89. This ONE Change Totally Transformed Their Christmas - a Holiday Visual Board with Ali Grossman
In this episode of The Nourishing Autism Podcast, Brittyn is joined by Ali Grossman, an amazing member of the Nourishing Autism Collective, mom of three autistic boys, former teacher and school counselor, and neurodiversity-affirming advocate for families. Ali shares her family’s feeding journey, the progress her twins have made over time, and the game-changing Christmas visual board she created to make gift opening more predictable and magical for her kids. Listen in to hear Ali explain how these simple visual resources can increase autonomy, reduce sensory overload, and help kids feel more in control during the holidays.
Check out the show notes below for links to Ali’s Christmas Visual Board resource and where to connect with her!
Connect with Ali Grossman on Instagram to find her Christmas Visual Board linked in her profile: @neuro_diversity_affirming_mama
CLICK HERE for Ali's website to learn more about her resources and how she can support you!
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TRANSCRIPT
Hi, I'm Brittyn, a Registered Dietitian and autism sibling. I have a passion for helping parents of neurodivergent kids navigate nutrition and wellness for their child, one small step at a time. Here we'll explore practical nutrition tips, learn from top autism experts, break down the newest research, and share inspirational stories that will empower you to utilize nutrition to help your child feel their best and thrive.
Listen in while picking kids up from school, sitting in a therapy waiting room, taking a quick walk or wherever you find yourself, looking for some inspiration and a friend to guide you along this journey. This is Nourishing Autism.
Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Nourishing Autism Podcast. Today I'm joined by Ali Grossman, a longtime member inside of my membership, the Nourishing Autism Collective, a mom of three young autistic boys, a former teacher and school counselor, and a neurodiversity affirming advocate on Instagram.
Ali brings such a real lived perspective as she shares her family's feeding journey, the progress her twins have made, and the day-to-day strategies that help her support her kids' sensory and developmental needs.
We also dive into a brilliant idea she created that completely transformed gift opening for her boys last Christmas. A visual gift board that uses photos, numbers, and consistent wrapping to make the whole experience predictable, joyful, and so much less overwhelming.
It's simple, thoughtful, and something that so many families could benefit from, especially around the holidays. So I knew when Ali shared her updated board this year inside of the Collective, she had to come on the podcast and share more about what this board is, how it came to be, and how she creates it. So let's jump in.
Brittyn Coleman: Welcome back to the Nourishing Autism Podcast. I am really excited today. I have Ali, who's a member inside of the Nourishing Autism Collective, who's joining us today to talk about a really cool project that she put together. Ali, thanks so much for being here.
Ali Grossman: No problem.
I'm excited to be here. Yay. We met, it hasn't been two years yet, right? It's maybe a year and a half, close to two years that. Yeah,
I think it's probably closer to a year and a half.
Brittyn Coleman: I just remember that because I remember you doing this last year and so I know it's at least been a year, but I won't give too much away, but Ali's created this really cool visual for her twins who are on the spectrum to help them with opening presents and Christmas.
I just can't wait for you to get into it, and then I can't wait for you to show it too, because it makes such a difference seeing it for people who are just listening to this, we'll have the video up on Instagram on a reel so that you all can see it. And we'll link that in the show notes so people can check that out too.
But Ali, I would love for you to introduce yourself and tell us your connection to autism.
Ali Grossman: So my name is Ali Grossman and I'm a mom to three little boys. My twins who are five are autistic, suspected ADHD and global developmental delay. And then my youngest, who is two, he's also autistic and has a global developmental delay.
And then actually this past year I was diagnosed with autism as well. So our whole family is neurodivergent and so we're living autism every single day. And then I also help people who have autistic kids get neuro affirming IEP goals and help them make sure their IEPs are appropriate for their child in the education setting.
Brittyn Coleman: That's incredible. And you came inside of the Collective and you actually gave an IEP workshop, which was amazing. I did. It was so much fun and yes. It's always fun to have members be our guest experts too. Because we have experts with IEPs and who else do we have? We have sleep experts like come in and give presentations.
So it was so cool to have you do that. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I wanna hear more about your twins' feeding journey. So they're the reason that you originally joined the Collective, and I'm not sure if Augie your youngest if he's a selective eater as well. But I know that you initially joined for your twins, and I would love to hear, or I would love for you to share a little bit about their feeding journey and what that's looked like for you over the past couple of years.
Ali Grossman: Yeah, so the twins have always struggled with food. So like the transition from formula to like baby purees was super challenging for them and they would gag and like pretty much vomit anytime we would try to feed them. And so we would do feeding therapy to help with that. Do all these like little Z vibe thing and help them stimulate their tongue and stuff.
