Autism How To Holiday

Holidays can be great and supportive but also filled with chaos and the clamoring of a lot of people. BUT, there is one safe room for my kids at my family's house--the spare bedroom where everyone piles their coats on the bed. When things get too crazy...turkey shreds being thrown, mashed potatoes not right consistency, sensory overload...then we retire to the spare bedroom. YAY! Here is a refuge to discuss WHY the turkey had to die, why Aunt Edith smells like too much perfume, why the cats are in hiding with us too...this is actually quality holiday time. We climb the mountain of coats, remind ourselves not to pocket search...except for gum...and lay in bliss. So, our refuge and how to survive minutes of the holiday...What are your how to's for holiday survival?

Autism How To Get Services

I cannot emphasize enough how difficult it is to get services for a child with autism. No matter what state you live in,  the endless round of paperwork, meetings, evaluations, etc. make you feel like you're developing a plan for the Avengers to save the earth. But here's the kicker...you do all this stuff, and you don't come home feeling good. No. You come home EXHAUSTED. Yes, you've won TSS services, yes, you got respite care for 15 hours every THREE MONTHS, yes, the IEP begins to look like a fair document, but you, you valiant hearted crusader for your child, you, are DONE. But you can't be done, you have to get up, keep going, keep avenging, for tomorrow and the next day and the next year and so on. How to get services is about how to stand up, learn, keep on learning, weasel information, fight fair or not...but go on. God goes before you....
Kelly

Autism How To Medication

Ahh, MEDICATION...some families dealing with autism are fortunate in that this subject may not come into play. However, mine is not the case. Frequently, children with autism have comorbid conditions such as ADHD, OCD, Clinical Depression Anxiety Disorders and so on....and hence cometh the slew of medication. I, personally, use a fishing tackle box--red, discreet (relatively), able to hold at least thirty pill bottles in good order as well as several asthma and other first aid supplies. Do I think that med managemennt and timing is easy....NOOOOOO! It is an ever consuming thought process, and just try going away for a few days. You have to leave charts that look like Alpha Command Orders for an incoming battleship attack. No, I am the (as my kids sing) "Mommy, the walking pharmacy--for all your drug needs." Funny? I try to laugh but it's tough. So, how many of you are med managers and how do you do it?
How To Do Medicine,
Kelly




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Please note that Kelly Long is not a doctor nor makes no medical claims which should be followed without the advice of your own physician.
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Autism How To...Apppointments

I have two children on the spectrum, which means that I have double the appointments related to their issues...Let's see, it'll make me feel better to list some of them: Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Develpmental Pediatrician, Neuropsychologist,, Special Needs Dentist, the HAIRCUT (OH NO!), TWo IEPs....and so on and so forth and I cannot read my pretty, hesitant Vera Bradley planner because it's marred by ink. So how to? Have an apppointment bag ready at all times...(Sensory toys, fidgets, juice boxes with straws, books, and maybe a Xanax for you...) Tell the child about the ppointment as soon as you know, give the kid frequent updates on time and length of appointments, and remember...KEEP GOING! So, how do you how to apppointments?

Welcome to Autism How To

When it comes to autism and its spectrum--there are no experts, only students, learners of the trade. It is my hope that building a community of learners will create, not expertise, but wisdom and a sense of those "having gone before." Autism How To is about HOW TO live this life with extraordinary, wonderful people who have few commonalities with traditional society (whatever that is) and who create situations in which care givers and parents often find themselves lost in a wonderland--panicked, enchanted, worried but joyful...and all the other contradictions in between. I have two children with autism spectrum disorder, am a full time wife and mother, and a bestselling fiction author. My life is careful chaos--seriously. I want to build a new network of outreach and ministry to others who are on this light speed journey and hope to start it here.
Autism How To...Live,
Kelly