It was a relatively placid morning. We didn't push Emmett to wear his new pants and as a result, getting him ready for school was manageable. I know that this will not be possible forever but for right now, it's working, Elliott had a rough night and a really slow moving morning but was otherwise cooperative. I'm feeling absolutely exhausted and am struggling to get moving.
Full disclosure. I'm exhausted and having a hard time putting thoughts together tonight. I'm going to try and make this as coherent as possible but no promises. Lizze and I are seriously talking about the logistics of homeschooling the boys. Between Emmett's inability to wear clothes and Elliott's emotional struggles that are the result of several things related to school and severe anxiety. The main concern is Emmett though because his struggles physically prevent his attendance. Things with Elliott could be corrected with proper intervention within the school. The idea of homeschooling the boys is not something we take lightly, even in the it's just a possibility phase of talking. There are so many potential downfalls to homeschooling but at the same time, there is a substantial upside as well.…
This is a collaborative post and doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of this blog or its author. Photo Credit Whether your child is on the autism spectrum or not, their bedroom is essential. It's their safe space to grow and learn. An area that is just theirs, where they are free to explore their creativity and relax. It's décor and design are important. No matter how old your kids are, if they are on the spectrum, you'll want a sensory space for them to enjoy, but you'll also want to know that it's somewhere that they can relax and get a great night's sleep. It can be hard finding the right balance. Here are some top tips to help you. Start from Scratch One of the hardest parts of creating…
It's been a roller-coaster day here in The Autism Dad household. We started the say off with a bang or rather an enormous meltdown (see Autism Parenting Confessions: Does anyone else ever feel like giving up but won't?). It's wasn't fun. Poor Emmett couldn't tolerate his clothes and there was nothing we could do. The school pants he would wear are in tatters and we've been unsuccessfully trying to find replacements that he'll tolerate forever. After things settled down a bit, I told Emmett that we would try looking for pants again today. We ended up at Sears, which incidentally is shell of its former self. I'll be honest with you, I didn't have much hope that would find something because even Lizze's Mom has taken him out looking for…
This is a collaborative post and doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of this blog or its author. Many families that have children with autism will agree that exercise and activity is a great outlet for them. There have been plenty of studies surrounding the benefits of exercise with autistic behaviors, and that exercise is a great outlet for those behaviors to reduce or even for children to learn discipline and gain self-control. However, it can also be a challenge to not only get your children to take exercise, but also for them to be excited about it. So I thought I would share with you some of the top tips that can help children with autism be a little more active.Image source Making sure you have the right gear to…
This is by far, one of the worst mornings we've had in a very, very long time. Emmett was in full meltdown mode over his clothes. Emmett's only been able to wear this one pair of pants for the last two school years. Unfortunately, the knees are blown out and are beyond repair. I've stitched them up so many times there's nothing left to hold a stitch. Iron on knee patches aren't an option for Sensory reasons. I wish I could say that I handled this morning with grace but I ran out of patience. I should say that me running out of patience means that I might raise my voice and that's it. This morning, 8 definitely raised my voice and that only made things worse. The big issue…
There are a few things I have going on over the next week but in light of the government shutdown, I'm not sure if they're still going to happen. On Friday, Gavin has a meeting with SSI. He's due for an update and we have to figure out the whole guardianship thing. I don't know if the Federal Building will even be open this week. I know they said SSI checks would still go out as scheduled but they didn't say anything about the local offices. On the following Monday, I have an appointment with HEAP/PIPP. We have to update our income and recertify for continued access to the program. I don't know if this will be impacted by the shutdown either. With any luck, our ridiculous government leaders will…
There are times where the only thing I can do to help Emmett is to simply stop everything and snuggle. Emmett hasn't been feeling well and on the edge of a meltdown for the last couple of days. Many kids with Autism don't like to be touched but Emmett is someone who responds positively to affection. No matter how upset he is, I've always been able to call him over and hug or snuggle him. It usually helps him, at least to some extent. This is from the other day when Emmett was really struggling.