Because they could not figure out how to use their tongue. And we did that. And then once we were done with getting that, then they became like extremely picky to where they ate, like literally nothing. And we were eating like only waffles. And we just kept going and we kept getting passed around because no one wanted to diagnose them with autism.
So it took forever for us to get our diagnosis. And by that point I was like, we gotta figure out this feeding. Like we're already on the small side, like weight-wise and we're only eating waffles and very few amounts of foods. So that's when I joined the Collective and within the last year and a half to two years, however long I've been a member, we have been able to eat apples.
And like even just touching fruit, like we don't eat a lot of it yet, but we're at least touching it. Like Ollie used to come to the table and if he saw a piece of fruit on the table, he'd scream and like full blown meltdown. But now we're able to actually like, see different foods and not freak out.
And so it has been helpful to get them to just introduce these things on their specific timeframe because they're very much avoidant of things that you give them. And so by using your things of putting out little boards with just things for them to explore and stuff like that has really helped them.
Recently we've lost some of our foods, but I think that's because we had to start ADHD medication and so it's stopped them from wanting to eat. So we're gonna be working on that. But yeah. Yeah, and Augie is not a picky eater. He has to eat in a specific way though, because he is very much avoidant of any perceived demands.
And we have to essentially make a plate for ourselves. We'll make him a plate and we'll have the same exact foods on ours and he'll eat ours but refuses to touch anything on his. So we have to feed him in a backwards way. But he'll eat anything. Just have to feed him in a specific way.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah, that makes sense. And you know, in the Collective what you can do is click on somebody's profile and you can look back at the past posts they made. So I was doing that earlier and just reminiscing. First of all, your boys are so cute and I love that we both have Sammy's with curly hair.
Yes. That's so cute. They look like they could be siblings. I know. I'm like, he's the quadruplet that could, not that you have triplets, but I know that Augie looks like he could be a triplet, but yeah, seeing some of your food ones, it's just so exciting and I see one of Sammy eating he's really cute eating some spaghetti at a restaurant.
Yes. Oh, so cute. Cute. Oh my gosh.
Ali Grossman: I think that might have been the first time that he ever ate like actual food while we were sitting there in a restaurant.
Brittyn Coleman: What a big deal. Because restaurants can be so overstimulating too. Yes. And let's see. I don't think this is Sammy though. It looks like Ollie, I think eating a banana, but God, they're so cute. Anyway I'm so glad that you've been a part of the Collective and I have learned from you, especially with this board that you've created, and I recommend it to so many people because around this time of year, it can also be pretty overstimulating for kids, and it can also be really stressful not knowing what to expect as well coming into Christmas.
So I think a lot of times parents feel really anxious around the holidays because approaching it in a way that feels really great to their kid. It's like we're still figuring that out. And so I think that you came up with a really creative way to do that. I remember you saying it completely changed the way that they experienced Christmas, and I want you to explain what this Visual Gift Board is and then why you created it and how the idea came to be.
Ali Grossman: So this year I used a trifold so that it sits up easier. But last year I made it just on a poster board and it still worked, like they loved it.
But I figured a trifold was easier because it could stand up and I didn't have to like, hold it up for them. On the back of it, I made it like a little Christmas card from Santa to each of them. So I actually made one for each of my kids. Augie doesn't really need one, but I figured he'd want one because the other two have one.
And then on the back. Where it opens, I made it like a little gift. So they know they're gonna be opening gifts. Yeah. And then on the inside I have a picture that I took of each gift so that it is exactly what it's gonna be once they open it. And then it has a number that corresponds with each picture.
So like this little cupcake Play-Doh is number seven. So then once Augie sees, oh, I wanna open this Play-Doh, he'll go find gift seven that's labeled with the seven.
Brittyn Coleman: So they're all wrapped, right? Correct. Are they like in wrapping paper or like down in a bag?
Ali Grossman: So it depends.
They're mostly wrapped in just wrapping paper, but I make sure it's like super loose because their fine motor skills aren't the best. That's amazing. Yeah. But it gives them that like fun sensory thing too, of ripping because they like to rip paper. They just have a really hard time understanding at Christmas it's okay when other times it's not okay.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah.
Ali Grossman: Yeah, so that's what it is. So I have a number for every gift, and because I have three kids that this is for, they each have a certain color of numbers and they'll have their own wrapping paper. So like Ollie's will only be snowmans and Sam's might only be Santas and all Augie's would be like snowflakes or whatever.
And so they're only wrapped in their own same wrapping paper, so they don't think oh, they're all mine. It's just per kid.
