I'm very happy to announce that on this day, back in 2003, I married my best friend.  Lizze and I have been together for over a decade now.  Life is never easy and our lives are no exception but we take every day for what it is,  a gift. It's hard to believe how much time has actually passed since we exchanged vows.  It's kind of funny,  I still have the shirt my parents bought me to wear to our reception.  I haven't worn it in many years but I still keep it because it reminds me of that day. Even though it's old and has seen better days,  it always makes me smile. Lizze and I have been through more in our short time together then many people will…

I have been doing the whole special needs parenting for a long time.  Walking the road of life with my Austin kids is nothing short of amazing. However,  amazing does come with its challenges.  The one I want to talk about today is obsessions.  In my experience,  both in my own personal family and through the many friends I have made through this blog,  obsessions are very common with ASD kids. Gavin,  my oldest son,  is 11 years old.He has only really ever had two main obsessions.  By obsessions,  I mean,  he will literally,  eat/sleep/breathe whatever his obsession is. For Gavin,  Legos and video games (in particular, Sonic the Hedgehog) are the two main obsessions he has.  He will talk nonstop about Sonic or some new Lego thing that he wants. …

With all the things in the news lately about Autistic children wandering away, I though it was very important to get this message out. I have been talking with Jeremy Warnick, Corporate Communications Manger at Lojack SafetyNet. I truly believe in addressing this problem this is a great way to do it. As you know, I don't often open my blog to outside posters but this is something I think we all need to take VERY seriously. I appreciate the oppurtunity to work with Lojack SafetyNet to help spread this very important message. Please share this post so we can get the word out. Lojack SafetyNet is giving away 1,500 devices and 6 months of free service. This is a pretty big deal.   PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED Kathy Kelleher, LoJack SafetyNet  With back…

This is part 7 of the What is Occupational Therapy series.  In this episode, Emmett is on the Puddy Swing. Basically, Emmett has to maintain his balance while pulling the puddy down from above his head. I want to share these with people because I know that starting something new can be scary for a child and mom or dad. I hope these video's give you a better sense of what to expect when it comes to OT. Please keep in mind that what you may experience could be different as this is geared for Emmett's particular needs. [youtube width="720" height="480"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk2iaANCkF4[/youtube]

I have alot of new readers so I would like to preffice this video with a few things. As a father to 3 boys on the Autism Spectrum, my wife and I have been dealing with meltdowns for over a decade. For a very long time we kept these very private because we didn't want anyone to think poorly of our kids, or really at the time, Gavin. This came a cost. No one ever really witnessed these but us and maybe the teachers, doctors and therapists.  Our families had very little idea of what we were dealing with and really how could they. We spent a great deal of time and energy hiding our daily struggles. When they would us say, Gavin's having a meltdown, they would equate that…

We came home from Akron Children's Hospital yesterday and apparently something happened while we were gone. Whatever that something was, ticked her off enough to physically break through the steel door of her kennel and mangle it so badly that it can't fixed. I'm assuming someone was walking around the house or may even even came up to the door.  All I know for sure is that whoever or whatever it was,  rubbed Maggie the wrong way..... - Lost and Tired Posted by Wordpress for Android via Tegra 2 powered Motorola Photon 4G (provided to me at no charge by Sprint) without the use of proper editing tools and disadvantages of a bastardized version of auto-correct. Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread…

I took Elliott to kindergarten orientation this afternoon.  He did really well.  His teachers are awesome and have known Elliott since he was born. The new structure the school has set up, is in many ways like a main stream classroom.  I think Elliott will do very well and they will help us to figure out what to do for next year. I also met with Gavin's teachers as well.  Gavin didn't come as he was having some problems (a later post) and had fallen asleep.  But he's all set for school.  I explained about his new health issues and the school said "whatever we need".  Thank God for small favors...  I love Summit Academy. - Lost and Tired Posted by Wordpress for Android via Tegra 2 powered Motorola Photon…

So I told you that we were expecting to hear that Emmett needs surgery.  However, to be completely honest,  I wasn't prepared to hear it.  I certainly was prepared to hear that it would be in less then a week. Our new ENT explained that this is very rare. However,  he has seen it a few times before.  He said he will remove Emmett's adenoids and tonsils. Shouldn't be a very big deal except for the fact that my 3 year old needs surgery. He will be admitted for at least 24 hours after the surgery because of his age and developmental delays.  Because Emmett can't complain or tell us something is wrong,  he wants to watch him for 24 hours to make sure he getting enough fluids and there…