So Literal.

Overheard at Grandma's:

Grandma: Joey, want to come help me get ready to dye eggs?
Joey (concerned): You're going to kill eggs???


Sometimes we need those reminders that Joey's use and understanding of language is unique.

Or at least shared by Amelia Bedelia.

Welcome to April

I know, I haven't been here in a while.

We've been on a roller-coaster ride. Some was expected. Some wasn't. Puberty is upon us. No one seems to know what to do to help him through it. Spring is here. The usual strategies are apparently out the window.

And oh, look, Autism Awareness Month. Yay.

Hey, we are aware. So, so aware. Today Joey made sure his new school was really, really aware.

How do you discipline a child for whom the usual methods have absolutely no effect- or worse, make it worse, and even reinforce the behavior? What do you do when the mental health support you finally managed to get suddenly stops, because the therapist moved away and no one else handles the special needs of your kid?

I need my kid sleep at night. I need my kid to quit cussing people out just because he is upset or scared or anxious. I need school to stop having breaks and let my kid have a couple of normal, routine weeks. Seriously.

I know he is better where he is than at the regular school, and is moving along academically again. But these are the kinds of days that I just want to cry. How is he going to manage to get through adult life if he can't even handle an environment that was especially designed for him, full of specialists on his needs?

What are we supposed to do?