Brittyn Coleman: You have multiple visual supports supporting here and they all intertwine. Having the, of course the big board, you have starting with the present, it's like visually preparing, these are presents inside, and then you have the visuals of all of the presents and then you have the visual of the different types of wrapping paper. It's like there's so many pieces here that work so well together. I can see why it works. Why do you think that it worked so well for your boys?
Ali Grossman: I think it worked because it took away that unexpected I don't know what's going on here, feeling. My kids get overwhelmed when they can't figure out like what the expectation is, which like most kids do. But the twins are also minimally speaking, so they may not understand everything that you tell them.
And last year they were so excited. So we like came down and at first they were like, I don't really wanna get out of bed. I'm like, it's Christmas, let's go. And so eventually once they came down, they like to inspect the shimmery paper and that. But then once that's there, they're just like, okay, now I'm gonna go play with my toys.
And it's okay, but you have new toys, like just open the gifts. And last year when I had the boards, we showed them, Sammy, this is your board, Ollie, this is your board. Like they were all into it. They inspected every little picture and immediately understood once we said gift one is gift one, and pointed to the gift and to the picture, like it clicked super fast and they were so excited.
Our gift opening lasted literally half a day because we would look at the pictures and then we'd find the gift and open it and play with the gift for a while and then come back to the board and open it up, find which one we wanted and open it. And it was amazing. Like when I think of like your neurotypical Christmas and like everyone's opening and so excited, like these boards brought that for my kids.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah.
Ali Grossman: So yeah.
Brittyn Coleman: That made me emotional. What did Christmas feel like, I mean, they were younger, of course, they were a year younger, they would've been four last Christmas. When they were three, what did that look like?
Ali Grossman: So essentially it was like they looked at the paper and was like, cool.
And then tried to leave the area and we were like, hey, let's open the gifts. And we would even try to bring the gifts to them and they just weren't excited. We essentially opened all their gifts and it was like, this feels wrong.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah. Sure.
Ali Grossman: It's like, I'm forcing you to do this and you're not excited at all.
And then you see the gift and you're like, okay, cool. I like the toy, but like I don't understand how it came to the toy. Yes. Why is it wrapped? Yeah. And so it just really confused them and overstimulated them. And then, it just from my end as a parent, I was like, this feels really bad.
I'm not supporting them in the way they need supported and it's just very forced upon them and it was weird.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah. It's good that you followed your gut on that because you nailed it with what you created, obviously and the fact that they figured it out in seconds. And remind me, do you have a past experience in education?
Like how did you come up with this idea?
Ali Grossman: So I do have a past experience in education. I used to be a teacher and then I was also a school counselor. But I actually came up with it because I was probably doom scrolling at one point on Facebook or Instagram as I do often. And I had seen where someone had posted something where they made like a numbered list of written out, number one is socks or whatever.
And they did that for their kid who was older. And I remember sitting with that a couple days and being like, that's really interesting. Because my kids are hyperlexic, so they can read, it's weird. They can read sentences to you fluently and super easy while then they can't have a conversation with you.
And so I was like, oh, maybe I can do that. And I was like, they're gonna see that as we're working and it's not fun.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah.
Ali Grossman: And so it was like, okay, how can I change it to meet their needs? And then I was like maybe if I use pictures. And then I was like, but I have to do straight pictures of the actual item in our house because otherwise if it's not the same color box or something's a little bit different, they're gonna notice and not want it.
And so I was okay, I'll just do pictures. I'll print them out at CVS and I'll post them on the board and we'll do numbers because they love numbers, like they count all the time. And so that's when I was like, okay, we can do the numbered list. We'll have to put them with a picture and we'll have to make it look enticing.
So that's why I use all the colorful Christmas markers and things to be like, this is really cool. Let's look at it and inspect it. So yeah, so I essentially took something that I had seen and then was like, how do I make this more for my kids who need visual support?
Brittyn Coleman: I love that.
Have you used it? I think I remember hearing, did you use it for the birthday or Easter, you used it for something else?
Ali Grossman: We were gonna try to use it for Easter, but instead we did like numbered eggs. Ooh. And then it was just the same candy because they only eat Reeses of candy. We just had a Reeses in each egg, and then it was like they had a certain number of eggs that they had to find.
Brittyn Coleman: Nice. Yeah. That's great. Do they just like the cups or do they like the Reese's egg too?
Ali Grossman: Just the cups.
Brittyn Coleman: I wasn't sure. I love Reese's egg. I have to say
Ali Grossman: Me too. I think they're better.
