Preparing for the future with your Autistic child

This is a contributed post and therefore doesn't necessarily reflect the views or opinions of this blog and its author.    When you are the parent of an autistic child, you can’t always live in the present. You have to think about the future. You need to consider what comes next. What happens when your child reaches high school, what happens when they reach college age when they are old enough to live independently, and the list just goes on. You also need to think about what your role will be in their life. For parents, usually, there is a time when they step back and let their children live completely independently. When you have a child with autism, it’s possible that this day never arrives. This, of course, depends…

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Crawling back into bed isn’t an option

I woke up feeling awful this morning. As time goes on, I seem to be doing a tiny bit better in regards to dealing with the withdrawal symptoms of being of Paxil. This morning however, I work up feeling like I was going to puke again. It's getting so old already. Crawling back into bed isn't an option today because the kids need to get to school and Gavin needs his weekly bloodwork done. I've been finding that if I push through the nausea, it starts to get better the more I move around. That sorta seems counter intuitive and I can't explain it outside of an endorphin thing. Either way, it's still a daily struggle and some days are worse than others. We all have our burdens to bare…

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Supporting Your Family With Self-Care: What Can You Do?

This is a contributed post and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of this blog or its author.    https://unsplash.com/photos/WMjqzYGoU5w When you’re the head of the household and you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, you can often feel the pressure to help everyone. It can often be easy to confuse the idea of parenting and guiding and supporting your family, with doing everything for them. While every family is different, and you are going to have to accept your individual circumstances and find a rhythm that works for you, you will also find that bringing in some self-care can really do a lot for your family’s dynamics. And here, we’re not just talking about your immediate family, but your aging parents too. Because we…

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Why ongoing therapy is important for my #Autism family

Lizze is having a rough day and is trying to get some rest. The boys and I are off meet with Dr. Pattie for Tuesday night therapy. I guess we're stopping at the Garden Center to walk around for a bit. Emmett and Elliott want to catch some Pokémon and I just want to get out of the house.. ☺ With all the complexity, stress and challenges that we face as an Autism family, regular therapy is something I feel is extremely important. Our phychologist has known us since before the boys were born and has been working with Gavin for close to fifteen years. These sessions help me as a parent, have someone to bounce ideas off of and seek guidance from, especially when my wife and I are…

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I mention Gavin was struggling today and here’s what I’m seeing

This post was meant for yesterday but didn't get published until now. The morning didn't go as originally planned and perhaps that threw Gavin off a bit. He was definitely off this morning and it presented some frustrating situations for me. For starters, he was freaking out over his IVIG infusion. Gavin was worried about the needles leaking before he even began the procedure. This isn't uncommon for him to worry about, and I can't blame him for worrying, but the degree to which he was worried, interfered with getting his infusion going this morning. Gavin was doing some serious pacing and when he'd stop, he would lean side to side, sorta rocking back and forth. He was seriously stressed. It's sometimes hard to out my finger on what exactly…

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I’m so proud – Check out the awards my kids earned at school

I want to take a minute and share some awesome achievements the boys have made in school. We have reached the end of the grading period and awards have been given out. They have a little awards ceremony but parents aren't allowed to be there. That's sucks cause I'd love to be present. Anyway, both Elliott and Emmett have done great. Lizze and I couldn't be any prouder of them. Check out the awards below. ☺ Click the image below to open the gallery... ☺ [foogallery id="79001"]

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The judge approved my request

I received a phone call from Probate Court, to let me know that the Judge had issued a ruling. That may sound a bit dramatic but that's exactly what happened. Yesterday, I requested a copy of the adoption decree from when I adopted Gavin. Apparently, there's a rather significant process involved in doing that and that involves getting permission from the Probate Court Judge. Rather then walk in and simply request a copy of paperwork, I had to petition the Judge for permission instead. I get some adoptions are sealed but I'm seeking documentation for the adoption of Gavin, where I was one of two parties. It's not a secret or something I would have thought was protected. It's not a huge deal, I just thought it was a bit…

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I have an unplanned trip to Probate Court

We have to straighten a few things with Social Security in regards to Gavin turning eighteen and transitioning to permanent disability. One of those things requires his adoption decree which for the life of me, I cannot find. It used to be in the safe but it must have been pulled at some point and not returned. SSA called this morning and let me know we needed this ASAP. For some reason, Gavin's name is still Gavin Weaver in their records and we've no idea why. It's an easy fix but it requires paperwork we can't find. We called Probate Court and I have to write a letter, explaining why I need it. They will give the letter to the judge for approval. If she approves the request, I'll pay…

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