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

Tag Archive: Thanks

Feb 12 2013

@IdolianTab Mini Studio Dual Core 8″ #Android Tablet Giveaway #1

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Welcome to the latest and greatest giveaway from Lost and Tired. I’m honored to work with Idolian, in conjunction with millerrupp.com to make this giveaway possible. I haven’t met any other company that was willing to step up and help provide the autismj community with this much needed technology. They deserve all the credit for this.

This particular giveaway is the first for the month of February. The giveaway is for the recently reviewed Idolian Mini Studio Dual Core, 8″ android tablet (See Mini Studio 8″ #Android Tablet Review). This android tablet is a direct competitor to the new iPad 20130212_091605. _wmMini. The Mini Studio by Idolian, stacks up spec for spec (with the exception of the camera) with the more expensive iPad Mini.

It also has all the massive advantages that go along with the android OS as well, the biggest being customization and choice.

Now for the details of the giveaway.

First and foremost, the disclaimer:

Members of the Lost and Tired family are not eligible for this giveaway. This contest is for the continental US Residents ONLY. Sorry, I can’t afford international shipping.

This giveaway is for one (1) Mini Studio 8″ android tablet by Idolian. This contest will run from 02/12/2013 – 02/20/2013. You can enter by using the form below. If for any reason you need to contact me, you can do so by clicking here.

Good luck.

 

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Permanent link to this article: http://www.lostandtired.com/2013/02/12/idoliantab-mini-studio-dual-core-8-android-tablet-giveaway-1/

Jan 27 2013

Look who just won a FREE #Android Tablet. You could be next!!!!

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I’m super stoked to announce the winner of our second IdolPad 9, android tablet giveaway. I’ve hooked up with Idolian to continue giving more android tablets away. My goal is to get as many android tablets to my readers as I possibly can.

I have the best readers in the world and ya’ll deserve this.

Check this site frequently for new giveaways and to see who’s won already.

Also, be sure to stop by Idolian’s site by clicking the image below. They have an amazing assortment of extremely affordable tablets and accessories.

Logo-Idolian

Now, the reason we’re all here today is to announce the winner of our 2nd IdolPad 9 giveaway.

The Winner is Entry #313 Kathryn G.

Kathryn has been notified of her winnings and is very excited to receive her tablet. 🙂

Below is the link to view the detailed information about the IdolPad 9 and the expired giveaway.

@IdolianTab’s IdolPad 9 android tablet giveaway #2 (01/15/2013 – 01/23/2013) 

 

Right now, our sister site, My Life Beyond Labels is currently hosting yet another IdolPad 9 giveaway. If you missed out on the previous giveaways, you still have another chance. You can find that giveaway by clicking here.

I will also be giving away several, more high end tablets in February.

Stay Tuned. 🙂

 

Permanent link to this article: http://www.lostandtired.com/2013/01/27/look-who-just-won-a-free-android-tablet/

Dec 31 2012

My Broken Heart

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Please check out the follow up post to My Broken Heart. It’s a look back over the past year since this whole thing took place. See: Life After My Broken Heart

To my readers:

The story in the below post happened to me on February 22, 2011. This event has forever changed my life. Please help me share it. This is why we desperately need Autism Awareness. Thank you for reading and helping me share my story…

-LT

My broken heart: The Story of The Bare-Handed Man

It’s been a few days since I have spoken with all of you. Something happened to me a few days ago that I have been struggling to deal with it. I hope you all truly hear what I’m about to share with you. I want everyone to read this and know what happened. Not because of what I did but because of what I learned… Please share this story and help spread awareness.

A few days ago I went to Giant Eagle to pick up some groceries. We had a winter storm on the way and I needed to pick up a few things in case we got snowed in again. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot right in front of the entrance. My back is out again so I can’t walk very far. As I was pulling into the spot I had to wait for some people to move out the way. They were just standing in the parking spot. Their car was in the next spot over but they just stood there and shot me a few dirty looks,  like “who was I to expect them to move”. I just waited, it wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t even upset. They eventually started to get into their car and moved out of the way so I could pull in.

