Autism, Aspergers, Rob Gorski,Special Needs Parenting, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Fibromyalgia,

Category Archive: #Autism Discussions

May 01 2013

#Autism and #SPD: Our struggle with clothes

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#Autism Discussions

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May 1, 2013

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Emmett is going to be 5 years old in the next few months and we are still struggling to keep him clothed. It’s one of those things that sorta make him who he is. 
He came home from my parents house yesterday and before I even saw him, I saw signs that he had been through here. 

It’s like the moment he arrived home he ran right up to the bathroom and took is clothes off. 

For the most part, he will keep his clothes on when he’s at his grandparents house but there are still times when we go to pick him up and he’s running around in his underpants.  :-)

While Emmett is a child with Autism, he’s also dealing with Sensory Processing Dysfunction as well. 

Basically, clothes hurt.

One of the biggest challenges for Emmett is wearing shoes and socks.  We can almost never accomplish that feat without a spending a great deal of time and energy.  We have to put on and take off, both his shoes and his socks, countless times tonight them just right. 
Even still, he simply tolerates them being on. That’s still a good thing though. 

We’ve made some definite strides forward but we’ve also had some setbacks as well. Thankfully, he almost always keeps his underpants on. 

That may sound like a funny thing to be thankful for considering……but I have heard from other parents that their child prefers to streak around in his or her naked nethers.

We will run across that on occasion but not too often.

When Emmett was still in occupational therapy, he was doing better. 

I would say that 95% of his time is spent in his underpants. If we had to go somewhere, he would get dressed, but the shoes and socks thing would once again be a problem..

For now, I’m really proud of how far he’s come over the past few years. 

I know it’s a process and will have its ups and downs along the way.  We have the summer to help him tolerate clothes son that he can survive the school day. 

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This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.



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Apr 28 2013

Do you yell too much?

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#Autism Discussions

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April 28, 2013

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Do you yell too much?

I don’t know how easy this question is to answer, for a number of reasons.  Having said that, and in the spirit of honesty, I’ll admit that this is something I personally struggle with. 

Now, it’s not like I’m screaming at my kids with Autism because I’m angry or frustrated.  I mean, maybe sometimes but only on rare occasions when I’m completely overloaded. 

That certainly doesn’t make it right but I’m only human and I’m not ashamed to admit that. 

What I find most often is that I’m having to raise my voice over the noise and chaos, simply to get someone’s attention.  Sometimes is simply a volume thing and not an anger or frustration thing.

Having said that, does my intention matter to my kids?
That’s a question that only they could answer but I suspect, that loud noise is loud noise.  I would guess that regardless of why I raise my voice, it’s disrupting to the stability of the entire household. 

Today for example, Elliott and Emmett have thrown away the recent truce and have been at each others throats all day long. 

I’m sick and literally have lost my voice.  In order to be heard, I have to talk quite loud. 

Emmett’s the kind of kid that pushes buttons and then pretends that he’s the most innocent child on the planet.  Meanwhile, Elliott’s freaking out over what Emmett did.

It’s seemingly endless. 

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Once Elliott’s worked up, it’s really tough to calm him down. 

Today was pretty bad and in order to stop the two of them from going back and forth, I had to raise my voice.  I had to speak louder than them because they simply couldn’t hear me.  Sure, I was frustrated but not angry.  I just wanted them to leave each other alone, so I could defuse the situation. 

The moment I raised my voice, Emmett backs down but Elliott’s just starts crying. 

It’s heartbreaking because I hate to see my kids cry.  I wasn’t angry or upset, I just needed them to stop fighting. 

I try to explain to both boys that sometimes Daddy has to raise his voice so that they can hear me. 

The boys are then asked if this is my angry face?

Sometimes it helps and other times it doesn’t. 

What I find so interesting is that they can tolerate the noise, screaming and chaos, so long as they are the ones making it. 

If anyone else is making the noise, it’s quite upsetting to them.   

It seems like it would be a mix of control and/or sensory issues behind this but I don’t know……

Sometimes I totally feel like there is far to much yelling in our house, even if it’s yelling at the dogs for doing something wrong. 

As special needs parents, we do the very best we can do in an oftentimes extremely overwhelming situation. 
I thought that perhaps we could kick around some ideas that could help bring so peace and quite to our respective homes. 


This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.



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Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2013/04/28/do-you-yell-too-much/

Apr 28 2013

Let’s talk #Autism and sensory needs

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#Autism Discussions

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April 28, 2013

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Raising kids with Autism and Sensory processing issues is challenging. Rewarding…..but challenging.

