The impact of Gavin's behaviors are far reaching and long lasting.  Lizze is simply incredibly stressed out. I don't ever remember seeing her this bad. She's really struggling with this because she loves Gavin so much but in truth,  she's afraid of him. This is in many ways,  her worst nightmare come true.  She had done everything superhumanly possible to provide Gavin with love,  compassion and acceptance.  She doesn't want Gavin to turn out the way his biological father did,  none of us do.. There is this ever present fear that nothing is going to change his course.  The future isn't predetermined and Gavin is still very young,  so he hold tightly to hope.  Having said that, his behaviors are scary,  for all of us,  and they continue to escalate.…

Elliott just came home from Cleveland tonight and wanted to know why Gavin isn't coming home. We never told Elliott that Gavin was going to the hospital.  Elliott was surprised to find out that Gavin wasn't home. How do you explain to a 6 year old little boy with autism,  that his big brother is locked up in the psych unit? I've never had to do that before and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say. I aways dislike moments like this because no matter what I say,  Elliott is going to be upset. This was my explanation to him.  I wanted to make it something that he would understand and relate to. I told him that Gavin is sometimes like the Hulk. I explained that when Gavin…

We just received a call from the staff at Akron Children's Hospital.  Gavin is due for a booster shot prior to this coming school year. They wanted to know if we wanted them to give him the booster. We were like,  "heck yeah,  that would be awesome." It awesome because it won't go well and we don't have to struggle through that one our own now. On the other hand,  not that I want Gavin to experience pain,  but maybe he'll associate the shot with the psych unit.  That in itself may be a deterrent. Either way,  it needs to be done and honestly,  I'm glad we aren't the ones to have to do it.  This will also give them some more insight into his behavior. On the other,  other…

Elliott is with my parents,  in Cleveland this morning. He entered into his first ever marathon. He had a little number out ned to his chest and everything. He walked 1 mile,  with my parents and his great grandfather. I'm so proud of him and he did such a good job. This has been the highlight of my day.  I wish I could have been there but I had other obligations. Elliott,  Daddy is so proud of you.  Great job walking with your great Grandpa. :-) **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…

We finally made it home from the meeting this morning at Akron Children's Hospital.  This called a family session.  Basically,  we met with the social worker and medical staff.  The social worker met with us first and she was amazing.  We talked for about an hour or so before she brought Gavin into the room. She was extremely supportive they actually seem to have a grasp on at least some of what makes Gavin who he is.  They have accepted all the behavioral issues and are going to address.  This is really kind of a big deal because in the past,  we have always had to try and convince them of this stuff. When we met with Gavin,  he did pretty well.  He got frustrated a few times but maintained…

Today is Family Meeting day.  This happens the day following admission and is a meeting between us,  the social worker and Gavin. We will go over everything again and talk very frankly with Gavin. We have decided to have no contact with him while he's there.  This was not an easy decision but one we hope will send a message. We had to do this the last time as well.  We've told him many times,  that if he ever goes back to the psych unit for behavioral reasons that no one would visit him. Now before you judge me,  please understand that this was not easy.  We have to take all the fun out of this admission and ensure that he never wants to return. Lizze cried last night when…

We have had a mystery on our hands for quite some time.  We can never find Gavin's clothes.  The main thing that's missing right now is his underware. We just recently bought him a couple new packs and they have seemingly disappeared. Gavin claims no knowledge of the whereabouts of his underpants.  However,  we have searched everywhere we can think of and they are nowhere to be found. This is really frustrating because we can account for everyone else's clothes,  but not his. I don't believe he's eat them,  and yes that is actually a possibility. Either way,  we had to get up extra early this morning so we could hit the store and buy him more underpants to wear while at the hospital.   I'm open to the whole underpants…

I know I don't need to say this but I feel better having done so.  Please be patient with me right now.  I'm so behind on my email.  I make it a point to return as many emails as I possibly can.  In light of the last week and the unknown factors going forward,  there will likely be a delay in my response time.  I apologize for that but am confident you all understand.  I respect all of you and don't want you to think I'm ignoring your attempts to reach out,  for whatever reason.  I will probably start getting caught up this weekend after we get back from Akron Children's Hospital. Thanks again for everything.  I truly appreciate all of you.  :-) **Thanks for reading**        -Lost…