Time management as it relates to #autism #parenting

Because you asked: "Can you please talk about time management?" I have an autism parenting support forum on Reddit with over 8,300 families. One of the Dad's asked me to talk about time manage t as it relates to being an autism parent. Here's the link to join the group of you'd like to: https://www.reddit.com/r/Autism_Parenting https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbjGvBdF9k5/?utm_medium=copy_link Below is the transcript of the video for accessibility. ☺ ♥ Time Management So I had someone in my Reddit support forum, uh, asked me to talk about time management as it relates to autism parenting. And I thought, well, that's kind of a weird question at first, but then I realized it's actually a really good question and I just don't know how to answer it. So, uh, I've been putting it off,…

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I know so many of you can relate to this

This morning I was reflecting on just how far the boys and I have come over the years. We're not without our challenges and that's okay. Last night, we had a family outing and it was so much fun. There was eight of us all together and everyone had a blast. I can remember when the idea of taking the kids anywhere was overwhelming for a multitude of reasons. There was always the financial aspect but also the emotional piece as well. I know so many of you can relate to worrying about whether or not an outing would lead to massive meltdowns later on. Basing your decisions on whether or not to do something, based solely on if you'll be able to deal with the potential fallout, sucks. Sitting…

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Don’t take these things for granted

As far as Mondays are concerned, it's been a good one. Elliott's in Spring break but Emmett isn't. That's super annoying but whatever. Emmett has his break in a month. I had a really insightful conversation today over lunch. You're never too old to learn new things or see stuff from a different perspective. So enlightening and I'm definitely better for it. I was running errands with the two youngest today and I took them to get haircuts. It went well and I didn't give bit a second thought until I got home. There was a time when something as simple as getting a haircut was anything but simple. In fact, it wasn't until the last couple of years that haircuts have been a relatively easy undertaking. I have absolutely…

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What is now is not necessarily what will be later

For a number of reasons, the last few weeks have been physically and emotionally exhausting. There are a million reasons for this but I'm not going to talk about everything. I just want to focus on the ones that may be the most helpful to parents out there living in the trenches on a daily. I have so many positive things in my life and I appreciate every single one of them. There are other things going on that weigh heavy on me, cause me to feel overwhelmed, unsure, and even alone. I've been talking about some of the school-related difficulties and how as a parent, I'm just trying to do the right thing. The school issues have been going on since returning from Christmas break. I've been incredibly overwhelmed…

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Mainstream Anxiety

It's been a minute because my life has been a little overwhelming lately. I'm feeling incredibly anxious tonight, and I thought it might be helpful to write for a bit before I try to get some sleep. There's a few things going on right now that have me on edge, and I'm going to go into a few of them. This isn't going to be the smoothest article I've written, and it's not meant to be. I'm looking to purge and walk away from some of this shit I'm struggling with. The biggest thing keeping me awake tonight is that Elliott starts at a new high school in the morning. It's been an emotionally exhausting couple of months for Elliott and me. Elliott has been handling everything like a champ,…

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How #ABA Took Fun Off the (Little) Table

One idea behind many ABA/Discrete Trial type programs is repetition and practice. The more opportunities, the more progress. That’s how we got to 40-hour per week programs for three-year-olds. Yeah, that is crazy, it’s not just you—and it doesn’t have to be this way. My oldest child was around two when I started to see ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) differently. It’s a shift I am forever grateful, and it took my career on a completely new path. Around the time of this shift, my mother bought my oldest a little wooden table. It was a $40 steal at a local hardware store. The evening she brought it over, we both watched as my daughter (also her first grandchild) danced in delight around the table, sitting, getting down, switching chairs. She…

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You don’t know what it’s like

I pulled this request from one of my autism parenting support groups a few days ago. I'm just getting around to sharing it here, it's been on Facebook for a couple of days. Here's the actual topic request: This mom basically asked me to explain why even the simple things in life aren't so simple when you're an autism parent. I totally get this and I hope I helped.. ☺

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