A few reasons why your #autistic child may be having #meltdowns after school?

A mom from one of my autism parenting support groups asked why her autistic son has meltdowns after school. This was a really good question and I wanted to share my answer here. If you're following me on IG, you may have already seen this. There could be a million reasons but I wanted to share some insight into why this may be happening. I think we, as parents, can underestimate how challenging it can be for our kids just to make it through the school day. School is not sensory friendly and there's a great deal of expectation during the school day. Simply put, school can be incredibly overwhelming for our kiddos on the spectrum and the fact they hold it together as well as they do is quite…

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I’ve learned to never underestimate my kids ability to overcome

Today began the transition back to school after the holidays. This used to stress me out because more often than not, it was a nightmare scenario. Kids on the spectrum do not like change. Many years were spent trying to navigate transitions like this and it wasn't fun for anyone. Thankfully, it's gotten much better. My kids are so much more resilient than they used to be. While there are some anxiety related hiccups, such as Emmett not sleeping last night, the transitions have become little bumps in the road than a ten car pile-up. I'm so grateful for that. If you're reading this and still dealing with some of these issues, please know that it does get better. I won't promise that it will be a cake walk and…

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Let’s talk about how tough Christmas can be for autism families

I've had a pretty great week. I've been job hunting, which is exciting, and it feels good. I'm looking to fill in some of the gaps while building my business. I need to gain some lost ground, and this will help. There are some pretty great opportunities that I might qualify for, and they're remote. That's a perfect fit, especially with COVID. This is a big move for me, but it's the right one, at least for right now. I should add that I'm exceptionally grateful for all the love and support I have in my life. I wouldn't have made it this far or had the courage to explore new opportunities if I didn't have that. The boys are ready for Christmas to be over with. I've talked about…

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Sleeping Tips for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses many unique challenges for you as a parent. Sleeping Tips for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) One of the most commonly affected areas involves sleep. Good sleep during pregnancy is certainly important, but so too is adequate rest postpartum and into childhood for both you and your child. As your child ages, lost sleep usually results from their inability to sleep. If they can’t fall asleep, have bad dreams, or wake up frequently, then they may wake you up directly or indirectly through the noise they make. Making matters worse, they’ll suffer from the effects of poor sleep. Losing even a few hours of sleep is enough to cause negative effects on their mood, energy, and cognitive skills, especially for…

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Looks like we’re watching #Scoob today, courtesy of @WBHomeEnt

I just want to say thank you to Warner Brothers for sending my kids this media box, including a Blu-ray of the new release of #Scoob and some promotional swag. The kids were so excited and surprised. We've actually seen Scoob when it released on digital a little while back and it was awesome. Totally a family friendly movie that everyone will enjoy. As a kid, I lived on Scooby-Doo and it's so cool to see this get a 2020 update. In Scooby-Doo's greatest adventure yet, see the never-before told story of how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined forces with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved, Scooby and the gang face their…

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I’m about 90% sure it’s a Thursday

I'm up early and about 90% sure it's a Thursday. We've just hit day 140 of COVID19 lockdown and everything just sorta slurs together anymore. Groceries are on the agenda for today and they'll be arriving in a few hours. The kids are still sleeping and aside from my noisy ceiling fan, the house is completely silent. It's actually kind of amazing how quiet it is. While I'm still very tired and could probably go back to bed for a little longer, I'm going to enjoy the quiet and maybe even workout before the kids get up. I have a new episode dropping for the podcast tonight and it's one I'm really excited about. You can visit listen.theautismdad.com and get caught up on all the previous episodes while you're waiting.…

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Top Ways to Keep Your Family Physically and Mentally Stimulated During The Pandemic

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 global pandemic has taken a toll on the world. Every country, every sector, and of course, every home can testify to the fact that it has not been easy. Media coverage has clued us in as to how countries and certain industries have been coping during this time. But the family unit is out of the public eye and equally getting hit in more ways than one.  Image Credit  But if there’s one thing about the human race that’s constant, it's our ability to adapt and find ways to thrive. Based on that, it's important to seek out ways to keep you and your loved ones stimulated during these gloomy times. Mental health management is just as important as the physical aspect in…

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Here’s what happened

It's been a few days or maybe a bit more than that but I'm back and ready to move forward. I wanted to explain what happened that kept me away for the last few days because it was nothing serious. As you may or may not know, I run my own dedicated server for this site. It's been this way for years. Yes, it's expensive but I basically outgrew everything else and this was the best approach. The site more than pays for itself, so it's not a financial issue. Anyway, my server software was out of date and the only way to upgrade at this point was to completely reimage the server with the updated software. Unfortunately, that's not something I can do from my end. That meant completely…

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