Tag: autistic

  • Atypical

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

  • Irrational Fears and Autism

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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…

  • Sportsmanship Is A Struggle

    Sportsmanship Is A Struggle

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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

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    Brittany Dawson
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    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,…

  • 10 Years

    10 Years

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    Brittany Dawson
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    This past weekend, we celebrated Sawyer’s 10th birthday. We had a small group of mostly family come together to bowl and play games, and then we finished the day with a trip to the movies to see “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (which was super cute!). Sawyer had an awesome day, with lots of fun…

  • A Birthday with Autism

    A Birthday with Autism

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    Brittany Dawson
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    Sawyer’s birthday is coming up; he turns 10 this year and officially enters the double digits! He is super excited, and can’t wait for his birthday party.  Birthday celebrations look a lot different than the typical kids’ birthday party for a lot of autism families. Sawyer has only had two “official” birthday parties in his…