He's still struggling with sleep & anxiety | Autism vlog

[@matildaxx1945]

Hi Kevin, I struggled with sleep because of my anxiety. My mum brought me a candle but that scared me because it flickered. Then this Christmas she brought me a diffuser and I is amazing! It’s a combination of a night light and a nice smell. You should try this with Andy. I know Christmas has just been but it is definitely worth it! If you liked it wold mean the world or even pinned!,

[@twilliamspro]

Andy's behaviour is quite worrying as a long time vlog fan hope you work out how to get him better he's wonderful on the vlog

[@danaali4134]

I have two boys with autism and they used to be anemic. Hope it isnt that but you might want to look into it. Sending Andy and you lots of love

[@roseodonnell7765]

I feel so bad for andy

[@lcgiroux]

I have worked the autism spectrum for 15 years. I in no way want to tell you what to do but I have a little input about the "why go to school if he's not doing his work," comment. The routine of getting up, taking bus and socializing is just as important as the schoolwork. The school should give choices for work as long as there's compliance with staff. Getting back on an academic routine is going to take a while and may build slowly after a break. Remembering that Andy is a teenager who's body and mind are drastically changing so the accommodations need to change to will help him overall.

[@thebestwillow]

I think at this point Andy's situation is probably a whirling vortex of depression/anxiety/sleep deficit/etc., so it's probably impossible to know which cane first. But, I agree that it was because they started inflicting "fun" on him at school in December. Try not to worry, give it a couple of weeks. In the meantime, if he will drink water, get him to do so as much as possible - it helps with SO many things.

[@brandihouser.]

Hope Andy is feeling better and back to his normal self!! Hope y'all had a good holiday and Anna is enjoying school!

[@shazdanks7554]

Hey guys big hugs to Andy hope hes better soon x

[@bumblegrumble3908]

I have a kinda similar problem to Andy and it sucks. Because of my severe anxiety and emetophobia I haven't been able to feel comfortable sleeping so I force myself to stay awake until I eventually fall asleep on the sofa. Add that to depression and it isn't a fun combo. Hopefully Andy can feel ok soon, I'm with you all all the way. Love watching your vlogs, they always make me smile. (Give Dave a hug from me lol)

[@Antonypacman]

Poor Andy, hope he feels better soon.

[@elisedriver2717]

Hope Andy feels better in himself soon xx

[@shanewilkes3690]

Andy is a fantastic boy

[@catherinelinton3444]

Poor guy. At least he's verbal so that he can sort of tell you what's going on. It could be any number of reasons...but one thing I know for sure is that lack of sleep can mess you up pretty bad. Hope you and Anna can figure out the cause and get it sorted out!

[@tadhgbenson1081]

I struggle with sleep it Get’s way worse when not in a schedule so I think wait a week or 2 and see where Andy is at with sleep

[@emmamcevoy8022]

there's a lot of good advice here, more so than i could offer.. but i do wish you all the best with getting Andy feeling better.

[@Brynwyn123]

Most years I get really depressed around the same time as Andy's been feeling bad, seasonal depression caused by the darkness. The stress could also be leading to an autistic burnout so I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly lost some of the skills he currently has, my brother went through one in uni and his motor skills fell to the point he needed help typing his shoes and writing neatly again and he was only semi-verbal. Took a while to get back to his normal levels.

[@jaimereynolds258]

My son sometimes goes through these sleep issues. Hard to get back on schedule. I feel your guy's struggle lol Awww Dave is going to be nice and wild with his present :) Andy took his shoes off at the door! Good boy. Will miss him doing it at the chair though lol

[@ksdk370]

Very good work. Wonderful parents. Suggestion for sleep deprivation. A cocoon hammock. Many different styles. Something that wraps him more. Being lined with fleece is helpful. I see how he likes to curl himself when sitting. Just my idea. And does he like beets ? Just another thought. Most drink the juice but i feel the cooked beet is just better. Not sure if it will react with any of his medications. Check with doctor.

