#Autism and The Anger Management Cheat Sheet

First of all, I want to say that this was totally Gavin's idea. He's wants to share something that is helping him to manage his anger and frustration. I really think he likes the idea of being able to help other kids that are challenged by anger and frustration. I'm really proud of him. :-) Here's a little background. This came about the other day while at therapy. Because Gavin is struggling with neurological degradation, one of the issues is that he has lost some control over his tongue. This means that sometimes he can be difficult to understand. This can be very frustrating for him, especially if someone asks him to repeat himself.  That's what prompted him to work with his  speech therapist and create this list.  He came up…

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Medicating #Autism

I wanted to open up a dialogue about #Autism and medication. I receive many emails asking for advice about whether or not I think it's okay to medicate their child for #Autism related behavioral issues etc. I wanted to open this up to discussion.  What is your personal experience with deciding whether or not to medicate your child, for whatever reason? What were your concerns? Was your doctor helpful? Have medications benefited your child or not? I think this is an important topic because so many of us struggle with deciding whether or not to medicate our child. Hearing from other parents can really be a positive thing, regardless of opinions. Knowing that your are not the only one that has had to make this difficult decision can be comforting.…

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I discuss parenting and #Autism awareness on “Your Beautiful Child Radio”

I was recently interviewed by Shane B. Kulman from Your Beautiful Child Radio. I discuss things ranging from parenting, relationships, #Autism Awareness, Lost and Tired, schooling, discipline and much more.  Shane is an awesome person doing an amazing job in the special needs community and I really enjoyed this opportunity to share my thoughts on many #Autism and family related issues. I want to thank Shane for this awesome opportunity and fantastic dialogue. Please check my interview out below. By clicking the link you will be taken to contact talk radio and the interview will play. I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the topics discussed. Click here to listen to Shane and I speak on these topics ----------> Your Beautiful Child Radio  

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#Autistic Lego Creations: Emmett’s Airplane

Emmett built this little airplane out of Lego's this morning,  all by himself.  He did a fantastic job and worked really hard.  I'm quite proud of him,  as he is of himself. This little airplane is a model of what he now claims he wants for Christmas.  He said that he wants a blue airplane that comes with a controller.  He said it will turn like this,  as he spread his arms wide and ran around the living room,  banking and turning. I love to see him come out of his shell,  a little more each day.  He's has come such a long way since his nonverbal days. Anyways,  this is his prized Lego creation.  He made me retake the picture until he was happy with it.  He's like a…

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Special Needs Parenting: Why is everything a battle?

I'm very pleased to announce that Gavin is still making good choices.  We have gone almost 2 weeks without a single violent meltdown.  For that matter,  we haven't seen any meltdowns,  violent or otherwise. I'm constantly praising him for these choices and hopefully that will encourage him to continue. The biggest issue we are having with Gavin,  at least right now,  revolve around his health. That's certainly not his fault but that adds a great deal of stress and uncertainty to the Lost and Tired household. We still haven't received a refill of his blood pressure medication. Despite my repeated attempts,  we are still left in limbo.  I really think that at some point,  Gavin will be back in the hospital because of this.  He's experiencing more and more problems…

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The return to progress

Emmett made his triumphant return to occupational and speech therapies today. To say he was excited would be the understatement of the century. He would only allow me to take him today. I don't know what that was all about but he was insistent. I would like to thank Buckeye Community Health Plan for causing Emmett to lose 4 months worth of progress. He has lost a significant amount of muscle tone while they sat on their thumbs for almost 120 days and simply didn't process the paperwork.  Idiots..... However,  I'm so excited that he's back now that I'm moving passed my anger and  frustration.  I'm looking to the future. It was funny because his therapists weren't sure who was more excited,  me or Emmett.  He did a fantastic job…

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#Autistic Lego Creations: The Treasure Grabber

This is Gavin's first Lego creation since his fresh start last week. This masterpiece is called the Treasure Grabber. . He is really excited about being able to play with Lego's again and couldn't wait to share this you. **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Autism Help Forum Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store 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 is working against me.

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Autonomic Crisis: Update 08/01/2012

I wanted to update all of you on Gavin current condition in regards to his autonomic disorder.  Gavin just had his 3rd of 4 blood draws for this week.  Incidentally,  he did fantastic this morning.  We heard from Dr.  Reynolds last night and Gavin's lithium levels were perfect.  This is good news but at the same time,  confusing and frustrating.  We were hoping for more information but instead are left to wonder if everything will be okay going forward or if just happened to be okay this week.  Does that make sense? Now for the bad news.  We still are waiting for his meds to get a refill.  This is causing lots of problems.  For example,  this morning Gavin ate a sucker after his blood work and got sick to…

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