I wanted to share this and see if any of you experience this as well.  Sometimes it's hard to know the difference between #Autism's traits and actually personality traits. Emmett has a certain order that he likes things to be done in.  For example,  when he tells me goodnight,  he gives me a hug first and then a kiss. It's always hug then kiss.  He's very particular about this order.  Sometimes I'll give him a kiss goodnight,  only to have him tell me,"no Daddy,  hug first and then kiss,  okay Daddy. " Does this seem familiar to any of you out there? Please share your stories in the comments below.  :-). **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Autism Help Forum Look for "Autism Help"…

We've been having another challenging issue with Mr.  Gavin,  that is less of a problem and more of an annoyance. For some reason,  he has been not wanting to use his words. This is really unusual,  at least for him.  Instead of saying,  "I'm hungry,  can I have breakfast?",  he simply walks around making weird noises. When he was in the hospital,  instead of saying "can I have a drink?",  he would grunt and point.  WTF.....???? He has exceptional language skills and the truth is,  most of the time we can't get him to stop talking. His psychologist believes this is simply part of the current power struggle and I have to say that I agree. We have told Gavin that ofbhe doesn't use his words that we can't hear…

I don't even know what day it is anymore.  This last stint at the hospital has thrown everything out of whack.  The boys are all thrown off and the friggin dogs are so stressed out that they have diarrhea,  not that you wanted to know that. Neither Lizze nor I have gotten much sleep in the last 7 days.  We're going to look at this week as sort of a reboot week.  Basically,  we're trying to get our bearings and taking this week to do so.  I can't stress enough how much of an impact something like your child spending a week in the hospital has on a special needs family. It think it would impact any family.  Hopefully,  things will clear up and I'll at least know what day…

Dicipline in the Lost and Tired household is extremely important.  Many kids on the autism spectrum benefit from strict routine,  predictably,  structure,  boundaries and dicipline. Gavin is our oldest and most complex child.  There are so many pieces to him that it's extremely difficult to know what to do or how to dicipline him.  The problem is that nothing works more than a few times.  We have tried so many different things and while many of them worked,  once or twice,  they failed the test of time. The only thing that we have ever had success with is oatmeal.  Basically,  we swap out oatmeal for whatever meal he's supposed to have.  This was suggested by MST.  And at home behavioral modification professional. We aren't withholding food from him.  We are…

I just wanted to share with you all how grateful I am that Bella came into our lives. She has become the best friend to a little boy you really needed a friend. Even though she's a dog,  she has helped Emmett to overcome so many obstacles in his life. She can be a pain in the butt, however, in this fathers opinion,  it's totally worth it. She's the first thing Emmett sees in the morning and the last thing he sees at night.  When we arrive home after a trip to the store,  he gives her a really big hug.  It just warms my heart to know that he has someone like this in his life.  :-) Do any of your kids have a friend like Bella?  Not all…

Things went down hill fairly quickly this morning. Gavin decided that it would be a good idea if he told his little anxiety prone brothers about a dream he had.  In this dream,  Gavin was attacked by a robot with spinning blades instead of hands.  Apparently,  at some point I this dream,  the Gavin's hands were chopped off his arms by the spinning blades of the robot. This was told to the boys in graphic detail. This really freaked Elliott and Emmett out and they were pretty stressed out about it. Elliott approached me and told me that Gavin had shared a dream with him again.  When I called Gavin down to tell Lizze and I about the dream,  he refused. This was my first inclination that things were not…

When you are a parent to an exceptionally challenging child,  life is full of tough decisions.  One of the toughest is picking your battles. Essentially,  picking your battles means that carefully select when it's best to simply let something go instead of addressing it.  The consistent thing to do would be to directly address the problem.  Having said that,  sometimes it's best for everyone else,  to let it slide.  Every day,  in the Lost and Tired household,  I have to pick my battles. This is not easy to do but has become a necessary evil. The truth is that sometimes the fallout just isn't worth it. Think of it like a strategic retreat. It's frustrating because it feels like we have to choose between doing the right thing and living…

I wanted to take a minute,  before I fall asleep,  to say thank you.  Thank you for all the support you showed my family while Gavin was in the hospital. That was a very trying time for us and still is. We are still coping with the fallout.  Elliott and Emmett are still very overestimated and Elliott's anxiety is through the roof. We are trying to continue moving forward and will take life,  one day at a time. All your thoughts and prayers have been received and we're greatly appreciated.  Thank you so much for all the e-cards you showered Gavin with.  It was amazing seeing the outpouring of support for Gavin in the form of e-cards. We see you all as an extension of the Lost and Tired family.…