Read more about the article I f*cking hate having to micromanage my oldest sons life
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

I f*cking hate having to micromanage my oldest sons life

Today's been incredibly challenging for a number of reasons, and I'm pretty stressed out as a result. Truthfully, I'd be stressed out anyway but whatever. Mr. Gavin is struggling a bit right now. Who am I kidding? He's struggling a great deal right now, and it's taking a toll. Is there a nice way to say he's driving me fucking crazy? One of the more recent issues is that Gavin has been cursing rather openly. I get that he's almost 20 years old, but the reality is that he's maybe 5 or 6 years old on the inside. It's like having a kindergartener dropping f-bombs and other words that he shouldn't be saying. I think in most cases he's parroting stuff from YouTube and we've tried to address this but…

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July 28, 2019
Read more about the article #Autism can make things more complicated
My thoughts

#Autism can make things more complicated

Elliott and Emmett are really struggling with not having enough personal space. I think we've reached a point where they really need their own rooms. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do to make that a reality at the moment. A large part of the problem lies in the fact that their needs are very different. As an example. Elliott needs the room dark, while Emmett needs it brightly lit. Elliott likes it quieter and Emmett is the loudest human being on the face of the planet. The list goes on and on. Because they're Autistic, they tend to experience things more intensely and become frustrated more easily. Everything is much more complicated due to their unique and often conflicting needs. This of course leads to meltdowns and shitloads of…

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July 27, 2019
Read more about the article Today’s Victory: It’s a been a pretty f*cking awesome day and here’s why
My thoughts / Today's Victory

Today’s Victory: It’s a been a pretty f*cking awesome day and here’s why

Today had its moments but overall, I feel really good. There are a few things I'd like to celebrate tonight before I hit the sack and start this whole thing over again in the morning. First of all, in a pretty major win for Mr. Gavin, he performed is own IVIG Infusion today and it didn't leak. He did the entire thing, start to finish, and didn't have a single issue. A little tough love was required to get him there, but he was really proud of himself when it was all said and done. ☺ I was able to get my walk in before dinner time. I was up all night last night because my leg was driving me fucking crazy. Once I did fall asleep, I opted to…

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July 27, 2019
Read more about the article I wish I could take away his pain
Emmett John / My thoughts / PFAPA

I wish I could take away his pain

Emmett's in a great deal of pain today and will be for at least the next few days. Yesterday he broke out with mouth sores again and they're pretty bad. His antivirals are keeping things from being any worse than what they currently are but they aren't stopping them altogether. We began doubling up on his antivirals, as we're supposed to when he's in a flare-up and hopefully they will disappear over the next few days. The sores are related to a very rare fever disorder called PFAPA. He's had this all of his life and while it's evolved over the years, it's very, very disruptive. Emmett used to run fevers of 105°F for about ten days, but not actually be sick. He would then be fine for roughly two…

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July 26, 2019
Read more about the article Today’s Victory: My oldest accomplished something amazing
Gavin / My thoughts / Today's Victory

Today’s Victory: My oldest accomplished something amazing

As I chill on the couch tonight, unable to sleep again because of my fricking leg, I thought I would get my super positive post from yesterday caught up. I will, however, make this quick because I'm really trying to get some sleep. Long story very short, I opted to go help my parents by cutting their grass last night. My dad is working a great deal and his knee is bad. My mom just had her knee replaced and better not even be thinking about cutting the grass. I'm watching you mom. 😉 Anyway, we all went over and everyone played a role in helping. Lizze spent the time with my Mom. Elliott and Emmett took Ruby and Cleo (my parents dog) for a walk. I got to use…

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July 26, 2019
Read more about the article Signs of Undiagnosed #Anxiety in Children with #Autism
Contributed / Link

Signs of Undiagnosed #Anxiety in Children with #Autism

  By Hailey Shafir, LPC, LCAS, CCS-I Anxiety is the single most common mental health disorder in America, and will affect over one third of the population at some point during their lives. In children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), these numbers are even higher, with some studies estimating as many as 84% of these children also have an anxiety disorder. Often, anxiety may be overlooked in children with Autism because some symptoms of anxiety and ASD overlap, and also because anxiety can present in atypical ways with children on the spectrum. There are several different types of anxiety disorders, and research indicates certain types are more common in children on the spectrum. Specific Phobias (where the child is afraid of a specific situation or object like spiders, small spaces,…

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July 25, 2019
Read more about the article It’s actually been a pretty awesome day so far
My thoughts

It’s actually been a pretty awesome day so far

I had a pretty great afternoon. Emmett ended up going with me to take my mom to PT. He did really well while we waited, and of course, my mom kicked ass during therapy as well. Her knee was replaced exactly one month ago and she's already able to walk without a cane while around the house. It seems like she's doing really well. Emmett and I waiting for my mom to finish PT After therapy, we went for a short walk around the mall because she wanted to go walking. Afterwards, Mr. Emmett was hungry, and so we stopped at the food court and grabbed some lunch. It was really nice to just have some time away. Anyway, when I got home, I got some work done, repaired my…

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July 25, 2019
Read more about the article Fricking #restlessleg is killing me
My thoughts

Fricking #restlessleg is killing me

I'm starting this day at a deficit because I didn't sleep well at all. I've spoken about restless leg a few times in the past because it's a problem for me. My mom significantly suffers from restless leg, and I'm not sure if there's a genetic component to it. I don't know if any of my siblings deal with this, but I should probably ask. Anyway, last night was really bad for me. It's always seems to be my left leg and I don't really know how to describe it other than saying that it's so bad that cutting my leg off seems like a viable option. That sounds dramatic but if you've ever experienced the feeling of restless leg, you probably get it. Thankfully, I don't seem to deal…

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July 25, 2019