Read more about the article This is a perfect example of why being a #specialneeds parent can be so exhausting, frustrating and overwhelming
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

This is a perfect example of why being a #specialneeds parent can be so exhausting, frustrating and overwhelming

We're not off to a good start today. I basically woke up to Elliott and Emmett fighting and it went downhill from there. I could have weathered the fighting but then Gavin entered my morning with news that very much pushed me over the edge. Gavin casually approaches me and tells me that he's only got enough tubing for one last IVIG Infusion. I told him that's not possible because as you can see in the image below, there are supplies for 8 complete IVIG Infusions for the month of October. Maybe you can't see that from the image but I confirmed upon delivery, that he was not shorted anything. Gavin should have enough supplies to do 4 more IVIG Infusions this month and he's basically saying that he's missing…

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October 19, 2018
Read more about the article Gavin had a massive emotional breakdown last night
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Gavin had a massive emotional breakdown last night

Gavin had a complete emotional breakdown while at therapy last night, it came out of nowhere and it a big one. He was playing basketball with Emmett and while he wasn't doing anything wrong, he also wasn't recognizing that he was playing with someone half his size. I pulled him aside so Dr. Pattie and I could talk to him about it. All we wanted to do was help him understand why Emmett was getting frustrated. That seemed to be the catalyst that broke the flood gates and had him on the floor in the fetal position, borderline hysterical. It appears that Gavin's been carrying a great deal of pain and regret around with him. For whatever reason, he never told us about this and we only learned about it…

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October 17, 2018
Read more about the article It’s so hard to feed my kids with #Autism
Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / Feeding Problems / My thoughts / Sensory

It’s so hard to feed my kids with #Autism

We're having a really hard time finding food that Emmett will eat, especially while at school. He's never eaten the school lunches because he's incredibly sensory oriented. It just won't ever happen and that's okay. The problem is that's it's become increasingly more difficult to find things we can pack in his lunch, that he'll actually eat. We've had temporary successes but nothing ever really lasts for too long. Once he stops eating something, he'll likely never touch it again. It's important to understand that this isn't him being picky. This is something he has no control over and while we try to work with and encourage him to try new things, there isn't a great deal we can do but keep trying. The difference between a picky eater and…

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September 21, 2018
Read more about the article He lacks commonsense and that’s why this happened
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

He lacks commonsense and that’s why this happened

Gavin had a very rough morning. He was struggling and that was even more apparent when it came to his IVIG infusion. I'm not sure where his head was at but we had problems. Maybe he was distracted, preoccupied with thinking about one of his games or perhaps he had a pending mission on his mind. I don't know and I don't think he does either. After dropping the boys off at school, I went walking in the rain. It wasn't too bad but getting wet is getting wet. Anyway, while I was gone, Gavin was preparing his IVIG infusion. He does this every single Monday and Friday morning. Today however, something was different. It's like he was backwards in what he was doing. He opened the supplies, kept the…

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September 17, 2018
Read more about the article My #Autism Parenting plate is extra full today
Autism Parenting Struggles / My thoughts

My #Autism Parenting plate is extra full today

The boys came home and have been an absolute handful ever since. It's nice to have them home but when they're in a place like they're currently in, it sorta undoes the break because they requires twice as much time, patience and energy as they normally do. 😔 Between the ADHD impulsiveness or hyperactivity and it being too late in the day to get their meds, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Lizze has progressively gotten worse as the day wears on. She's trying so hard but the chronic pain is overcoming her today. I finally got her to lay down in bed and I rubbed her back until she was able to fall asleep. I hate seeing her like this but all I can do is try to provide some…

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September 15, 2018
Read more about the article What’s more challenging than a child with #Autism?
Autism Parenting Struggles / My thoughts

What’s more challenging than a child with #Autism?

One of the few things more challenging than raising kids with Autism is raising kids with Autism while they're sick. Last night Elliott spiked a fever of almost 104 °F and Emmett began coughing and hacking. Elliott's home from school for the second day and Emmett's now home as well. Both are quite miserable. Miserable kids can be challenging enough but add in Autism/sensory issues and things get way more challenging. Kids with Autism tend to feel and experience things so much more intensely, especially when sensory issues are involved. Things like runny noses, stuffy heads, sneezing, coughing and headaches can be tough for anyone but forany kids with Autism, these are absolute nightmares. I'm still sick as well and life in general pretty much sucks right now. I've got…

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September 12, 2018
Read more about the article We’re seeing a significant increase in #Meltdowns
Autism Parenting Struggles / Elliott / Meltdowns / My thoughts

We’re seeing a significant increase in #Meltdowns

There's so much going on in my life and it's becoming more and more difficult to write about it because it's exhausting. I keep thinking about doing more vlogger type things but I don't know. Anyway, Elliott's going through a very, very, very difficult time. The teenage years aren't easy for any kid to deal with but factoring in things like Autism, ADHD or Anxiety and life becomes truly difficult. Elliott is absolutely the sweetest kid in the world and he always has been but he's also struggling more and more. We spoke with Dr. Pattie about this again on Tuesday and from where I sit, I'm not even sure Elliott knows why he's so miserable. He'll rattle off things that are upsetting him but it just doesn't seem to…

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August 31, 2018
Read more about the article I was so frustrated I could scream (this is a very sensitive topic)
Autism Parenting Insight / Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

I was so frustrated I could scream (this is a very sensitive topic)

It's been an insanely frustrating day. Very little went as planned. Some went okay and a small amount has been an absolute disaster. The internet was a nightmare because two rounds of brand new equipment was faulty. I now have to wait until Wednesday to get a tech out here to look over the equipment that still isn't working. I love Spectrum's approach to broadband but I very much dislike the company. The appointments themselves went alright for the most part. Turns out Gavin did have an appointment as well. Not a huge deal since all of us were there already. That being said, Gavin is my main source of aggravation today. I know it's not his fault but goddammit, he can be frustrating. I've been trying to think of…

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August 6, 2018