The most personal, popular, and inspirational posts from our journey. These are the stories that resonated most with our community.
Parenting is hard. There are no two ways about it. Parenting kids with unique challenges like autism, ADHD, anxiety, mental illness, or other physical/emotional disability can be even more...
December 7, 2021
I swear to God it feels like I’m always apologizing for not writing enough. I don’t know why I feel the need to do that but clearly I do. I guess that I feel as though I’m letting people down when I...
August 11, 2021
I want to talk about something that's really important and most parents don't get enough of. If you're a special needs parent, you're probably all too familiar with the word respite. Basically,...
August 4, 2021
I know there are people out there who are new to this blog or maybe just getting to know me, so I thought now might be a great time to share an update that focuses on my journey. I haven't done one...
June 4, 2021
Tomorrow is never guaranteed. We're only ever guaranteed right now, in this moment. So often these moments get wasted. I'm guilty of doing that myself, far more often than I'd like to admit. I was...
April 29, 2021
I woke up this morning, super early, filled with clarity, and laser focused. The laser focused part might be a bit of an exaggeration but I wish I was laser focused. The clarity part is very true,...
April 20, 2021
So apparently I was on TV again over the last few days. I didn't know anything about it. My brother messaged me last night to say that he was going through the guide on his TV and he heard my voice...
January 4, 2021
I had a very challenging morning with my youngest. He's a ball of rage and pain and fear and anger. He got into it with his brothers this morning and just exploded. This isn't who he is but rather...
November 26, 2020
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...
November 19, 2020
It's been a little while since I've really talked about how I'm doing on a personal level. There's not really a reason for that I'm just a bit overwhelmed and when this happens, it's not as easy for...
October 9, 2020
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...
October 1, 2020
I had therapy yesterday and I feel like I'm making progress. I'm the picture of imperfection and I'm the first to admit that but the last to forgive myself for it. This last year has been incredibly...
September 18, 2020
There are a million reasons why this school year is a nightmare for so many students and families. Parents are struggling to find balance and that included me. I don't see how kids are going to...
September 16, 2020
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...
August 12, 2020
First of all, I really appreciate all the love and support. We're all in this together and I sometimes forget that. Thank you for the many reminders. &x263a; I wanted to share a bit more about...
August 9, 2020
So last night was pretty rough. We're coming up on the one year mark since Lizze moved out and while I feel like the kids are doing better, there's still a tremendous amount of pain. Each of the kids...
August 5, 2020
I shared my recent interview with ABC Newshttps://www.theautismdad.com/2020/07/29/i-spoke-on-abc-news-tonight-about-the-importance-of-masks/ on the topic of wearing masks, and there have been some...
July 30, 2020
I'm making some progress in the creating a new routine department and I'm pretty proud of myself. Actually, I'm proud of my kids as well because they're slowly adjusting. We're on day 143 or 144 of...
July 27, 2020
I wanted to share something that happened recently. There's so much going on that sorta drowns out moments like these. The other day, Elliott was digging through some drawers and he found a very...
April 30, 2020
Look, am I okay? No. No I'm not. I imagine if I asked you the same question and I do almost every single night on Twitter, many of you would answer the same way. The world is absolutely crazy right...
April 13, 2020
While talking with a new friend of mine recently, I was reminded of something I've lost sight of in recent months and perhaps even recent years. We were discussing selfcare and the possibility of...
January 6, 2020
I was at the grocery store today with my kids. Walmart to be exact and the kids were doing pretty well. I was a little frustrated with them but truthfully, that's more on me and less than them. We...
November 3, 2019
So I've been avoiding talking about specifically what caused my marriage to implode and that's not going to change. Truthfully, there's a great deal I still don't understand myself and probably never...
October 20, 2019
As Autism and Special Needs parents, we're good at a great many things. We're relentless, devoted, loving, kind, compassionate problem solving caretakers, among other things. One of the things that...
March 29, 2019
One of the things that are difficult in my life as a special needs Dad is coming to terms with my own humanity. What I mean by that is accepting my limitations as a parent, embracing my emotions and...
February 16, 2019
As an Autism parent, one of the things I've learned is the importance of being positive. Autism parenting can often be stressful and filled with challenge. It's easy to get caught up in all the...
January 21, 2019
Broken Plates The other day, I was talking about judgment on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/theautismdad. It became a discussion with numerous parents because it's something that's still a problem, even...
January 15, 2019
I'm feeling incredibly defeated today and there's a number of legitimate reasons for that. It's important to put things into context so here's a but of background. Life is tough for my family on a...
