Emmett John Archives - Page 39 of 85

How Autism related meltdowns impact me as a parent, and how I cope

One of the hardest parts of being an Autism parent for me this week so far, is meltdowns. When it comes to Autism, I always tell people never make assumptions. Having said that, I feel pretty safe saying, if you're an Autism parent, you're probably intimately acquainted with meltdowns. Meltdowns are exhausting for everyone, not just the person having one. I mentioned earlier in the week that Emmett was coming into a new fever cycle. When he hits one of these things, he's generally quite miserable, and far more prone to meltdowns. The fever cycles don't cause the meltdowns directly. They seem to decrease his ability to cope with all the things around him, that would already lead to a meltdown. Things like light, sound, his clothes, and pretty much…

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June 8, 2017

Dentist / Elliott / Emmett John / My thoughts

Why my kids with #Autism hate the dentist

We survived another trip to the dentist, with two of our kids with Autism. Part of the problem with dentists, and at least my kids on the spectrum, is sensory in nature. There are so many strange smells, sounds, tastes, and even lighting at the dentist office. That alone can take a toll on a kid with sensory issues. Then you need to factor in anxiety, and someone shoving fingers in their mouth, with scary tools. In many ways, that's a perfect sensory nightmare, worthy of Stephen King. As far as today went, once we arrived in the waiting room, Elliott was really upset. He was scared, and it was made worse by the fact that he had to wait about twenty minutes before being called back. Anxiety is not…

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June 6, 2017

Dentist / Elliott / Emmett John / Gavin / Lizze / My thoughts

I have bad news and good news – Which do you want first?

The boys are going to the dentist today. Originally, Lizze had class, and my Mom was going with me, but that's changed. Due to a temporary, but frustrating insurance issue, Lizze will not be in class today. Part of me is upset because I know how important it is for her to be there, but the other part of me is all like, thank God because both boys are having work done at the same time, on opposite ends of the office, and I'm only one person. My Mom was going to go, but since Lizze will be home, she doesn't have to anymore. I don't know how much experience any of you have with Autistic kids and the dentist, but it's not always a good combination to say the…

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June 6, 2017

Emmett John / My thoughts / PFAPA

7 reason I know Emmett’s in a fever cycle

As the morning goes on, it's become very clear that Emmett is in a new fever cycle. He's a little tyrant today, and isn't super pleasant to be around. This, taken with all the other symptoms he's presenting with, makes it very clear this is a fever cycle. Unfortunately, he's supposed to be at the dentist in the morning, and he keeps missing these because of fever cycles. In review, here are the symptoms he experiences during a fever cycle: Painful mouth sores Fever Not eating Not sleeping Very moody Very aggressive Joint pain

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June 5, 2017

Some creative ways of meeting my kids sensory needs

Emmett John / My thoughts / Photography / Sensory

Some creative ways of meeting my kids sensory needs

I'm trying to find some creative ways to help meet my kids' many sensory needs. The idea is to find constructive ways to getting a sensory fix, without destroying our house. lol In the picture above, Emmett is running this rock wall, like it's an obstacle course. He loves it, and it seems to help him get what he needs. Unfortunately, he wants to continue increasing the difficulty level. The challenge for me is finding ways to do that without making things too dangerous. For now, this is working and it will buy me a little time... :-)

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June 4, 2017

Elliott / Emmett John / Gavin / My thoughts

We are facing a tough decision – What would you do?

Later on this afternoon, we are supposed to travel to Y-Town. We are having a big family cookout for my Grandma's birthday. We are all pretty excited about going, because it's been awhile since we've been able to visit. Unfortunately, we aren't sure whether or not we should go now. On Friday, Gavin puked while at his Grandma's house. He says he's fine now, but we have to go by his behavior, and not his words. He spent a large part of the day sleeping, and that's a bit odd. He's also running a mild fever as well. He did have his IVIG infusion on Friday night, and perhaps it's still his body reacting to that. The other possibility is that he's actually fighting something off. Next we have Mr.…

8 Comments

June 4, 2017

Elliott / Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Trying to stay 1 step ahead of the next meltdown

Summer break hasn't been going so well. I know it's really only been two days, but those two days have been completely filled with meltdowns. Elliott struggled a great deal yesterday, for reasons I never learned. It may simply be a transition thing, but you might not believe how bad some of these meltdowns were. Emmett had his fair share yesterday as well,! This morning, Emmett is in rare form. He's been screaming for about two hours now. We were supposed to walk the track this morning, but Emmett is refusing to go. I realize that allowing him to dictate what we do is not a good thing. At the same time, I'm not a masochist. Taking him to walk the track would be a disaster. I'd end up carrying him,…

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May 31, 2017

Emmett John / My thoughts

A chaotic last day of school

Yesterday was the last day of school, and it was a bit chaotic in the morning. I was up with Elliott all night, as he was sick and didn't want to be alone. I was fairly sure he wasn't going to be present on his last day of school. Emmett on the other hand, should have been okay to go. Unfortunately, he woke up not feeling well, wanting to go to school, but not wanting to go alone. Both boys were under the weather, and clearly not in a place to go to school. I said fuck it, it's summer break a day early. Of course, I said that to myself, and not outloud...☺ I went to bed as soon as Lizze was up, because I hadn't yet been able…

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May 27, 2017