Emmett’s gone from bad to worse 

Tonight has not gone well. Emmett has gotten really sick. His fever has come back, and his throat still hurts.  At bedtime, Emmett complained of nausea. We helped him fall asleep, and he was out for about two hours. Around 10pm, Emmett puked all over his bed, and his bed is the top bunk.  I'm once again on the couch in the living room. Emmett's on the other one, curled up, and sleeping. God bless Lizze cause while I was comforting Emmett, she somehow got his bed scrubbed down and sanitized.  I didn't know this, but apparently strep throat can cause nausea and vomiting. We're not sure if this is why we're dealing with all of this unpleasantness, but if he's not better by Monday, we're going to get him…

8 Comments

This is NOT a good thing

Mr. Emmett woke up this morning, not feeling well. He was complaining of a sore throat, but that was it. As the day progressed, so did whatever he has going on.  A few minutes ago, he spike a really high fever.  At this point in time, we aren't sure what's going in. He could have something like strep throat, or this could be a fever cycle.  We've seen fever cycles in the past where the mouth sores appear in his throat, causing a great deal of discomfort. Like I said, we aren't sure what's going on. If this is a fever cycle, this is the highest we've seen in a very long time.  Please keep Emmett in your thoughts and prayers. We're managing the fever and will go from there. 

4 Comments

How I saved my sanity and calmed our #Autism house

Lizze and I took the boys to the park this evening. It had been a stressful day for a number of reasons, and I wanted to steer the car back onto the road.  We all had fun. Emmett caught Pokémon, and Elliott was doing something on his tablet. Elliott was enjoying sitting on the bench in the garden. It was a tranquil moment for him, and while I'd of preferred no tablets, I was happy to see them happy.  Gavin went straight to his favorite spot and sat down. He loves these big rocks above a small waterfall.  While keeping a close eye on the boys, I got to spend some time doing one of my favorite things, aside from writing. I love taking pictures, especially nature related.  At some…

8 Comments

Why a #meltdown kept my son home from school today

Emmett was in rare form this morning. He began melting down the moment he woke up. I'd say he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but I don't think it was that simple.  I've spoken many times about my understanding of Emmett and meltdowns.  Emmett is extremely sensory driven, very easily overstimulated. He spends a good deal of time, looking for stimulation his body needs to know where he physically exists in time and space.  It appears that Emmett had a really good time at the zoo yesterday, with his school. It also appears to have drained his resources. When his resources are drained, he doesn't cope well with anything, and today was one of those days.  As far as Emmett is concerned, his day was shot…

4 Comments

Opinions Wanted: Should our kids with #Autism be forced to conform? 

I'm really looking for the communities input for this discussion, because this is a rather sensitive topic, but one that needs to be discussed.  Should we force our kids with Autism to conform to the world around them? Should we allow our kids with Autism to simply be who they are, and make the world around them adapt to meet their needs?  I know this sounds like a loaded question but with so many kids being diagnosed everyday, I think parents need some ideas of how to do what's best for their child.  I'm looking for anyone to comment, especially the Adult Autistic community. Adult Autistics have such valuable insight and I know I could always use the help.  Please treat each other with respect, even if we differ in…

24 Comments

How to decide if homeschooling is right for your child with #Autism 

Photo via Pixabay by Theresa_Quagraine Deciding whether or not homeschooling is right for your child on the autism spectrum is difficult, and it’s not something to be entered into lightly. There are many things to consider--including whether you’ll need to modify your home in any way--and taking over the way your child learns and receives information can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared. Yet many public schools find it a challenge to be able to meet the needs of their special needs students, and it’s a big concern to parents as to whether or not their children are getting everything they require during an average school day.  Because there’s such a wide range of treatment options available for children who fall on the autism spectrum, many schools just aren’t equipped to…

2 Comments

Guess where the boys went on their field trip

This will be super quick.  I wanted to share that the boys both went to the Akron Zoo yesterday with their school. They both had a great time and Elliott couldn't even remember how many animals he saw.  Emmett really loved the underwater slide that runs through the otter habit. The otters would follow him as he went down the slide.  Elliott's teacher snapped a picture for Lizze and I. It was while he was standing by the otter exhibit. He wanted the picture because the otter is Lizze's favorite animal in the world.  They both arrived home safely, after having a good time.  Elliott was upset on the bus ride home, but I explained that in the previous post. 

0 Comments

I didn’t realize what the problem was until today

I've come to an important realization today. I used to think that Elliott didn't have any issues with socialization. He has friends and interacts with them throughout the day. When we're out in public, he's the most polite kid in the world, and people comment on it all the time.  All those things are good. They're great actually, because not all kids on the Autism Spectrum have those skills.  Unfortunately, it never occurred to me that what he's been struggling with has to do with social skills. On the surface, everything seems great. It's when you look a bit deeper that the problems become more apparent.  Elliott struggles to understand where people are coming from.  Today is a perfect example.  Elliott was riding the bus home from the field trip…

22 Comments