Read more about the article #Autism Isn’t Anyone’s Fault
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

#Autism Isn’t Anyone’s Fault

I remember the moment each one of my kids was diagnosed with Autism. It's permanently seared into my brain because these moments are among the most pivotal in my life. One of the things I remember most was how much guilt I felt as our Autism journey began. I felt like I had sentenced my kids to a life of misery because them having Autism was somehow my fault. That guilt ate me alive for a long time. Truth be told, there are still moments where that guilt pops back up, even after all these years. I wanted to take a minute and talk to the Autism parents of the world, especially those just starting this crazy, wonderful, confusing and overwhelming ride. Speaking from personal experience, and extensive contact with…

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February 8, 2018
Read more about the article Daddy’s in timeout and it’s a teachable moment
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

Daddy’s in timeout and it’s a teachable moment

Despite all the positive thoughts and optimistic approach to this morning, it's become a fucking nightmare. Emmett is freaking out, Elliott is not being super cooperative and Gavin won't stop talking to me. I swear to God, if I had any hair left, I'd be pulling it out right now. I'm taking a few minutes to myself right now and putting myself in timeout. I figured I would make this a teachable moment and hopefully something positive will come from this disaster. Rather than continue beating my head into the wall and losing what little sanity I have left, I'm putting myself in timeout for a few minutes. I'm someone who has a great deal of patience with my kids but even I have my limits. Without question, I've reached…

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February 6, 2018
Read more about the article #Autism can be so goddamn frustrating at times
Emmett John / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

#Autism can be so goddamn frustrating at times

I've spent the weekend working with Emmett on his make up work from school. While we were working through this pile of papers, I noticed a couple of things. I should begin by saying that we never made it through all the makeup work because of frustration and massive meltdowns. When Emmett works on things like math or sciences, he does quite well. When we works on anything that requires him to use something other than logic, he struggles. I learned something during this nightmarish battle over homework. Emmett excels in things that deal with facts and absolutes. Math, science and even spelling are all very ridged in the sense that there is a clear right and wrong. There's one right way to spell his spelling words and only one…

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February 4, 2018
Read more about the article How we’re going to address the problems at school
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts / School Related Issues

How we’re going to address the problems at school

Lizze and I were discussing the school issues that have become an unwelcome visitors in our lives. It's pretty obvious to us that there are no good options because we'd likely be trading one problem for another. What we've decided to do at this point is preserve the current status quo. That being said, we will be working to address the concerns we have by pushing for the school to be open to parental involvement. Currently, there's no PTA and no forum for parents to voice their concerns or have their voices heard. This isn't how it used to be. Before the PTA disappeared, Lizze and I were heavily involved. In fact, Lizze was the PTA President. I think one of the biggest issues revolves around the fact that there…

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February 1, 2018
Read more about the article I’m so fricking tired of these impossible decisions
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

I’m so fricking tired of these impossible decisions

I get so frustrated and overwhelmed because there are so many impossible decisions that need to be made on what feels like a daily basis. What are impossible decisions? Impossible decisions are decisions that must be made knowing that there are no good options to choose from. At the risk of sounding cliché, it's damned if I do damned if I don't... Currently, we're trying to figure out a solution to all the problems surrounding the boy's education. I'm not going to go into those problems again right now, but if you're in need of a refresher, you can look here. I spent an hour tonight discussing options with the kid's education specialist/psychologist tonight during our regularly scheduled Tuesday night therapy session. The way I see it, we only have…

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January 31, 2018
Read more about the article Special Needs Parenting – What it feels like to watch your kids suffer
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts / PFAPA

Special Needs Parenting – What it feels like to watch your kids suffer

I've been working for almost a decade to help people better understand what Special Needs Parents go through. Whether it's Autism, ADHD or even fragile health, there's a story to be told and insight to be gained by reading it. Every family's experience can and will be different. Even families dealing with the same diagnostic challenges can and will experience different problems, even though their kids share the same diagnosis. I wanted to attempt to explain what it feels like having to powerlessly watch my kids suffer. The most recent experience I've had, I'm stilling actively living through, and it's in regards to Emmett. Emmett has been living with a very rare fever disorder known as PFAPA. The disorder means that Emmett runs idiopathic fevers. Idiopathic means that the fevers…

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January 29, 2018
Read more about the article When your child with #Autism turns 18 and you need to obtain legal guardianship
Gavin / Guardianship / Inspirational Posts / Link / My thoughts

When your child with #Autism turns 18 and you need to obtain legal guardianship

Gavin will be turning eighteen years of age on January 18th. Unfortunately, he's unable to survive on his own and is also unable to make his own decisions, at least not without major help. His cognitive ability is continually declining and we have no choice but to seek permanent guardianship over him. We've never been through this process before but have acquired the paperwork and have the appointment with his psychiatrist to fill it out. I hate the idea of having to do this but it's unquestionably in Gavin's best interest. My goal is to share this new journey and help provide insight into this process. It's important to understand that not all kids with Autism will need something like this when they turn eighteen. Gavin is severely cognitively impaired…

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January 14, 2018