Awe-tistic Dad is a place for music, autism, parenting, and trying to make sense of things together.

I started this site because I want my son and myself to be better understood.

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s about two decades ago, back when that was still the term people used. My son was recently diagnosed as nonverbal autistic. So autism is something I live from both sides now. I know what it feels like to be misunderstood, and I also know what it feels like to be the parent trying to understand a child who cannot always explain what he needs.

Saying either is hard is an understatement.

Autism is not always easy to explain because the usual explanations for behavior do not always fit. Sometimes what looks like not listening is really processing. Sometimes what looks like being difficult is really being overwhelmed. Sometimes what looks like a meltdown is the only way someone can communicate that everything has become too much.

I am not a doctor, therapist, or autism expert. This site is not meant to be clinical. It is just a firsthand look at autism from someone who has lived with it for most of his life and is now raising a son who experiences the world in his own way.

A big part of this site is music.

Because my son is nonverbal, he cannot always tell me what songs he likes or what topics he wants to hear about. So I make different kinds of songs and see what gets him excited. Dinosaurs, monster trucks, fire trucks, rockets, construction vehicles, pirates, knights, dragons, and whatever else might light him up.

That is where Toddler Metal comes from.

It is loud, fun, silly, and sometimes way more dramatic than a song about a baby T-Rex probably needs to be. But it is made with a real purpose. Every song is me trying to connect with my son. Every smile, bounce, laugh, stare, or repeat listen tells me something about what he enjoys.

This site is about that.

It is about music made for one very important little listener. It is about being a dad. It is about autism without all the clinical language. It is about learning how to understand behavior instead of just reacting to it.

Most of all, it is about giving my son a world where his interests matter, his communication counts, and he is understood for who he is.

Not who people expect him to be.

About Toddler Metal

Toddler Metal is a loud little world of dinosaurs, monster trucks, rockets, fire trucks, construction crews, pirates, knights, dragons, and big adventures.

The album was built around the things that light up a toddler’s imagination, but with the kind of heavy, dramatic sound a parent can still enjoy. Big drums, huge guitars, clear lyrics, and stories that turn everyday favorite topics into full-blown epic songs.

Some songs are just fun. Some are silly. Some are about trucks, rockets, pirates, and dinosaurs doing exactly what trucks, rockets, pirates, and dinosaurs should do.

But a few songs carry something a little deeper too.

They are about being quiet and still having power. Being different and still belonging.

Not communicating the same way as everyone else, but still having something important to say. They are about little heroes who may not fit what people expect, but still find their own way to shine.

At the heart of it, Toddler Metal is music made with love, curiosity, and a lot of noise.

It is silly when it should be silly, heavy when it should be heavy, and always built around one simple idea:

little interests can feel enormous, and little voices still matter.

-Awe-tistic Dad

— Awe-tistic Dad

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