Hey, What’s Up! It’s Tommy.

This is a short, post-Christmas encouragement for every parent who feels tired, stretched thin, or quietly overwhelmed after the holidays. Christmas can bring joy, but it can also bring stress, comparison, and emotional whiplash, especially for families raising autistic children or navigating special needs. In this episode, I want to remind you of something simple but powerful. As long as your kids have you, they have everything they need. And as long as you have your kids, you have everything you need.

We talk about family pressure, holiday expectations, and the temptation to compare our lives to the perfect pictures we see online. I share a mindset that has stuck with me, that every day we are given two things, a chance and a choice. If you opened your eyes today, you already have your chance. What you do next is your choice.

As we move out of Christmas and toward a new year, this episode is about resetting your focus. It’s about remembering your role as a parent, leaning into your marriage as a team, choosing gratitude, and finding renewed hope through faith in Jesus Christ. This is not about perfection. It’s about presence, perseverance, and showing up for the people who matter most.

• Your presence matters more than any gift or perfect holiday moment
• Comparison steals joy, focus on your own family and your own race
• Stress rises during the holidays, teamwork in marriage matters more than ever
• Every day offers a chance and a choice, how you respond sets the tone
• Faith provides steady hope when life feels heavy or chaotic
• Your kids don’t need perfect parents, they need consistent love
• Gratitude and intention can reset even the hardest days

If this episode encouraged you, please share it with another parent who might need a reminder that they are doing enough. Your support helps this message reach families who feel alone.

Visit spectrumincamouflage.com\ Email me anytime at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com

• We’re on TikTok : tiktok.com/@spectrum_in_camouflage

• Join our Facebook Group : facebook.com/groups/4002769846662357

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Together, we can create a community to support autistic kids and their families.\ If you have questions, ideas, or want to share your journey, email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com.

Let’s learn, grow, and make a difference, one step, one piece of the puzzle, one child at a time.

Hey, What's Up! It's Tommy.

It’s the Friday before Christmas, and Kailee and I wanted to talk honestly about what the holidays can feel like in a home like ours, the good moments, the hard moments, and everything in between. We share how Wyatt has had some high-stimulation days lately, how a good chiropractic appointment and a calm day can feel like a huge win, and how we’ve learned to stop forcing “normal” holiday expectations. We talk about getting our Christmas tree as a family, keeping things short when we need to, and letting Wyatt be comfortable even if that means he’s nearby but not involved in every tradition. Kailee also shares something big, sometimes you just need to feel your feelings, even if it looks like a “pity party” for a day. We close out with what we want you to hear most, you’re not alone, it’s okay if the holidays bring extra pressure, and Christmas is about connection, memories, and for us, keeping the birth of Christ at the center.

• It’s okay to feel sad, overwhelmed, or frustrated during the holidays, you can feel the “yuck” and still find joy.
• Some seasons require shorter outings and earlier exits, that is not failure, that is wisdom.
• You don’t have to force traditions, if your child is comfortable nearby, that still counts as being together.
• The holidays can trigger overstimulation and sleep issues, and it can hit harder than other times of the year.
• Christmas does not have to look like social media, your calm, connected moments matter.
• Parents can accidentally turn on each other under stress, naming that helps you stay on the same team.
• It helps to shift the goal from “perfect” to “peace,” and from “stuff” to “connection.”
• For our family, Christmas is about memories, and most importantly, the birth of Jesus.

If this episode hit home, share it with another parent who might need to hear it. And if you’re listening right now feeling worn down, give yourself a little grace this week.

Contact Information
Visit spectrumincamouflage.com
Email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com

• We’re on TikTok: tiktok.com/@spectrum_in_camouflage
• Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/4002769846662357
• See us on Instagram: instagram.com/spectrum_in_camouflage/

Together, we can create a community to support autistic kids and their families. If you have questions or ideas or want to share your journey, email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com.

Let’s learn, grow, and make a difference, one step, one piece of the puzzle, one child at a time.

Hey, What's Up! It's Tommy. In this episode of Spectrum in Camouflage, I talk about some huge changes coming out of the CDC around the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, what that means to us as autism and special needs families, and how I am learning to sit beside grief instead of living inside it. I share my own struggle with survivor’s guilt after losing a firefighter brother in our town, the weight of looking back at early vaccine decisions for Wyatt, and how all of this ties into mental strength, faith, and the way we keep showing up as parents, spouses, and caregivers in the middle of hard news and heavy feelings.

