The boy who cried wolf

Lizze and I have noticed something about Gavin today that we hadn't noticed prior.  He seems to start complaining about his health problems, of which there are many, whenever he has to do something he doesn't want to be doing. Gavin does have several, very serious health problems.  He has an autonomic disorder, immunodeficiency, mitochondrial disease (most likely) and some type of degenerative neurological disease as well.  The autonomic disorder is the most frequent problem for him as his heart rate and blood pressure become unstable and he has to be hospitalized.  He experiences various symptoms,  from chest pain, numbness, nausea to blurry vision.  These are all very real symptoms and can mean an impending autonomic crisis and very likely several days in the hospital.  Having said that, there seems…

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Let’s talk about special needs parenting

I wanted to have a discussion about special needs parenting.  Anything related to special needs parenting. Is there something you would want people to know about your special needs family? Let's talk about it.  This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please join our Autism Help Forums Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store

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The aftermath of the tantrums

I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about the fallout from yesterday's RAD tantrum. Elliott was probably the most visibly affected by the events of yesterday. He doesn't want to be in his room alone. When there,  he breaks down in tears. Elliott is so anxious to start with that these tantrums push him over the edge. It can take days for him to relax and come down from his anxiety high. On the other hand we have Emmett.  Emmett tends to become more easily frustrated and therefore more aggressive. This also makes him much less cooperative. Lizze is barely able to move today as she in a fibro flare.  There's no doubt that the stress from yesterday has exacerbated her symptoms. Stress is a fibro sufferers worst…

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Saturday Night Fever

The question of the day,  is Elliott getting better? The answer is both yes and no. He's not coughing as much all time but his fever came last night.  :-( This is really kicking his butt. This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please join our Autism Help Forums Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store

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My kids are always, always allowed to come home

Well our precious break is now officially shot to hell.  Gavin didn't go to the grandparents for obvious reasons and Emmett decided that he wanted to come home.  Oh well.  Whatcha gona do? As much as we need the break, especially after a day like yesterday with Gavin,  our boys are always,  always allowed to come home.  Emmett was so cute. As soon as he got home,  he just kept snuggling with Lizze or myself.  He was so happy to be home and honestly, I was happy as well.  :-) Tonight, he's sleeping in his own bed and I got to tuck him in.  :-) This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct…

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Reactive Attachment Disorder: The Tantrum (Viewer Discretion Strongly Advised)

Before you even watch the following video, we must be clear on a few things. You should read Behavioral Crisis: Here’s what happened first for background. A few things to keep in mind: 1) This is not an #Autism related meltdown. It's a RAD related tantrum. Big difference and must be handled differently. 2) Gavin has complete control over this behavior. You don't have to like it, but it's a fact. 3) The self-injurious behavior is meant to manipulate us into removing the consequence he's facing for his previous actions. We cannot intervene. 4) This is not easy or pleasant to watch. Turn your volume down and don't let young children view, until you have seen the whole video. 5) I'm not without compassion for Gavin, however, this has to be handled in a…

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#Autism and the Weighted Vest

Today has been a weighted vest kinda day. Elliott and Emmett were both on sensory overload today as a result of Gavin's house shaking tantrum. I had a rough time getting them to relax, even after Gavin was at the hospital.  Until you're in the middle of oe of these tantrums, I don't think you can fully appreciate how traumatizing they are, especially for the E's. Anyway,  I thought I would break out the weighted vests and see if the weight and compression would help calm them down. It worked,  for the most part anyway. They were really worked up though and I think the vests could only help out so much. Having said that,  things eventually settled down and we all watched Ice Age and relaxed on the couch. …

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Behavioral Crisis: Akron Children’s Hospital (09/29/2012)

Lizze has arrived home with Gavin in tow. The social worker at Akron Children's Hospital called Gavin out on everything.  She said that this is very typical behavior of a child with reactive attachment disorder.  The disorder itself in not very common but she said she sees this same type of behavioral issues in the RAD kids when they do cross paths.  She was very supportive and understanding.  Gavin was being rude and from what Lizze says, she handled it well. Ultimately though, he wasn't admitted. The reason for that was because they don't handle chronic problems and Gavin is the poster child for chronic mental health issues.  They did however,  rule out a neck injury from banging his head into the floor so hard.  There recommendation is long term…

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