I had the opportunity to speak with Sheri A. Marino, MA, CCC-SLP this past week. She's the Executive Director of the Autism Healthcare Collaborative. The only way I can think to describe this organization is Dr. House meets Autism. The AHC basically provides families of medically complicated Autistic children with access to the top doctors from various specialities via teleconferencing.
Twice today, I've been called out for not being honest about how I'm doing. My amazing Mother was the first one, and a few hours later, my therapist became the second. I wanted to talk about this briefly and ask you to take a second, do a self-inventory and see if maybe this applies to you as well. Basically, I was called out for not being honest about how I'm doing. People ask me all the time how I'm doing and with the exception of a very few people, on rare occasions, I generally politely reply that I'm doing good. I get away with that because most people don't look beneath the surface. They don't really see that sometimes when I say I'm okay, I'm only saying that to make…
It's been a crazy long day. The kids have been driving me absolutely bonkers and I'm so grateful to at least have hope that they will be returning to school in the morning. I'm still really worried about Elliott but his pediatrician says he's okay and it sounds much worse than it actually is. I absolutely love my kids but I need a break. I haven't been able to walk in well over a week and I haven't been able to walk regularly in months. It's taking its toll on me. Anyway, everyone is sleeping and I've been up fighting with the audio for Friday's podcast. I'm frustrated because I want to do better audio but I'm limited by my environment and equipment. I'm just overwhelmed with life in general…
The boys were at the doctor's last night and the verdict is in, they're absolutely sick. Emmett has a respiratory infection but no signs of strep throat. He's dealing with a virus and can return to school on Thursday, assuming he doesn't get worse. Elliott has a combo sinus infection and respiratory infection, with some asthma related complications. Because he's not made any improvement in the last week or so, she changed his meds and he should be able to return to school on Thursday, assuming the new antibiotics work. I'm supposed to have the boys to Akron Children's Behavioral Health today. I asked if I should reschedule it but she said no. There's no reason I can't take them. Everyone is moving slowly this morning but in good spirits.…
This is really exciting and frankly, I'm still processing it. DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld has invited me and my kids to visit and experience their hotel, as well as their new, Autism-friendly accommodations. Apparently they reached out because of who I am and the work I've been doing in the Autism community. Frankly, I was caught off guard by this and it's taking some time to wrap my head around. As I'm thinking about this though, I'm realizing that it's an amazing opportunity to experience and evaluate, first hand, the accommodations made for Autistic people and their families. It would also be an opportunity to show my readers, followers, and listeners, that while it doesn't always feel like it, the world is becoming more inclusive. There are places…
It's like a fucking roller-coaster because my kids are really sick, then they seem to feel a little better and then go back to being sick again. I guess it's kinda the nature of respiratory stuff but the ups and downs are rough because it's difficult to know what to do. As of writing, both Elliott and Emmett will be home again, despite serious protest from Elliott. I'm not sure what's up with that but I think it has to do with avoiding going to the doctors. If he's back at school, he doesn't need to go to the doctor. That's his logic but it doesn't work that way because this isn't a democracy. I'm responsible for their wellbeing and if I feel they need to be seen, they will…
My official gift guide for the 2019 Holidays. Check out some of my favorite products from 2019 and maybe check a few gifts off your holiday list at the same time. :-)
It took a bit to get the boys to sleep last night, especially Elliott. He was coughing nonstop and it sounded awful. He's on meds for the cough, breathing humidified air (with essential oils) and using his emergency inhaler very few hours. It was well into the early hours of the morning before he finally was able to sleep. Emmett seemed to fall asleep a bit more easily but was up super early. Both the boys are upset that they are missing school. Emmett isn't fighting me but Elliott is really upset and not letting it go. There's zero chance they can go to school and nothing he can say to me is going to change that. Both are basically fever free this morning but still over the threshold for…