I have lived through a day that was full of Autism. That shouldn't be surprising, as all three of the boys, and probably the wife, is on the spectrum.
Here's the thing.
We can get through days sometimes, and while challenging, there wasn't really anything that made the word *Autism *pop into my head. I don't know if that makes sense, but let's assume it does and move on.
We can also have those days where it's incredibly obvious to me that Autism is playing a huge role in everything we're struggling with that day. That's what Thursday was like for me.
All three of the boys were in rare form.
Emmett was taking everything literally, even more than usual. There was no wiggle room with him in this area, and I had to be very specific in the words I chose because he would hold me to them. It's exhausting and damn near impossible to navigate communication when everything I say is taken literally.
Mr. Emmett also struggles on a good day, with making decisions. Asking him to make a choice, no matter how simple or benign, almost always results in a meltdown. It was a nightmare trying to navigate pretty much anything that required him to make a decision, and I can't make the choice for him either. It doesn't work that way for him.
Elliott was melting down over everything. His anxiety was through the roof from the moment he woke up. I'm sure hormones played a role in making that worse, but anxiety was a huge component. For those who aren't aware, things like extreme anxiety can quickly result in a meltdown for kids on the Autism Spectrum.
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One of the big signs that Elliott is experiencing high levels of anxiety, is incessant talking. It's very close to what a manic episode would be like for a kid. We're not going down that road right now, but unfortunately, it's (Bipolar disorder) on our radar.
Poor Gavin is all over the place. Autism hits him in a profoundly different way than most because he has what's known as Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.
This is so rare, his specialist at the Cleveland Clinic said that they might see *one *child walk through the doors every five years. That includes the entire facility, meaning all locations. It's rare.
Gavin is in a constant state of regression. Sometimes it's faster than others. Sometimes it slows down to a point where we think he's finally hit a plateau, and the regression has ended.
It was painfully obvious today that Gavin has lost so many of his previously mastered skills. I have to walk him through so many things anymore, it's heartbreaking. Gavin's contribution was repetition. He asked the same questions over, and over, and over again.
He struggles with his memory in significant ways. Having said that, come 8 am, 10 am, noon, 3 pm, and 5 pm, he was chomping at the bit to eat. He's so hardcore into a routine when it comes to meal or snack time, it's unreal. Of course, with everything going in, I was a bit on the times, and boy did he remind me.
I'm so overwhelmed by the day I just lived through, I can't shutdown and go to sleep. I'm wound way too tight right now and that sucks. Hopefully, I'll find some sleep shortly after finishing this post up.
Putting this down, hitting publish, and walking away is very therapeutic for me. Fingers crossed...