[@crazycat1166]

Sounds like a migraine to me. I used to get them regularly during my teenage years. I was unable to tolerate bright lights, felt sick and had to lay in a dark room. It was likely my migraines were caused by stress (I got bullied a lot in my teenage years). Definitely worth speaking to Andy's doctor. I thought it's likely migraines caused by the stresses of Christmas

[@floraldanni8026]

I would increase the fluoxetine. Im a 16 year old and have been on fluoxetine for around 9 months and around 2 months ago was upped from 10mg to 20mg because my depression was causing myself to be a danger to myself. The change since being upped is so crazy. No only are other people able to see the difference I feel like myself again which hasnt happened in years since before my mum got ill. I would reccomend talking to mutiple doctors and also making a pro and cons list as the decision is extremely hard

[@lottiebirchall1703]

Kev, the reason Andy might not be sleeping is because he’s constantly on his IPad. This means his Brain is always active and when it’s time to sleep and relax it continues to work stopping Andy from sleeping. I suggest restricting his usage on his IPad as the screen isn’t good for his eyes and he can develop motion sickness from the led screen. Making sure he’s not on his iPad at least an hour before his bedtime and allow him to play Manual games like lego or a board game. Thank you if you’re reading this and I hope this works for Andy. Like this so Kev sees it please!

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

He’s never on the iPad for the hour before bed. And he’s used electronic devices all day since he was a toddler, so I don’t think that’ll be causing the current sleep issue. His iPad/screen usage hasn’t changed.

[@lottiebirchall1703]

Thank you for replying! I also think that his anxiety might be the cause because if he’s got it then he might be feeling worried/nervous often and that also makes the brain awake and thinking maybe if the medicine doesn’t work, try and put a relaxing scent in his room just before sleep to sooth him a little. Also you could think of reducing the brightness of the screen.

[@roseodonnell7765]

Great vlog

[@bronaghmurphy5643]

I hope you can figure out what's going on with Andy and all works out.

[@alexkennedy119]

Love the videos

[@milezygamez_114]

Hope andy gets back to his normal self although its nice to see him having fun on the wii u

[@sherryl1275]

Something isn't right..poor boy

[@jackw0403]

Maybe he's becoming a teenager.I feel so bad 4 him GET WELL SOON ANDY!!!

[@monkey6151]

hi just found you guys, definitely subscribed, we are also a vlogging family and I have 4 children all of whom are registered disabled and all undergoing autism tests

[@spillallthetea9423]

Poor andy

[@snapbrosfun8617]

Hi kev

[@mollyjones7071]

the melatonin could have a different affect because he is taking other medicine and if he is a wee bit unwell the melatonin will kick in a different times

[@shineadfallon1835]

I love your vlogs

[@cupcake0x694]

Poor baby boy. ☹️

[@laurenjacobs2646]

Hey please answer Kevin

[@ConfusedGirlButSmartDude]

I got flashbacks to my college classes when she said ‘balancing equations’ ,,,, like,,, whEre does the ‘one’ go Ahhh

[@rebeccabates5598]

Can you please provide the web address for Andys school so I can have a look at it

[@twilliamspro]

Anna mentioned points is she doing weight watchers? I've been following the Slimming world plan the last few months shed nearly 4 stone

[@sadielilley80]

I don’t sleep because of adhd my dad put led light round my room that helps

[@kingsley1918]

Hi family I'm sad because 2 days ago I was told I have autism

[@Jke-qp1qg]

Great vid

[@maxleitch9841]

What does Andy do on his ds does he record everything as he always points it at the things he's doing

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

Yeah, he’s filming

[@SRoseBlog]

Does sndy gets iron suppliments

[@skittles_3568]

I'm being honest right now I spik to the parts were Andy is

[@andrewmorton395]

I have autism i find it very to sleep, i have realy bad axnity.

[@beckysloan1377]

Hey Kev!

[@itzdan2548]

Kiev is so good

[@itzdan2548]

I meant kev

[@cameronvance8598]

From watching for a while and it sounds silly but somthing that may be good, see when he is like that do you think Andy might not realise that all the noise of his ipad and ATM etc might be stressing him out more, i no myself when im stressed and in pain noise just makes it worse. Just a suggestion hope andy feels better soon!

