Read more about the article Screams of terror were heard all through the house
Emmett John / My thoughts

Screams of terror were heard all through the house

Just as I was brushing my teeth last night, getting ready to go to sleep, Emmett woke up in a panic. I was in the bathroom and out of habit, I closed the door behind me.  Emmett ran into my room and saw that I was gone. He ran downstairs, thinking I was sleeping in the couch or something. When he didn't find me there, he just began screaming at the top of his lungs. It was a scream that immediately conveyed terror.  When I opened the bathroom door to go get him, he was standing right there. It sorta freaked me out a bit because I didn't hear him come back up the stairs.  He was standing there, sorta swaying back and forth, like he was trying to keep…

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May 13, 2017
Read more about the article On a lighter note….. 
Feeling Blessed / Gallery / My thoughts

On a lighter note….. 

Lizze and I had a relatively quiet night, after the boys went to bed. Noone came down because they all fell asleep. ☺  Anyway, I wanted to share a few things that I felt were really positive. Maybe not so much positive, but pleasant for me personally. This may seem kinda dumb but I spent some time rebuilding the ferret pen tonight.  We have been have a problem with Lemme. She keeps letting herself out, because she enjoys wandering the house. She never causes any harm, but we don't want her getting hurt or getting into something she shouldn't.  Lemme is crazy smart. She will exploit any possible way to get out of her pen. It's truly amazing to see how she thinks. Thank God she's the only smart one,…

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May 13, 2017
Read more about the article Sometimes it’s hard to keep moving forward
Emmett John / My thoughts / School Related Issues / Sensory

Sometimes it’s hard to keep moving forward

Sometimes it's really hard to find the strength to pick up and continue moving forward. There are days when the idea of continuing to keep moving ahead, is so completely overwhelming.  Poor Emmett has now gone almost two days without being able to tolerate a shirt. This is a newer thing for us, because we're used to the big issue being shoes, socks, and pants. Shirts have never really been a significant issues in regards to school.  Unfortunately, the last two days have presented us with an obstacle that we were unable to overcome.  Missing school is not something we take lightly, but neither are Emmett's Autism related struggles. We have to balance compassion and societal demands.  We all know that kids have a long sorted history of wanting to…

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May 12, 2017
Read more about the article It’s been almost 12 hours and still no progress
Emmett John / My thoughts / School Related Issues / Sensory

It’s been almost 12 hours and still no progress

It's currently pushing 5:30 PM, and Emmett still won't tolerate a shirt. We've tried a few times throughout the day, but haven't made any progress. I'm thinking it's best not to push him at this point because we want him to be able to wear one tomorrow morning.  I spoke with the principal this afternoon, as a result of him reading a comment from the previous post. The comment stated the Emmett missed 42 days of school, and did so in a way that made it seem like the person commenting was a staff member at the school.  I told him that I wasn't upset, if indeed it was a staff member, but I was curious if the number was right or not. He was really upset because it seems…

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May 11, 2017
Read more about the article Nothing worked because everything hurt
Emmett John / My thoughts / Sensory

Nothing worked because everything hurt

Sensory processing disorder has gotten the best of us today. Mr. Emmett woke up after a night filled with nightmares, completely overwhelmed. In his nightmares, he's being eaten alive and can't wake up. Emmett's daily life is often dictated by his sensory issues. Today was particularly bad because he woke up, already overloaded, and not standing a chance. More often than not, Emmett will struggle with his clothes in the morning, but we can work through it. On these days, Emmett has enough resources in his coping bank account to help him through. Unfortunately, there are some mornings where this coping bank account is already overdrawn. He was very clearly overdrawn this morning, and he wasn't able to tolerate wearing a shirt. We worked to help him through this from…

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May 11, 2017
Read more about the article Tuesday night therapy
My thoughts

Tuesday night therapy

The boys and I are going to therapy without Lizze. She had a rough day in class and had a major panic attack. She's at home resting in bed. Hopefully, she'll be feeling better in a little while.  In the course of my life, I've only ever had one or two major panic attacks, and from what I remember, they were exhausting.  I feel for Lizze, because I know how tough those were for me, and I don't have any serious anxiety issues like she does. I hope she finds some peace while she's resting and we can get in with our day. If not, I'll help her any way that I can. ♥ 

4 Comments
May 10, 2017
Read more about the article Tales of #Autism and really awkward conversations 
Awkward Conversations / Gavin / My thoughts

Tales of #Autism and really awkward conversations 

One of the things that many Autism parents are all too familiar with is awkward conversations. When it comes to awkward conversations in our house, Gavin is King. 😁  We spent a couple hours with my grandpa this afternoon. Rather than Gavin going straight to the TV, I had him sit in the living room with us and hang out.  That was an experience... ☺  Gavin has never avoided conversations with people, and that's a good thing. The problem is that he's not gifted in the ways of two-way conversations.. More often than not, Gavin will only want to talk about his video games, and will simply change the subject from whatever is being discussed.  He didn't do that too much today, and I'm proud of him.  What he did…

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May 10, 2017
Read more about the article Jamming pencils in my ears
Autism Parenting Insight / Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Jamming pencils in my ears

I try to provide insight and inspiration to my readers, by sharing my thoughts and experiences. Sometimes though, the best I can do is share what I'm feeling after a long day of being an Autism and Special Needs parent.  We weren't without our struggles yesterday, but it was a good day.  One of the things I struggled with was Gavin's behaviors. There wasn't anything violent or majorly inappropriate, but that doesn't make it any less exhausting.  If you have ever spent any time with Gavin, you will very quickly learn that he loves playing games on his tablet. You would learn this quickly because it's all he will talk about.  I have listened to him talk about his games to the point I want to jam pencils in my…

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May 10, 2017