Elliott – Page 19 – The Autism Dad

Part puberty, part #Autism, and part normal teen angst

Elliott had a hard time falling asleep last night. He was still awake as we hit and passed the midnight hour. I'm not sure what he was struggling with, but it occupied enough of his mind that sleep wouldn't come. Around midnight, he began complaining about his pillow feeling funny. I ended giving him my sort of nice, memory foam pillow to use for the night. Thankfully, it seemed to help because he's currently sleeping. I'm using this awful, rainbow zebra striped body pillow that not conducive to sleep, but what Dad wouldn't give up a pillow for his son. ☺ On a side note, this thing with the pillow is just the latest sensory related issue that's popped up for Elliott. He's been having a very difficult time with…

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July 26, 2017

Elliott / My thoughts / Sleep Issues

My body is shutting down

I just survived a really long night. Unfortunately, Elliott didn't sleep last night. He wasn't able to fall asleep and still hasn't fallen asleep. My body is shutting down, and his is bouncing off the walls. Lizze is sending me to bed, and she's going to work on Elliott taking a nap. I'm leaving this super short because that's all my brain can put together. Zzzzz

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July 21, 2017

Elliott / Gallery / Occupational Therapy

From disaster to happy ending

Elliott had his occupational therapy re-evaluation yesterday. When it was time to go, he freaked out because it cut into his routine. Once I physically got him there, he was okay. For the most part, Elliott did really well. There are a few things he's struggling with, and they may refer him to physical therapy, as it may be a better fit. There's obviously sensory issues that OT would benefit, but his tests have to be scored and a plan put together. They will be calling me with his first appointment in the near future. As it stands, it looks like he will go to OT once a week for awhile, and we'll see how things go. If he reaches his goals, he may be moved to PT instead. PT…

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July 18, 2017

Elliott / My thoughts / Occupational Therapy

It’s gonna be a huge day for Elliott

On Monday, July 17th, Elliott will finally be getting back into occupational therapy. He's been on the wait list for over a year and was originally scheduled at the beginning of the month but the OT needed to reschedule. I'm not entirely sure who's more excited, me or Elliott. lol He really needs this. I hope it helps him to gain strength, build coordination, and confidence. When Elliott has first evaluated a few years ago, they said he had the worst muscle tone they'd ever seen. I can't say I disagree because his joints are extremely loose. Loose joints aren't something that can be fixed. The only thing you can do is strengthen the surrounding muscles, so they can aid in compensation. I think I may take Elliott by myself,…

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July 16, 2017

Autism Parenting Struggles / Elliott / My thoughts

He crashed about an hour ago

Elliott never fell asleep last night. That means he's been awake for roughly four of the last five days. Thays obviously not a good thing. Something has to give, if for no other reason than this is killing me. It's especially tough on days Lizze is in class because I don't get any sleep. Thankfully, Elliott is currently sawing zzz's in his bed. He was so grouchy this morning, we sent him to his room to chill out for a bit. He ended up dozing off while he was there. He's been out for about an hour or so. I can't let him sleep for too long because I don't want this to impact his ability to sleep tonight. This whole thing sucks and it's really taking a toll..

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July 5, 2017

Elliott / My thoughts

I’ve been so worried about Elliott not sleeping

We've had a pretty good morning. Elliott slept until about lunchtime, and that was awesome. We don't have any immediate plans for today, but maybe we'll get the kids to the playground again. I'm feeling much better after a brief power nap, and ready to take on the rest of the day. I've been so worried about Elliott not sleeping, and it's taken its toll. Hopefully, we're through this period of disturbed sleep and can return to a better, more healthy sleep cycle. :-)

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July 4, 2017

Elliott / My thoughts

I’m so grateful he’s sleeping

It's pushing 9 am and Elliott is still fast asleep. We've decided to put all of our plans on hold today, and let Elliott sleep as much as he possibly can. He's gone so long without sleeping, we want to give him every opportunity to do so today. I'm so grateful that he's found sleep once again..

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July 4, 2017

Blessings / Elliott / My thoughts

This is absolutely a blessing

I have some really good news tonight. Elliott is peacefully sleeping, and has been all night. This is the first time in over three days that he's done that. The neighborhood noise was really bad, and he slept right through it. My hope is that he will sleep in and feel much better when he wakes up. Like I said before, we aren't sure what's behind this, but at this point, we're just grateful that it seems to be over for now.

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July 4, 2017