When we first found out our sons diagnosis we were devastated and most of those beginning years were spent wondering why and focused far to much on how challenging things could be with him. In time we learned a most … Continue reading A Perspective Found
Whether you are having a typical child or a special needs child it’s natural to pull away for a time. It makes sense as you are trying to balance everything that has changed. The question is when do you try to start hanging out with others. One thing I have noticed a lot is parents with special needs kids sometimes never do. Everyone needs community but when you have a child on the spectrum you feel like you don’t belong anywhere, which makes you retract from people and when something happens there is very few people to lean on . … Continue reading You reap what you sew so invest in people
With a child on the spectrum its tough to juggle all the therapies and things to do so this is a quick over view of the todo list I have decided on. It isn’t perfect but its the best I have found. The good Clean interface Ability to handle complex “Projects” Able to create complicated repeating events Areas divides areas of your life and works well with tags when things over lap Integrated with calendar so you see it all in one place Iphone and ipad are distinctive apps not just a replay Apple Watch integration is the best I … Continue reading Things 3 -The todo list to rule them all
We were in denial but my mom knew that something was different about our oldest son. Thankfully my mom called in a professional which convinced us to start our journey by getting him evaluated. We knew something was different about … Continue reading D-day or Diagnosis Day
It came faster then we wanted and under less then ideal conditions but the day is here. We knew our Aba company only handled up to 6th grade and that we would need to find another company in the fall. Due to Kendra changing jobs with different insurance we had to stop services early. The other catch is we now have no services until we go through the whole process with the new insurance company. I am a little emo but I know things will work out. Continue reading A surreal end and new beginning
Someone who creates moments for others. They are few and far between but when you find a person who invites you to do things hold on to them. My buddy Chris is a spontaneous person that is always inviting me to do stuff last minute. A lot of times I will confess I am not able too but it’s always awesome when I do. This was one of those days where we got to watch a autism friendly movie and spend some time at the park. This year we are trying to Make room for the opportunity to hang out … Continue reading Be a moment-er
One of the first things we noticed with our son that indicated he was different was when he would separate himself from everyone else. I am not wired this way and always want to be around people so it has taken some getting use to. As he has gotten older I have started referring to this as the long walk and we work really hard at engaging with him so he doesn’t do it all the time. It has become a bit of a game of cat and mouse and we have fun with it but some times we need … Continue reading The long walk
I don’t know what age it starts but at some point as adults we lose our sense of adventure. I am not talking about wreck-less chance taking, stay away from those people. I am talking about something that gets you out of your comfort zone and lets you disconnect. A lot of my life as a special needs parent has been about denying all of the denying. How do you do this or that with a special needs child? How do you find time, space to do… I don’t know if it’s cultural or not but a lot of people … Continue reading The Adventure Man
It’s easy to get lost in all the therapies and busyness of being a parent with a special needs child. We get so busy we become human doings instead of human beings. Who am I? Am I lost? Finding moments to just be yourself especially something that pulls you out of your normal routine is a activity worth doing. This is me at LA critical mass cruising along the streets of LA. I pick somewhere way different to eat each time I am there and it’s always a adventure. When was the last time you did something on your own? … Continue reading Who am I
Just a few seconds before this shot he was throwing a fit about having his shoes on at the park. We say “I pick my battles” all the time but how well do we do that? I have found that being more laid back has helped turn a fit into giggling more often then not. How good are you at picking your battles? Do you have a bad day when your child is having a bad day? We become the solid rudder that steadies the ship if we stay positive and patient with our kids it isn’t easy but it’s … Continue reading Laidback
When you have a kid on the spectrum most of the attention is put on the child and rightly so to help them tackle the world with their unique challenges. One of the things we often over look as parents when we put are kids first is we also put all of our issues on our kids. With out meaning to we bring our dirty laundry for our kids to deal with. A parent that has issues with anger shouldn’t be shocked that their special needs kid has issues with anger. A parent who is really attached to their things … Continue reading Our Dirty Laundry
What do a watering can an iPad and a autistic kid have in common…. They are all in my room lol. The saying pick your battles is often interjected in dealing with marriage in general and to a lesser extent parenting as well however for parenting a kid with ASD its a survival tool. A battle I will always pick is being careful of non-verbal communication in front of my kids. Watching a really cool show called Reverie on NBC in the opening sequence of the first episode she talks about how much of our communication is non-verbal. Albert Mehrabian, … Continue reading Communicating in chaos
The Gravel Pack 