The snow had already started to fall and we were getting about 1″ per hour. I sat there a second collecting what I needed to take into the store. I just happened to look over at the people that were still getting into their car and I saw a large black man standing there. I didn’t see where he came from but in one minute he wasn’t there and the next minute he was.  Then I realized what he was doing. He was wiping the snow and ice off their windshield with his bare hands. The woman looked at him, like, “how dare you touch my car”.
She was clearly disgusted just breathing the same air. Instead of asking him to stop or giving him a few dollars she tried to run him down. She gunned the car forward so fast that her friend who was trying to get into the back seat had the back passenger door slammed on him and he was left standing in the snow. The man who had been trying to clean the windshield was knocked back. This woman just kept shouting things to the man with the bare hands.

Hands_by_rE_Fuuused

I was in shock. I had never seen anything like that before and I never want to again. A few seconds later the man gets up and walks over to me and knocks on my window. I hadn’t even begun to process what I had just seen. Now he was coming over to me and I had no idea what I was going to say. Shamefully, I was thinking “please not now, I just want to get what I need and get home”. Where I live it’s not uncommon for people to approach you for money. So I knew what was probably about to happen. I took a deep breath and started to open the door. The bare handed man opened it the rest of the way, being careful not to hit the car next to me.

The bare handed man was under dressed for the weather and obviously cold. He asked me for change. I gave him everything I had, $2.37. He started talking to me but couldn’t look me in the eye. As he was telling me how cold and hungry he was, I watched as he was unable to control his hands. It was like he was playing an invisible piano. He had a very hard time talking to me and I could see he was much more uncomfortable then I was. He clearly had boundary issues but I never felt threatened in any way. He kept staring off and would occasionally look in my direction but never at me and I never saw his eyes. He stood about 1 or 2 feet in front of me and asked me to drive him to a shelter because it’s “warm there and they have food”.  He informed me that he was “homeless and very hungry”. He then told me that he “was not lying to me”. He said “if I lie to you then you might not help me”. He asked me to buy him some food and gloves. I thought about what to say. I knew he would have hard time understanding. I don’t have any money. My family is struggling to survive each day. I would literally be taking away from what little my family has and I just couldn’t. I was trying to figure out how to explain to him that I couldn’t help him. I was lost for words.

Then something happened that shook me to the core and completely broke my heart. As I was trying to form the words I needed to tell him “no”, he looked me in the eyes. All of the sudden I was looking at Gavin. Gavin is the oldest of our three special needs boys (all Autistic). Gavin is 11 years old and is also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as well. Looking at the bare handed man was looking through some special window at my son Gavin, 20 or 30 years from now. It was a kick in gut. I was overcome with emotion. It was like I was run over by a freight train. I can’t put words together to really describe what that moment was like.

He again asked me to buy him food because he was hungry and gloves because his hands were cold. Something about him was so familiar and yet I’d never met him before. I looked at him and told him I would buy him some food. He smiled in my direction and took my hand (without looking at me) and led me into the store. He didn’t fit in with the rest of the people in there. His clothes were old, beat up and didn’t smell very good. He had clearly been through a great deal in his life and it showed in his face. I noticed the looks people gave me as I walked with the bare handed man into the grocery store. He asked me to buy him a gift card so he could buy food later on when he is hungry again. So we walked over to the rack and he picked out a Giant Eagle gift card. He asked for other ones but I just couldn’t. We went to the register to ring it up and I explained how to use it. I put $25 on the gift card and the cashier asked if I wanted any cash back. I had them give me $25 cash back. I gave it to the bare handed man and asked him to please buy himself some gloves and a bus ride to the shelter. The last thing he asked was to have the receipt so “when the police stop me, I can prove I didn’t steal this”.

He told me again that he wasn’t lying. I told him I knew he wasn’t. He turned to walk away and he stopped and looked in my direction as to say “Thank You” but didn’t. What he did said more than a simple thank you. He showed me his eyes again for a brief moment before he turned around and left. I stood there completely heartbroken as I watched my son Gavin walking away into the cold.  I was beside myself with grief. How could someone I didn’t know have such a profound effect on me?

I just couldn’t shake just how much the bare handed man reminded me of Gavin. I tried to finish the shopping I had to do but I couldn’t remember anything I was supposed to get. I walked up and down the aisles on “autopilot” doing everything I could not to burst into tears. I got to the end of the store and realized I still had an empty cart. All I could think was “how does that happen”. I was smacked in the face with reality. Someday I won’t be here to take care of my kids. What if this happens to them? What if they are the ones wiping off a windshield with their bare hands and almost getting run over by someone who clearly doesn’t care.

