I thought it might be interesting and helpful to open up the floor to all of you.  Does anyone have any questions about me or the rest of the Lost and Tired family?  I'll be happy to answer any questions that I can. My goal is to help people to better understand what living with #Autism can be like for a family. If you want to ask me a question or have maybe been curious about something like how we manage,  please,  ask away. :-) Maybe there is something that could help your situation...  I'm happy to share. **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Community Autism Support Forum Posted from WordPress for Android so please forgive any typos as auto-correct and I don't see…

As I announced last week,  we may finally have a lead on what's going on with Gavin.  Actually, if he does have Dysautonomia,  that would explain some of what's going on.  Either way,  this is progress.  The next step is to get to the Cleveland Clinic ASAP,  for testing and an official diagnosis.  We were supposed to hear within 24 hours from the time I called,  which was Friday afternoon.  Clearly,  that time has come and gone.  Perhaps,  we'll hear something today and the delay was simply the weekend. I'll probably call tomorrow and follow up.  I want to get a handle on this right away.  I want to also use our time at the Cleveland Clinic to collect all of the records that the mitochondrial specialist at Akron Children's…

If you were looking through my eyes at this exact moment,  this is what you would see. This is a close up of Bella,  Emmett’s Boxer puppy. **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Community Autism Support Forum Posted from WordPress for Android so please forgive any typos as auto-correct and I don't see eye to eye. :-)

The Lost and Tired family is once again struggling with daily meltdowns and ever increasing self-injurious behaviors. This is one of my very least favorite things to deal with because there is no clear cut right or wrong answer. As my son gets older and stronger, the severity of these meltdowns and self-injurious behaviors becomes greater and greater. We have been coping with severe meltdowns and self-injury for many, many years. What makes this particularly challenging for me is the fact that more traditional methods or interventions don't work with Gavin. As with many Autistic children, everyone is unique in their own right and so it would stand to reason that behavioral interventions would vary as well. In Gavin's case, we have had to employ a more aggressive approach. It's…

Emmett woke up from his nap and is already wreaking havoc on the Lost and Tired household.  He immediately gets to pushing Elliott's buttons and lighting his fuse.  Do any of you out there have a little trouble maker like my little Emmett John. **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Community Autism Support Forum Posted from WordPress for Android so please forgive any typos as auto-correct and I don't see eye to eye. :-)

So you all probably know how hard we have been trying to move out of this house and neighborhood.  The increasing level of violence spilling in has reach a point where it's literally not safe to live here anymore. We have had several close calls,  on in particular involved a drive by shooting where I was almost killed. Ever since our van was stolen,  our ability to move has been hampered due to the additional expense of having to buy a new van and what we had to put down in order to get financed. Basically,  we're stuck here,  at least for now. I think we have all adjusted to that notion,  however,  the kids keep asking when we will be able to move. Gavin in particular,  seems to be…

One of the things that I know a lot of people don't get,  is the sheer amount of stress that can go along with special needs parenting. I'm only speaking for myself I this particular case but I'm sure my words echo that of many others.  One of the biggest issues that I face,  while trying to keep that Lost and Tired family moving forward,  is stress.  I'm not talking about stress,  I'm talking about STRESS. I mean the kind of stress that can't be measured by any traditional scale. I have had countless doctors and or therapists ask me how I do it.  How do I manage to survive in this amount of constant,  unending and ever growing amount of stress.  There have been studies done that show a…

Gavin is massively struggling right now.  He had 2 enormous meltdowns today.  We are once again walking down the dark path of self-injury.  Today he beat himself up pretty good.  The 2nd meltdown was the worst,  by far.  He bruised his knuckles punching himself in the face. I'm not sure what we are supposed to do at this point. If the self-injury gets any worse,  we have have the consider the psychiatric ward at Akron Children's Hospital,  once again. Today has been exhausting for me and everyone else as well.  I'll have more information about what happened at some point tomorrow.  Right now,  I'm going to try and get some desperately needed rest tonight. I have begun losing track of the days.  I don't think that's a good thing.  I…