January 3, 2019
Yesterday was a bit more challenging than is usually the case. I was pretty much non-stop until the kids went to bed. I suppose it's non-stop on most days until the kids go to bed but sometimes I can...
December 12, 2018
The boys and I decorated the Christmas tree this morning. I think it looks really nice. Emmett was super excited to get this done but everyone else didn't seem to care one way or the other. Christmas...
December 9, 2018
I'm really trying to keep up with writing. When I first started, almost 10 years ago, you could literally follow us along our journey because I wrote constantly. I don't do that so much anymore but...
October 16, 2018
I'm really excited about today. I spoke yesterday about my current struggles with depression and anxiety. Sometimes I have good days and sometimes I have bad days. Today is a mixed bag for me but I'm...
September 29, 2018
I've been very open about my struggles with mental illness and I'll continue to be that way. There's absolutely no shame is struggling with mental illness. Getting help for mental illness is also...
August 28, 2018
Life is hard sometimes. I think most humans would agree with that. We all have limitations and life likes to test those. As an Autism parent, life and sometimes feel impossible. Between the...
August 27, 2018
There's been some discussions lately on my Twitter feedhttp://twitter.com/the_autism_dad about whether or not you should be putting your child with Autism into any type of therapy. What I'm seeing is...
August 22, 2018
I've always been different. I never really got into trouble as a kid or teenager. I never drank in high school and to this day, I've never done any form of recreational drugs or even smoked a...
August 13, 2018
We had a pretty good day in our little corner of the world. The boys went to a cookout with Lizze's parents, Lizze rested because of a really bad migraine and I hung out with Gavin. This whole thing...
July 9, 2018
I've been a voice in the Autism community for almost a decade. People have gravitated to me because I say what they're thinking without them having to say it. I don't judge those with differing...
June 25, 2018
It's no secret that I'm struggling at the moment. You can read 3 tell-tale signs I need help with my...
June 12, 2018
As an Autism parent, life is exceptionally stressful and that's on the good days. When things in life get rocky, for whatever reason, my body and mind simply want to shutdown. It's a...
May 25, 2018
Being an Autism parent isn't easy. In fact, it's considered to be among the most difficult things a human being can do. Every person with Autism is unique in their own right. They each have their own...
April 26, 2018
I'm so stressed out that I'm feeling sick to my stomach. Truthfully, I'd be sick to my stomach anyways cause of this stupid Paxil withdrawal but stress makes it so much worse. Rather than continually...
April 3, 2018
I'll be the first to admit, it's easy to judge someone or something you don't understand. Sometimes these are snap judgments based on one's initial impressions of a situation. Unfortunately, parents...
March 28, 2018
In my family, we don't experience too many situations that fall into the normal category. With special needs kids, normal is something that we have almost no comprehension of. Normal is a subjective...
March 6, 2018
When you're a special needs parent, it's quite common to feel overwhelmed. If you did a keyword search in this blog, you'd find countless times I've used the word overwhelmed to describe how I'm...
February 19, 2018
I remember the moment each one of my kids was diagnosed with Autism. It's permanently seared into my brain because these moments are among the most pivotal in my life. One of the things I remember...
February 8, 2018
Despite all the positive thoughts and optimistic approach to this morning, it's become a fucking nightmare. Emmett is freaking out, Elliott is not being super cooperative and Gavin won't stop talking...
February 6, 2018
I've been an Autism parent for almost seventeen years. In other words, I've done this a very, very long time. Along the way, I've learned countless lessons. Unfortunately, many of those lessons were...
February 3, 2018
Lizze and I were discussing the school issues that have become an unwelcome visitors in our lives. It's pretty obvious to us that there are no good options because we'd likely be trading one problem...
February 1, 2018
I get so frustrated and overwhelmed because there are so many impossible decisions that need to be made on what feels like a daily basis. What are impossible decisions? Impossible decisions are...
January 31, 2018
I've been working for almost a decade to help people better understand what Special Needs Parents go through. Whether it's Autism, ADHD or even fragile health, there's a story to be told and insight...
January 30, 2018
I wanted to take a minute and wish all of my readers, wherever they may be, a safe and happy New Year. I hope that we all find peace and happiness in the New Year. My wish for 2018 is that we can all...
January 1, 2018
With Christmas quickly approaching and a house full of kids with Autism, we are bracing ourselves for a very challenging couple of weeks. Christmas is every kids favorite holiday and our kids are no...
