Childhood disintegrative disorder: Our Journey Begins   Shortly after noon today we will begin our journey to discover the truth behind what's happening to our oldest son, Gavin. I'm scrambling today to get as many records as possible on such short notice. I'm really nervous about today and I'm not entirely sure what to expect.  We've been to the Cleveland Clinic countless times already but this time is different. Honestly, if we discover that Gavin does indeed have childhood disintegrative disorder, it won't really change anything.  I mean to that we will be dealing with things we have already been dealing with, only now we would know what to call it. Does that make sense? Getting mentally prepared for a childhood disintegrative disorder evaluation Because this all happened so quickly, we have not…

It's been a while since Emmett has worn a shirt long enough for me to get a picture.  Today we make our triumphant return.  So without further delay,  here is Emmett John's shirt of the day. - Lost and Tired Post by Wordpress for Android via Nexus S 4G without the use of proper editing tools and disadvantages of a bastardized version of auto-correct. Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day :)

Problem's with Autism Awareness I have been wanting to write this for a while but honestly it seemed to exhausting to do. This has been eating away at me and I need to just get this off my chest and move on. I'm not sure how this will turn out but I want to make a few things very clear as to avoid any misinterpretation. Everyone's problems are relative and I get that. I am by NO MEANS trying to belittle anyones personal experience with Autism and its impact in their lives. Now with that said, there are some things I need to say. Autism and my family I'm the father of 3 Autistic boys. My boys are each in different places on the spectrum (ranging from low functioning to…

My poor little Emmett John still isn't feeling well.  He's still got a fever and and is completely miserable.  He curled up on my chest and feel asleep listening to music. This is how he used to fall asleep when he was younger.  Before his Autism diagnosis we thought he was deaf.  I used to sing to him to help him fall asleep.  I thought at the time he couldn't actually hear me but he could feel my chest vibrate and it would relax him enough that he would fall asleep.  While I'm grateful he can hear,  I miss him falling asleep on my chest.  It's so completely peaceful and some of my most cherished memories.  I'm sorry he's sick but I'm glad I could actually comfort him. - Lost…

So my little Emmett John is potty trained now.  The problem? Well the problem is that he will NOT use the potty with wearing his clothes. My regular readers will tell you that Emmett won't wear clothes most of the time anyway.  While that's all good while we're are home....well not so much good but easier to manage. When we are out somewhere and Mr. Emmett John has to go potty,  he has a very strict routine he Has to follow each and every time or he won't go. That routine is quite simple.  All his clothes have to come off....period. Emmett, buddy, we have to work on this a little bit.  I'm so proud if you for using the big boy potty but sooner or later you're going to…

I have been pretty open about my battle with depression.  While it's not always easy to talk about,  it's important to talk about.  I realized I was dealing with depression again a few weeks ago.  I had become a bit.......obsessed with my health.  I started freaking out over everything I thought was wrong with me.  It got to the point where everything became harder and harder to "maintain". I sat down and had a very honest conversation with my wife and she agreed that I was most likely dealing with depression again. A few days later I met with my doctor and got myself back on paxil, an antidepressant.  I have been back on paxil for a couple weeks now.  Overall,  I feel much better but I still struggle.  The…

  I would like to take a second and welcome Tips 4 Special Kids to the special needs blogging community. This blog was created by Kathi Flynn, a special education teacher. She's providing valuable tips and advice for parents of special needs children. The topics range from behavior management, life and play skills to sensory related issues and more. Give her blog a visit and add her to your blog roll. It's great to have another voice in the community, especially one dedicated to helping not only the special needs kids themselves but also their parents    Follow her on Facebook

So I took the family to see Car's 2 today.  We have been stuck in the same room together for the past few days due to the heat.  So the movie went pretty well for awhile.  About half way through the show Emmett fell face first out of his seat and into the little knee wall and onto the floor.  He's okay but he was understandably upset for a while.  He ended up falling asleep on Lizze's lap before the movie was over. Poor Emmett,  he had a rough time but aside from the fall,  he enjoyed the part of the movie he actually saw.  Overall,  a very positive experience. - Lost and Tired Post by Wordpress for Android via Nexus S 4G with out the use of proper editing…