I screwed up grocery shopping. I just couldn’t focus on anything. I got what I could remember with what little I had left and drove home.  I was completely lost at that point. I just couldn’t process what had just happened. All I could think about was not allowing this to happen to my kids in the future. The horrifying truth is that someday I won’t be here for my kids and I pray they are never in that same situation. I truly hope that if they are, someone will show them kindness and compassion. These are my babies and I get sick to my stomach thinking about what their future holds.

I got home and unloaded the groceries and was in the kitchen with Lizze. I wasn’t going to say anything to her about it but I had to because we already were struggling and now things were going to be even tighter and she deserved to know why. I looked her in the eyes and told her what had happened. I just sobbed and sobbed on the floor in my kitchen. I couldn’t control myself or keep my emotions in check. That has only ever happened to me when I watched Lizze give birth to our kids. The past few days have been rough because I just can’t seem to get past this. All I can think about is my kids and their future. My heart has been broken and I live with the reality that this could be one or more of my kids in the future.

This has been very difficult for me to write. I’m still very emotional. Most parents will never know this fear but I do. Parents of special needs kids live with this indescribable fear each and every day. I wanted to share this story because we CANNOT allow this to happen to our kids. Please help me spread Autism Awareness. I don’t care what it takes but the world needs to be better. These people NEED compassion and understanding. My kids need your compassion and understanding… Please give them that much, I beg you….

 

I also published this article on CNN Health Check it out by clicking the CNN

logo. I rewrote the article so that more people, especially those unfamiliar with special needs parenting could relate. The article collected 37,000+ “Likes” and counting.

 

Please check out the follow up post to My Broken Heart. It’s a look back over the past year since this whole thing took place. See: Life After My Broken Heart

 

If you liked this piece, you might also like: 10 Things My Autistic Kids Wish You Knew or Thank You For Judging Me

Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2011/02/24/my-broken-heart/

Dec 06 2012

Nominate an #Autism family in need, including your own for grants

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On a personal note: I have recently had the chance to speak with Karen Chung, founder and chief executive officer of Special Learning, personally. We spoke at length via phone and I’m very impressed with her work. I will be working with Special Learning going forward and I’m excited to see all the good things we can do for the community. 

-Rob Gorski


Special Learning, Inc. and Step By Step Launch Grassroots Campaign to Raise Money for Families Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder

 

The Helping Hearts for Autism campaign will raise money for families affected by autism in need of financial support during the holidays.

CHICAGO, Illinois, and COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dec. 5, 2012 – In an effort to recognize the importance of giving to those in need, Special Learning, Inc., the leading global provider of mobile technology applications and educational resources for the autism community, and its sister organization, Step By Step, a highly regarded nonprofit autism treatment center in central Ohio, announced today a new grassroots effort to raise money for worthy families in need of financial support during the Christmas season.

The campaign, named Helping Hearts for Autism, is designed to bring financial aid and assistance to families of individuals with autism during a trying and often financially difficult time of year. Special Learning and Step By Step are collecting cash donations, which will be combined into $500 grants with an in-kind, dollar for dollar match, in the form of Special Learning products to be given away to the chosen families.

Families chosen to receive the grants, which do not have to be repaid, will be selected by a group of advisors appointed by Special Learning and Step by Step.

“Individuals with autism have endless needs that often drive their families into financial and physical distress, especially during the holiday season,” said Karen Chung, founder and chief executive officer of Special Learning. “As part of our mission to bring a sense of relief and security to these families this season, we want to team up with our friends around the globe through social media and beyond to provide them with a small gift that lets them know they are not alone in their journey.”

Through the seasonal campaign, which runs through December 19, Chung said Special Learning and Step By Step hope to contribute to at least 10 families, but they will offer as many grants as possible with the amount of funds received.

“Through a small, but generous, donation of even just $10 to Helping Hearts for Autism, individuals can make an incredible difference in the lives of an individual with autism and their family,” Chung said. “The need for donations for families like these is so great, but if enough of us come together, we can certainly make a difference in the lives of so many of these families during this holiday season.” 

