I’m really hoping that Emmett will be returning to school in the morning. We have had our routine out of whack for over two weeks now and we’re all paying a price for it. I haven’t been able to workout regularly in weeks and the things I can do at home, don’t give me the same emotional boost that walking outside does. I think that’s part of why my depression is kicking my ass right now.

Before I get into this a bit more, I feel like this can be a teaching moment and I’m hoping that by sharing this, I can provide some insight and additional context about some of the struggles that parents like myself face.

It can be really hard to manage Autistic kids on a good day. It’s incredibly difficult to manage them when they are sick,

Many kids with Autism, also deal with sensory processing issues. This basically means that they are more sensitive to external stimului and can very easily become overwhelmed. Things like bright lights, loud noises, textures, colors and smells can be very distressing for kids like mine.

If you can’t stand the feeling of clothing on your skin, ultimately, you can remove the clothes and feel better. Imagine what it’s like for a child with sensory issues to be congested, have a stuffy nose, a sore throat or even a cough. There’s no way they can escape that stimuli and they quickly become overwhelmed. My kids have been sick for two weeks now and they haven’t been able to escape that overstimulating stimuli. It disrupts their sleep and basically drives them crazy.