Brittyn Coleman: The peanut butter to chocolate ratio is so good. And did you know they have four grams of protein in each one?
Ali Grossman: I did not know that. I need to get some of those for next Easter.
Brittyn Coleman: When I found that out, I was like, okay, this is great. I got my protein. I got my fat. I don't have fiber, but it's okay. But anyway, yeah. I think that's so great. I think it's such a smart idea and I think you just had, yeah, the perfect combination of past education experience. You made these boards look so pretty.
I was like, you have to have some experience here. And I thought I remembered you saying that. And then finding that idea and adapting it for your boys. I know it takes work to take the photos and put it all together.
But I think so many parents would benefit from something like this and it could make Christmas so much more enjoyable. And it's such a small shift that can support their kids so well. I'm just in awe. It's such a good idea. Yeah. Thanks.
Ali Grossman: Yeah. It doesn't take super long to put them together and just a little bit of extra effort on my end makes it so much better for them that it's totally worth it.
Brittyn Coleman: Yeah, definitely. Every year you're like, oh, okay, now I'm making a trifold. Now I'm making it better every year. This year feels like the finished product. It looks so good.
Ali Grossman: Thanks. I thought about putting like Velcro stuff on there so I can just reuse the boards.
But my kids are also very destructive because once they like look at it, they're gonna drag it around and take it everywhere around the house with their gifts. So we'll see how it goes. But otherwise I might add Velcro next year.
Brittyn Coleman: I love that. That's a great idea. You'll have to update us on how it goes this year.
I have no doubt. I think they're gonna love it. Of course. Yeah.
Ali Grossman: I think they'll definitely be excited.
Brittyn Coleman: And this is Augie's first year, because he was just one last year.
Ali Grossman: Yeah. So this is his first time with the board, which he'll also be excited. He also hates anything that gives it any chance of him not being in control.
So I think he'll like it, but he also just really likes ripping paper, so he'll love to open all the gifts.
Brittyn Coleman: Fair enough. And I think you made a great point just then is this does give a lot of autonomy. It's like they get to decide which one they wanna start with first. And for him, he gets to choose, the demands are very low and he gets to decide where to go.
So I think that's really huge. Yeah. I'm excited. I'm excited for you. I can't wait to see, you'll have to post a photo update in the Collective.
Ali Grossman: I definitely will.
Brittyn Coleman: Okay, good. Where can listeners connect with you? I know you have an Instagram and share more about some of the resources that you have as well.
Ali Grossman: Yeah, so I have a website, it's alisongrossman.com. And then I also have my Instagram, which is where I do most of my stuff. And on there I post at least weekly. And it's mostly about things like, I have been doing stuff about IEPs and education, but there's a lot of that out there. So I try to provide that, but also provide other things that you might do at home. So I like to post things that I do with my kids that obviously don't like demands and things like that, that I have to get creative, like to do our normal tasks. So a lot of it's just like our daily life and how you can do accommodations in your house or how you can ask for accommodations in education settings.
Brittyn Coleman: Incredible. And your handle, I just looked it up so I could double check, but it's @Neuro_Diversity_Affirming_Mama. Yes. And I'll tag that in the show notes as well, so that it's easy for people to hop into. All right, perfect. Thank you so much for being here. I am just so excited that we got to connect on this because I've told so many people just over the past course of the year, even for birthdays, you should try this. One of our members Ali did it. So good. I am excited for people to hear your great idea and then they can also pop over. Have you posted about it on your site yet?
Ali Grossman: I did. And in my bio, I have the link too for the document that shares the steps on how to create one.
Brittyn Coleman: Perfect. Yes. And we can share that. We'll share your account link so that it's easy for people to hop over to your account and then download it. Perfect. Amazing. Thank you so much Ali, for being here and chatting with us and yeah, we appreciate you and it's been so great to have you inside of the Collective and get to connect with you that way.
Ali Grossman: No problem. Thank you for having me. It was a lot of fun.
Transcribed by Descript
About Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD
Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD, is a distinguished Registered Dietitian and Autism Nutrition Expert, known for her innovative, sensory-friendly feeding approach to nutrition for children on the autism spectrum. As the founder of the Nourishing Autism Collective, and as an autism sibling herself, Brittyn brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her work. She empowers families with her expert guidance, helping children receive essential nutrients for optimal health and development. Her strategies are tailored to the unique dietary needs and sensory preferences of each child.
Brittyn's influence extends beyond her membership site through her active social media presence and her popular podcast, 'Nourishing Autism'. Her educational content on Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms has established her as a leading voice in autism nutrition, providing valuable resources, practical advice, and a supportive community for parents and professionals.