To be considered, eligible families must be nominated by sending an email to jroumeliote@[email protected]. Nominations should include complete contact information for the family and a synopsis of the family’s story, detailing the need and why the grant and in-kind products will benefit the applicant. Families may nominate themselves but must also submit their story via email and include their contact information.

Families selected to receive the grants and donations will be featured in upcoming newsletters, blogs and other Special Learning materials.

To donate now to Helping Hearts for Autism, please visit http://www.special-learning.com/store/product/438. 

For more information about Special Learning, visit http://www.special-learning.com/home.

Step By Step currently serves children, teens and adults throughout the greater Columbus, Ohio, metro area. For more information about Step By Step, visit http://www.stepbystepacademy.org.

 

About Special Learning

Special Learning is the leading global provider of autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) solutions. Special Learning designs mobile applications and educational resources based on clinical evidence-based research to ensure that every person diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is capable of attaining an abundant and fulfilling life. Through its comprehensive web portal, Special Learning provides the global autism community with a range of ABAtraining and educational products, web-based and downloadable tools and professional services to empower parents, teachers and providers so that they can help individuals with autism move up the skills spectrum intuitively, successfully and affordably. Follow Special Learning on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/speciallearning, and Twitter, https://twitter.com/speciallearning.

 

About Step By Step, Inc.

Step By Step is a private, nonprofit treatment center for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Using its Continuum of Care model, it offers a range of services designed to diagnose the nature and extent of the condition and provide the appropriate treatment and environment across the spectrum for children, adolescents and young adults. In addition to center-based programs, Step By Step offers direct services to the community including assessment, intensive behavioral intervention treatment, speech, psychology and psychiatric services, as well as parent advocacy, case management, counseling, and parent and professional trainings. Step By Step has several partnerships with local school districts to provide successful behavioral intervention programs directly within a school setting. Follow Step By Step on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/stepbystepacademy, and Twitter, https://twitter.com/SBSA_Ohio.

 

 

Permanent link to this article: http://www.lostandtired.com/2012/12/06/nominate-an-autism-family-in-need-including-your-own-for-grants/

Oct 13 2012

Defying Gravity

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I wanted to share something that I thought was pretty amazing….

 

Elliott, my 6 year old with Aspergers absolutely loves the Glee version of Defying Gravity. What I truly find amazing is that he really likes the words of the song. He says it makes him feel better to listen to this.

I think it’s pretty deep for a 6 year old to recognize that a song has a message that fits his life.

This is one of those truly profound moments that really amaze me as a parent. I really think it’s cool that Elliott can relate to a song’s lyrics.

In my opinion, I think this song absolutely describes Elliott and I can understand why he relates to it so much. For a little boy, asked to cope with way too much in life, Elliott is struggling with many things but never gives up.

As far as I’m concerned, this song was written for him.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://www.lostandtired.com/2012/10/13/defying-gravity/

Aug 19 2012

Can a dog have PICA?

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I’ll spare you the pictures but Bella has been puking up sticks all morning.  That’s right, sticks.

Bella eats everything she can fit into her mouth.  She has tons of toys and gets plenty of food each day.

I have found Crayola poop outside, on more than one occasion. She loves to eat crayons.

We do our best to keep her from doing this stuff but when she goes outside,  she literally rips branches off of the small trees and bushes.

I’ve no previous experience with Boxers.  Is this normal?

**Thanks for reading**

       -Lost and Tired

Please join our Autism Help Forum

Look for “Autism Help” app at the Google Play Store

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This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct is working against me.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.lostandtired.com/2012/08/19/can-a-dog-have-pica/

Aug 17 2012

A weekend without stress

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Gavin has been gone for only a few hours but the overall stress level in the house is decreased. The boys are more relaxed and went to bed without any problems.

I hate the fact that this is actually the case but it is what it is. 

I plan on making the best of this weekend and at the same time,  trying not to feel guilty…

**Thanks for reading**

       -Lost and Tired

Please join our Autism Help Forum

Look for “Autism Help” app at the Google Play Store

MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected

This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct is working against me.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.lostandtired.com/2012/08/17/a-weekend-without-stress/

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