Read more about the article It’s been an emotional roller-coaster this weekend and I’m exhausted
Family Pets / Maggie / My thoughts

It’s been an emotional roller-coaster this weekend and I’m exhausted

It's been an emotional weekend for all of us here in The Autism Dad household. Losing Maggie has been devastating for all, but especially for Elliott and Emmett. They're feeling the loss a bit differently because they have basically never known a time where Maggie wasn't here. They were both so young when we got her, it seems like she was always part of our family. Lizze and I have been trying to keep the boys distracted because that helps them to move forward. Saturday was pretty rough. There was a great many tears shed throughout the day and we really tried to keep the boys occupied, but it didn't always help. On Sunday, all three of the boys hung out with their Grandparents for a large part of the…

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April 16, 2018
Read more about the article Why did he laugh when our dog died?
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

Why did he laugh when our dog died?

If you read my last post in regards to Maggie passing away, you may have noticed that I never made mention of Gavin and there was a reason for that. I want to explain and hopefully educate my readers about what we saw or rather didn't see from Gavin that day. It's important to understand that Autism can be quite mysterious at times and even though I have experienced and a decent understanding, there are times where it's difficult for me to grasp as well. I didn't mention how Gavin reacted to Maggie passing away because I didn't want to go down that path until I'd had a chance to process everything. Let me begin by saying that people with Autism tend to struggle with emotional situations. I'm not saying…

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April 15, 2018
Read more about the article Still struggling but forcing myself to exercise
My thoughts

Still struggling but forcing myself to exercise

Lizze and I have a few hours to ourselves this morning and that almost never happens. Gavin spent the night at his grandparents and the boys are at school. What I want more than anything is to crawl back into bed and sleep off the nausea but that's not in the agenda. Lizze and I are going to go walking shortly. I want to go. I need to go but I feel like shit still. At the same time, I know that I'll feel better as I walk and that's why I'm forcing myself to go. I'm losing weight and getting back into reaching my fitness goals. It's unfortunate that I'm having such a difficult time withdrawaling from Paxil but the more active I am, the better I feel. So,…

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April 13, 2018
Read more about the article (PSA) Why Swimming Lessons are Critical for Kids on the #Autism Spectrum
Guest Post / PSA

(PSA) Why Swimming Lessons are Critical for Kids on the #Autism Spectrum

Why Swimming Lessons are Critical for Kids on the Autism Spectrum By: Michael Morris, Goldfish Swim School Everybody in the pool! Yes, that really means everybody. It is widely recognized that all kids need swim lessons. In fact, the American Red Cross says that the number one thing that parents can do to keep kids safer around water is to enroll them in swim lessons. Researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health recently conducted a study that concluded that children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than the general pediatric population. The lead researcher stated, “Given the exceptionally heightened risk of drowning for children with autism, swimming classes should be the intervention of top priority.” (Source: My Autism.Org) https://youtu.be/WE3NIKGEhOM The swim and water safety…

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April 12, 2018
Read more about the article My oldest son with #Autism is really trying my patience
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My Personal Victory

My oldest son with #Autism is really trying my patience

I'm not going to mince words here. Gavin is driving me crazy and there's no end in sight. He's eighteen years old on the outside and about six years old on the inside. This large age gap between his emotional age and his chronological age has always been problematic. As he gets older, it's becoming more obvious and increasingly frustrating. Gavin's a great kid. He loves his family to the best of his ability, always looking to help around the house and he never gives up or complains about his lot in life. I've raised him as my own since he was about fifteen months old and I see him no differently than I do Elliott or Emmett. Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to overlook some of the behaviors…

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April 11, 2018
Read more about the article I’m hoping for a good day all around
My thoughts

I’m hoping for a good day all around

The boys got off to school without much trouble. Lizze got their lunches together and I cooked some scrambled eggs. Of course, Elliott was the only one to eat them because Emmett will only eat scrambled eggs is they are pure yellow, without any white showing. That wasn't happening this morning so I will settle for one out of two. Emmett will be finishing up state testing today and his teachers are cooking them a pancake breakfast in their classroom, so he'll be fine. ☺ I've been checking with Elliott after school each day (which I've always done) to find out how things are going for him. So far it seems like things are going pretty well. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean anything because Elliott never tells us about something…

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April 11, 2018
Read more about the article I’m a little lost right now
My thoughts

I’m a little lost right now

It's no secret that I'm struggling a bit right now. If I'm being honest, I'm struggling more than just a bit. I sound like a scratched record but the withdrawal from Paxil is killing me and it's impacting me in many areas of my life, this blog being one of them. Once upon a time, I had a direction and was moving in a somewhat linear fashion. Lately, most of what you will read here are random thoughts and experiences because that's just where I'm at. I know that makes it harder to follow and I understand that but my life isn't easy to live either. I'm really trying to make this user friendly and as helpful as to my families as possible. I ask that you remain patient with…

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April 10, 2018
Read more about the article How U-Laces help my family and can probably help yours as well
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

How U-Laces help my family and can probably help yours as well

I love connecting people with the technology that can improve their lives. When you're a special needs parent, sometimes the simplest life hack can make all the difference in the world. One example of this in my house, is U-Lace. I've worked with, written about and did a detailed review of U-Lace before. You can check out the YouTube video, as well as the gallery from that review below. https://youtu.be/vfbX5UnGvSw Click the image to view the gallery [foogallery id="67595"] Seeing as it's Autism Awareness month, I wanted to circle back and share how U-Lace has benefited my Autism family because they may just benefit yours as well. ☺ Let's start off by explaining what U-Laces are and how they can benefit a child with Autism. If you check out their…

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April 8, 2018