daddy blogs – Page 152 – The Autism Dad

I have a Man Cold and there are a few things I need to say before I die

As it turns out, this isn't allergies. I fear it's something far worse and more nefarious than I could have ever imagined. I'm reluctant to announce that I'm pretty sure that this is a worst case scenario situation. It's a man cold and I'm not sure I'm gonna make it. The sneezing, stuffiness, headache, cough, sore throat and watery eyes, just might kill me. The name 'man cold' disguises the true terrible, debilitating disease that is the man cold. Nearly all men will die from man colds unless they are administered immediately with large amounts of mindless TV such as daytime TV, or childrens' cartoons. It is essential that they not move from bed or a comfy sofa to allow for rehabilitation, and must have tissues and man cold medicine…

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September 9, 2015

My thoughts

I’ve got two kids home from school

The boys are home sick today. I don't know if it's allergies or what but they are congested, coughing and sneezing. They really struggled at school yesterday and so I kept them home with the hopes of getting them on Benedryl and getting a head of their symptoms. Perhaps most kids would still go to school with something like this but kids with Autism and sensory issues, have a much more difficult time coping with this type of situation. I'm dealing with something similar to what they are. I'm a 37 year old, neurotypical, adult male and I'm struggling with whatever we are fighting. I truly can't imagine what it's like for my kids. This pretty much killed any plans I had for today but frankly, I'm barely functioning…

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September 9, 2015

My thoughts

I’m a single father to 3 kids with #Autism and I’m getting sick O_o

There should be some kind of universal law that keeps special needs parents from getting sick. Life is hard enough on the best of days, being sick and trying to manage just isn't right. lol I've had to adjust my week because Emmett and Elliott are both under the weather and I'm feeling pretty horrible myself at the moment. I rescheduled Gavin appointment with immunology for next week because I have no idea if Elliott or Emmett will actually be going to school today. They had a pretty rough day of not feeling well and managed to tough it out but it took a toll. You have to be flexible when you have special needs kids because if you aren't, life will steamroll right over you.. On positive side,…

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September 9, 2015

My thoughts

This week is off to a rough start

This school week is off to a rough start. I picked the boys up early today because Emmett had physical therapy at Akron Children's. When I arrived at the school, both Emmett and Elliott weren't feeling well. Elliott had a meltdown at school because he wasn't feeling well but they said it didn't last long and they helped him to calm down. Gavin is supposed to be in Cleveland tomorrow for the immunologist but if the boys aren't feeling well, Ice got no way to make that happen. Plus the ideal of Gavin making a 90 minute drive and having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes, isn't exactly on my short list of fun things to do. Elliott and Emmett are in my face, constantly snuggling and…

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September 8, 2015

IEP Meeting / My thoughts / Periscope Broadcast

The results of my first of three IEP meetings

The IEP meeting has come and gone for today. It didn't really take that long. In fact, I waited longer for someone to even talk to me. Below are the Periscope broadcasts from this morning, both before and after the meeting. The long and short of things is that it appears that the best option is to withdrawal Gavin from school and when he turns 16 in a couple of months, remove him permanently. It's not ideal but unfortunately, his health is such that I need to focus on that and school simply isn't as important. If things improve, he could always go back or get his GED. https://youtu.be/VOkQI9gc5KE https://youtu.be/zvXjjDSmjPc

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September 8, 2015

Gavin / IEP Meeting / School

I have the first of three IEP meetings this morning O_o

This morning I will be dropping the boys off at school and then heading across town to the high school for an IEP meeting. I'm not super excited about this but it's important to make the best of it. The school terminated the online program that Gavin was involved with last year and I'm not sure what we are going to do this year. There are some tough decisions that will need to be made and none of them appear to be easy at this point. I'll let you know how it goes.

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September 8, 2015

Gavin / My Crazy Neighborhood / My thoughts

Gavin started crying today because he’s afraid to live in our neighborhood

First of all, the boys and I have started using Periscope to live broadcast moments in our life. We figure that maybe people can learn something or perhaps we can help someone. Out of nowhere today, Gavin became hysterical after he asked to take the trash out. He came back in the house, went upstairs to his room and started freaking out. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that while he was taking out the trash, he couldn't stop thinking about someone sneaking up on him and pulling a gun. This sorta came out of nowhere but at the same time, he been indicating that he's uncomfortable in our neighborhood since the hostage crisis a couple of months ago. I tried to talk to him about it…

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September 7, 2015

Gavin / School

I received some bad news about Gavin and school

I spoke with the IEP coordinator at Gavin's high school about what we were going to be doing for Gavin this year. She informed me that they terminated the online program that Gavin used last year for school. She explained their reasons and while the reasons make sense, this will a problem for Gavin. Gavin really isn't capable of learning in the capacity that he will be required to if we do a more traditional home education. I'm a bit worried about how this will play out. Physically attending school is an impossibility for him for a million physical and emotional health reasons. I'm seriously concerned about what our options are going to be. At this point, Gavin turns 16 in a few months and if I'm not mistaken, I…

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September 7, 2015