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

Tag Archive: child

Dec 20 2012

Companionship for a child with #autism

Categories:

Autism, Dean, Elliott

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December 20, 2012

Even before I know of what #autism was and certainly before my kids were diagnosed, I had this one wish for them. 

Maybe this will sound weird to some people out there and maybe I’m just a dork, but here it goes. 
I grew up with a dog for most of my life.

I was fortunate enough to experience how that kind of companionship can make a child feel like.  I know how it made me feel.  I found comfort and unconditional love in our dog Dusty.

When I had children of my own, that was one of the things I wanted for them. Whether it was a dog or a cat, a fish or a bird, it didn’t matter to me.  I wanted my kids to have the bond,  that connection with another living thing. 

It has taken awhile but I can finally say that Elliott has discovered that with his kitten, Dean (although we do have a name change but that’s a different post).

When Elliott is sad, he snuggles Dean. 

At bedtime, Dean sleeps with him for most of the night.  Dean actually seeks Elliott out and looks for his attention.  It’s amazing.

I’m so grateful for that. 

Has your life or the life of your child been impacted by a special animal??

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Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/20/companionship-for-a-child-with-autism/

Dec 16 2012

Helping a child with #autism cope with loss

Categories:

Thoughts and Prayers

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December 16, 2012

How do you explain death to a young child with #Autism?

Rouge, my very first dog is going to be put down today. Elliott and Emmett were really close to her and so we felt that we should give them the chance to say goodbye. 

Emmett doesn’t understand but Elliott, poor Elliott is devastated.

I’m trying to comfort him as best I can.

Please keep her and Elliott in your thoughts and prayers. 

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Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/16/helping-a-child-with-autism-cope-with-loss/

Dec 15 2012

What would you do?

Categories:

What would you do?

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December 15, 2012

I thought it might be interesting to do one of those What would you do things, like you see on TV. Basically, I’ll give you a situation and you share how you would handle it.

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I think it’s interesting that many people handle the same thing in many multitude of ways. There are no right or wrong answers here.

You’re walking through the grocery store and witness a parent physically hitting and yelling at their child.. You don’t know the whole story but are uncomfortable with what is happening. What would you do in this situation?

Please answer in the comments below. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers.

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6 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/15/what-would-you-do-2/

Dec 13 2012

What have you resorted to in order to get your child with #Autism to eat?

Categories:

#Autism Discussions

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December 13, 2012

Dietary issues are pretty common when dealing with kids on the #autism spectrum. Factor in things like food allergies and sensory issues and it really can get complicated. I can’t stress this enough. I wish people would throw away the old saying that if their hungry they’ll eat. I don‘t think that it applies here.

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We aren’t talking about just picky eaters. These kids have a physical aversion to certain colors, smells, tastes and textures. They’re not being difficult. In many cases the child will go hungry rather than eat something that will upset them. When you add in food allergies or special diets, you’re essentially removing options that can make getting them to actually eat, extremely difficult. My Elliott’s the same way. We met with a dietitian yesterday to seek advice. Elliott is losing weight and hasn’t grown in the last year or so. One of the things we are focusing on, aside from avoid tree nuts, is increasing his caloric intake. I’ll be honest, I’ve basically violated many of the rules in parenting 101. At times, I have resorted to bribery, in order to get him to eat. Tonight, for example, I ordered pizza because I knew he would eat it. I’ve been trying to get him to eat all day and at most he would nibble and that’s it. I don‘t want to hound him or have him develope unhealthy eating habits, but the bottom line is that he needs to eat. I know many of you face the same problems, perhaps for different reasons. I’m so tired of trying to explain to people how much sensory processing issues can complicate dietary things. I think it’s a difficult concept to grasp. Thankfully, most of our family is on board. I still get the odd, if he’s really hungry, he’ll eatfrom people. I was thinking it would be a good thing to talk about this and share our experience, tips and tricks. How have you coped with this type of dietary struggle? Please share your story in the comments below. :-)

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13 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/13/what-have-you-resorted-to-in-order-to-get-your-child-with-autism-to-eat/

Dec 12 2012

Grocery shopping for your child with food allergies

Categories:

Allergies, Elliott

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December 12, 2012

Meeting with the Nutritionist today was very informative.  There is a lot that we are doing right and quite a bit we need to address. 

Elliott is losing weight and we need to address that.  The problem is that he is anxious, depressed and has aspergers with a plethora of sensory issues.  Getting him to eat on a good day is hard enough. 

However, enter a serious food allergy and now meal times become even more of a challenge than they already were..

We hit the grocery store on the way home, armed with knowledge and a wealth of new information.

All I can say at this point is holy crap.

This isn’t going to be easy or cheap. I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed at the moment.

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5 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/12/grocery-shopping-for-your-child-with-food-allergies/

Dec 11 2012

Coping with #Autism and Food Allergies

Categories:

#Autism Discussions, Allergies, Autism

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December 11, 2012

The Lost and Tired family isn’t new to food allergies.  However, past food allergies weren’t as serious as what we are now dealing with.

In the advent of Elliott‘s newly diagnosed tree nut allergy, I trying to figure out what the best approach is to eliminate those things from his diet. 

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I guess my question is, if your child has a tree nut allergy, do you simply remove it from their diet or the entire house?

In our case, Elliott is the only one with this allergy and trying to find a balance between food he can eat and food everyone else can eat has been difficult.

Many times, Elliott simply refuses to eat because he either can’t eat what everyone else is eating or he is afraid that his food will make him sick.

As a child with aspergers and high levels of anxiety, he has a very difficult time with change. 

I’m wondering if we should move the whole family away from tree nuts.

To me, it seems like it would be easier to adjust the meals for everyone than it is to make two of everything.  I also think it might help Elliott to feel safer because he would know that everything in the house was safe to eat.

The school has already made sure that the lunch menu is allergen free and it is. 
We will be meeting with a nutritionist in the near future to further fine tune things. 

I just wanted to know what you folks thought. It’s one thing to hear something from someone who likely doesn’t live with or deal with the same struggles.  It’s another thing entirely to hear from people who are dealing with the same thing, day in and day out. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Also feel free to pose your own questions as well.  This is a very important topic and let’s cover this thoroughly.

Thanks

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9 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/11/coping-with-autism-and-food-allergies/

Dec 10 2012

Recommended android apps for kids with #autism

Categories:

Android Apps Review, Android4Autism

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December 10, 2012

 

I thought I would help you fill that shiny new android tablet you just got with some amazing apps. Below you will find a list of educational apps, all of which I have personally played with my own kids. These are all created by a company called Intellijoy.

Intellijoy is the #1 developer of educational apps on the entire Google Play Store, and for good reason. 

Every one of these apps will work fantastically on the highly recommended Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. 

Check out the extensive list below and click on the app title, located beneath each icon, for a direct link to the install button located on the Google Play Store. Please note that there are both paid and free versions of these apps.

This gives you the ability to play before you buy. My kids love these apps and they have become staples on all of our devices. :-)

I hope this helps. Enjoy and please leave your feedback below.

Android Apps

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8 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://lostandtired.com/2012/12/10/recommended-android-apps-for-kids-with-autism/

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