First of all this is probably the type of loaded question that I would hate to answer myself.  Having said that, I think it's an interesting and relavent question because I would suspect that answers will very based on personal experience. Do you consider Autism a disability? For me personally, I would say yes and no.  The reason it seems like I'm taking the safe way out is because I really think that due in large part to everyone's uniqueness and various placements on the Autism Spectrum, it's impossible to answer this with a yes or no. Again, everyone's experience with Autism is likely to be very different. Because some people are falling on the lower functioning end of the Autism Spectrum, I would suspect that they would be more…

Just got a call from Gavin's new case manager at Buckeye (Medicaid HMO provider).  They wanted to check in and see how Gavin was doing.  While I really appreciate the concern, that's a really, really loaded question. The other reason they called was because they wanted to meet with us face to face. I set up a meeting at Dr. Patti's office for next Tuesday.  This way she could help with the boys as well as add her pearls of wisdom to the discussion as needed.  Hopefully, that will go well and we can further build on our relationship with his insurance carrier.  For better or worse, they will be a part of his life and working together is going to be Gavin's best shot at life.  I'm happy that…

Lizze and I were talking this morning about Gavin's issues at school and something occurred to us.  Considering Gavin's situation this past Friday and how his interpretation of what happened during Math class differed so greatly from what his teacher said, it calls into question his perception or even honesty in other situations at school. When he accused this teachers of blowing him off when he went to them for chest pain, was that even true? His teachers story was quite different and at the time, we believed his story but now I realize that we could have made a mistake. Dammit, this is so frustrating.  If feels like every single time we reach a point and we seem to get a footing, something happens and the rug is yanked…

I spoke with Gavin this morning about the email I had received from his teacher last night.  I went over what I had learned about his actions, this past Friday and Gavin acknowledged that it was true.  When he explained about his day on Friday, he left out all of the really interesting details.  Did he actually lie to us? That's debatable because he had told us that he got frustrated and lost points as a result of that frustration. That was all true.  However, his story very much made him look like a victim and I believed him. What were his intentions? Did he mean to mislead us or was his explanation true based on his perception of what happened? This is why he can be so frustrating.  It's…

Lizze and I were enjoying the peace and quiet tonight.  We were probably up later than we really should have been but you know ow how it is when the kids are In bed and the house is quite. The silence was broken by the sound of bottle rockets being fired at our house. It was after midnight and some jackass was riding a bike and firing off bottle rockets.  I could see the flash as they ignited and we're sent flying in our direction.  Maggie and Bella were not very happy about this and neither was Lizze or I. I don't think we were being singled out.  It seemed as though it was a random thing because I could hear them being fired off in the distance as well.…

Gavin's been having some problems in Math class.  I've spoken about this a few times and expressed my concern.  Tonight I got a very interesting email from Gavin's Math teacher. I love being able to email back and forth with the boys teachers.  This is a perfect example of why this is so beneficial. After having read what had happened on Friday, the resulting loss of points or tickets makes a great deal more sense. I've said this a million times but I'll say it again... Open communication with your child's school is so important. Here's what happened.... Gavin was working on a Math assessment and did really well until he got to the last three problems.  For some reason, he became frustrated and instead of asking for help, he…

I love my kids always.  Nothing will ever change that. Being a parent to three special needs boys, fighting, screaming, hitting and yes, even bitting is something that I have become used to.  Having said that, there are times when I blown away by the way they can show compassion for each other.  Earlier today, Elliott was having a rough time.  Out of nowhere, Emmett walks up to him and gives him a big hug.  Typically, Elliott would be freaking out because he doesn't always like to be touched.  However, Emmett's hug must have been just what he needed because he just smiled.  If you look closely at Elliott's face you can tell that he's got a smile on.  :-) This makes me feel like, despite all my failures and…

I don't know why we didn't notice this on Friday. Apparently, Emmett didn't have a good day at school.  This is pretty much out of character for Emmett John.  Not sure what was going on.  Perhaps he just had an off day.  We all have bad days and kids with Autism are no matter exception. This site is managed almost exclusively from my Galaxy S4. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Follow @Lost_and_Tired "Like" me on Facebook Visit the My Autism Help Forums To reach me via email, please Contact Me   Setup of an account with Bluehost and I get paid. If your looking for a host for your website or blog. Click the image below and check out Bluehost. It's what I use.