Tag: autism spectrum disorder

  • Young Sheldon

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in

    I got one of the most fabulous phone calls a parent can get today.

  • Atypical

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    If you haven’t heard of or seen “Atypical”, I highly encourage you to check it out!

  • Irrational Fears and Autism

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    Because a lot of people with #autism have heightened senses, things that may be a little jolting for a neurotypical person could be downright traumatizing for someone on the spectrum.

  • Overstimulated

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    I’ve written before about how overstimulating certain scenarios and situations can be for Sawyer. Sporting events, especially, can be triggering for him because of all the sights, sounds, and smells he experiences when we’re at a game; basketball games are especially hard for him because of the echo in a gymnasium. This weekend, we went…

  • How Far We’ve Come

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    Today I took Sawyer to a birthday party for one of his best friends. He had an amazing time, and I was so proud of him, but that entry will come later. 😉 On our way to the party, I saw a billboard on the interstate for a website called ScreenforAutism.org. A quick search when…

  • Dating As a Single Mom of a Special Needs Child

    Dating As a Single Mom of a Special Needs Child

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in , ,

    Today’s post is going to take a different path than usual. Most of my entries are focused primarily on Sawyer; this one is more focused on me. When I was growing up, I had the dream most little girls do: I wanted to get married and live happily ever after with our beautiful children in…

  • Mourning A Life

    Mourning A Life

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written; I’m sorry. After losing my job, I took some time to find a new job (thank God!!)  and take advantage of my “extended vacation” to spend time with the kids and my family. My nephew’s baseball team has been kicking ass this year, and we’ve been spending…

  • Affection and Emotion

    Affection and Emotion

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    I lost my job yesterday. As you can imagine, I knew it would be hard for Sawyer to understand. In his mind, my bosses and coworkers were part of our family, and I knew he wouldn’t understand what was happening. Sure enough, when he got home from school and I told him I wasn’t going…

  • Sportsmanship Is A Struggle

    Sportsmanship Is A Struggle

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    Yesterday, Sawyer participated in his second Special Olympics. Last year, when my sister asked me if I was interested in letting Sawyer compete, I was nervous. You see, Sawyer is not always the best sport… Autistic people have trouble processing and expressing emotions.  Where a neurotypical person learns how to express emotion through body movements,…

  • IEP Time

    IEP Time

    —

    by

    Brittany Dawson
    in ,

    It’s time once again to go over Sawyer’s IEP and plan for the following year with Sawyer’s teachers; next week I’ll go discuss what changes we’ll need to make for Sawyer as he enters 5th grade. An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. Before I had Sawyer, I had heard of kids having an IEP,…