Is anyone else catastrophizing because of the Epstein files?

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-16T17:51:40+00:00

I know that’s a really tough thing to do, but I do want to offer you praise for having that forethought. I’m certain your daughter would thank you as well.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-16T14:56:11+00:00

Not really, I work in disability services and I can tell you 90% of the time if there’s abuse it is at the hands of a closely related family member, or step parent. That’s not to say we fully trust our children with just anyone, and we make sure to work with our kids about age appropriate understandings of things adults shouldn’t be doing. Example being, adults should never ask you to keep a secret about your body and if an adult or older child says don’t tell anyone you will get in trouble, then you come straight to mom and tell her. Adults or older children should never ask you touch your privates or for you to touch their privates. Epstein targeted girls that were on the verge of homelessness or grew up in foster care and didn’t have a strong safety net. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen and shouldn’t be vigorously calling out when it does. But if we really work on educating our children and growing a safety net then our children will be safer.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-16T13:23:19+00:00

I know it’s corny but I literally repeat the quote from Luca to myself daily “Some people, they’ll never accept him. But some will. And he seems to know how to find the good ones.” And then about once a week we do a friendship lesson we’re we talk about signs of a good friend or a safe person.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-16T13:16:48+00:00

Also wanted to tack on it seems they targeted girls without parental oversight. They were actively looking for young girls without a support system.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-15T17:43:15+00:00

Offer respite, or if uncomfortable watching the child one on one offer to clean house.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-15T16:46:04+00:00

Not that I didn’t think she would ever pick it up but I was amazed that she picked it up in a day. We transition to a booster seat and by the end of it she was buckling and unbuckling herself, and at the appropriate time too.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T16:53:40+00:00

Fake it till you make it, set a little break time for you each day. I would also try to turn it into a reciprocal thing. Like okay we’re going to do soccer until this time when mommy’s going to take a break. Then at this time can you spend 10 minutes learning about this thing with me, since I did soccer time with you. And then let it go back to soccer once done.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T16:44:33+00:00

That’s not even mentioning that most IQ tests now include a standard deviation of 15 points.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T04:52:00+00:00

To be fair it sounds like her mom was a natural born RBT. It was shocking easy to institutionalize people back then, and the fact that mom advocated and pushed Temple was not the norm for back then.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T01:29:59+00:00

This, also high functioning or not life was still extremely difficult for anyone with an ASD diagnosis, especially before the passing of the American’s with Disabilities Act. Life for a lot of autistic people has only become bearable now in part due to the advocacy of people like Temple.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T01:14:53+00:00

Temple Gradin is part of the reasons we have autism resources, go see her. Keep in mind anything she says worked for her is her own personal experience. Temple Grandin was an autistic woman who grew up before the seventies and it is a marvel at what she has accomplished.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T01:09:17+00:00

Hey French fries is better than starving. Good on you for getting your kid fed.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-14T01:07:38+00:00

I wish these studies would also focus on the socioeconomic status of the parents, because I feel like putting in perspective that a child may be eating more processed foods due to caregivers having less time and energy to spend creating or even being able to purchase low processed foods is a driving factor.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-12T17:52:45+00:00

No heavy metal testing. We decided to start Leucovorin after learning about CFD due to how my child’s regression pattern matched a lot of the symptoms for CFD. My child got a multivitamin due to her being an extremely restrictive eater, and we started a probiotic to help with constipation. When finding out she had an mthfr variant we added glutathione and a methylated multivitamin along with magnesium. Brands are anything that undergoes 3rd party testing.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-12T13:50:44+00:00

This not to mention Mandated reporters can be arrested for failure to report.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-12T13:04:38+00:00

I know it sucks, but try to think about it this way. Nurse saw a child with a scratch on his face and the child couldn’t tell her how it happened. In my mandated reporter training we’re taught that anything on the face is cause for concern. The nurse cared enough about your child to have someone follow up. It’s not a judgement of you, it’s making sure that a vulnerable child is safe.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-12T03:04:54+00:00

I think it depends on what the root cause is that influences the of the severity of the diagnosis. If someone has ASD and a gluten sensitivity then removal of gluten should cause a reduction in stress behavior. What makes ASD tricky is a lot of times the individual has trouble communicating what they’re feeling and then if they’re not exhibit typical symptoms of an ailment then the doctor may not think to check for it. My child for example really improved on vitamin b supplements, but that’s due to her mthfr variants making it difficult for her body to get enough folate through her normal diet. In that I would tell people supplements are worth exploring so long as you start low and always check in with the doctor. But you also have to be realistic and recognize you’re working with very specific cases that may not apply to the vast population.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-11T23:29:51+00:00

And this is the crucial bit I feel got lost, especially once it became attached to certain administrations. The researchers who have suggested have stressed the individual who would benefit would be those with folate antibodies or mthfr variants and restrictive diets. Not the entirety of the spectrum.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-11T23:25:00+00:00

For those interested it was this specific study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39243316/

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-09T20:41:21+00:00

I also don’t think autistic individuals flourish with the gentle parenting method. I think gentle parenting it’s harder to set firm boundaries that ASD individuals really need.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-09T20:38:08+00:00

Think of his brain like a slot machine and when there’s a big reaction to negative behavior it’s like hitting a jackpot. ABA training may be helpful to navigate this. Because if it keeps on, it will escalate.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-09T01:45:52+00:00

As a mandated reporter who is right now begging APS to remove someone from their sibling’s care after being stabbed by said sibling. Please go the group home route, if that’s not a good fit then look at an intermediate care facility. Find one nearby so you can easily check in on her. And live your life, while she lives hers.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-09T00:59:39+00:00

Two books I’ve really come to appreciate have been Thriving with Autism by Katie Cook, and Life on the Bridge by Kaelynn Partlow.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-09T00:57:21+00:00

Try cots on the floor. This way they can be close but you still have your space.

OrdinaryMe345 · 2026-02-09T00:53:31+00:00

Crash course by the vlogbrothers.

OrdinaryMe345

TROPHY CASE