No parent wants to medicate their child. I’ve always been against any kind of long-term meds for my son. Despite the many challenges of having a child with severe autism, medicating him was never an option for me. Sadly, things just took an abrupt turn. All the sudden, my son is taking propranolol for anxiety …
Anxious About Giving Your Kid Propranolol For Anxiety? (I was too)Read More
A couple months ago, I read a book that completely rejuvenated me as an autism Dad. The relationship I had with my son was suffering and this book really helped me reconnect with him. The book I am talking about is called, The Reason I Jump, and it helped me in a number of different …
3 Lessons I Learned From The Reason I Jump (book review)Read More
Breaking Free From Shame & Failure As An Autism Dad I hate to admit this, but my relationship with my 12 year old son with autism had been suffering for many months. With this tension, my happiness and mental health were suffering as well. It felt like our relationship was continuing its downward trajectory with …
My son, Ethan, is a gift. His autism is not. We’ve always seen him as a blessing to our family. We love, cherish, and accept him for who he is. His accomplishments are celebrated no matter how large or how small. While I am proud to be Ethan’s Dad, I do not accept autism, and …
If you had a time machine and could go back and make Ethan NOT have autism, would you? My wife asked me this question a couple of weeks ago, and I honestly could not answer it. On the surface, you would think there would be a clear answer. Yes, “take away Autism!” While my life …
Autism Awareness: One Dad’s Perspective on Raising a Son with Autism Ken Siri is a single Dad with sole custody of his 19 year old son Alex. Alex has autism and is nonverbal. The 2 of them live in New York City. An inspiring autism story told from a Dad’s point of view: We talked …
Autism Awareness: One Dad’s Perspective on Raising a Son with AutismRead More
When we realize our kids will not have that picturesque childhood we wanted for them and ourselves, it can be very devastating for us parents. There are very few things in life that will cause more heartache than learning your child has autism. We only want the very best for our children, so accepting autism …
Accepting Autism: 5 Tips to Help Dads Accept the Autism DiagnosisRead More
Despite the hardships we face, Autism Dads have one distinct advantage. It is an unfair advantage because it fills our hearts with never-ending pride, gives us great joy, and makes our lives so much easier. What is this magical advantage? It is our partners of course! We are married to Rock Star Autism Moms. …
Autism Moms Rock: 5 Traits that Make These Moms So AmazingRead More
I often get asked what it’s like to be an autism Dad. Occasionally, people will say to me, “it’s good to hear from Dads because there are so few Autism Dads who are really involved like you.” Honestly, I have avoided writing this piece even though it has been on my mind since I started …
Autism Dad: An Honest Look Inside the Isolating & Incredible Life of an Autism DadRead More
Do you know what it’s like to raise a child with autism? Unless you are an autism parent yourself, then you can’t imagine the struggles we autism parents go through. Teachers who work with these kids everyday for 20 years still can’t conceive the constant worry that comes with being an autism parent. Even autism …
Do the Easter Bunny Bop Bop! Step left, right, left; then hop, hop. Big bunny ears go flop flip flop in the Easter Bunny Bop Bop. Every Easter Egg has some magic inside. If you’re lucky there might even be a surprise.” Find plenty of fun, surprises, and maybe even a little magic in this …
I think I may have found a book that may just change my life. “The Daily Stoic” has already helped me better manage stressful situations. My #1 goal for 2017 is to learn to live with stress and be happy in spite of it. Last year, I looked towards Buddhist teachings for help in this …
The morning was like every other morning. I’m loading all 3 kids in the car to take Gavin to school. Suddenly, Ethan’s anxiety spikes. Little sis is wearing a jacket, and he does NOT like that. In an effort to prevent a full-blown autism meltdown, I run back inside to grab a blanket for Kaitlyn. …
This morning, the alarm went off at 4:37am, and by alarm, I mean our 10 year-old with autism shouting, “Hey!…… Hey!….. Hey!…. Heeeeeeeyyyy! Open the dooooor!! Heey! Mom opens her eyes looks at the time and says, oh boy, it’s going to be a long 2 hours. Our Tips for A Successful Blood Draw When …
Autism and stress: two things that seem to go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. Every parent with a kid on the autism spectrum knows how things can spiral from super-chill to ultra-meltdown mode in a matter of seconds. Too often, parents and their kids are suffering from a high level of stress. …
Detox has become a popular buzzword these days. The interwebs are filled with promises of feeling great after a 5-day detox or a 7-day lemon juice and cayenne pepper cleanse. When it comes to a true detox however, it has to go much deeper than this, and when autism is involved you need a thorough …
10 Sensory Friendly Costumes What do you want to be for Halloween this year? This is a question that most parents get to ask their kids every year. Unfortunately, some of us parents have kids that can’t give us an answer. For instance, my son doesn’t really understand this question. He understands Halloween and trick …
An Event that Inspired us All The Autism Education Summit (AES) always promises to renew your spirit as an autism parent. This year was no exception. The event connects autism parents to one another and combines stories of healing with cutting edge scientific research. My wife and I have attended this event for the past …
All parents want the very best for their kids. Autism parents are no different, and we want to help our kids in every way possible. Parents often have their own autism treatment plans that include traditional therapies like speech, OT, and ABA. Many other parents will even take this autism treatment a step further and …
Unless you’re personally affected by someone with autism, you probably really have an inaccurate perception of what it’s like to live with autism. April is autism awareness month, but even during this month, you probably don’t hear too much. You may see various stories on CNN, or maybe you’ll scroll through your Facebook feed, and …
