Read more about the article 24 hours of devastating meltdowns
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / Meltdowns / My thoughts

24 hours of devastating meltdowns

Gavin is not having a good day. We've already survived several meltdowns, and that was before 9 AM. Yesterday was pretty rough for him as well, and I'm not sure what's going on. Yesterday, he lost it because I was paying him a compliment. I think it came down to semantics on his part. Here's what happened. When I picked him up yesterday morning so I could take him to get his blood work done, I noticed that he was wearing a hoodie. Gavin has this thing where he automatically defaults to wearing his winter coat, hat, and gloves, even in warmer weather. All I did was compliment him for dressing appropriately for the weather. I asked him if he'd checked the weather before heading out to the car and…

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April 25, 2019
Read more about the article I put myself in timeout this morning
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

I put myself in timeout this morning

We're having a rough morning, and I'm taking a timeout, so I can not lose sight of what's going on. I figured I write a quick post and hopefully, I'll feel better afterward. I can't tell if I slept well or not. I'm in a good mood but feel run down, so I'm in sort of a weird place. Mr. Emmett is finally returning to school after a week of illness, and while he's excited, he's also freaking out. He incredibly anxious and not coping with the change to his current routine. Kids with Autism, generally are not fans of change. Emmett is no exception, and even small amounts of change can destabilize him. He gets anxious, and that leads to overstimulation. Meltdowns are very common as a result, and…

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April 25, 2019
Read more about the article How To React In A Natural Disaster 
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How To React In A Natural Disaster 

Having children that have autism can teach you many things. A natural curiosity for the human mind is definitely going to grow in you. The effort to learn about how your child thinks and what could possibly make their life better is always going to be something you want to have continually.

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April 24, 2019
Read more about the article Even the best-laid plans can fall short
My thoughts

Even the best-laid plans can fall short

Poor Emmett went to bed and woke up with a headache. We had thought he would be returning to school today, but he woke up with his right eye stuck closed again. I spoke with the school, and even though he's been on the antibiotics for 24 hours, they aren't looking to introduce pink eye into the classroom. We decided it was best to give him another day on the eye drops before sending him back. When I took Elliott to school, I discovered that our car had been broken into again and everything trashed. I know I locked the doors because I heard the horn beep last night. The only thing I can think of is that it's unlocking itself and before you think I'm crazy, let me explain.…

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April 24, 2019
Read more about the article #Autism parenting is an uphill battle every single day and that’s okay
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

#Autism parenting is an uphill battle every single day and that’s okay

I'm not looking for life to be easy. I'm not looking for anything to be handed to me either. What I would very much appreciate is a level playing field. Life as a full-time caregiver to four people with special needs is rewarding, challenging, never dull and absolutely exhausting. As an Autism and Special Needs parent, there are things I have to worry about constantly, that won't even show up on most others radar. Each one of these worries weighs heavy and keeps me up at night because my brain is continually trying to find solutions to the many problems facing my family. There are so many things I wish I could change about my life, but my wife and kids aren't one of them. Sure, I'd take away their…

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April 24, 2019
Read more about the article Something I do to help my #Autistic son better navigate life and the people in it
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

Something I do to help my #Autistic son better navigate life and the people in it

Gavin's been in a really good mood today. He's usually a good mood kind of person but today was a bit different. I've been working with Gavin for years on being able to goof around. He's so serious all the time, and if you try to joke around or tease him a little, he tends to freak out. We've been practicing making stupid jokes and some harmless, good-natured teasing. The idea behind this is that Gavin can loosen up a bit and better understand the difference between goofing around and being made fun of. Gavin tends to take everything personally, and that's not always the appropriate response. It's similar to knowing the difference between someone laughing with you and someone laughing at you. Anyway, this morning, I made a joke…

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April 23, 2019
Read more about the article Being an #Autism parent has been exceptionally challenging for me today
Autism Parenting Confessions / My thoughts

Being an #Autism parent has been exceptionally challenging for me today

It's been a long day. It's been a very, very long day and my anxiety is through the roof. Between Emmett and his fricking pick eye and Gavin with his incessant talking, and psychosis, I'm frazzled. Emmett has had two rounds of eye drops and should be able to return to school on Wednesday. He's tolerating the drops, but he's not happy because they burn a little bit. That said, he's doing a good job thus far making me both grateful and proud. A large part of my current stress and anxiety centers around Gavin. He's not doing anything wrong, and the challenges we face in coexisting with him are not his fault. Nevertheless, he's exhausting, and his constant talking is extremely frustrating. I'm struggling today, and I haven't been…

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April 23, 2019
Read more about the article A light at the end of the tunnel
My thoughts

A light at the end of the tunnel

It took several phone calls, but we finally have Emmett on the path to recovery. We will hopefully stop anyone else in our house from getting pink eye. On the way home from picking Elliott up from school, we hit the grocery store and then grabbed Emmett's eye drops before heading back. I'm slightly frazzled in general today, and I was heavily focused on getting Emmett fixed up ASAP. He needs drops in both eyes, four times a day for seven days. He should be good to return to school on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Emmett is not a fan of eye drops by any stretch of the imagination. Hopefully, he'll cooperate, and this doesn't turn into an even worse situation. So we're clear, Emmett's issues with eye drops are sensory in…

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April 22, 2019