special needs Archives - Page 12 of 521

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

We’ve had some struggles with remote learning but we’re going to do better

I've been getting some really positive feedback for the first Parent to Parent episode. If you've not listened, you can do so by clicking here or stream it where you get your podcasts. Waking up to tons of positive feedback and parents wanting to take part is pretty amazing. It feels good to have a positive impact on peoples lives. Thank you everyone for all the support. Moving on.... The second quarter started today and I'm hoping that it will be better than the first quarter. Remote learning is a huge change from being in the classroom and the boys are struggling with it. It's not just them, it's pretty much most, if not all of the kids are having similar struggles. There's been homework that never got turned in…

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October 20, 2020

My thoughts

I feel so defeated tonight

Today is one of those days where I feel like I've crumbled under the weight of everything going on in my life. It's been one of those days where I feel utterly defeated and pretty much a failure. The kids have been struggling this weekend and I've not been able to make it better. I'm doing the best I can but it's not enough. I feel like my attention is divided too many times and I'm spread too thin. That shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone. There are projects around the house that need done and aren't getting any closer to completion. My car is currently in limbo because I'm fighting with insurance to cover all the damages and it's taking some time. The kids and I are struggling…

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October 12, 2020

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

What kind of person shames a special needs parent?

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…

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October 1, 2020

Gavin / My thoughts / Probably Genetic

It’s incredibly frustrating when the answers you get aren’t the answers you want

I met with Gavin's genetic counselor this afternoon, to go over the results of his exome sequencing. This has been a long time in the making I want to give a huge shout out to Probably Genetic for all their help. Essentially, what I learned is that we really didn't learn a whole lot. I say that because we didn't find answers to the many questions we've had for a very long time. That happens and it's for one of two reasons. The first reason being that there's nothing wrong and the second being that science simply hasn't identified everything yet. There are limits to our scientific knowledge but as that knowledge expands, answers may appear as the data is reinterpreted. When I say we didn't learn anything, that's not…

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September 26, 2020

Confessions / Depression Management / My thoughts

I can’t shake the #depression today

I can't really explain why but I'm struggling today. I'm feeling defeated and demoralized. Nothing happened outside of really bad dreams last night. Honestly, I think it's probably just a new battle with depression. By new I just mean a resurgence. There's a great deal of stress in my life right now and I'm getting overwhelmed by it all. I'm turning 42 years old on the 24th of August and I wish things in my life were different. I live in a bad neighborhood that I can't seem to get us out of. In 12 days, it would have been my 17th anniversary but instead, I find myself alone with my kids, as we try to survive a global pandemic. My kids are amazing and I love them completely. At…

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August 23, 2020

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

I’ve been a single parent for exactly 1 year today and I have some thoughts

It's been one year since I became a single parent again. I've said before that I'm really weird with milestones and anniversaries because they mark moments in my life that were impactful for whatever reason. Maybe I'm too sentimental but it's just sorta the way I am. Everything in my life changed on August 10, 2019. I've been quite busy these last 365 days because the kids require the vast majority of my time and energy. Who am I kidding, they require more time and energy than I have on a good day. While none of this has been or likely will ever be easy, I've experienced a great deal of personal growth along the way. I'm learning a great deal about myself. What I deserve, what I don't deserve,…

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August 12, 2020

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

To Whom This May Concern: I Am In My Lane

I shared my recent interview with ABC News on the topic of wearing masks, and there have been some requests from within the autism community that I stay in my lane. It's been suggested that I just focus on autism related things because that's why people follow me. I thought a To Whom This May Concern type response made sense. I want to take a few minutes and explain why I'm doing what I'm doing and the purpose behind it. To Whom This May Concern We are living in a time where taking a stand matters. I'm a single Dad with 3 amazing autistic kids. My son is immunocompromised, and you better believe that I will use my platform to advocate for anything that will help keep him and others…

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July 30, 2020