Sensory Archives - Page 2 of 11

I had to tell my son he’s NOT a failure

I've been working with Emmett on wearing his new pants. It's not been an easy journey but I will cautiously say that we might be making a baby step forward. ☺ For those new to the party, Emmett is our 9 year old with Autism and significant Sensory Processing issues. Food and clothing are his mortal enemies. Food doesn't taste, smell, feel or look right and clothes make him itch. This has a profound impact on day to day life, especially when it comes to school. Apparently, the school requires clothes to be worn and there are many days where Emmett simply cannot wear clothes because the hurt. We recently had what I thought was our first successful shopping trip in regards to finding pants he will wear. He tried…

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February 4, 2018

Clothes / Emmett John / My thoughts / Sensory

Don’t count your blessings before they put their pants on

I'm going to keep this short because I'm already spent and it's not even lunchtime. Unfortunately, this morning didn't quite go as planned when it came to Emmett and his brand new pants. In fact, it went the opposite of who I was hoping it would go. Emmett woke up really early and that doesn't usually bode well for his limited ability to cope with the world around him. I ended on the couch last night because my allergies were really bad and I couldn't stop sneezing. Rather than keep Lizze awake, I moved downstairs. I woke up to Emmett not being dressed for school and already in distress over the fact that he was going to have to wear his new pants. They fit great while at the store…

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January 23, 2018

Clothes / Emmett John / My thoughts / Sensory

Many people will take for granted that their kids wear clothes, but not this #Autism Dad

It's been a roller-coaster day here in The Autism Dad household. We started the say off with a bang or rather an enormous meltdown (see Autism Parenting Confessions: Does anyone else ever feel like giving up but won't?). It's wasn't fun. Poor Emmett couldn't tolerate his clothes and there was nothing we could do. The school pants he would wear are in tatters and we've been unsuccessfully trying to find replacements that he'll tolerate forever. After things settled down a bit, I told Emmett that we would try looking for pants again today. We ended up at Sears, which incidentally is shell of its former self. I'll be honest with you, I didn't have much hope that would find something because even Lizze's Mom has taken him out looking for…

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January 22, 2018

Emmett John / My thoughts / Sensory / Shoes and Socks

Holy Shit!! He’s kinda wearing shoes

When it comes to being an Autism parent, it's all about the little victories. Don't get me wrong, we get some big victories as well and this is a prime example of one. ☺ If you know our story, you probably know that Emmett seriously struggles with shoes and socks. In fact, it's so bad he hasn't worn shoes in almost two years now. He will however, wear crocs but only certain ones and it's really hard to find those. Anyway, he's been wearing the second pair for quite awhile now and they were too small for him. He refused to wear anything else and it was a battle we decided not to pick because it would have only made things worse. Lizze's Mom bought him a new pair of…

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December 14, 2017

Autism Parenting Struggles / Feeding Problems / My thoughts / Sensory

It’s so hard to feed my kids

One of the hardest, most frustrating challenges my wife and I face on a daily basis, is struggling to feed our kids. The struggle is probably not for the reasons you think either. It's not because we don't have food or have a hard time getting food. Working from home hasn't always been easy but it's finally beginning to pay off and we have been paying for 99% of our groceries out of pocket for awhile now. That's something that feels amazing but it doesn't make feeding our kids any easier. Trying to feed two of our three kids with major sensory processing issues has proven to be one of the most challenging things about being an Autism parent to three kids on the spectrum. My two youngest have such…

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December 8, 2017

Elliott / Emmett John / Feeding Problems / Sensory / Today's Victory

Today’s Victory: They tried new food tonight but did they like it

I picked the boys up from school this afternoon and both had a good day. I didn't hear any complaints about anything and I'm happy with that. ☺ On the way home, we stopped at Little Ceasars to pick up stuff for their lunches tomorrow but when we arrived, they were closed for remodeling. I don't know if something happened or if it was just a remodeling but either way, I wasn't able to get the kids the only things they'll eat in their lunches. Emmett has only been eating Little Ceasars Crazy Bread and Elliott is still only eating their pizza in their school lunches. The car still needs fixed and I didn't want to drive much farther because of it. I ended up ordering East of Chicago and…

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November 30, 2017

Autism Parenting Struggles / Elliott / Emmett John / Feeding Problems / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts / Sensory

Is Sensory Processing Disorder controlling our lives?

Sensory processing disorder sometimes seems to be controlling our lives. It really is something that has an impact on so many daily functions, and unless you're living with or loving someone with this struggle, it's very difficult to understand. In my house, all three of our kids face these daily struggles. Their brains are hardwired differently and they do not perceive sensory input correctly. This leads to frustration, being overwhelmed, anxiety, meltdowns and yes, even physical pain. Truth be told, we gave up on a balanced diet a long time ago and now focus on calories. While sensory processing disorder (SPD) impacts many areas, but the most challenging for me as a parent, revolves around eating food. The most profoundly impacted are Elliott and Emmett, so I'm focusing here for…

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November 13, 2017

Clothes / Feeding Problems / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts / Sensory

Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder in laymen’s terms

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? Sensory Processing Disorder is hands down that most frustrating part of being an Autism parent, at least for me. For those unfamiliar with what I'm referring to when I say sensory issues, let me explain. Sensory processing disorder is a condition that is very common in both kids and adults with Autism. What happens is their brains don't properly interpret Sensory input correctly and this can be very problematic for them. Sensory Processing Disorder can impact adults as well. I'm specifically referring to kids because that's where my experience lies. Please don't take that as anything else. Kids with sensory processing disorder are hypersensitive to things like color, sight, sound, light, taste, texture, smells, and especially touch. How these sensitivities impact their lives can and…

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November 4, 2017