December 21, 2017
We are getting some breathing room today, at least for a little while anyway. Lizze's parents came and picked the boys up for the day because they're awesome. &x263a; We're not getting as many breaks...
November 26, 2017
The goal for this morning is to get the kids to school on time and if I'm lucky, in a good mood. &x263a; Immediately after that, I have to run Gavin across town for what will end up consuming the...
November 13, 2017
While I utilize this blog to help support my family, I do that by helping others. Not everyone appreciates what I do here and that's okay because it's probably not for them. The people that I'm doing...
November 12, 2017
I wanted to take a few minutes and to say a few things about the terrorist attack that our fellow countrymen in New York endured yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by...
November 1, 2017
Update: I misread this woman's profile and it turns out she's not Autistic. My apologies for that. I misunderstood her profile and based on her attack, I incorrectly assumed she was an Autistic...
October 31, 2017
It's not easy to explain how anxious I am tonight. I'm anxious because I haven't yet received Gavin's lab results from yesterday. This doesn't necessarily mean anything good or bad, they just haven't...
October 31, 2017
I know it's not possible for every Autism parent in the world to take a daily nap. If I were in charge, I would make it so that every Autism parent would be able to nap. I consider myself to be one...
September 14, 2017
It doesn't matter if your kids are special needs or not, kids drive their parents crazy. As a member of both parenting and special needs parenting communities, I'm often trying to find ways to help...
August 27, 2017
I turned 39 yesterday and I want to thank everyone for all the well wishes. I truly appreciate it. I've never been one that was bothered by birthdays or getting older. If you ask Lizze, she'll tell...
August 25, 2017
I wanted to take a few minutes and reach out to my fellow parents because I think that's the best approach in stopping hate before it begins. Trying to reach those neck deep in hate already, is...
August 19, 2017
Lizze and I have found ourselves back in a place where we have to make decisions about Gavin's life that simply aren't always black and white. Gavin has an extraordinary amount of health issues, and...
August 13, 2017
If you've checked out Lizze's bloghttp://www.themamaspace.com , you will learn that she's really struggling with depression right now. Please understand that when she's writing about how she's...
August 6, 2017
I don't know how many people ever feel this way, let alone admit it, but there are times where I seriously question what the powers that be were thinking when they put me on this path. Being a...
July 31, 2017
Life isn't easy on the best of days, let alone the rest. I know how hard it can be to continue moving forward when things get so overwhelming that it's hard to think straight. I've been there so many...
July 22, 2017
First of all, Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, pulling their weight and actively involved in their kids lives. I also want to say Happy Father's Day to all the single Mom's out there...
June 18, 2017
From a purely self-centeric perspective, I fucking hate meltdowns. Did I say I hate meltdowns, because I fucking hate meltdowns. I have had all the screaming I can take today. My God, it's been one...
June 1, 2017
All I want to do today is make progress on the things in my life. I want to get the house caught up, but I'm running into a problem. I'm so completely exhausted, I don't have the energy or the...
April 25, 2017
In life, there are always things to worry about. Sometimes however, one has to focus on the now, and put the worries for the future to the side. Today is one of those such days. After all the...
April 15, 2017
I wanted to share one of the things I'm doing to help with my weight-loss journey. In the time before I had kids or hurt my back, I was a body builder. I worked out seven days a week and loved every...
April 12, 2017
There's a whole lot going on during Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ Awareness month. There's a huge focus put on people becoming more aware, understanding and excepting of those...
April 12, 2017
Being an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent is overwhelming. I think anyone who's parenting a child with Autism would likely agree with that statement. What I think we can...
April 5, 2017
You can never have good without the bad. You can't have bad without the good. In order to better understand what our life is like and how life's little bumps impact us, you need to know the whole...
April 3, 2017
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April 2, 2017
One of the things I've really tried to instill in the families that follow our story, is that no matter what you may expect from yourself, at the end of the day you're only human. It's important...
March 28, 2017
If you're a special needs parent, struggling to navigate this challenging life you been given, you are not alone. I've had a particularly challenging day with my three kids with...
March 8, 2017
There are always those people who don't understand or misunderstand the purpose of this site or my writing style. I wanted to provide some insight into the how's and why's because I've received a...
February 22, 2017
People ask me all the time to describe what it's like to be an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent. That's a tough question and I often struggle to come up with the words to...
February 6, 2017
I've been dragging a little bit lately. Honestly, I feel completely spent, like all the life has been drained from my body. My diet and exercise journey has suffered as a result. The problem is...
January 14, 2017
Being a parent period, is a difficult but rewarding task. When you're an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ or Special Needs parent, that difficulty level is increased to the nth...
