Read more about the article #Respite shouldn’t be a luxury
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

#Respite shouldn’t be a luxury

Many Autism parents don't get breaks very often. Our lives are incredibly stressful because it's 24/7 and sleep is often in short supply. Respite shouldn't be a luxury, it's a necessity but unfortunately, respite is often out of reach or unavailable. My wife and I can go a good while between breaks but we are very lucky to get them. We have very supportive family and that's truly something to be grateful for. We had one such break last night, while all three of the kids were with their grandparents. My wife and I had about 24 hours to ourselves but were too tired to actually take advantage of the time. When the kids are gone, we probably should be playing catch up with things around the house. We probably…

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March 30, 2019
Read more about the article 5 Milestones to Celebrate
Contributed

5 Milestones to Celebrate

Children of all abilities may at one point in their lives lack self confidence and self esteem. Growing up is never easy, and there may be times when they feel insecure, unsure, frustrated or discouraged. One way to build up your child’s self confidence is by celebrating important milestones in their life, and by showing them their strengths. Here are some of the milestones worth celebrating with your child: Middle School Graduation This is a very pivotal moment in your child’s life. This is their transition from being a child to becoming a teenager. At this point in their lives, they might be nervous or apprehensive about what lies ahead, or they may be very excited about the future. In any case, show your child they have your support by…

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March 28, 2019
Read more about the article 3 big reasons why I’m thankful today
My thoughts

3 big reasons why I’m thankful today

Well, it's been a pretty long day and it's finally coming to a close. I'm trying to kill about 30 minutes so I can take my motrin before going to bed and I figured I'd post a quick update. There's only three things worth mentioning tonight and both are mostly good news. ☺ First of all, Ruby's surgery went well and she came home the same day. They weren't sure if she'd need to stay overnight but they ended up sending her home mid-afternoon. She's doing well but she's not very happy.. She's got to wear this little tiny cone of shame for the next 12 days. It's almost bigger than she is and she does not like it. She's taking sedatives for the next 5 days to help keep…

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March 28, 2019
Read more about the article We had a very early morning trip to the vet
Family Pets / My thoughts / Ruby

We had a very early morning trip to the vet

We had an early start to the day because Ruby had to be at the vet before 7 AM. She's finally getting fixed this morning. We've been trying to get her fixed for awhile but when we had the money, she was either going into or coming out of heat. Anyway, we dropped her off at 7 AM and while there's a chance we can pick her up at dinner time, she will most likely stay overnight. The boys were worried about her so I wanted to give them a chance to say goodbye, so I woke them up. Elliott went right back to bed, which is exactly what I expected. Emmett insisted on going with me, which is what I expected as well. I'm really hoping that Elliott doesn't…

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March 27, 2019
Read more about the article Trying to help my adult #Autistic son find independence is challenging
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Trying to help my adult #Autistic son find independence is challenging

Gavin had a pretty rough afternoon/evening and it culminated into a decent sized meltdown at therapy tonight. The problem is that Gavin either isn't recognizing or is unwilling to admit he's making mistakes. Mistakes are something that Gavin simply doesn't tolerate, especially in himself. When something happens and we try to point it out to him, he very often will either deny it happened or happened the way it did. He can become very, very upset. We had a situation arise at therapy tonight and it led to a decent sized meltdown. It wasn't a big deal but it was a great example for Dr. Pattie to see, so she can help guide us through it. All that happened was Elliott handed Gavin a cup of goldfish crackers and for…

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March 27, 2019
Read more about the article A quick update because it’s been a few days
General Update / My thoughts

A quick update because it’s been a few days

It's been a couple days since I've really written anything because I've been recovering from surgery since last Friday. I'm doing pretty good and haven't experienced much, if any major levels of pain or discomfort. That's a good thing and I'm incredibly grateful. While pain hasn't really been an issue, generally speaking, I feel rundown. I think I'll resume walking on Monday morning and try eating more regular foods later this week. It's been a lot of soup, yogurt and things like that. The boys are doing pretty good, although I wish I were in a better position to take advantage of Spring Break. I would have loved to take them hiking or something fun like that. Gavin is doing okay as well. We're not seeing any changes as he's…

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March 26, 2019