terrifying traffic jam happening on the inside.

Next time you see a child struggling or having a meltdown in public, remember: they aren’t giving you a hard time. They are having a hard time.

Patience is the best stop sign we can give them. 🚦💙♾️

(Please share to spread a little more empathy and understanding today)

05/31/2026