Exploring how identity, boundaries, and belonging collide on the playground   The ball never bounces evenly in winter. On frozen asphalt, it ricochets, high, low, sideways, unpredictable. What should be a steady rhythm becomes erratic. You cannot quite anticipate where it will land next. Recess during the tween years feels the same. It is the most unstructured part of the school day. The bell rings, and children spill into cold air with no script, no curriculum, no grading ru

Exploring how continuity, scaffolding, and collaborative caregiving shape a neurodivergent child’s development   Opening Reflection When a child is forced through repeated transitions, who absorbs the impact so the child doesn’t fracture? I am writing this on the eve of another transition. Tomorrow, she boards a plane to visit her mother for two weeks. She has taken this flight many times before, yet it still carries fear. Transitions do not become neutral through repetition;