January 12, 2017
One of the things that I've seen as an obstacle within the Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ community, is our ability to work together regardless of our differing beliefs. I've...
January 11, 2017
I've been connecting with so many new Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ or Special Needs parents lately. While this is such a cool thing for me because connecting with others in a...
January 11, 2017
So my day has gotten more and more frustrating as the it's gone on. Most of the frustration revolves around Gavin. He's not trying to drive me crazy but he's managing to do an exceptional job, with...
January 3, 2017
One of the most important lessons I've learned as an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent is that this shit is hard. I used to run into burning houses and rescue people from...
November 26, 2016
While I avoid politics on this site, I feel compelled to take a stand and use my platform to share a message that I hope with resonate with my readers. I don't care who you voted for in this...
November 18, 2016
Part of my job is to help the world at large better understand what goes into being an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent. A large component of that, unfortunately, is stress...
November 12, 2016
I know I probably sound like a scratched record but I'm going to keep climbing up on my soap box for this one because I truly believe it's just that important. As important as this topic is, it's...
October 31, 2016
I really prefer to both live in and deal with reality. This means that I don't like sugar coating anything because it detracts from the authenticity or the honesty of the experience. It can also...
October 22, 2016
I'm just sitting here waiting for the boys to get out of school. I really appreciate this time to myself because it gives me time to think and sorta collect myself. As a parent to three with...
October 6, 2016
One of the things that I can personally struggle with in regards to Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parenting and parenting in general for that matter, is self-doubt. If there is...
October 1, 2016
This issomething I've been meaning to talk about but haven't gotten around to it. I know many of you parenting kids with Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ and or sensory processing...
September 24, 2016
Going into this post, please know that I truly understand that every parent faces challenge and struggle. Parenting isn't easy and that should go without saying. When I speak about the unique...
September 10, 2016
I got everything I needed to get done this morning, done. That's pretty awesome. That being said, it's one of those days where I am just so beat, I ended up having to take a nap. It may seem like...
September 7, 2016
I sure have been quiet lately and I'm sorry for that. The truth is I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed and writing about it sometimes feels like living through it twice. Forcing myself to write...
August 17, 2016
One of the things that I've found really frustrating along my Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ Parenting journey is a lack of validation. It used to be that when we would send...
August 13, 2016
Whenever I doubt that the world will ever truly become Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ Aware or that my efforts make a difference, something comes out of left field and renews my...
August 8, 2016
One of the things that my wife and I learned from our separation was that we had become so wrapped up in the care of our three children with Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/, that...
August 5, 2016
Over the many years that I've been writing about our Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ journey, I've tried very hard to help people understand the very basics of how...
July 15, 2016
No matter how much we put into Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ Awareness or whatever the Hell you want to call it now, in many cases, it's just not going to work. People are...
July 4, 2016
One of the things that really sucks when you're struggling for lack of a better word, is birthdays. Today is Emmett's birthday and unfortunately, it falls between pays. When you're living...
June 26, 2016
Mental illness is something that impacts people in real life. It's something that is so misunderstood and stigmatized because it's often an invisible illness, meaning it's not visible on the outside....
June 23, 2016
One of the biggest Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parenting challenges I've consistently faced, has to do with the how's and why's of the decisions I make. There's a million...
June 20, 2016
After almost 2 years of separation, my wife Lizze moved back home and we have finally reunified our family. It's been a long, painful journey but it was worth it because we made it through and are...
June 13, 2016
I want to share this because despite how far we've come as a society, there's still so much judgement and cruelty in the world today. Please take a second and help me share this positive message....
June 10, 2016
Having been an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent for 15 years and currently being separated from my wife for almost 2 of those years, I've gained a great deal of insight that...
May 31, 2016
They say that as we get older, we become wiser. Sometimes I think that's what we say to make ourselves feel better about getting older but I'd like to think there's also some truth to it as well....
May 23, 2016
It was a really long night and I ended up falling asleep this morning, before finishing this post. That being said, I'm alive and alert once again, so here it goes. lol This morning was a rough...
May 13, 2016
Please read and share this very brief but extremely important Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ Awareness message. Regardless of where your child with Autism falls on the spectrum,...
May 9, 2016
Recently I began wondering what the job description of an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent might look like. Below are 20 of the most important requirements that I can think...
May 6, 2016
Being a Dad isn't easy on the good days. Trying to navigate this world on the bad ones is often treacherous. When you add things like Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/, being a...