• Community matters more than ever, especially for autism and special needs families who feel like they are walking this road alone.
• We talk about the CDC’s recent vote to stop giving the hepatitis B vaccine in the first 24 hours of life, and why that hits so close to home for me as Wyatt’s dad.
• I share how our story lines up with Jenny McCarthy’s experience and why so many parents feel a mix of vindication, anger, sadness, and relief as more autism-related information comes out.
• Mental health for parents is really about mental strength, learning to feel our emotions fully, then shifting instead of stuffing everything down.
• My coach Steve’s advice, “feel the emotion and then let yourself shift,” has helped me work through survivor’s guilt, medical regret, and the hard parts of our autism journey.
• We dig into how to “sit beside” the struggle, not inside it, so we can still show up for our kids, our spouse, our work, our churches, and our communities.
• There is a growing movement around autism, vaccine timing, Tylenol use, glutathione, and big players like Pfizer and the CDC, and I encourage you to research, ask questions, and protect your kids with both faith and knowledge.
• Moms of kids with special needs are some of the strongest humans on earth, and they deserve real community, real support, and friends who check in when the news and the holidays feel heavy.

• We’re on TikTok: tiktok.com/@spectrum_in_camouflage
• Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/4002769846662357
• See us on Instagram: instagram.com/spectrum_in_camouflage

Together, we can create a community to support autistic kids and their families. Let’s learn, grow, and make a difference, one step, one piece of the puzzle, one child at a time.

Hey, What's Up! It's Tommy.

In this episode of Spectrum in Camouflage, I sit down with my wife, Kailee, to talk about my recent Kentucky hunting trip, how it tested our anxiety after a tough year, and what it showed us about where Wyatt is right now as a non-speaking autistic child. We walk through what it felt like for me to leave, how Kailee held things down at home, how our two Great Pyrenees puppies pushed our whole family to spend more time outside, and what happened when we finally turned off Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and changed Wyatt’s environment. We talk about dysregulation, co-regulation, sleep struggles, the mental health side of special needs parenting, and the small risks that led to big wins for our whole family, including Jesse. If you are an autism parent who feels stuck, tired, or scared to change anything that “kinda works,” this one is for you.

• Healthy hobbies like hunting or chess can actually make parents more present at home, because they force you to prepare well, reset, then come back ready to show up for your family.
• After a really hard season with grief, anxiety, and medical setbacks, this Kentucky trip became a test for both of us, and it reminded us that we really are getting stronger.
• Wyatt had a long stretch of being very dysregulated, especially around TV, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and the remote, and it started to feel scary and hopeless again.
• There is a real difference between true happiness and dysregulation that looks “happy” on the outside, and parents usually feel that difference in their gut.
• When we finally shut off Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and held the line, Wyatt made a huge 180: more present, more playful, more connected, and way less destructive noise and behavior.
• Breaking his old screen loops, including the Kindle, opened the door to new interests like Frosty the Snowman, toys he had ignored, and more creative play, just like any other kid.
• Co regulation is real: when we are exhausted, hopeless, and under slept, our kids feel it, and when we change the environment and our energy, it helps them settle too.
• Our Great Pyrenees pups brought structure, protection, and a reason to get outside every day, which helped both us and the kids with stress and overstimulation.
• Every person in the house matters, including neurotypical siblings and parents, and sometimes what is best for the autistic child is also what is best for the whole family.
• Small risks, like canceling a big trip or turning off a “safe” show, can feel terrifying, yet they can be the doorway to progress, peace, and a more hopeful autism home.

If you heard yourself in this conversation, I want to invite you to look around your home and pick one thing to change in your child’s environment this week. It might be a show, a toy, a schedule, or even your own hobby that you have refused to pick back up. Give yourself permission to take a small risk and see what opens up for your autistic child, for your other kids, and for your own mental health.

If you want to talk more about this, or you need encouragement around autism, co regulation, or your own health and fitness as a caregiver, email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com or visit spectrumincamouflage.com to find all the episodes and links to my social media. Kailee and I are also partnering as First Form Legionnaires, so if you are a parent or caregiver who wants to get healthier in the middle of all this, reach out and we will walk that road with you.

• We’re on TikTok: tiktok.com/@spectrum_in_camouflage
• Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/4002769846662357
• See us on Instagram: instagram.com/spectrum_in_camouflage

Together, we can create a community to support autistic kids and their families. Let’s learn, grow, and make a difference, one step, one piece of the puzzle, one child at a time.

Hey, What's Up! It’s Tommy.

