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Category: General

Asking The Right Questions

Asking The Right Questions

How do you ask the right questions when you don’t even know the questions to ask in the first place? Or when you don’t even know to question at all? This is a really hard dilemma that many people have been faced with. In my opinion, the toughest part about it is that often times you don’t even know you’re in the midst of the situation, when you’re definitely in the midst of it. Questions and Ignorance Ignorance. It can…

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Tenacious D

Tenacious D

First of all, pretty sweet title – Tenacious D – right!? I have to thank my wonderful wife for that one. A couple months ago she referred to little D as being tenacious, and he really is. Next, we’ve been pretty fortunate as a family to be able to meet our needs throughout the challenges we’ve faced. We have a situation that is unique to us and we make it work to the best of our ability, as most people…

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Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day, 2018 Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy! This is a pretty interesting world we’re growing up in right now, isn’t it? We have the sum total of the world’s knowledge at our fingertips, accessible, literally with a swipe or two. We have the privilege of growing up having access to it every single day. There are crises left and right that dominate the news headlines. We have science being shunned, we have special interests that pump their money to perpetuate…

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The Autism Diagnosis

The Autism Diagnosis

I will often read or hear that when your child receives an autism diagnosis it is like being punched in the stomach. All the air leaves your lungs, you can’t take a breath, your vision tunnels and you break out in a cold sweat. Truth be told, when D was officially diagnosed, it was nothing like that for us. You see, by the time he was medically considered on the spectrum, we had been receiving pretty intensive intervention for some…

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Autism And Shoes

Autism And Shoes

D didn’t used to be too particular about his clothes and shoes. With clothing, he still isn’t. Luckily he has a Mom who is very fashionable and runs a children’s consignment business so he’ll never have to worry about comfortable clothing that also looks fantastic. (Neither will I, which I appreciate.) D’s Autism And Shoes The exception to D’s willingness to be a four year old fashion icon is when it comes to his shoes. He’ll wear short sleeve shirts,…

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Santa Knew

Santa Knew

What’s cuter than getting your child’s picture taken with Santa and having it be a smiling, happy, magical moment? Getting your child’s picture taken with Santa and having it be terrifying and filled with screams and tears. I’ve always loved both versions of Santa pictures. They’ve both got their merits and they’re both endearing. I’m sure Santa gets it, he sees each scenario regularly. Santa Helped Us With Autism Christmas season, 2014, my wife and I decided to take D…

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To My Boys

To My Boys

To my boys: It’s December. When I was a little boy I remember December being absolutely magical as it’s the month that houses both Christmas and my birthday. I recall the days leading up to the festivities, being excited and feeling the building anticipation. The snow on the ground, the Christmas decorations and potential school closings would add to the sense of wonder that surrounded the whole season. “Would I get to shovel snow in the morning?” That was seriously…

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What Is It Like Having An Autistic Child?

What Is It Like Having An Autistic Child?

Certain questions are posed to me from time to time along the lines of “What is it like having an autistic child?” What is the most difficult part of having an autistic child? What are D’s biggest challenges? Your biggest challenges? Your family’s biggest challenges? What My Autistic Child Is Like To be perfectly honest, I love getting these questions. Autism presents itself in so many different forms and often times it’s simply not recognizable from one person to the…

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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Today was Thanksgiving. For many, that means family gatherings with more people than normal, more noise than normal and everything being more crowded and tense than normal. There’s lots of food and smells that are perhaps not there every day. Today, for many people, as wonderful as it can be, can also be quite stressful. This can be especially so in the autism world. Last Thanksgiving DJ has never done well in crowds or in unfamiliar, confined spaces. If you…

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Welcome To Stacking Blocks

Welcome To Stacking Blocks

Hello, and welcome to Stacking Blocks. My wife and I have two sons – DJ and SJ. Both boys are on the autism spectrum. As of writing this, DJ recently turned four years old and SJ turned two. Autism has been a part of our life for over two-and-a-half years at this point and is our normal. It’s amazing how something as profoundly life-changing as an autism diagnosis (let alone two of them) can become one’s normal so quickly, but…

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