Autism Archives - Page 53 of 715

A long overdue, deeply personal update

It's been a little while since I've really talked about how I'm doing on a personal level. There's not really a reason for that I'm just a bit overwhelmed and when this happens, it's not as easy for me to write. That said, it's important that I do anyway because it's incredibly therapeutic for me to do so. For the most part, I think I'm doing pretty well. Could I be doing better? Of course I could. Could I be doing worse? You betcha.. I'm trying to manage a lot right now and it's not easy. The balance between work and family is quite challenging, especially when the kids are learning from home. I need to be working but they need guidance and support because remote learning is a very…

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October 9, 2020

Emmett John / My thoughts

Have I said how much I hate 2020?

Emmett's not been having a good week in regards to school. He's been in a fever flare for going on a week now and that's likely contributing to his struggles. As crazy as it sounds, I hadn't put two and two together until this morning. He's been doing well since returning to his old school. This morning he woke up not feeling well and I tried to help him work through it but he's miserable, so I let him go back to sleep. The antivirals haven't really helped reduce this particular flare yet and he's still in a lot of pain. At least he can find some relief if he sleeps. I called the school and Emmett will do on today's work when he wakes up. There's a lesson learned…

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October 7, 2020

COVID19 / Link / Lockdown / My thoughts

It’s been a heartbreaking day

Remote learning is like a fucking emotional roller-coaster for everyone involved, but especially for our kiddos on the autism spectrum. We have had our ups and downs but today was a particularly challenging. I stopped working today, which is hugely problematic, in order to help Emmett navigate his schoolwork. For some reason, he was completely overwhelmed by the tasks on the screen before him. There's a million reasons he's overwhelmed but I don't know what pushed him over the edge today. How many of you out there have seen similar with your own kids lately? It's currently 3pm and I've been trying to help him work through his anxiety, frustration and whatever else he's feeling that I can't see on the surface, all day now. Remote learning is a necessary…

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October 6, 2020

COVID19 / My thoughts / YouTube Video

I stepped outside of my comfort zone and spoke my mind because it matters

I've said this before and while it may not appear this way on the surface, I'm way too self-conscious to enjoy appearing on TV. That said, I've been doing it anyway because some things are more important than my comfort level. I will continue to do so when the opportunity presents itself because I want to make a difference and do my part. Today was one of those days. I was asked by my friends at ABC News Live to speak again, but this time to how I feel about the current status of COVID19 and the news of Donald Trump being infected. I know many like to steer clear of politics but unfortunately, we no longer have the luxury of standing on the side lines, pretending like everything is…

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October 5, 2020

COVID19 / Link / Lockdown / My thoughts / Remote Learning / School

Remote learning is going okay but I’m maintaining perspective

Moving on.... So we had a pretty decent day today. Elliott had to get his Chromebook swapped out, so Lizze and her Mom picked that up and took care of that for us. That was super helpful and I'm grateful. School is going better and the boys are starting to get into something that when you squint, sorta resembles a routine. At best, it's a bastardized routine but progress is progress. I'm not going to apologize for letting my kids be comfortable while they're learning. This whole thing is a nightmare and I have zero concerns about them chilling on the couch, bed or anywhere else that makes learning a positive thing. As long as the kids are appropriately dressed, in good lighting and they're teachers are happy with their…

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October 2, 2020

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

What kind of person shames a special needs parent?

Shaming special needs parents is not okay. It's not. I want to take a moment before we get into this I want to briefly talk about the shaming of special needs parents. Frankly, this applies to any parent but right now, I'm reaching out to special needs parents in particular because this is something we endure on the regular basis. People can be assholes. No one has the right to shame you. Most people have no clue what your life is like or the challenges you face every single day. These mean spirited, ignorant, and hateful people couldn't fill your shoes, let alone a mile in them. I hear from parents all the time who are dealing with judgment, ridicule, and shaming. It's heartbreaking and I know how hard it…

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October 1, 2020

My thoughts

A slight hiccup to the start of our day

First of all, I love waking up in the morning with my balcony door wide open. The morning sun shines right in and it's just a good start to the day. I've not been sleeping well lately and getting up in time to get the kids to school isn't easy. On this particular morning, Mr. Emmett is under the weather. He's dealing with nausea and I think it's due in part to post nasal drip, with a heaping helping of stress on the side. Anyway, he's struggling a bit and I called him off from his first class this morning. I'm hoping that a slower start will help him work through this and get back to school in time for his second class. I got him setup on my bed…

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September 28, 2020

Link / Major Update / My thoughts

A Ginormous Update

Alright folks, I'm playing catchup here and this will be a rather large update. So buckle up, it's a couple pages. First things first, I feel like we had a pretty decent weekend. The boys had a great visit with their mom and aside from a few hiccups with Gavin related behaviors, it seems like a very positive experience. That's awesome. They adjusted to being home in short order and picked up life where they'd left off before their trip. We spent some time working on the house. The boys want to bolster our security, as do I, because of all the recent shootings in our neighborhood. Just the other night, there were three woman shot while they were sitting on their front porch. I heard the shots but didn't…

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September 27, 2020