Many of you have heard the name Stuart Duncan. Stuart is a good friend of mine. He is a to an Autistic son. Stuart and his family are amazing people and are very active in the Autism community. I wish there were more people out there like Stuart and his wife. Anyways, he has opened up a an online store that sell Autism related things. 50% of the profit go right back to the community. Please check out his blog by clicking his name above and his new store by clicking the puzzle piece. This is a great way to support the Autism community and a very deserving family. --From his store-- Autism Awareness is no longer enough! It's time to be proud of who you are and to demand…

Gavin was up past 1 am this morning. He wakes up this morning and eats his oatmeal for breakfast without a single complaint. It's like nothing ever happened.This is perhaps one of the most frustrating parts for me. The rapid mood shifts are killing me. He was so out of control last night that I was up with Elliott about 6 times during the night. Elliott was freaked out and scared. Gavin finally goes to sleep and wakes up as though nothing had ever happened. I'm still in a rough mood from last night. The rapid mood changes are probably related to the bipolar disorder. He gets like this when he is shifting to a manic phase. It's very frustrating for me because he can freak out for hours and…

Over the past few weeks Gavin has been spiraling out of control. We are gearing up for another Gavin crisis I fear. We are having more and more meltdowns. He is starting to more seriously self injure himself. He is leaving bruises on his face and forehead. He is punching himself in the face and head as well as smashing his head into his knees. Tonight he was caught sneaking into Elliotts room to watch movies while Elliott is sleeping and he was suposed to be. When questioned he lost it. The videos below are what transpired. This was taken with my phone they are dark and grainy but you can see the level of self injury and rage he is showing. He doesn't know he is being recorded so…

We need a break. We haven't had a break in as long as I can remember. We don't sleep or ever just get to relax. Gavin has been having more and more problems and Emmett has become extremely difficult to manage. Speaking for myself, I feel I'm losing my mind. We can't be expected to keep this up forever. There has to be help out there. We can't keep struggling to keep the kids from hurting themselves because our house is not set up for special needs children, one of these times someone is going to get hurt. Emmett has already broken his nose and fallen down the steps twice. No matter how much we try to keep ahead of them we just cannot seem to do that. Honestly, majority…

Since I was already on the topic of consequences what and or how do you hold your child accountable for their actions. Just because they are Autistic doesn't mean they should get a free pass. If anything you probably need to aggressively handle inappropriate behavior. In our case with with Gavin, the rewards system doesn't work because he simply exploits it. Gavin only responds to consequences. Wether or not he learns anything is another post all together. We don't punish things that are outside of his control but do our best to curb socially inappropriate behaviors. Our goal is to have Gavin able to function in the capicity of a responsible citizen (if that's even possible). I say if that's possible because Gavin's future isn't to bright at this point.…

Gavin has been melting down all morning. Then he cursed and so now, you guessed it, he will be having Oatmeal. I thought Oatmeal was retired for good but it is back out of retirement just for Gavin. After the morning we suffered through with Gavin (and I know I'll sound like a jerk) I can't wait to give it to him. He hates oatmeal and thus it is the only consequence that works. And before you say "some kids respond better to praise and rewards" you need to read my older posts!

I realize this may not be politically correct but it's my reality and my blog. I said I would be honest and this is honestly my life. I have been doing the special needs parenting thing for 1/3 of my life already. One thing I have learned along the way is that you love your kids the way the are but you fight what is taking them away. Autism is a disorder pure and simple. It's not a personality trait. Autism is listed in the DSM-V along with things like bipolar and depression. We don't know enough about Autism to know exactly what is going on in the brain to cause it. We do know FOR SURE THAT VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. That is a scientific fact and it…

Gavin had 3 major meltdowns today. By major meltdown I mean shrieking, stomping and self injury. They occurred over seemingly nothing. Gavin was edge today for some reason. I have to be honest when he stands there shrieking it takes all I have not to lose it. You can hear him 4 or 5 doors down. I am floored that no one has ever called the police. You would think he was being tortured. Everyone hid upstairs while Gavin lost his cool and freaked out. I tell him that he doesn't have the right to frighten anyone in this family because he didn't get his way. This is one of those times where I think he is willfully upsetting everyone in the house. Everyone in my house has the right…