clozapine – Page 106 – The Autism Dad

Just a super quick note

So, I'm sorry that I've been absent from here recently or at least not writing as much as I normally do. I'm spread so thin right now and I'm having to puts some things down. I wanted to quickly post an update because Gavin is heading back to Akron Children's Hospital this morning. This is a follow-up with his gastro. He's having some problems and I need to try and find him some help. Lizze and I will have to divide and conquer today because she's has to not only be somewhere else during Gavin's appointment but she's also making sure the kids get picked up from school. I'm not feeling super enthusiastic about today but we need to get through it. I wish you all the best today and…

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February 22, 2019

Autism Parenting Struggles / My thoughts

Where’s the volume control?

I love my family. I know things are challenging and I can find myself overwhelmed and frustrated but I truly adore my family. Aside from improving our quality of life and safety, I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world. I don't know why I always feel compelled to say that prior to discussing something that I find frustrating but I do. Anyway, having said that, it was rough day. Lizze is in a great deal of pain and her head was pretty much left her incapacitated. On Tuesday, I gave her the second injection of Aimovig, her new migraine preventative. While it hasn't helped yet and we don't expect it to for a three or four months, for a few days after the injection, her migraine gets…

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February 21, 2019

My thoughts

This was expected

I went to bed last night, knowing that this would be a possibility and after not sleeping well at all, I was quite grateful when the early morning call came to confirm it was a snowday. We got a snow/ice storm late last night and early this morning. It was apparently bad enough to cause the schools to shut down. I was able to go back to sleep for a little while and wake up feeling a little more rested. We have Dr. Pattie tonight and I have a conference call in a bit in regards to someone wanting to be interviewed on the podcast. While we're on that subject, I'm actually getting requests from people and/or organizations that want to come on and talk about what they're doing for…

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February 20, 2019

My thoughts

Can anyone relate?

Sometimes life is so overwhelming and being an Autism parent is the least stressful part of it. I'm wondering if anyone can relate to how I'm feeling right now?

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February 19, 2019

Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / My thoughts / Sensory / Shoes and Socks

Sensory processing issues get in the way again

Trying to get the kids ready for school can be like herding cats at times. There are a million reasons for that. Sometimes it's pretty kid typical and just not wanting to get out of bed, or simply dragging their feet while getting ready. Other times it can be more Autism related in nature. This morning was delayed by sensory issues once again. Mr. Emmett was having issues with his sock on his left foot. It took quite some time to help him work through it. He kept saying that it felt like something was snagging his sock. He was getting really upset because he didn't want to be late but he was simply unable to put his socks on. He didn't wear socks to school for many years but…

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February 19, 2019

My thoughts

We could all use the break

We're finally getting back into our routine after last week and the long weekend. It's been fun for the boys but it's also been chaos for them because they thrive in their routine, as do most Autistic people. The rest of the week is going to be a sorta slow. We have all of our normal weekly appointments plus one out of town trip for Gavin. He needs to get to Akron Children's Hospital to see his gastro. It's mostly a follow-up but we would be getting him in anyway because he's having some digestive related issues. Outside of that, it's going be a bit less chaotic than last week and that's a good thing. My focus for this week is getting Friday's podcast episode done, walking and continuing my…

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February 19, 2019

My thoughts

Things are not going so well right now

I'm having a rough go at this weekend. It's the tail end of a long-ass week and I'm spent. The E's are doing pretty good right now and Emmett even finished his planet report which he's been incredibly stressed out over. Elliott has been relatively mellow and that's pretty awesome for him. On the other hand, Lizze and I have been struggling with Mr. Gavin today. We've been struggling with him for the entire weekend to be completely honest. Gavin has been on an endless, nonstop mission to narrate every single aspect of his life, at least that's how it feels. That's a nice way of saying, he will not stop talking. He just keeps going and going and going. As far as talking goes, he's like the goddamn Energizer…

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February 18, 2019

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

Why it’s okay to feel frustrated with your #Autistic or #SpecialNeeds child

One of the things that are difficult in my life as a special needs Dad is coming to terms with my own humanity. What I mean by that is accepting my limitations as a parent, embracing my emotions and not beating myself up for getting frustrated with my kids. There are a plethora of reasons that being human makes Autism and Special Needs parenting more difficult. For the purposes of this post, I want to talk briefly about frustration. There's this unspoken belief that simply because a child is Autistic, has Special Needs or maybe even fragile health, that as a parent, we aren't ever allowed to be frustrated with them. I don't know who started this or why it's such a popular belief but this needs to change because…

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February 16, 2019