Between routines, loud noises, bright lights and tactile issues, it’s like a never ending battle. It’s like trying to avoid stepping on an invisible landmine while walking through a field full of them. 

How do you and your family manage? 

What struggles do  you face on a daily basis? Have you found anything that helps your family to avoid those invisible landmines?

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This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.



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Apr 22 2013

Today’s #Autism Discussion: Why does bath time have to suck so bad?

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April 22, 2013

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Perhaps this is a really dumb question, especially because I already know ow the answer.  However, I guess I’m more looking to hear others stories. 

It’s kind of like,  man, why does bath time have to suck so bad?

I mean,  it’s traumatizing for the kids on the spectrum, especially those with Autism and sensory issues.  Having said that, it can also be traumatic for the parents as well. 

My kids will often scream as though they are being tortured. In all fairness, in their minds it might very well be torture. 

Again I ask, we does bath time have to suck so bad?

Thoughts? Comments? Stories?  Leave them below in the comments.  

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This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.

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Apr 14 2013

#Autism and #SPD: Picky Eaters

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April 14, 2013

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I wanted to share a really good example of what families like mine go through, just trying to feed our kids.  This is an example of my personal experience but I’m pretty sure others can relate. 

Emmett is the absolute pickiest eater we have in our family. 

Meal time can go one of two ways.  It can either be a breeze or a complete nightmare.  This seems to be largely dependent on how his day has been up to that point. 

On an easy day, all I have to deal with is what you see below in the picture.  Basically, all I need to do is peal the lables of his little smoothie container. However, I can’t dent, scratch or ding the container in the process or it will be deemed undrinkable. 

On the more typical days, I will have to remake his meal several times before he’s willing to eat it. 

Let me clear one thing up right now, because I know at least one of you are thinking this.  This is not one of those situations where he will eat if he’s hungry.  Kids with Autism and Sensory Processing Issues would go hungry before eating something they deem to be inedible, even if it’s purely cosmetic.

There are times when I will actually have to go to the store because he won’t eat what we have due to the perception that somethings wrong with it. 

Maybe his chicken pattie isn’t perfectly round or has some  breading missing.  Perhaps, I dinged upnthe smoothie bottle while trying to remove the impossible to remove lable.

So far, today seems like a day where feeding him could be a bit less challenging. 

I thought I  the spirit of Autism Awareness Month, we could share our experience and help the world to better understand our kids on the spectrum.  :-)

Please Like and Share if you can relate to this.  :-)

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This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.

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Apr 13 2013

Do your kids like video games?

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#Autism Discussions

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April 13, 2013

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If there was only one common  thread between all kids, especially boys, it just might be their love of video games.  All three of my boys on the spectrum love playing video games. 

In Gavin’s case, video games have not always been a good thing for him. 

Much of Gavin’s life has been lived with almost no threshold for frustration.  Gavin can go from zero to frustrated in the blink of an eye.  Video games were a huge, huge trigger.

Elliott and Emmett do really well with video games.  Elliott doesn’t always want to turn them off when it’s time, but he’s getting better. 

Gavin was always drawn to the violence that can be in a game.  He was never aloud to play violent games and that didn’t go over well at times. 

Elliott is drawn to games that let him create his own world.  Games like Minecraft, Portal, Portal 2 and Age of Empires are among his most favorite.  Emmett on the other hand, doesn’t really have a preference because typically he wants Elliott to actually play for him, so he can just watch.

Video games have been a blessing and curse in our family. We limit their screen time son they can’t play endlessly and only allow them to play what we feel is appropriate for them.

Lately, Elliott has been getting back into Portal 2 and creating his own levels. 

Watching him create these world’s and use his imagination is truly amazing.  He has a beautiful mind and it’s jaw dropping to see the things his mind is capable of.

Do your kids play video games? What games do they live to play and how do you find balance?

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This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.

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Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2013/04/13/do-your-kids-like-video-games/

Apr 12 2013

What TV shows do you watch with your kids?

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#Autism Discussions

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April 12, 2013

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The Lost and Tired family hasn’t had cable television in several years.  We do however, have Netflix and we stream it to our TV.

We watch shows with our kids all the time. 

The boys pick out a series and we watch every episode, one at a time.  It’s really fun and we can watch as much or as little as we want. 

Right now we have been working on the Ben 10  Ultimate Alien.

The boys are really into Ben 10 right now and it’s a pleasant change. 

What shows do your kids really like to watch or what shows do you like to watch with your kids?

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This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-)

Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-)

For more ways to help the Lost and Tired family, please visit Help the Lost and Tired Family.

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Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2013/04/12/what-tv-shows-do-you-watch-with-your-kids/

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