I write about this many times ready but I want to touch on this again. The reason is that I really think that it's important for people to see an accurate picture of what life as a special needs parent can be like. There are many,  many special needs parents out there,  each with their own unique set of circumstances. I'm not speaking for anyone but myself here.  Life in the Lost and Tired house is difficult on any given day.  Without sounding cliche,  any day that we physically survive, is considered a good day. So far we have survived the bad days as well but the bad days are really bad.  Now bad doesn't mean the same for everyone,  so let me clarify.  A bad day is a day…

Awhile ago,  I found this giant magnifying glass.  Emmett loves this thing and today he went around the house, exploring and discovering cool new things. He looked at the couch,  floor,  walls, his fingers, Elliott's face -which didn't go over well- and a few DS games. He is absolutely fascinated with how the magnifying glass makes everything bigger I happen to like how it has peaked his natural curiosity and desire to discover new things. Have you ever given you ASD child a magnifying glass?  If so,  what was their reaction?  If not,  what are you waiting for?  :-)      

Elliott has not has his Zoloft today.  Yesterday was his last dose. He is most certainly manic. He is all over the place.  He's not miserable,  in fact,  he's happy... Super,  super happy.  Hopefully,  this is just a reaction to the medication and the mania is not a sign of anything else. I think if he balances out in the next day or so,  that means he's okay. If he doesn't,  well,  we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.  I don't even want to pretend that bridge even exists at this point. For those wondering,  that other bridge would be bipolar disorder.  Gavin has bipolar disorder and has been very,  very difficult to keep stabilized. I can't imagine having to add that to the mix,  but…

Today has been one of those days.  You know,  the kind that just seems to go wrong at every turn.  The day began with Elliott having going nuts as a result of his new medication.  When I say going nuts, I mean going nuts. He was rapid cycling.  His mood was literally changing by the minute. One moment he was happy,  the next he was angry and freaking out.  Then he would be just start crying. Emmett was completely confused by Elliott's behavior today and didn't know how to respond to him.  The stress set him off many times today. On top of that,  Lizze was experiencing a major flare up today that had her in bed all afternoon.  Lizze's mom had to pick Gavin up front school today because…

Today’s Victory is brought to you by yours truly and Mr.  Emmett John.

Today has been a pretty crappie day.  Elliott’s had a bad reaction to his new medication and Lizze is sick in bed.

However,  despite all the chaos,  Emmett and I found a little time to snuggle and fall asleep on the couch.  Elliott’s is passed out on the other couch.

If I had to find a sliver lining,  this would be it.

**Thanks for reading**

       -Lost and Tired

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Yesterday,  for the first time in quite a while,  Gavin had major problems at school. We haven't been able to get much from him without him melting down.  What we know is that he was escorted to the principles office at least twice.  This only happens when he completely loses control.  In other words,  things have to be pretty bad for him to go to the office. From what we know,  Gavin wasn't listening to the directions during an assignment and that led to him not knowing what he was supposed to be doing.  That of course,  led to at least 2 meltdowns. The concern I have is that I think this may have more to do with him not being able to hear what the teacher was saying and…

A few days ago,  3 to be exact, Elliott started low dose Zoloft,  for anxiety.  He has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and the low dose Zoloft was put in place to help him with that anxiety. After 3 days on the new medications,  Elliott seems to be having some problems.  Out of nowhere he has become extremely hyper.  He's experiencing rapid mood swings and just can't seem to quit talking. The first thing that pops into both of our minds is that basically,  this is what lead to Gavin being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.  I don't even want to go there. I don't even want to think about it. Elliott's only on 5mg of Zoloft,  once a day. Is that even enough to have a reaction to? I…

My wife and I were talking the other day and we somehow wandered into the topic of driving.

Gavin is very quickly approaching the age where most kids are thinking about their drivers license or at the very least,  their temps. 

The thought occurred to us,  will Gavin ever be able to drive? Forget will,  should he be allowed to drive? 

I realize that I may offend some by asking this question but that is not my intention,  at all.  I’m very serious.  Should my Autistic son be allowed to drive when he reaches the legal age?

My gut tells me that he will never drive.  The reason I say that is because I don’t think that Gavin has enough control over his own body,  how could he safely control a vehicle?

I’m certainly not trying to say that Autistic persons shouldn’t or can’t drive. 

What I am asking is, how do you know if your Autistic child should be driving?
Are there state laws that address this?  I know that many people with Autism live happy,  productive lives and are more than capable of driving. 

When I look at Gavin,  I see someone that,  at this point in time,  should never be behind the wheel of a car.  Things could change in the next few years but I highly doubt anything could change enough to allow me to feel comfortable enough to let Gavin drive.

He talks about driving and I always just listen to what he has to say.  I haven’t told him he couldn’t drive because I don’t know that to be the case.

However,  as much as I would love for him to be that independent,  I have to also think about the other people on the road.

Gavin can’t push a grocery cart without running into someone. I can’t even imagine what he could do with a 2000 pound car. Does that make sense?

Do any of you have Aspie’s at home that are of the driving age?  How have you handled the whole driving thing? 

I would appreciate any feedback on this.

This discussion is going on right now in the support forums as well. Feel free to hop on over and join in. 

www.lostandtired.com/autismsupport

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