I was completely unprepared my #Autistic son’s heartbreaking emotional reaction

One of the biggest challenges my wife and I have faced as Autism parents is something that thankfully, doesn't present itself very often. When it does, however, it's very difficult to navigate. That challenge has to do with the death of a family member. Thankfully, that doesn't occur very often, but it's something that we all have to face throughout our lives. Before we get into our current situation, I want to provide a bit of background and context. We've lost two grandparents in the last eight months, and for the first time, we allowed the kids to participate in the process. We've always shielded them from these things because of their limited ability to cope with emotional situations. It doesn't get more emotional than the loss of a loved…

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The impulsivity alone is exhausting

There were some frustrating points in our day today, especially in regards to Gavin's IVIG infusion. He was supposed to do the infusion on Friday, but we were seeing a movie that morning, and he decided that he wanted to do it Saturday instead. No harm no foul. We figured we'd let him make that decision because he was handling it responsibly, and that's something we want to foster. When it came time to do his infusion, however, he was very nervous and not super cooperative as a result. He was very loud and demanding. He didn't mean anything by it, but that doesn't make it less frustrating in the moment. It's not always easy to remember that while he's almost 20 years old on the outside, he's only about…

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My 19-year-old #Autistic son totally impressed me

When Gavin was younger, he was admitted to the psych unit at Akron Children's Hospital more times than I can remember. It was always a last resort but a necessary action when things got really bad, and he needed acute stabilization. Anyway, Gavin's doing so much better now, but he's beginning to struggle once again. Most of this struggle revolves around him, managing his frustration. It's not easy for him because he's very easily frustrated and often has unrealistic expectations of himself. The other day, Gavin came downstairs and wanted to show me something. He'd been straightening up his room and came across one of his old folders from a psych stay at Akron Children's. Inside it, he found some of the work he'd done while he was there. In…

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My #Autistic son did the most amazing thing today

Gavin was able to get his blood work done without any problems. In fact, I wanted to share something cool that Gavin did while he was there. It's no secret that Gavin is a creature of habit. He thrives on routine, especially for things that are scary for him like blood work. Today there was a new tech that Gavin had never met before, and instead of freaking out because of the change, he explained how he likes it done and let her draw his blood. Gavin likes the techs to count to three before sticking him and then warn him before taking the needle out. When he's done, he likes his arm wrapped in cling so he doesn't see the area the needle went into his arm. It's pretty…

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One of the most independent things my #Autistic 19 year old does

I didn't sleep well last night, and my amazing wife was kind enough to take the kids to school so I could go back to sleep. ☺ 💙 When I did drag myself out of bed, I was able to get Gavin for his weekly blood work, and that's where I'm residing at the moment. Hopefully, he doesn't have a long wait. This weekly trip is one of the most independent things he does. I drop him off at the lab and wait in the car. We've been coming here for most of his life, and everyone adores him. He's able to sign himself in and answer some routine questions about traveling outside the country. When it's his turn, he goes back, gets his blood draw, and collects three suckers.…

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I try to never take breaks for granted

It was a pretty quiet evening. The kids were at their grandparents, and I'm writing this after sleeping in till 10:30 AM. That felt really good, and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Lizze and I went for a short walk last night before picking up dinner and settling into watching Wandering Earth on Netflix. I can't stress enough how important self-care is. We don't really have any plans for today, but I would like to get some things done around the house. I know rest is important, but I also want the kids to come home to a house that's in a little better shape. I'm going to work on some organizational type things and then maybe go walking this evening. I'm really thankful for the break, and I…

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I love my kids, but dammit I need a break

I didn't sleep well last night, and that led to us oversleeping this morning. How we start the day has a direct impact on how the day goes, and getting off to a late start isn't a good thing. Having to rush around puts the kids on edge and creates a stressful environment for everyone. We try to avoid mornings like this but sometimes our Google Hub hiccups, and the alarm doesn't go off. An interesting fact about the Google Hub, if your wifi drops, it's completely useless, even as an alarm clock. Always, set a backup. 😉 The kids made it to school, and I took Ruby walking with me in the rain. She lives for these walks each morning, and it's become our thing. While she won't go…

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It went much better than I expected

It's been a long day and an emotionally stressful one at that. Gavin had his psychiatrist appointment this morning, and you can read all about what that gifted us with here. What I didn't mention in the above-linked post from earlier was what we were doing with his medication. Someone left a comment asking about that, and I figured I'd address that now. ☺ Long story short, his medications are not changing. His dose of Clozapine is still 300mg and will remain as such. Nothing else is being added, and at this point, I feel that's the best thing. We can always re-evaluate things later. It's important to understand that Clozapine is an end of the road medication and it's only used when nothing else works. Clozapine is the end…

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