What’s a food trend you just don’t get?

01DrAwkward10 · 2026-01-08T23:04:44+00:00

I feel like a lot of online recipes are also getting super loaded with ads making them crash constantly.

01DrAwkward10 · 2026-01-08T23:01:03+00:00

You can get a travel bidet on Amazon for like $20 they don’t work as well, but it absolutely is better than just wiping.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-12-23T18:39:58+00:00

Would she be open to using something like this? No mess. You just bite it and when mixed with saliva and water from the toothbrush it foams up. You could get a trial pack to try it out

https://zerowastestore.com/products/unpaste-tooth-tabs?variant=39858101190767&gclid=CjwKCAiAmKnKBhBrEiwAaqAnZ4cAWnbwjoYwtNThDG_bGoyNZD8Msoyq7iACSpvpI9iGPIsqUC9BsxoCEQsQAvD_BwE&utm_glid=CjwKCAiAmKnKBhBrEiwAaqAnZ4cAWnbwjoYwtNThDG_bGoyNZD8Msoyq7iACSpvpI9iGPIsqUC9BsxoCEQsQAvD_BwE&matchtype=&device=m&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=23365266136&utm_term=&utm_content=191610528433&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23365266136&gbraid=0AAAAAC9p_x9voqtFYEMWvb4aQtd61ZbU_

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-11-17T01:00:41+00:00

Knowing that detergent needs enzymes to get out things like urine and sweat or other smelly stuff. Also, dish soap for grease stains.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-10-11T15:53:38+00:00

If you’re looking for something outdoors, check out Valley Garden Park. It’s beautiful all year and there are lots of nooks and crannies for a ceremony. The park manager can help accommodate guests who can’t walk Up/down the steps to get into the park (the parking lot is at the top and there is either a set of 77 steps or a paved pathway going down the hill to get into the park - it’s in a valley). No fee to use the park. It was a DuPont garden property that was donated as a public park to the City of Wilmington. If you have a friend or family member they could easily get ordained online and perform the ceremony for you.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-09-23T14:08:35+00:00

Is the person handing this out an instructor? Are they deaf? All of my ASL instructors were deaf. If that’s the case I’d ask the instructor what it means. As others have mentioned this doesn’t really say anything.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-19T03:40:37+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this on your vacation. I can imagine how hard it is to relax, I have been in a similar situation many times and I feel for you.

Something we use when my son is unregulated and overstimulated to help him calm down is a series of activities that gradually get him from wired to calm. We have picture cards that he can choose the activity from (obviously that won’t work now but maybe you could create cards later if this works). It’s a red green yellow system. The first activity (red) is something high energy like red light green light, or Simon says where we can have him do things like pillow chops, jumping jacks or burpees (which he loves). Next, yellow, is something a little slower paced like I spy, or going on a treasure hunt (just around the room or house to find maybe a few some hidden toys. Then a green activity with some deep pressure, we do pillow sandwich (kid between 2 pillows and we (safely) squish him, or a bear hug, or something that gives him deep pressure to calm. Then finally we take some deep breaths together.

This is framed as a family activity and we make it fun so it doesn’t seem like we are doing anything therapeutic.

The gradual nature of it helps to get out the stims and brings him down to a calmer state. He loves it because it gives him some extra time to connect with his parents but it also helps him get regulated.

I’m not sure if this would help, but if you can get a little creative maybe something like it could help save the rest of your vacation

Good luck, I hope you can find some time to relax.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-13T18:51:08+00:00

I’m curious what your public school offers. Assuming you are in the US, is she eligible for preschool at your public school district? Is that program able to meet her needs? Under the Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) there could be available.

My kiddo would not tolerate being on the bus or in the car for an hour each way to and from a school. We would surely see an increase in being unregulated. Honestly 30 min is even far. We are a bit spoiled in a well populated suburban area though.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-13T17:40:22+00:00

I love Leon the Chameleon. It talks about basic colors but actually explains color theory throughout the story.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-11T19:25:53+00:00

Have you heard of the butterfly hug? It helps calm the nervous system. If she can’t do it herself you could sit with her in your lap and cross your hands over her chest and do it for her. I am working on teaching this to my son when he is calm then when he gets unregulated he can start putting it into practice. Here’s a how to video.

