Read more about the article The countless reasons why my life as an #Autism Dad is so hard
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

The countless reasons why my life as an #Autism Dad is so hard

As Autism parents, we all live in different worlds because Autism impacts our lives in very different ways. Some people have it pretty good and life is manageable, while others literally struggle to make it through each day. Many others fall somewhere in the middle. I fall into the category of struggling to make it through each day. I can't remember a day where I would sit back and say to myself, it was a really easy day today. In my life, easy days don't exist. I have an eighteen-year-old with the capacity of a five or six year old and that's anything but easy. Life isn't meant to be easy for anyone. If things are too easy, we can become complacent, and perhaps take things for granted. When things…

12 Comments
June 26, 2018
Read more about the article There’s only 1 thing that could make things worse and it just happened
Autism Parenting Insight / Common Variable Immunodeficiency / Gavin / Immunology / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

There’s only 1 thing that could make things worse and it just happened

I have been sharing how stressed out and worried I am over Gavin's current immunological crisis. I consider it a crisis because there is a nationwide shortage of GAMMAGARD. This medication literally replaces his broken immune system and keeps him from getting sick or worse. Until we resolve the issue and solidify a working plan for moving forward, I consider this a potential life threat and therefore a crisis. The only thing that could make this particular situation worse is if Gavin were currently sick. Unfortunately, that has come to pass because Gavin is currently sick with whatever Emmett and Elliott have been fighting off. We're probably looking at a simple cold but when your child has a severely compromised immune system, only one dose of GAMMAGARD left and no…

0 Comments
June 16, 2018
Read more about the article 2 things that have always overwhelmed me as an #Autism parent
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

2 things that have always overwhelmed me as an #Autism parent

There are so many things about being an Autism parent that can be overwhelming. Everyone's list is likely to be different but I bet there are at least a few overlaps. I thought I would share two of the most overwhelming aspects of being an Autism parent for me. For me, and I've said this a million times before, sensory processing challenges are easily one of the most overwhelming aspects of being an Autism parent. Sensory processing disorder impacts my kids in different ways. Generally speaking, SPD makes it incredibly difficult to feed, clothe, and even take my kids anywhere. They are very easily overwhelmed by sensory input. Things like taste, smell, sound, touch, and sight can often lead to overstimulation. This leads to the inevitable meltdown. It's not their…

0 Comments
June 11, 2018
Read more about the article We overcame one of the challenges in regards to Gavin turning 18
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

We overcame one of the challenges in regards to Gavin turning 18

We were able to reconnect with Gavin's MyChart account this week. When he turned 18 this past January, his account was closed and he needed to open up a new one. MyChart, for those unfamiliar with it, is an app that connects you with places like the Cleveland Clinic and Akron Children's Hospital. It gives you access to your medical records and future appointments. You can request prescription refills and even schedule an appointment or send a message to your doctor. It's pretty amazing. When I set this up for all three of the boys, I had access to all three under one account. As a parent, this is very, very helpful and like I said, when Gavin turned 18, he automatically dropped off. Getting account access back is complicated…

0 Comments
May 30, 2018
Read more about the article Do you know how much fun shoe shopping is for two kids with #Autism?
Autism Parenting Insight / Elliott / Emmett John / My thoughts / Sensory / Shoes and Socks

Do you know how much fun shoe shopping is for two kids with #Autism?

Ha.. That's a trick question because it's a fricking nightmare. After we left the cookout, I took Elliott shoe shopping. Emmett decided that he wanted to try shoes again as well. I wasn't really in a position to do both right now but with Emmett, I can't not take advantage of his willingness to try shoes again. That opportunity almost never comes around. In fact, it's been about two years since the last time he was willing to try. Elliott actually isn't too, too bad. He's more indecisive when it comes to shopping. It's not usually that big of a deal but it depends on his mood and how stressed out or overstimulated he is at the moment. Emmett on the other hand is never easy. His tolerance for anything…

1 Comment
May 27, 2018
Read more about the article #Autism Parenting: It’s time to give yourself a little credit
Autism Parenting Insight / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

#Autism Parenting: It’s time to give yourself a little credit

Autism Parents have to be many, many things. Unfortunately, one of the most common things they are is hard on themselves. The average Autism parent is about a million times harder on themselves than anyone else possibly could be. We tend to hold ourselves to an impossible standard and blame ourselves for the struggles our kids with Autism often face. There's even a part of us that feels insane amounts of guilt because we can't take away the struggles our kids face on a daily basis. We often beat ourselves up for things we have absolutely zero control over because... Well, truthfully, I don't know why we do that but I do know it's wrong and unhealthy. We'll tell you all the ways our kids are amazing without any trouble…

3 Comments
May 26, 2018
Read more about the article I’m super excited about today
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

I’m super excited about today

I know yesterday was kinda rough for me and that of course, hasn't changed. I can't change any of yesterday's challenges and can't do anything about them at the moment, so I'm going to focus on today. That being said, I'm really excited about today. Elliott and Emmett both have Martial arts promotion today. Elliott's is in about an hour and Emmett’s is at the end of the school day. This means we'll be making quite a few trips back and forth to the school but it's all part of the gig. After the final promotion, we're dropping the boys off at their Grandparents for a couple hours because Lizze and I will be going to a movie. I have tickets to see Deadpool 2 and I'm really excited. Things…

1 Comment
May 18, 2018
Read more about the article Why everyday life can be so much harder for #Autism families like mine
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

Why everyday life can be so much harder for #Autism families like mine

I was feeling really good yesterday because I had finally been able to purchase the replacement parts for the car. I've talked a bit in the past about how we've been informed that it's no longer worth it to fix our car and it needs to be replaced. That's way easier said than done. Unfortunately, there's a 0% chance of me being able to buy a new car at any point in the foreseeable future and I need to work with what I have. It sucks but that's the reality we live in. The bearings on the fontend went bad awhile ago and aside from what I would assume are potential safety issues, the car makes an ear piercing squeal whenever the wheels turn. It's awful and it's hard to…

2 Comments
May 17, 2018