Is Sensory Processing Disorder controlling our lives?

Sensory processing disorder sometimes seems to be controlling our lives. It really is something that has an impact on so many daily functions, and unless you're living with or loving someone with this struggle, it's very difficult to understand. In my house, all three of our kids face these daily struggles. Their brains are hardwired differently and they do not perceive sensory input correctly. This leads to frustration, being overwhelmed, anxiety, meltdowns and yes, even physical pain. Truth be told, we gave up on a balanced diet a long time ago and now focus on calories. While sensory processing disorder (SPD) impacts many areas, but the most challenging for me as a parent, revolves around eating food. The most profoundly impacted are Elliott and Emmett, so I'm focusing here for…

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#Autism Parenting: We’re all in this together

While I utilize this blog to help support my family, I do that by helping others. Not everyone appreciates what I do here and that's okay because it's probably not for them. The people that I'm doing this for, will largely remain silent because nothing needs to be said. Many times though, people will reach out privately and ask for help or share how reading my blog has helped them. Sometimes they want to share their experience but aren't comfortable doing it in the comments. Sometimes the comments here can be kinda rough and while it annoys me, it discourages others from speaking up. This morning I received an email from a parent who's dealing with what will likely be a two year old, newly diagnosed kiddo. They're worried, stressed…

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Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder in laymen’s terms

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? Sensory Processing Disorder is hands down that most frustrating part of being an Autism parent, at least for me. For those unfamiliar with what I'm referring to when I say sensory issues, let me explain. Sensory processing disorder is a condition that is very common in both kids and adults with Autism. What happens is their brains don't properly interpret Sensory input correctly and this can be very problematic for them. Sensory Processing Disorder can impact adults as well. I'm specifically referring to kids because that's where my experience lies. Please don't take that as anything else. Kids with sensory processing disorder are hypersensitive to things like color, sight, sound, light, taste, texture, smells, and especially touch. How these sensitivities impact their lives can and…

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Sending my thoughts and prayers

I wanted to take a few minutes and to say a few things about the terrorist attack that our fellow countrymen in New York endured yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by this act of cowardice, especially those who lost their lives and their families. What happened was an example of how cruel and evil human beings can be to one another. At the same time, it's an amazing testament to how brave and strong the people of New York are. The first responders did an amazing job of neutralizing the threat and securing the area to ensure everyone's safety, with no thought of their own. We all owe them a debt of gratitude, so thank you from the bottom of my heart. To all…

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Being Autistic isn’t an excuse

Update: I misread this woman's profile and it turns out she's not Autistic. My apologies for that. I misunderstood her profile and based on her attack, I incorrectly assumed she was an Autistic adult, attacking me in the way I've been attacked many times before. I shouldn't have assumed and I apologize for that. The principle of this post still stands. We all need to treat each the way we want to be treated. Parents and Adult Autistics should be on the same team. We all bring things to the table and can learn from each other. Being a parent isn't easy, especially when you're a neurotypical parent to a child with Autism. While I can't speak for everyone, I can say with the utmost confidence, that most Autism parents…

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Do you know why #Autism Parents worry so much?

It's not easy to explain how anxious I am tonight. I'm anxious because I haven't yet received Gavin's lab results from yesterday. This doesn't necessarily mean anything good or bad, they just haven't gotten them back yet. As a special needs parent, it seems like there's always something to worry about. Special needs kids can be so complex and their respective conditions can make life extremely complicated. There's always something to worry about because there's literally so many things that can go wrong at any given time. I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty of waiting for the other shoe to drop but it's not because I'm negative. It's because there's always another shoe to worry about. I've spoken with countless special needs parents over the years and…

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My number one tip for vacationing with #Autistic children

I've never been a huge fan anyone telling anyone else what to do when it comes to an Autistic child. The reason being, every child is different and just because they may carry the same label, doesn't mean they have anything else in common. That being said, there is value in sharing one's personal experience because everyone can learn from the experience and decide if or when it applies to their particular situation. Having just spent ten days on vacation, four of which involved were simply driving, I learned a few things that worked for my three kids with Autism. At this point, I only want to focus on what I believe to be the most important thing I learned from this experience. This may or may not benefit your…

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Why Gavin having his wish granted is heartbreaking for me as his Dad

By now most of you know that Gavin is having his wish granted by an amazing organization called Wishes Can Happen. He qualifies for this because he's living with life threatening health conditions. This opportunity is probably one of the biggest things to ever happen to my family and Gavin absolutely deserves this. Every time someone hears about this, their response is usually along the lines of that's so amazing or he's so lucky. I've even heard things like what a blessing and what a great opportunity. None of those things are wrong. It is an amazing opportunity and we do consider it a blessing that this has been made available to Gavin. I don't take offense to the well intentioned affirmations but I want to make clear that this…

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