I feel that it's important to be honest and transparent about where I'm at because it helps with context. It also shows how life can make the already difficult job of being an Autism/Special Needs Parent, way more difficult.
This post is all about the struggles I face as a full-time caregiver.
If we lose sight of the good, we'll drown in the negative.
We had a difficult day today. I'm on edge and the boys have been cooped up for too long. Gavin's been freaking out a lot lately and Lizze is still struggling with losing her grandmother a couple weeks ago. It's been one thing after another and today was just tough on all of us. Having said that and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, there are a few things that happened today that I'm incredibly thankful for. For starters, Elliott still has a nasty cough but is otherwise feeling better. That's a very good thing and with any luck, he'll continue to improve. Eariler today, I was sitting in bed writing when I heard Emmett crying. Lizze and I were trying to figure out what had happened. He's wasn't talking about…
We've all been cooped up in the house together for way too long because and everything came to a head this afternoon. I basically lost my cool and yelled at Elliott who was pushing my buttons. I swore at him and that is unacceptable. I should have been the adult but I was apparently incapable in that moment. There are reasons for my current demeanor but those reasons only explain why I snapped, they don't excuse it. Anyway, we ended up having a family meeting and hashed some things out. I apologized to everyone for yelling and I'm going to go walking before I take the kids to therapy tonight. I don't really want to go walking but I clearly need the constructive outlet. We have bad weather blowing in…
Resources to Help Kids with Autism Develop Emotional Regulation By Dr. Jason Kahn Children with autism often struggle with emotional regulation. Building these skills is part of growing up, no kid is born with these skills. However, for kids with autism, these challenges can often be more acute, leaving parents looking for resources and wondering what they can do to help their kids. A bit of knowledge can help a ton A little bit of understanding can help you empathize with your child and also set expectations. The Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University has a terrific rundown on what these skills are and puts them into context of how they help kids grow up healthy. You can read more here. Likewise, the Child Mind Institute has some…
Self-injurious behavior is also very disruptive to the rest of the house. It's loud, violent and even though it's directed inward (meaning Gavin only physically hurts himself), it still hurts everyone else as well.
The results of Elliott's Whooping Cough test and why Emmett's really struggling tonight.