Navigating #Divorce with #Autistic Kids

It's been a little while but Season 2 of The Autism Dad podcast is finally underway. I really appreciate your patience and understanding as I sorted through some difficult life events this year. In this first episode of the new season, I talk about one of those difficult life events. Divorce is difficult for any child but Autistic children can be more profoundly impacted by the massive changes that divorce brings to their lives. There are a few simple things we can do to help them survive and eventually adapt to this massive change in their lives. I'm by no means an expert, but I can share my personal experiences, as well as some commonsense advice. Remember to please share and subscribe on your favorite podcast app. ☺ This episode…

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We say goodbye to our car today

The morning is off to a fairly decent start. Everyone is willingly going to school but Elliott was very difficult wake up. I think that's caused by not sleeping well and being a teenager. Either way, it's frustrating. Anyway, it's a short week and today is the last day of school. The plan is to take the boys to school, go walking and then get to my parents house so I can scrap our old car. As you may recall, the brake lines blew in front of my parents house and it's been stuck there since. A flatbed is scheduled to arrive around 11AM and pay me a whopping $140 for the car. As much as I hated that car, it saw us through some very difficult times and I'm…

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How To Choose The Best Mattress For Your Child

Kids can be very particular about what they like and dislike -- and that’s putting it lightly. You can probably think back and recall the countless t-shirts or shoes you’ve purchased for your son or daughter who ended up hating the clothes you picked out. Mattresses, however, certainly aren’t as cheap and disposable as clothes. Accordingly, if you’re looking to buy a bed for your child, it’s crucial to take budget, your child’s sleeper type, their body type, and your kid’s specific sleep preferences into consideration. This ensures your little guy or gal finds his or her new mattress nice and cozy, but more importantly, gets a full night’s sleep on it.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep is essential to a child’s physical and emotional development. Not only…

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Read more about the article #Autism and Incontinence: An Unspoken Dilemma
little girl is washing her hands in the sink in the bathroom of the school

#Autism and Incontinence: An Unspoken Dilemma

As a parent of a child that falls on the autism spectrum, you're already facing some unique challenges related to social interaction, sensory issues, behavior, and more. Additionally, children with autism are more likely to experience incontinence that lasts well past potty-training age, making everything a bit messier, figuratively and literally. However, there are a few simple ways to manage the added stress while keeping your child comfortable, dry, and sanitary.  Incontinence is simply the involuntary control of urinary loss or defecation. Children may experience leaks, accidentally void the bladder, wet the bed, and more. When it comes to autism and incontinence, children may have learning disabilities that delay toilet training, physical disabilities that prevent them from reaching the toilet in time, or the inability to communicate the need to…

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If #depression was a voice it’d be the loudest voice I can hear right now

I'm in a weird place this morning. I'm not feeling very hopeful about life at the moment. I know that's mostly depression talking but it's talking over many other things in my life. I don't know if that makes sense? I'm saying that if depression was a voice it'd be the loudest voice I can hear right now. I was supposed to go walking this morning and I've been looking forward to it all week. Unfortunately, I got a call from the dealership I bought my new car from. Apparently, they made a mistake on the paperwork. The advertised mileage on the car and the actual mileage differed and Capitol One has required all new paperwork to be drawn up. That means I have a 30 minute drive to sign…

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It’s been a hellacious day

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because it's been a very trying day. Therapy was just as difficult as I thought it was going to be. It's was emotional and it took a toll on everyone. I then had to take the kids to the grocery store, which proved to be a really bad idea but I didn't have much choice. We picked up a couple of frozen pizza's and I tried to redirect the boys. I was moderately successful because no one killed anyone and we survived the evening. Elliott's still awake but Emmett finally fell asleep. He's super clingy tonight and that will for a rough night. I suppose some sleep is better than no sleep. I'll fill you in on the rest tomorrow.

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The only thing that matters is my kids wellbeing

We've made it through the day and only have therapy for the kids left. It's been a long day thus far but both boys made it through the school day and Gavin has been super cooperative (no surprise there). Therapy is going to be a bit unpleasant because there are some things that need to be addressed and I'm going to need to be a bit more assertive. The kids need certain things and I'm trying to keep the peace. In doing so, I feel like I'm letting them down and I need to correct that. This is a very complicated situation and I'm doing my best to navigate it. The only thing that matters is the kids wellbeing.

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I’m freaked out and overwhelmed after meeting with my doctor today

I just got home from my doctor appointment and I'm feeling really overwhelmed. My over all cholesterol level went up quite a bit. I went from roughly 150 to 217 since my last check earlier this year. My LDL went from 70 to 135 and that's definitely not good. My triglycerides are also up as well my blood pressure. None of this is catastrophic but it's definitely not a good thing and I don't feel good about it. There several factors here that are likely behind this. StressDepression Less exercisePoor choices The biggest contributor to this is likely stress. Stress is a huge problem in my life. This has been a particularly rough year with the loss of my grandparents and it got exponentially worse when I became a single…

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