Summers spell schedule changes, decrease in therapy hours, increased visits from relatives and a ‘to do’ list that can make a mom frazzled from more than the summer heat! AbilityPath.org asked one mom and writer, Barbara Streett, how she survives the summer in her special needs household. Here are her Top Ten Summer Survival Tips:

1. Clean-up Game. This is a game you MUST teach your children. Play it several times a day so the game does not get too complicated. Each family member gets a turn to be the queen or king. Give the winner a crown, stand them on a chair, set the timer, and tell them to direct all the other players on what to clean. When the timer goes off, their turn is over. As the mom, you are the last queen, that way you can ensure that everything gets picked up. If players need motivation – have a small treasure chest they can be rewarded from when the game is over.