Read more about the article How Autism related meltdowns impact me as a parent, and how I cope
Emmett John / Insights and Education / Inspirational Posts / Meltdowns / My thoughts

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
Read more about the article Trying to stay 1 step ahead of the next meltdown
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
Read more about the article Midnight and morning meltdowns 
Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Midnight and morning meltdowns 

Last night was a nightmare. Mr. Emmett didn't go to sleep until well after midnight. It was one meltdown after another until he fell asleep. All of this because of a stuffy nose.  To recap, a stuffy nose turned our lives upside down, until well after midnight last night. Emmett and I ended up falling asleep in the living room because I didn't want to him to wake the other boys up.  Lizze had to be up super early, in order to go to class, so I was nominated to manage this situation last night. I'm so tired today and I'm going to have to close my eyes for a little while.  If I wasn't already tired enough, I would be after trying to get Emmett ready for school. It…

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May 16, 2017
Read more about the article Why a #meltdown kept my son home from school today
Autism / Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Why a #meltdown kept my son home from school today

Emmett was in rare form this morning. He began melting down the moment he woke up. I'd say he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but I don't think it was that simple.  I've spoken many times about my understanding of Emmett and meltdowns.  Emmett is extremely sensory driven, very easily overstimulated. He spends a good deal of time, looking for stimulation his body needs to know where he physically exists in time and space.  It appears that Emmett had a really good time at the zoo yesterday, with his school. It also appears to have drained his resources. When his resources are drained, he doesn't cope well with anything, and today was one of those days.  As far as Emmett is concerned, his day was shot…

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April 28, 2017
Read more about the article Never underestimate the impact of a meltdown 
Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Never underestimate the impact of a meltdown 

This was one of those days where I spent all the energy I had in morning.  The boys went to the zoo today and the anticipation/excitement of that kept Emmett from sleeping last night. We camped out on the couch and he did eventually fall asleep, but he didn't get nearly enough.  He was a holy terror this morning. Overstimulation, exhaustion and anxiety are not his friends.  As volatile as he was this morning, when we got to school he was fine. He gave me a super long hug and a kiss, before hopping out of the car and walking into the school.  I don't know own how he turns it off like that. Gavin used to do that and it drove me crazy. He's get Lizze and I all…

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April 27, 2017
Read more about the article The meltdowns are killing me today
Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

The meltdowns are killing me today

The boys are going on a field trip to the zoo today. Emmett is in a truly horrible mood this morning. He's been screaming all morning and it's been like one long meltdown.  The problem is likely the fact that he woke up after midnight and couldn't go back to sleep.  He and I crashed on the couches in the living room but he didn't fall asleep for hours.. That meant that I couldn't fall asleep for hours as well.  I don't have the patience to deal with this at the moment, as I'm exhausted. 

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April 27, 2017
Read more about the article Starting the day with a massive meltdown
Emmett John / Meltdowns / My thoughts

Starting the day with a massive meltdown

Massive Meltdown is the buzz phrase for today. Emmett has been up since about 3 am. I don't know exactly why he woke up but he did and was basically up for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, that usually means that his resources for dealing with the next day will be sorely lacking, making life more challenging for him. True to form, Emmett didn't have a good morning and could not cope with his socks. Overnight we received a couple inches of snow making his flip flops no longer an option. I worked with him for twenty minutes without success. Lizze picked up where I left off and put in another twenty minutes, only she was eventually successful in getting him to tolerate both his shoes and his socks.…

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January 27, 2017