Keep searching for balance and when you find it let me know how you did it.

I’m trying to look at this week through fresh eyes - I’ve just now got off the phone from changing a couple of appointments so that there is less pressure on our schedule, and I’m trying to take things a little easier all around.

I’m so glad that I’m not alone with all of this… your comments have shown me that, and like I have said before, I am so truly grateful for having such wonderful blogging friends. xx

My answer to them is that my son is attending the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. And he is succeeding. He is happy. And he is a willing participant in his ‘drug’ regimen. He has seen what happens when his med levels are inappropriate. With the last change in meds, after having been on those meds for a week, his response to me when I asked him what he thought of the current program was, “I feel more like a person.”

My son feels more like a person.

I so agree with Marla (and most of the other commenters) about hiring and firing doctors. When it comes to our children, they are not the expert. They are an often-flawed consultant. They are there to help and if they are not succeeding, find one that can.

Also, I don’t know if all autistic children are like our Jaylen, but he is strongly affected by, you know, the vibe. We hear words, he reads energy. So looking after your needs would be a crucial way of looking after Jack’s.

Always assuming you have the option.

Beautiful starry night, hey?

The beginning of the school year is so hard. I can understand why you would pick Jack up early 2 days a week. I wish kindergarten was still half a day here; the full-day is really too much for SB. On days he has early dismissal (about once a month, usually for teacher meetings) his behavior is so much better and he is less likely to have a meltdown at pickup time.

The past few years we did speech, OT, and social skills therapies privately after school. I knew that would be too much after a full day, so I canceled these in the fall with the understanding we’d resume later in the year. With the exception of speech (which we now do every other Saturday or Sunday), we still haven’t resumed those other therapies. School is just too taxing and now that he has homework, there’s NO WAY I can add one more expectation. I”m finding it very difficult to get him to do the homework and eat the healthy foods he needs to eat (there’s no time in the morning for that, he refuses to eat them at lunchtime, so what’s left? afterschool!) before bedtime. If it were up to him, he’d be happy to just sit and relax in front of the TV until bedtime. And part of me knows that’s what he needs so I let him do it for awhile. And then we move on to homework and healthy food …. and usually a meltdown or two. It’s exhausting for both of us.

Thanks for sharing that quote. I really like it.

Here’s to an easier week.

Sorry to hear about the doctor’s appointment. I can imaigine how utterly wrung out you must have felt after that. Here’s to finding a better doctor.

Finding good doctors is so hard. Keeping fingers crossed the next doctor is much better.