Read more about the article We’re getting concerned about our oldest son
Gavin / My thoughts

We’re getting concerned about our oldest son

We're noticing some concerning/weird things coming from Gavin. In a nutshell, he's using incorrect words when speaking, cursing, seriously struggling with following direction, as well as with his already limited problem-solving skills. We'll take these one at a time. When Gavin is speaking to us, he is using incorrect words for what he's trying to say. The issue is that this mismatched wordage actually changes the meaning of what he's saying. As an example, Gavin will come up to me and tell me something like, hey Dad; I didn't collect the recycling. I'll repeat it back to him to make sure I heard him correctly, and he confirms I didn't collect the recycling. The keyword here is didn't. What he's trying to tell me is that he did collect the…

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July 5, 2019
Read more about the article Confessions of a frustrated #Autism Dad
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Confessions of a frustrated #Autism Dad

This is one of those posts where I'm brutally honest about something that's going on. Those with experience will be able to relate, and those without have an opportunity to gain some insight into something they might not otherwise have any experience with. The issue tonight is a reoccurring one, but I've not spoken about it in a little while. Mr. Gavin has been driving me nuts today, and the day before, as well as the day before that. You get the picture. He's driving me crazy on a pretty regular basis. I always want to preface things with a this is not his fault statement, because it really isn't his fault. Yes, choices are being made, but nothing he does is meant to upset or cause distress to anyone.…

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June 24, 2019
Read more about the article Gavin’s appointment went well
Clozapine / Gavin / My thoughts

Gavin’s appointment went well

Gavin's psychiatric appointment went great this morning. Nothing changed and we're going to continue pushing ahead with his current dose of Clozapine, at 300mg/day. There is little evidence that increasing the dose will produce a more positive outcome. In fact, we have a ton of evidence to the contrary. Gavin may never be free from delusion or psychosis, and that's something we've accepted. Our mission is to find a dose that is both safe and maximizes his quality of life. I feel like 300mg/day is a good balance. We will just keep on keeping on.. 😀

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June 18, 2019
Read more about the article It’s my fault, not his
Gavin / My thoughts

It’s my fault, not his

I'm not having a good morning. I feel like I didn't sleep well and I'm not in a good mood. Gavin is particularly trying today, but it's not his fault. He always asks me the same questions over and over again. The difference today is that I'm not in a very good place. It's really my fault, not his. I need to work very hard to make sure that I don't lose my composure today. My kids are already saturated with stress, and they don't need me falling apart on them. Hopefully, I'll be able to reset the morning after we get home from Gavin's doctor's appointment..

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June 18, 2019
Read more about the article This sums up our trip to the @ClevelandClinic today
Autism Parenting Struggles / Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

This sums up our trip to the @ClevelandClinic today

It's been an incredibly long day, and I'm exhausted. For those tardy to the party, Gavin and I spent the day with our friends at the Cleveland Clinic. He was undergoing neuropsych testing. The purpose was to benchmark his level of function across several categories and compare to his baseline testing from 2014. We've seen what feels like significant regression over the last few years and his neurologist ordered neuropsych testing to establish where his new or current baseline is. Doing so will give us a better understanding of what's changed over the last five years, and we can do to better support him. His testing went well. I think it was roughly here hours long. He finished the entire process this time, and while he did get frustrated, he…

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June 12, 2019
Read more about the article UPDATE: A little bit about the neuropsychological testing and how things are going so far
Autism Parenting Struggles / Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

UPDATE: A little bit about the neuropsychological testing and how things are going so far

I don't know if you're familiar with neuropsych testing, but here it is in a nutshell. According to my friends at the Cleveland Clinic, "a neuropsychological evaluation is a test to measure how well a person's brain is working. The abilities tested include reading, speaking, understanding, paying attention, and remembering." We've been here for about four hours so far, and I filled out paperwork when we first got here. Then there was a lengthy interview process with tons of more targeted questions. Gavin isn't able to really answer the kinds of questions being asked, but he was able to rattle off needed dates for a few things like it was nobody's business . 👍 Gavin was very preoccupied with having not eaten lunch, and the doctor said I could bring…

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June 11, 2019
Read more about the article It’s going to be an incredibly long day and I’m already exhausted
Autism Parenting Struggles / Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

It’s going to be an incredibly long day and I’m already exhausted

I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed right now. We made it to the Cleveland Clinic without any problems other than a minor detour. Gavin is checked in, and we're waiting our turn. The paperwork was a bit overwhelming because of Gavin's history being so extensive. It's a lot of information to squeeze into a tiny space, and I eventually gave up. They're going to go over everything again in our initial interview this afternoon anyway, so we'll clean that up then if need be. Gavin's in a really good mood, and he remembers being here previously. He also remembers how badly it went the last time. He feels that he's older now and should be able to handle these questions without much of a problem. I think that's a great attitude and…

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June 11, 2019
Read more about the article It’s total chaos this morning
Autism Parenting Struggles / Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

It’s total chaos this morning

Today has turned into chaos. I had everything planned out, and we were going to be dropping the boys off at Lizze's parents before high tailing it to the Cleveland Clinic for Gavin's long afternoon of testing. Unfortunately, Lizze woke up super early this morning and was in excruciating pain. Nothing is helping, and she's in so much pain, that she's sick to her stomach. There's no way she can make the trip. We're running behind, the house has erupted into chaos, and I'm stressing out cause I hate doing these things alone. I'm very capable, but I don't like doing them alone. Lizze always has great insight, and with both of us there, we have the bases covered. I'm not mad at all. I'm just not excited about the…

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June 11, 2019