Read more about the article (Discussion) How do you know when, if ever to mainstream your child with #Autism?
Autism Parenting Advice / Discussions / My thoughts

(Discussion) How do you know when, if ever to mainstream your child with #Autism?

Lizze and I have been debating this for the last few school years but either can't agree or just don't know what to do. This debate or discussion is in regards to whether or not Elliott and Emmett's current school is going to prepare them for higher education adequately. Elliott and Emmett are both in grade school and have been at their current school since kindergarten or first grade. This school is specially designed for kids with Autism and are surrounded by a blend of neurotypical, spectrum and ADHD kids. The curriculum is built from the ground up to be supportive and meet at least most of the needs that a child with Autism would have in the school environment. Lizze and I both agree that we have concerns about…

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January 10, 2018
Read more about the article Big news and why I’m feeling blessed
Autism Parenting Advice / Gavin / My thoughts

Big news and why I’m feeling blessed

There's no denying that we are facing many challenges in the Gorski household. We're facing some heartbreaking physical and emotional health issues as well. In the last post I shared about how Gavin was regressing and what we were seeing right now that truly broke our hearts. In this line of work, we learn to take the good with the bad. We celebrate the good and dig down deep to keep moving forward with the bad. I received a piece of amazing news that I haven't had a chance to share but it's important that I do because it shows what can happen when you fight for your kids. A few weeks ago, Gavin was scheduled for NeuroPsych testing at the Cleveland Clinic. This was extremely important because he is…

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November 30, 2017
Read more about the article Parents play a huge role in their children’s education
Autism Parenting Advice / My thoughts / School

Parents play a huge role in their children’s education

Lizze and I have teacher conferences scheduled for tonight. Unfortunately, we have some concerns about Elliott's teachers and want to hear their side of things. Elliott has been struggling with his math makeup work and according to him, he's asked for help a few times this week but his teacher won't help him. This isn't our first rodeo so we don't assume that Elliott's accurately perceiving what's taking place inside the classroom. At the same time we aren't assuming that Elliott's wrong either. We know enough to know that teachers aren't perfect and that things happen that we wouldn't think would happen. I've not known Elliott's teachers before this school year and so I have no history with them. They're newer and it's always a good idea to make every…

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November 9, 2017
Read more about the article Perhaps you can learn from my mistakes
Autism Parenting Advice / My thoughts

Perhaps you can learn from my mistakes

It's such a fine balance when it comes to telling a child with Autism something that's' going to cause any type of anxiety. It doesn't matter if the anxiety is waiting for a package to show up in the mail or knowing they are getting a flu shot. Speaking to my personal experience, my wife and I try very hard to limit situations like this whenever possible. There are times in which it isn't possible or we make the mistake to saying something a head of time with the goal of preparing them for an upcoming event, either good or bad. We are currently dealing with two kids who are terrified of getting their flu shots. most kids don't like shots but they are a very important part of maintaining…

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November 6, 2017
Read more about the article #Autism Parenting: Let this be a lesson in what not to do
Autism Parenting Advice / Emmett John / My thoughts

#Autism Parenting: Let this be a lesson in what not to do

I wanted to take a minute and talk about a mistake I made in regards to my kids with Autism, specifically Emmett. I've been working on this unboxing project and have had an unbelievable response from really big companies. A huge box arrived today from the awesome people behind Hexbugs.. Here's where I made my mistake. I was so excited to hear that they wanted to take part in this project by sponsoring a video, that I couldn't wait to tell Emmett. Emmett is a Hexbug fanatic and has been since he first discovered them years ago. I knew they would be arriving today, but I didn't know what was going to be in the box. I wasn't thinking when I told Emmett about this because I told him about…

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November 3, 2017
Read more about the article Never take this shit for granted
Autism Parenting Advice / My thoughts

Never take this shit for granted

We've made tentative plans to have the boys spend the night with my parents because we may have to leave for the Cleveland Clinic around 6 AM. I've reached out to our case manager for an update and I'm waiting to hear back. Something that's really important to me is that we always stay on the same page as our parents, when it comes to watching the kids. When they are kind enough to watch the kids for us, we make it a priority to keep them up to speed on any changes to our plans, even if they're only potential. I think it's just a courtesy that they deserve because they are helping us out in a big way and I don't like springing any changes on them if…

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November 2, 2017
Read more about the article Taking on insurance and fighting for my son
Autism Parenting Advice / Gavin / My thoughts

Taking on insurance and fighting for my son

We're still waiting to hear about Gavin's testing for tomorrow. We're stuck in insurance limbo. As soon as I found out there was a problem, I knew there was only a few things I could do. The first thing was contact Gavin's insurance case manager. If your child doesn't have a case manager, ask for one. The case manager is a single point of contact for everything related to insurance. Rather than call and talk to a random, script ready customer service rep, you have a direct line to someone who's sole purpose is to help insure your child gets what they need. I spoke with Gavin's manager in the middle of the week and explained what was going on. She immediately got involved and took over the battle. She's…

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November 2, 2017
Read more about the article Maintaining our marriage while #Autism #Parenting
Autism Parenting Advice / Marriage Maintenance / My thoughts

Maintaining our marriage while #Autism #Parenting

Managing the amount of stress associated with being an Autism parent is a real challenge. Maintaining a marriage and or outside relationships is just as challenging.  There are days that can prove to be more challenging than others.  My wife and I felt that stress come to a head this afternoon when the kids were visiting my parents. We were looking at the same issue, only from a different perspective, and it got tense.  It's so easy to sorta turn on each other when we are both so incredibly stressed out. It's important that we be cognizant of the fact that stress is playing an influential role in our disagreement.  We never set out to take things out on each other, but the reality is, it sometimes happens. Aside from…

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July 12, 2017