We had a problem tonight with Gavin. Elliott got hurt again tonight as a direct result of Gavin's actions. Whether he meant to hurt Elliott or not (and I don't know that he did) there are consequences for his actions. As usual I recorded it as a means of simply documenting what actually happened should this ever be called into question. I took a more hard line approach with this one today because I have just had it with this behavior. No part of me believes anymore that he CAN'T control this. In my opinion this whole thing was a willful act that he could have stopped at any point but simply didn't. This meltdown is because he was told he was going to have oatmeal instead of a chicken patty for…

This video breaks my heart but it serves a purpose. When people question things like Emmett's struggles with sensory issues I show them this. I can't impress upon you enough that just because you don't see something in your brief visit with an ASD child DOES NOT mean the problems don't exist. There is a WORLD of difference in how Emmett would handle the vastly different environments of a special needs classroom and mainstream classroom. Sure Emmett did well in a relaxed classroom setting with 3 or 4 other special needs kids but that's a far cry from trowing him in a mainstreamed classroom with 19 other mostly "typical" kids. Not to mention more pressures and greater expectations. It's not about giving Emmett the benefit of the doubt. It's about providing him…

I want to start out by saying that i'm doing a whole lot of venting here so if I come off a bit abrasive, that's why. Today started off in a fairly typical manner. That was about to change. Gavin is struggling right now. While he is VERY capable of making good choices, he is simply making bad ones. I honestly don't know what his motives are but something more is going on here. This morning, we had Emmett's IEP meeting at Eastgate. The meeting was scheduled for 12:00pm and there was 8 or 9 people involved. Gavin was having a rough morning and his actions resulted in Elliott getting hurt, nothing serious but that isn't the point. Around 11:00 am this morning, Lizze was napping with Emmett. Gavin came downstairs and…

I don't have a whole lot of time right now to get into to this but today involved tooth pulling, late meetings, broken vans, IEP's and the realization that I'm failing on MANY levels. I plan to write a dozy of a post later tonight when the kids settle down and I get a chance to breathe. I'm gonna need to vent.....

I had decided I wanted to get some video of Emmett taking his meds. He does a really good job and I thought I would share it with you all. All he takes is Nexium and Zyrtec for allergies but still I'm quite proud of him for how well he does taking his meds. Anyway, back to the point. So I decided I would film him taking his meds this morning. Everything was going well until Emmett realized he was on camera. Camera + Emmett = "HAM"....... What I actually caught was Emmett goofing around. This almost NEVER happens. While this wasn't what I had set out to do I'm glad I was able to capture this very unexpected moment. Normally Emmett takes his meds and is on his way. Today was…

When I became a special needs parent many years ago i lwarned two things. First I learned to NEVER to never take things for granted. The second thing I learned was to truly appreciate the little things. Most people will see these pictures and think, so what. However, this is much bigger "so what". Elliott, RARELY ever tries new things. Today Elliott had peanut butter and jelly. This is beyond a rare occasion, in fact I have NEVER seen him do this. Not only was it peanut butter and jelly but it was on whole grain bread. As a parent experienced in the ways of Autism, I have learned to truly appreciate these deceivingly "little" moments for the oftentimes much "bigger" steps forward they actually are. - Lost and Tired…

One of the concerns we had with Gavin leading up to his last stay at ACH was the fact that he was pulling his teeth out. One of the doctors pointed out something I hadn't thought of. Since Gavin has pulled so many teeth out before they were ready and there are no adult teeth yet to fill in the gaps, his teeth may start to shift. Basically, if he didn't need braces before he most likely will now. That will be an out of pocket expense, from what I understand. This is just one of the many ways we are effected by these behaviors. Oh...and he "lost" one more tooth while he was there. Sometimes I just get so tired of these "choices" Gavin makes.  - Lost and Tired…

Gavin came home this afternoon. The staff didn't really have much to say with the exception of warning Gavin, in no uncertain terms, that if he returns again it will be even less fun then it was this time. Gavin didn't seem to bothered by that warning. I made sure, as difficult as it was, that we weren't overly excited to have Gavin home. I wanted him to realize that life went on while he was gone. I wanted to make sure we saw this through to the end. He's doing pretty well. We've had a few problems but nothing major. All in all, I think this has been a positive outcome. I want to thank you all for your support during this difficult time. I hope that by sharing…