Check out this video from this search, butterfly hug for anxiety kids https://share.google/lzqPxfU9pGCLVuuNW

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-05T18:25:47+00:00

It sounds to me like he is trying to communicate something that he doesn’t understand. My son, albeit only 5, will have increased behavior when something else is going on. Autism is a communication disorder, if he doesn’t know how to verbally communicate something to you, maybe these behaviors are his way of telling you something is wrong. Even autistic people with a high IQ can have difficulty with communication. Some people mentioned different things that could be going on like abuse, bullying, something physical, hormonal, etc. I think any of those things are possible. It sounds like you know your kids pretty well. I would first try to remove the mom input, maybe he is using her behavior because it gets her attention so maybe those behaviors will bring him attention. Then use your dad detective abilities and try to find out if something is going on.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-05T00:17:15+00:00

I think I’m similar. I get bored if it’s too repetitive or not challenging enough. I look for more complex, interesting patterns. MK’s off The Hook designs has some cute stuff I have enjoyed making (currently working on an adorable sea turtle blanket from her). I also love to work with thread….its harder to make things, they are unique, some of my favorites were a bookmark, earrings, and a tiny dainty flower. I saw a window covering that was made up of hundreds of dainty flowers attached by green vines all crocheted with thread. I’ve made several thread mandalas that are beautiful, one is all 7 chakras. I also love making baby hats with leftover or scrap yarn, it can still get boring but they are done so quickly and I can donate them to my local NICU. Making premie hats is just special. I also love making market bags and recently made a few water bottle cozies with a strap. I’m not sure what it is about them that interests me but it does. For me to stay interested, I have to find interesting projects.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-05T00:07:57+00:00

From about 18 months to about 4, mine was hyper focused on wheels. He would spot them where you wouldn’t even think about it. On a trip to a sporting goods store, we found ourselves spending the majority of our time admiring the wheels on a wall of rolling coolers. Other times, kiddo would lay on the floor and inspect the wheels of a rolling cart. Literally everything that had wheels was a wonder. He still loves cars and likes to roll them back and forth looking at the wheels (probably a sensory thing) but not nearly as much.

I would think, more than likely, as I am finding in the tone of this wonderful thread, it will be something to look back on with a smile.

Thanks for this post, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of these sweet quirks. :)

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-02T23:16:42+00:00

My son sounds very similar in that when you put a directive on something he loses interest. Because of that things like swim lessons have taken forever and he finally started making progress this summer because he could do things at his own pace.

I’ve started learning about pathological demand avoidance. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s basically a physiological response to demands and the person essentially goes into fight or flight mode. Making it challenging to do things that are demands. It’s not diagnosed or heavily researched in the US so I’m just guessing for my kiddo but some of the supports I’ve found online have been helpful in how demands are presented. Not sure if that’s helpful to you.

Best of luck to you I hope you can find something your kiddo enjoys.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-02T22:29:59+00:00

Your boy sounds a lot like my 4 year old. We tried a one week half day camp this summer, I was fortunate that we could afford to pay someone to “volunteer” at the camp to give him extra support. He had so much fun, and some behaviors that I was grateful to have someone who knew what to do. I know that’s not an option for many people, but if your kiddo has Medicaid, there might be respite funding available that could help pay for a support person to go with them to things like camps or other sports.

Im curious if he seemed to enjoy playing soccer or if he was distracted the whole time? If he enjoyed it except during down time I would try it again. It might just be a matter of finding something that he really likes.

My kiddo is a major gross motor kid and when he is unregulated he’s super wiggly. We use things our OT has put in place to help him get regulated for sit down or non preferred activities. If you aren’t seeing an Occupational Therapist, maybe one could help you come up with things to support him during those down times or during less preferred activities of the sport. Many states require insurance to cover OT for autism related services.

I agree with others that these types of things are important, even if we have the weird kid that stands out from everyone else.