In this episode of Spectrum in Camouflage, I talk through the recent CDC autism-page update and how it hit me as a dad walking through autism every day. I unpack why this news stirred up so much emotion for me, how it connects to my son’s regression, and why I believe parents have to do their own research instead of handing all of their trust to big systems. I share my heart for both of my kids, the huge gap between “high functioning” and “profoundly affected” on the spectrum, and how much fighting can happen even inside the autism community. I also walk through ideas like “The Perfect Storm” of stress, birth trauma, genetics, and medical decisions, and how that might impact some kids. Throughout the episode I remind you I am not a doctor, just a dad doing his best, and I encourage you to dig into credible information, talk to trusted professionals, and make decisions that line up with your own values and conscience. Most of all, I want you to know you are not crazy, you are not alone, and your questions about your child’s health matter.

• The new CDC autism-page wording stirred up a lot of emotion for many parents, including me, because it touches long-standing fears and lived experiences.
• Autism is a huge spectrum, from highly independent adults to kids who cannot speak, use the restroom independently, or safely navigate daily life.
• Social media can increase division inside the autism community and create a constant need for validation, instead of real understanding and support.
• I share my belief that vaccines played a role in my son’s regression, while also stressing that I am not a medical expert and that every family must do its own careful research.
• We talk about the idea of a “perfect storm” of stress, birth trauma, gene mutations like MTHFR, and stacked medical interventions that may overload some kids’ systems.
• I challenge the idea that autism has “always been this common,” and I talk honestly about how different school looked when we were kids compared to now.
• There is a real split between people who see autism as only a “superpower” and families who are living with very hard, lifelong realities every single day.
• I encourage you to use your phone time to actually study both sides of the conversation instead of only scrolling headlines and forming instant opinions.
• Faith comes into the discussion too, as I wrestle with biblical teaching about obeying authority while still making wise health choices for my family.
• I end with hope, sharing the work we are doing with places like Maximum Potential, focusing on gut and brain health, and the belief that miracles and meaningful progress are still possible.

If this episode connected with you, please share it with another parent, teacher, grandparent, or caregiver who might feel alone or confused right now. Your share might be the thing that helps someone realize they are not losing their mind, and that their hard questions are allowed. You can also subscribe, leave a review, and help this show reach more families who are in the trenches with us.

If you want to reach out directly, I would love to hear from you. Tell me your story, your questions, your pushback, or your encouragement. You can always email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com, and you can find past episodes, resources, and updates at spectrumincamouflage.com.

• We’re on TikTok : tiktok.com/@spectrum_in_camouflage

• Join our Facebook Group : facebook.com/groups/4002769846662357

• See us on Instagram : instagram.com/spectrum_in_camouflage

Together, we can create a community to support autistic kids and their families.\ If you have questions or ideas or want to share your journey, email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com.

Let’s learn, grow, and make a difference, one step, one piece of the puzzle, one child at a time.

Hey, What's Up! It's Tommy.

The holidays are coming, and I am here with my wife, Kailee, to talk about how we prepare our family for this season. We share what is working for Wyatt after a tough stretch post-anesthesia, how we lower stress with simple traditions, and how we protect sibling connection for Jesse. We talk about gluten-free and dairy-free swaps, magnesium and other calming tools, the power of small moments like Christmas lights and movie nights, and why flexible plans can turn a hard day into a good memory. If you are carrying holiday anxiety, you are not alone. You can make a safe plan, you can choose your battles, and your small traditions can still feel big.

• Lower the bar for holiday expectations, then celebrate small wins.
• Build simple family traditions you control, like a lights drive or a movie night.
• Keep food plans clear: gluten-free and dairy-free first, treats in moderation.
• Plan for sensory breaks and quiet rooms at gatherings.
• Sibling awareness matters. Give each child time that feels special.
• Flexible schedules reduce stress. Decide day-of if an event fits your child’s needs.
• Safety first: doorknob covers and clear exit plans calm everyone.
• Gifts can wait. If opening presents is hard in the moment, try later at home.
• Track recent changes after medical events, then adjust supports.
• Parents need care too. Use calming tools and ask for help when you need it.

Make sure to visit spectrumincamouflage.com for past episodes, tools, and updates. If you have a question or a story to share, I would love to hear it.

Let’s keep this season simple, calm, and special, one small tradition at a time.

Call to action: Visit spectrumincamouflage.com and send your questions or ideas to tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com.

Contact Information: tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com

• We’re on TikTok: tiktok.com/@spectrum_in_camouflage
• Join our Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/4002769846662357
• See us on Instagram: instagram.com/spectrum_in_camouflage

Together, we can create a community to support autistic kids and their families. If you have questions or ideas or want to share your journey, email me at tommy@spectrumincamouflage.com.

Let’s learn, grow, and make a difference, one step, one piece of the puzzle, one child at a time.