My friend Mitch Leppicello, LICSW, has 30 years of experience with autistic kids and their families. He's here to share some tips for managing the transition to summer.
Shaming special needs parents is not okay. It's not. I want to take a moment before we get into this I want to briefly talk about the shaming of special needs parents. Frankly, this applies to any parent but right now, I'm reaching out to special needs parents in particular because this is something we endure on the regular basis. People can be assholes. No one has the right to shame you. Most people have no clue what your life is like or the challenges you face every single day. These mean spirited, ignorant, and hateful people couldn't fill your shoes, let alone a mile in them. I hear from parents all the time who are dealing with judgment, ridicule, and shaming. It's heartbreaking and I know how hard it…
Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses many unique challenges for you as a parent. Sleeping Tips for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) One of the most commonly affected areas involves sleep. Good sleep during pregnancy is certainly important, but so too is adequate rest postpartum and into childhood for both you and your child. As your child ages, lost sleep usually results from their inability to sleep. If they can’t fall asleep, have bad dreams, or wake up frequently, then they may wake you up directly or indirectly through the noise they make. Making matters worse, they’ll suffer from the effects of poor sleep. Losing even a few hours of sleep is enough to cause negative effects on their mood, energy, and cognitive skills, especially for…
I just want to say thank you to Warner Brothers for sending my kids this media box, including a Blu-ray of the new release of #Scoob and some promotional swag. The kids were so excited and surprised. We've actually seen Scoob when it released on digital a little while back and it was awesome. Totally a family friendly movie that everyone will enjoy. As a kid, I lived on Scooby-Doo and it's so cool to see this get a 2020 update. In Scooby-Doo's greatest adventure yet, see the never-before told story of how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined forces with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved, Scooby and the gang face their…
I'm up early and about 90% sure it's a Thursday. We've just hit day 140 of COVID19 lockdown and everything just sorta slurs together anymore. Groceries are on the agenda for today and they'll be arriving in a few hours. The kids are still sleeping and aside from my noisy ceiling fan, the house is completely silent. It's actually kind of amazing how quiet it is. While I'm still very tired and could probably go back to bed for a little longer, I'm going to enjoy the quiet and maybe even workout before the kids get up. I have a new episode dropping for the podcast tonight and it's one I'm really excited about. You can visit listen.theautismdad.com and get caught up on all the previous episodes while you're waiting.…
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 global pandemic has taken a toll on the world. Every country, every sector, and of course, every home can testify to the fact that it has not been easy. Media coverage has clued us in as to how countries and certain industries have been coping during this time. But the family unit is out of the public eye and equally getting hit in more ways than one. Image Credit But if there’s one thing about the human race that’s constant, it's our ability to adapt and find ways to thrive. Based on that, it's important to seek out ways to keep you and your loved ones stimulated during these gloomy times. Mental health management is just as important as the physical aspect in…
It's been a few days or maybe a bit more than that but I'm back and ready to move forward. I wanted to explain what happened that kept me away for the last few days because it was nothing serious. As you may or may not know, I run my own dedicated server for this site. It's been this way for years. Yes, it's expensive but I basically outgrew everything else and this was the best approach. The site more than pays for itself, so it's not a financial issue. Anyway, my server software was out of date and the only way to upgrade at this point was to completely reimage the server with the updated software. Unfortunately, that's not something I can do from my end. That meant completely…
I've had a pretty decent week. There were some challenges but overall, it's been okay. In fact, there were some very positive moments that helped me get through the not so positive moments. The kids are doing well but the pandemic is really beginning to wear them down. We've been trying to get out into nature at least a few times a week. I felt that we were pretty safe until recently. As COVID-19 is worsening in Ohio and it's crystal clear that most people simply refuse to wear a mask. With more and more people venturing out, it's becoming harder and harder to avoid contact. Our last trip to Quail Hollow was very concerning and as much as I hate to do this, we're going to have to limit…