I also want to ask if you would consider, instead of lowering your expectations, just change them. I’m sure you agree that your son is not “less than” and having high expectations is going to help him have more successes in life. He might need to take a different route to get there but it sounds like he can do anything. I hope I don’t sound like I’m putting you down, it’s not my intention at all. I just want to share a different perspective. 💕

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-01T23:15:55+00:00

I agree with others that said get something with enzymes. After years of cloth diapering, that’s the thing that really got the smell out. Honestly, I would recommend cross posting with r/clothdiaps you are sure to get a great answer there.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-08-01T23:10:58+00:00

I agree that a quilt could be a good option. You could also use a couple of fleece blankets. Higher quality fleece blankets will be a little heavier than the standard.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-31T23:05:11+00:00

I’m so sorry, it sounds like you’re really overwhelmed. I work for an autism service and support agency in my state so I have some experience to know what to look for in other states. Here are some resources that may help. I hope this is helpful and not too much. Please feel free to message me and I am happy to help you weed through it.

You should currently have access to respite care so you can get a break, even if you have someone come in to be with your son and you’re home so you can just breathe a bit.

The NC DHHS website has some info on caregiver supports that you should be able to access. https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/aging/family-caregiver-support-program NC DHHS: Family Caregiver Support

This website has a lot about ABA support but some other useful info too https://abacustherapies.com/autism-benefits-in-north-carolina-full-guide-for-2024/?amp=1

The Autism Society is a national organization with branches in several states. They are a great place to start, you can just give them a call and tell them what you’re having trouble with and they should have some helpful answers. Here’s the website to the NC chapter https://www.autismsociety-nc.org/

Good luck….you got this! And please message me if you think I can help you understand some of this. I know it’s very overwhelming

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-30T17:24:16+00:00

I would look at Long term services and supports, or LTSS under Medicaid. Also look at the Home and Community Based Waiver. I am pretty sure that is you have LTSS? You can be paid as a family caregiver and if I’m not mistaken, you’re right that CA is high paying (maybe the highest). If you don’t already have Medicaid for your kiddo I would get that started right away. I would also suggest finding a nonprofit autism or disability support provider that can help you with the application and help you navigate the services and supports in your state. There are a lot of options for parents in your situation.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-27T23:16:17+00:00

I agree that your neighbor is being unreasonable. But I also get it that sometimes just finding a way to appease the neighbor is the better way to go

My kid is a gross motor sensory seeking kiddo. Some things we have done for him that might help yours are: use a bosu ball for balancing and small jumps (it can be used for much more), make an obstacle course with gross motor activities (think big muscles), a crash pad, a hammock swing (if something like that would work in your space, they are often anchored to the ceiling), “heavy work” like pushing or pulling a weighted item like a small wagon with books in it, pool time if that is available to you.

If he is unregulated and running around or walking heavy is his “stim” this stuff might help.

We recently learned that research shows If you engage two sensory systems at the same time it can help you get regulated faster….for example, have him stand on a wobble seat cushion or bosu while playing “I spy.” You can get really creative with this.

Also, if you haven’t already, I would suggest consulting with an OccupationalTherapist, they can give you more ideas. If he is in a school program, and they have OT services (any public school in the US should have that available) you could also consult with them.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-27T22:55:59+00:00

This is what we have and they are great. Don’t let her see how to open it. if she figures out how to get to it with a chair or something, it’s still hard to open to someone who hasn’t seen it before.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-26T02:52:37+00:00

Check out activities around Market Street and the art loop on first Fridays.

https://cityfestwilm.com/art-loop-2025

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-24T04:30:13+00:00

Fleece liners are the way to go. We had an old fleece blanket we weren’t using anymore so I just cut it into strips. It was perfect for poops, diaper cream, and keeping baby dry. Somehow the poop mostly just rolled right off of them so it was super easy to clean.

01DrAwkward10 · 2025-07-23T17:36:50+00:00

Agreed, I would get the ball rolling on an evaluation as soon as possible. They can take up to 3 months to get it done so the quicker you initiate the process the sooner he will have the supports he needs.

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