lockdown Archives - The Autism Dad

The furnace, Chromebook and podcast studio all broke down and it’s only Tuesday

What's up folks. Hope you're this finds you doing well. It's been a day of challenges here. I wanted to run over just few of them and help provide some context to what's going on in The Autism Dad household. I also want to balance things out with some really positive things happening as well. It's been one of those weeks where nothing seems to go right and what really worries me is that it's only Tuesday. So I had my last scheduled interview yesterday and it was highlighting a really cool business that's doing awesome things for the autism community. Everything was going great and Emmett didn't even make an appearance. At some point, I happen to look over at my mixer and noticed that it had stopped recording…

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December 8, 2020

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

That’s what makes you awesome

I don't know if you're new here or not but in case you are, you should know that I see a therapist every Wednesday. I feel like it's important to share that because there's too much stigma surrounding therapy. My therapist is awesome and she's helping me to deal with everything I've been through. I feel like I'm doing okay. I've moved on from my marriage ending and I no longer carry that pain around. Therapy has really helped with that. Unfortunately, some things can't be learned in therapy and are only learned through life experience. I've not written like this in a long time but I just feel like I need to dig down and put my thoughts into words. There's a lot of stress associated with being an…

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November 19, 2020

My thoughts

I think my #autistic son is messing with me but I’m not sure

My oldest Gavin, is driving me crazy today. I know, it must be a Tuesday. This is a new behavior and I'm not sure what the fuck is happening or why. I've shared over the years that Gavin narrates his life. If he thinks it, oftentimes he says it out loud. You can't shut the kid up and he drives everyone nuts. I get that many of you out there might have nonverbal kids and you may be offended by my frustration. Please know that having raised both verbal, and nonverbal kids, I get it. There are also major challenges when our kids are verbal as well. Anyway, Gavin has started whispering instead of talking. Lately, he's talking so quietly that I can't make out what he's saying and yet…

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November 10, 2020

My thoughts

We pretty much kicked ass today

It's been a pretty amazing day here in The Autism Dad house and I don't say that very often. The first day of Emmett's new schedule went off without much of a hitch. He did pretty good and I'm proud of him. Tomorrow will be the test because normally, he wouldn't have any classes, as it would be an off day. This will be a test. Anyway, the car is back. That's right. It only took 4 or 5 weeks but she's looking good. Big thanks to my Mom for helping me get there. It was the safest approach because while they don't quarantine, they do take this very seriously. Masks on and windows down for a 5 minute drive. Thanks Mom. ☺ ♥ Can't wait until February when I…

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November 9, 2020

Emmett John / My thoughts / Proud Daddy Moments

My #autistic son is such an inspiration to me

I know not everyone will get this and that's okay. I also know that many of you will celebrate with me because you understand the significance of what I'm about to say. For those who are unable to relate, I hope this provides a bit of insight into the challenges kids on the autism spectrum can deal with on the daily. Mr. Emmett is a character. There's no two ways about it. He's so full of personality and life that frankly, it can be a bit overwhelming for me at times. He has an infectious smile and a belly laugh that will melt your heart. At just 12 years old, he's one of the smartest people I've ever met in my life. We're talking scary smart. Like, as his Dad,…

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November 9, 2020

My thoughts

Exhausting efforts and interventions

It's been a really frustrating day. Gavin's been struggling behaviorally and I honestly don't have the patience to deal with the outbursts. In fairness, Gavin is doing so much better overall and he's come such a long way. I'm incredibly proud of him. At the same time, there are things we need to work on. Gavin has a really short fuse and it doesn't take a whole lot to set him off. Today I was watching Bob's Burgers, and Gavin sat down to eat lunch. He's got this weird thing with shows like this and I'm not sure I understand where he's coming from. Usually, he will get up and leave the room if something he doesn't like comes on. Today he was eating lunch, so he didn't really have…

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October 26, 2020

COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts

Update: It’s been 234 days of #COVID lockdown so far

Life is getting a bit more challenging. For those who don't know, COVID is significantly worsening in Ohio. As of writing, we're a stone's throw away from 3,000 cases a day. There's a nursing home about a mile or so from my house with over 80 confirmed cases. It's really getting scary. My cars still in the shop and will be for a couple of weeks. That's a bit stressful because we truly are trapped at home. It's not like we would be going anywhere, especially since COVID is so bad locally, but looking out the window and seeing the car missing is an emotional blow. Maybe that doesn't make sense.. I've been insanely busy with work related things lately. I'm trying to get season 3 of the podcast finished…

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October 25, 2020

My thoughts

I’m feeling really good about this

So the response to my Parent to Parent series has been amazing thus far. I've got several parents already scheduled and many more in the process. This is so cool because I love meeting new people and I've not met any of these parents prior to guest discussions. I don't want to do a great deal of research outside of a brief bio and making sure they are who they say they are. When you listen to these conversations, you'll hear me getting to know these people for the very first time. I think this is such a cool idea because it's not rehearsed or scripted. I have a list of questions but so far, we've not made it through them because the conversation takes on a life of its…

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October 13, 2020