One of the most misunderstood things about Autism is the meltdown. People commonly conflate meltdowns with tantrums and it's really important to understand the difference.
We're having to adapt to a relatively fluid situation today. The original plan for the day was straightforward and simple. All I had to do was take Elliott to his appointment with behavioral health at Akron Children's Hospital. After that, we had family therapy. I mentioned in a previous post that my grandfather has been placed in hospice and we're not looking at a great deal of time. I need to be available today to help my Mom with whatever she may need. I'm unable to be in two places at the same time so we've made alternate arrangements for Elliott's appointment. Lizze and her Mom will take Elliott to his appointment. Gavin and Emmett were originally going to go with them. Unfortunately, Emmett woke up this morning in a…
One of the big things I've learned over the years is that things are not always going to go as planned, especially with four Autistic people living under one roof. We often find ourselves living minute to minute because there's simply so many variables in play that there's literally no way to plan for anything. As a family, we've all had to learn to adapt and change when needed because sometimes that's necessary for survival. It's really important that we don't allow sudden change to throw us too far off course. Some of us deal with change and unpredictability better than others but we all help each other when needed and we continue to move forward as a family. For those who are unaware, people with Autism tend to not…
It's been a long week and a really rough day so far. Kids with Autism can struggle with all the excitement, overstimulation, anxiety and emotions involved with the holidays. Mine are no exception. We've had fighting, meltdowns and other emotional outbursts all day today. I've decided that we need an intervention because the tension is only hurting everyone and frankly, I can't take it anymore. I think we're going to take advantage of the beautiful weather and visit Quail Hollow. Maybe we'll do a short hike and take some pictures. The boys need a physical outlet for their emotional overload and a constructive way to decompress. I'm hoping that we will be able to find some relief for the kids, for their sakes and ours.
Today was a mixed bag of really awesome, really frustrating and a bit of whatever fell in between. Overall, we made some amazing memories today. We ended up having to go through some shit to make them but that's all part of the journey, right? Of course it is... I thought I would do things a little different today. Rather than write a 1,000 words, I will share a few pictures from key moments that took place today and briefly explain why they were pivotal moments. ☺ This took place immediately after our guy time this afternoon. We said goodbye to my Dad and brother before heading to Giant Eagle for some desperately nedded groceries. I normally don't take all three boys with me to grocery store because it ends…
I wanted to update you fine folks on how our shoe shopping excursion went this afternoon. I'm so proud of Emmett because it didn't go as planned but he adapted and worked through it. ☺ Emmett and I went to the Skechers outlet store, on a mission to find a very particular pair of shoes. There was no plan to deviate from what we know is working and didn't want to try anything else. We got there and discovered that they didn't have his size but it could be ordered. He didn't want to wait and also didn't want the shoes he was currently wearing. The only option was to look for something else and he was actually eager to do that. I was really surprised by his willingness to…
Alrighty, I'm super excited about today because after school, I get to take Emmett, shoe shopping. I love Emmett to pieces and would do anything for him. At the same time, he's not a fan of things touching his skin. He's very sensory oriented and things like clothes, shoes and socks can be annoying and sometimes even painful. As a parent it's frustrating because we've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on shoes over the years that ultimately get donated because he'll wear them once or twice and never again. I could lie to you and say that it's not frustrating but that'd be a lie and not what we do here. It's incredibly frustrating because we can't afford to do this. That being said, it's very important to understand…
Getting the flu shot is extremely challenging for Autism families like mine but this is why we do it anyway.