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

He uses the noises to block other noises out I think. He doesn’t mind noises he’s in control of - he was playing loud dog barking earlier. But when Dave barks, he can’t stand it.

[@cameronvance8598]

lollujo Vlogs interesting I suppose whatever suits him

[@crazycat1166]

That makes sense that he is OK with noises he can control. A gentleman I suppose with autism also hates loud noises. However we have to do weekly fire alarm tests at the house he lives in. Eventually we found he was fine if he was allowed to set off the alarm himself and stop it himself. But it hates it if he doesn't set it off

[@milezygamez_114]

Is zelda good?

[@DebUSA]

I've only been watching the 'lollujo' channel for a few months, and I'm trying to figure out if Kevin and Anna are platonic friends, or a couple.

[@ellieonpangaea9891]

they’re engaged :)

[@wildcowgirl2425]

Honestly sounds like stress due to the irregular schedule, poor kid :(

[@christinab.2864]

I agree that my life

[@malikaibass2609]

This sounds like rubbish advice, but as an autistic young man slightly older than Andy who has dealt with some similar troubles. I strongly encourage you to begin running with Andy. Running releases chemicals in your brain that can lessen anxiety and the obvious benefit is that it tires out the body. Running at any point during the day really does help me sleep because it reduces anxiety and physical restlessness. [ I am extremely out of shape, you don't have to be fit to run even jogging will help]

[@malikaibass2609]

Angus Waters I have never understood that phrase as it obviously easier to say something than to do it.

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

Getting him to do it would be very difficult.

[@malikaibass2609]

lollujo Vlogs that is understandable. I was not sure about Andy's opinion of physical activity. Hopefully, you all are able to find another solution.

[@elenadelawder6913]

👍

[@jessb744]

I just finished a college chem class. It's math.

[@MelissaG31]

Saturdays 22nd June

[@milliegell7767]

how old is Andy?

[@emilybaker4921]

Comment 79 yeah🤗

[@mckenziethomspon2863]

Tom productions u carnt get rid of it

[@pixeltron7068]

Wednesday means Wednesday treats

[@Cash4Fruit]

awh, poor sweet Andy, I hope you understand the depression medicine should be temporary just to get him back on track, and whenever possible try to ween him off. This reminds me of my autistic brother who was forced to go to school when he was very tired, and let's be honest school is a lot of BS, it's to prepare you for routine for the real world , but many disabled kids will not have such a intense routine, sometimes just showering and being happy and eating regularly is a huge accomplishment. Now my brother stays home all day but he's just fine doing his own thing and is happy ( I can hear him singing while watching tv in his room now!) I wish he'd get out more, but I am "normal" and I don't like going out much myself. Luckily my parents can afford to support him and my mom stays home with him. I wish you guys all the best.

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

The medication, or some like it, is likely to be long term.

[@Brynwyn123]

That's not true. Anti-depressants are usually taken for years and years before they even consider taking you off them, they don't work short term. It takes six months to even get them working! I've been on mine for three years so far

[@aaronhudson518]

has Andy gained weight? - can you weigh him? fingers crossed he has so the dosage can be higher.

[@rebeccabates5598]

What year is Andy in?

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

9

[@rebeccabates5598]

Ok is Andy going to do any GSCEs as I just wondered

[@sherryl1275]

Awwww poor andy I think he should go see the doc...he just looks so poorly...is it his head?.....looks like he just miserable....poor boy...if he has the flu can he tell u how he is feelimgs

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

He can tell us if he has a headache or stomach ache or feels sick, and he says it’s none of them. If it’s something else then there’s a chance he wouldn’t be able to tell us.

[@caseyw99]

Nobody here from today's vlog?

[@itzdan2548]

Yay I'm 5th

[@christopherkeith4300]

Is Andy still interested in his ATM's?

[@kevinchapmanvlog]

He keeps them around him. He’s not used them for a while.

[@mackac8296]

Fallout is not sad hahahah

[@RoM1il]

Sort out your hair Kev ;)

[@sadielilley80]

I don’t sleep because of adhd my dad put led light round my room that helps