April 21, 2016
Disclaimer: When I say you, I'm referring to the figurative you and not anyone in particular. So please don't take it that way because it's not meant to be taken in that manner. There are some truly...
March 26, 2016
I haven't written anything like this in awhile because I've been wrapped up in my own life lately but this is really important to me so I wanted to out this out there. Back when I was writing as...
March 4, 2016
I've been doing the Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ Parenting thing over a decade now. While I'm no expert, I'm extremely experienced in at least my kids. There are so many things...
February 13, 2016
The definition of success is likely different for everyone. Some people equate success with money and power. Others may see it as mastering a trade or earning promotions at work. When it comes...
February 5, 2016
I realize the title of this post is easily answered by saying something like ummm, because you love them or it's the law. Yes, both of those are true but there's also a reason I asked the...
January 22, 2016
Something extremely important to remember but all too often forgotten is that Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ is called a spectrum disorder for a reason. Autism is a profoundly...
January 11, 2016
"This is why I never quit, walk away or give-up" There are times when I'm so tired of fighting this fight, day in and day out, that I just want quit or give-up. I think that I'm only designed...
December 21, 2015
"Focus on what you can actually control rather than the things you can't" People ask me pretty often, how am I doing so well with everything I have going on? I would always just say that I do what I...
December 11, 2015
One of the many jobs of an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent is to try and decipher what their child needs, especially when that child isn't able to vocalize it for...
December 9, 2015
Parenting isn't easy. Anyone can make a baby but not everyone can be a parent to that child. This holds, even more, truth when it comes to special needs parenting. I don't know anyone who's...
December 4, 2015
"10 Things That Special Needs Parents Wished You Knew" This post is dedicated to all the special needs parents of the world. We live a very challenging life and it's very difficult to help the...
December 3, 2015
Without transparency, this site and my mission would lose its purpose. Transparency allows you to gain better insight into what's going on, not only in my life but also inside my head....
November 30, 2015
This post was written a few months ago and never published here. I want to share it anyway because I feel it's a good message Sometimes life can be pretty darn shitty. There are challenges upon...
November 23, 2015
I know how hard life as an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent can be. I know because I live it each and every day of my life. You wouldn't believe or maybe you would how many...
November 23, 2015
You asked for it and you have it. This is my personal opinion on a topic that is sensitive and currently all over the news and social media once again. I'm looking at this issue from a different...
November 23, 2015
I wanted to share a few thoughts with you because I think it's really important to keep a proper perspective on things. I've been a public figure in the world of...
November 23, 2015
This is just a quick note to everyone who feels the need to judge, ridicule or otherwise make assumptions about an Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ parent, based on what they see...
November 5, 2015
As much press as Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ seems to get lately, I don't feel like we are any closer to reaching a point where people are aware of what Autism is, let alone...
October 27, 2015
Sometimes it's important to step back and take inventory of one's life. This could be necessary for a multitude of reasons. I have honestly forgotten to do that myself lately. In fact, I haven't...
October 26, 2015
This is something that I struggle with quite a bit but this is what I tell myself in the really bad days.. I truly hope it helps you to find the strength to make it through those really bad days.....
August 21, 2015
I've been focusing a great deal on my failures lately, as the title of this post states but I'm not doing this intentionally.. I could be wrong but I suspect many of us single and or special needs...
August 21, 2015
This post has a very special purpose. It focuses solely on the challenges of being special needs parent. As special needs parents, we all know that the challenges are well worth it and there are many...
August 15, 2015
I want to be straight up and completely real here for a minute. Not that I do anything but that anyway. &x1f609; I love hearing from my readers, be it here or on Facebook, etc. Two of the things...
August 14, 2015
As the rates of Autismhttps://www.theautismdad.com/category/autism/ continues to skyrocket, the likely hood of you knowing someone that is a special needs parent is growing as well. Maybe you already...
August 12, 2015
Being a special needs parent can be frustrating for a multitude of reasons. I bet if I asked random people, what they thought the hardest part of being a special needs parent was, there would be some...
August 10, 2015
It's so hard for people to understand what special needs families are faced with on a daily basis. I tried to put just some of the daily challenges and choices I have to make, into words. My hope is...
August 9, 2015
Something that I think people often underestimate about special needs parenting is just how exhausting it is. I can personally attest to how exhausting it is. In fact, I'm exhausted right now....
August 5, 2015
AS SEEN ON CNN HEALTHhttps://www.cnn.com/2012/04/16/health/autism-homeless-man/index.html The story in the below post happened to me on February 22, 2011. This event has forever changed my life....
February 25, 2011
