So this was brought up in an earlier post. Should Autism and Aspergers be separate disorders? There is a growing movement to make Aspergers Syndrome a separate disorder from Autism. I believe that at some point it will most likely happen. The logic behind it is that Autism and Aspergers may share similar traits they are profoundly different. I think it causes a lot of confusion and misunderstanding within the community. As a father to 3 boys across the spectrum I can honestly say that there is a HUGE difference between Autism and Aspergers. Parenting a child with Autism is so profoundly different from parenting a child with Aspergers. So we're clear, I'm NOT saying that raising a child with Aspergers is in any way easy....because it's NOT. I think that the…

As parents to 3 special needs boys we have made many sacrifices along the way. We have also had to set limits because our kids are so VERY easily overwhelmed and overstimulated. However, at the same time we have to be careful that in our attempt to shield our kids from things that will most likely cause them distress, we aren't robbing them of valuable life experience. As a special needs parent, this is something that I struggle with...fairly often. With 3 kids on the spectrum and a wife w/ Aspereger's and various other health problems, we have, over time, learned to avoid situations that could "rock the boat". This is honestly more of a survival technique we have employed as a means of avoiding the destabilizing fallout from these potentially overwhelming…

"There is a fine line between NOT putting your child in an unfair situation and ROBBING them of life's experience."

I came into contact with a parent of an Autistic child recently. We were sorta "debating" about Autism and Aspergers related issues and whether or not these children can be successful. This person firmly believes that there are NO successful people in the world with Autism (excluding those with Aspergers but even then their not sure). I find that statement very disturbing, even though I don't believe it to be true. So it got me thinking, does Autism mean unsuccessful? Success is a relative term but If you actually believe that there are NO successful people in the world with Autism, isn't that like saying Emmett will never amount to anything? If that's the case then I really take issue with this. I don't know what this persons life is…

Okay, I'll be really honest, hieghts make me a bit nervous. Kinda ironic as my previous career was a firefighter/paramedic. Having to climb tall ladders was part of the job but it's much different if someone's life depends on you climbing that ladder. The psych unit at Akron Children's  is on the eighth floor and the problem I have with that is that the elevator is glass or open. Meaning you see eveything. I'm not super fond of that evevator trip. It does kinda freak me a out a little because when you actually see the ground coming up fast it feels like the elevator isn't slowing down fast enough. I know....pretty sad..right? Sure, but this video makes it look MUCH slower then it actually is....I swear. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD258grCrOE[/youtube]

Gavin was released this afternoon. He seems to be doing good. Nothing really has changed but he was in a new environment for a bit and sometimes that can help. They did work with him on coping skills and anger management techniques. They did add a few more disorders to the list. I'll list those later. I was a bit suprised with the added disorders but I suppose they kinda make sense. Some are related to behavior and some are related to speech. We're just taking those with a grain of salt for now. I wanted to thank everyone for there thoughts and prayers. - Lost and Tired Please Vote for Lost and Tired (just click the link) and help me spread Autism Awareness. Everyone can Vote once a day…

When a child, like Gavin, is sent to a psych unit it's usually for good reason. It's a heartbreaking task for any parent. It's done it for many reasons but there are two common ones. One the child needs to get help that can't be provided at the home (maybe the child is to violent or dangerous and you have to worry about safety as well). Two, it's also used as a deterrent to negative behavior. For example, if the child continues to hurt themselves they will go back. I realize that there are many more reasons for needing to send a child to an place like this. These were just two examples. After speaking with the case manager yesterday, she said Gavin is having a blast.. She said it's…