Read more about the article Emmett returned to the classroom today
COVID19 / Emmett John / My thoughts / Planning

Emmett returned to the classroom today

Today was such a big day, especially for Emmett. I haven't mentioned this in a little while because I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Today was the moment of truth and here's what happened. State testing is ridiculously mandatory this year, despite the pandemic. I have made my thoughts on that quite clear. It's flat out fucking stupid that we didn't skip testing this year. We know the scores are going to be lower but it's because our kids were surviving a fucking pandemic, not because they're incapable of learning or the teachers aren't doing their jobs. Sorry, I get pretty fired up about this but I digress. Anyway, Emmett was required to return to school for the testing process and he will be required in and off…

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April 6, 2021
Read more about the article I received the 1st dose of the Moderna #vaccine and this information can help you
COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts / Planning / Vaccine

I received the 1st dose of the Moderna #vaccine and this information can help you

Well it's been an eventful couple of days. I'm in a really good place and there's a couple of reasons for that but for this post, I just want to focus on one in particular. I believe in karma, I'd like to anyway. I feel like you get back from the Universe what you put out into it and I have a perfect example to share. On Friday evening, someone reached out to me on Twitter and asked if I would help them spread a message that I truly believe in. Basically it was speaking to the facts about the COVID vaccine and why it's so important that everyone gets it. I don't hide my views on this and I was happy to help any way I could. I was…

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March 14, 2021
Read more about the article Gavin gets his final dose of the #COVID #vaccine today
COVID19 / Gavin / Lockdown / My thoughts / Planning / Vaccines

Gavin gets his final dose of the #COVID #vaccine today

It's gonna be a hectic day. I have a two hour meeting after lunch and it should finish up just in time for me to get Gavin to the health department for his second dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. I'm a little concerned about how Gavin is going to handle the side effects. More than that, I'm concerned about how severe the side effects will be for him because of all his health issues. The vaccine is absolutely vital for him and I'm not worried about its safety at all. Most people experience side effects, which is expected. I just don't know how they will impact him, personally. Gavin decided to do his IVIG infusion a day early so he wasn't putting too much strain on his body today.…

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February 19, 2021
Read more about the article We made a major decision about this school year
COVID19 / Distance Learning / My thoughts / Planning / Remote Learning / School

We made a major decision about this school year

Let me start by saying, I hate everything about this school year. I hate how our kids and teachers have been put in impossible situations because our leadership won't take COVID seriously and do what needs be done in order to get us through this. That being said, we've made a major decision in regards to school for the boys. While I can go into more detail at a later time, Lizze and I agreed to pull the kids from their current school and put them back into their old school. After 2 weeks of technical issues, the kids literally crying and me on the brink of a fucking stroke, I decided this wasn't going to work. The reality is that the entirety of this responsibility falls on me. It's…

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August 28, 2020
Read more about the article We persevered this week
COVID19 / Distance Learning / Lockdown / My thoughts / Planning / School

We persevered this week

It's been a crazy stressful week but I'm so proud of how we persevered. The boys ultimately made it through their first week of distance learning and even exceeded their hours for the week. Their experience has been improving and while Elliott is still having technical issues, Emmett seems to be experiencing fewer. For the most part, we tried keeping to their previous school schedule but it didn't always work. What I've found was that giving the boys a little freedom over how their day is managed, seems to motivate them. Obviously, I can't let them loose but if they start at 10am instead of 9am, who cares. As long as they complete their work, that's all that matters. One of the coolest things about distance learning is that if…

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August 22, 2020
Read more about the article It’s grocery day
COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts / Planning

It’s grocery day

Today is grocery day in The Autism Dad household. It's everyone's favorite day of the week for obvious reasons. I try to time grocery delivery for once every week or week and a half. It's tough to keep groceries in the house but I manage. I want to give a huge shout-out to all of the delivery people who make this possible for my family and all the other families out there like mine. I'm so grateful for everything.

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August 21, 2020
Read more about the article Day 2 of Distance Learning Has Been A Nightmare
COVID19 / Distance Learning / My thoughts / Planning / School

Day 2 of Distance Learning Has Been A Nightmare

We just finished up the 2nd day of distance learning and it's been a disaster. The school appears to be over capacity and struggling to meet the demand. Yesterday was full of connectivity issues and today has been the same. We are getting messages that too many kids are trying to log in to the same live lesson and therefore Emmett was unable to gain access. Elliott tried to do his live session but the audio went out and the video kept freezing. I totally get that things happen and that they may be able to get these issues fixed. I get that. My concern is that autistic kids tend to generalize and their very first experiences with distance learning have been negative and frustrating. I'll be honest and say…

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August 18, 2020
Read more about the article This school year has me nervous
COVID19 / Distance Learning / My thoughts / Planning / School

This school year has me nervous

The new school year starts tomorrow morning and we're as ready as we're going to be. We spent the day working around the house. I sat down with each of the boys an went through school stuff. I tried my best to mentally prepare everyone for what feels like a monumental undertaking. Elliott and Emmett's schedules are going to be a little different because Elliott is taking more classes. I don't foresee that being a huge problem though. I understand distance learning will be challenging. The first couple of days will be spent going through the motions and getting accustomed to their new schedule. For the most part, the boys can create their own schedules. There are some live classes that are required but the rest of the time is…

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August 17, 2020