Read more about the article Here’s what happened tonight 
Announcements

Here’s what happened tonight 

Lizze and I had a really quiet night tonight. We caught up on some shows and just enjoyed the stress free time. While Lizze was sleeping, I made some major progress on bringing the My Autism Help Forums back online and a part of The Autism Dad site. You'll notice a new tab at the top of this page called Forums. That will take you to the support forums. I'm working on better integration but for now, you have to sign up and sign in to use the forums, if you haven't already. If you signed up previously, you should be good to go. Facebook connect works and that's the fastest way to get up and going. Feel free to check it out.  I also updated the mobile app and…

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January 28, 2017
Read more about the article Let the celebration begin
My thoughts

Let the celebration begin

The boys both had great days at school today. Emmett melted down on the way home and for a little while after arriving, because of how literally he sees things. I'll share more later. After we worked through all that, we finished getting the boys ready to go to their grandparents for the night. They ended up leaving about an hour ago and won't get home until tomorrow afternoon-ish. Lizze went to bed after they left because she's struggling a bit today and needs her rest. I'm enjoying a little time to myself before we settle in for the night. While Lizze is sleeping, I'm writing and watching this movie on Netflix called, Sacrifice. It's a bit weird but I'm gonna give it a chance.  ☺

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January 27, 2017
Read more about the article 1 big reason I’m super excited today
My thoughts

1 big reason I’m super excited today

It's finally Friday and the very long week is coming to a close. What better way to celebrate than shipping the kids off to their grandparents house for the night. I love my kids, but holy shit do I need a break. I know Lizze does as well. The kids are equally excited about going and Gavin's been packed since this morning. He's been counting the minutes all day. I don't get paid until next week so it will be a poor man's date night, but we can certainly enjoy a quiet house, some Netflix and an uninterrupted nights sleep. Sleep is the main selling point here for us. I'm so grateful for tonight's break and I'm once again reminded that we are lucky to have such supportive family, on…

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January 27, 2017
Read more about the article Starting the day with a massive meltdown
Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Starting the day with a massive meltdown

Massive Meltdown is the buzz phrase for today. Emmett has been up since about 3 am. I don't know exactly why he woke up but he did and was basically up for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, that usually means that his resources for dealing with the next day will be sorely lacking, making life more challenging for him. True to form, Emmett didn't have a good morning and could not cope with his socks. Overnight we received a couple inches of snow making his flip flops no longer an option. I worked with him for twenty minutes without success. Lizze picked up where I left off and put in another twenty minutes, only she was eventually successful in getting him to tolerate both his shoes and his socks.…

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January 27, 2017
Read more about the article 1 MAJOR reason I’m so proud of Elliott today
Elliott / My thoughts / School / Victories

1 MAJOR reason I’m so proud of Elliott today

I'm super proud of Elliott this week for a number of reasons but I'm just going to focus on the one for now.  Doing homework hasn't always been a pleasant experience for Elliott or us, as his parents.  Recently though, it seems as though we've made some significant progress towards making homework a more manageable experience for all involved.  In regards to this week in particular, Elliott has totally kicked ass on his homework.  When it's time to work on it, he sits down and for the most part, does it without any problems.  This is such a positive change and I'm really proud of him for making the choice to tackle homework, rather than fight against it.  

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January 26, 2017
Read more about the article The 2 awards my kids received this week 
Elliott / Emmett John / My thoughts / School / Victories

The 2 awards my kids received this week 

Elliott and Emmett have both received an award from school this week. Elliott received the below certificate, for completely the math groups listed on the paper. I'm not entirely sure what those are or how they were given to him but, he knocked them out and that makes me proud. ☺ Emmett received an award for having the most positive point on Class Dojo for the nine week grading period. He earned lunch with his teachers. This was really cool cause they buy him lunch from a fast food place. He chose Subway and was able to eat with his teachers today at lunch. He was so excited about this and as with Elliott, I'm very proud.. I'm always proud on the boys but it's something all together different, when…

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January 26, 2017
Read more about the article We met with the school to discuss bullying and this is what happened
Elliott / My thoughts

We met with the school to discuss bullying and this is what happened

I wanted to discuss how our meeting went today at the school. We were there to talk about the issues surrounding Elliott and being bullied. As I stated earlier, the principal took a really good approach to addressing the issue with the students. As for the meeting, it was a little tense and I know that I probably upset some people but that was never my intention. This is such a tough situation to be in because on one hand, we have Elliott upset because of unverifiable things going on within the classroom. On the other hand, we know how sensitive Elliott can be, but because we don't know for sure what's going on, there is a driving need to make sure he's physically and emotionally safe. I try very…

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January 26, 2017
Read more about the article A knock down drag out morning
Emmett John / My thoughts

A knock down drag out morning

Emmett had a rough morning in regards to shoes and socks. Recently, Lizze had gotten into a newer routine with his shoes and socks, increasing the frequency in which he can tolerate them. For some reason, he just wasn't having it this morning. There was a massive meltdown, lots of screaming and loss of sanity. We did everything we could think of to help him but nothing seemed to work. Eventually, Lizze was successful and while we were a little late, the boys got to school. I can't even begin to imagine a life where even the simplest of things isn't a knock down drag out brawl. The reason it bothers me so much, aside from the obvious, is that these occurrences are so stressful for Emmett. It sucks for…

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January 26, 2017