Let me be frank, I’m a bit of a pack rat. I come from a long line of them – on both sides of my family. We keep stuff…especially stuff that someone in our family, sometime, might someday use. That being said, I have a lot of…well, stuff.
We moved into our current home nearly 5 years ago. While I’m embarrassed to admit this, we actually have some boxes that had not been opened since I packed them 5 years ago; that is until this past weekend. You see I’m preparing for a Garage Sale. Our neighborhood hosts one annually (and does the promoting and obtains necessary permits) and since this is the first year we haven’t had a direct conflict, I decided it was Time (with a capital “T.”)
Along with a bunch of junk that I unearthed this weekend (that I can’t believe I actually kept, much less packed into a moving box), I’ve unpacked, uncovered and started preparing lots of paraphernalia we used when Ethan was a baby and toddler. We kept just about every reusable baby item possible to save on expenses because we planned to have two – maybe three – children when all was said and done. And, if simply going down memory lane, remembering Ethan’s sweet and precious early years so vividly while sorting through these items wasn’t enough; when we purchased this home, I was expecting our second child. I have always loved babies (even as a little girl and teenager) and loved, loved, loved having a newborn. I was so thrilled that we were expecting again and had such dreams of the kind of older brother Ethan would be. But, I lost our second baby before we could move in.

A few weeks ago I did part 1 of this blog to bring awareness to parents with special needs children and the importance of getting guidance. So, lets dive in and answer these questions so you can get started tomorrow.
Does the type of testing matter?
Each doctor has a toolbox of testing they do and all are not equal, neither is the interpretation of the results. I will touch on this more next month but in the mean time find someone that treats and sees children with special needs and make sure they have the knowledge in functional medicine (treating the core issues) to treat your child.

It is Autism Awareness month and it makes me think most about those parents and families that are without guidance on their journey. In a blink of an eye your life changes and your child is diagnosed, this overwhelms every family and most all have little guidance. The maze of the internet becomes the constant as you search online for hope. Some parents get the care they need and others spend 10 years following dead ends. It is my mission to see parents get ALL their options for treatment. I cannot count the number of parents that have cried in frustration and in joy.

Kids tantrum, fuss, squeal, yell, and scream. As a parent, you quickly learn what your tolerance level is.....then you rocket past it by 1,000%. You are able to handle much more than you would expect. Toss some Autism adventures into the mix and you have a real party at times. You talk to yourself, you don't sleep, your child doesn't sleep, you might be married but have no idea when the last time you had a real conversation with your spouse was, and then you have a job. Wait. Yes, that's right, you talk to yourself first.

Book available now for purchase. Great reviews so far: "valuable to teachers and therapists", "great resources", "loved the honesty and vulnerability this mom shares". Great book for parents, families, teachers, therapists, and anyone wanting to learn more about what a family goes through when they hear "your child has autism". This book has been permanently placed in the Florida Governor's Mansion. Patty Corrigan Myers and her son Charlie have been featured on national syndicated radio talk shows and television interviews. Go to www.autismblessing.com to learn more.

Having a child with autism is all consuming. You are constantly thinking about their progress, their regressions, their therapies, their perseverations.... their recovery.

When the going gets tough where do you go? Drop us some ideas in the comment section and share what works for you.

I participate in a "Dads Coffee" that gets together and chats up the autism latest-&-greatest and then.....well, other things besides autism. One of the things I have come to grow dependent on is the friendship of other Dads walking the walk. It is so easy to talk trash about the ills of all that we deal with. The best thing about our group is that we don't focus on the negative. Yes, we do dive deep into some of the more painful discussions...but, our intent is to enjoy the journey and the fact that we have all come together because of our common bond.
Therapeutic - check