Tuesday, April 1, 2008
World Autism Awareness Day
I learned from Gus's teacher that CNN will be running programming all day tomorrow, April 2nd, dealing with Autism Awareness. I checked some of the features on their site today and it seems like it would be worth checking in with at some point. Just thought I'd share.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Autism Information Fair - Westchester County, NY
A good friend of mine emailed this to me, so I thought I'd share:
Navigating the Spectrum and The Westchester County Department of Community
Mental Health are proud to sponsor The Second Annual Autism Information Fair
Sunday April 6th from 11 am to 4 pm
Westchester County Center
198 Central Avenue - White Plains, NY
Parents, therapists, educators, health care professionals, school
administrators and anyone who cares about a child on the spectrum are invited to
join us for a day of education and empowerment. Connect with families affected
by ASDs and network with knowledgeable and encouraging professionals. Learn
about Interventions and Services available for all ages, from toddlers to
adults. Visit Over 40 Scheduled Information Stations Including Applied Behavior
Analysis - Relationship Development Intervention - DIR and Floortime TEACCH -
Occupational Therapy & Sensory Integration - Speech & Language Pathology
Physical Therapy - Medical Interventions - Nutritional & Biomedical
Interventions Special Education Law & Advocacy - Assessments &
Evaluations - Family Resources Literacy Development - Math Development - Post
Secondary Educational Options Self-Injurious Behavior Management - Family
Support Services - Recreational Programs Respite Services - Social Skills
Programs - Transitional Services - Vocational Training Residential Options -
Family Management - Auditory Therapies - Vision Therapy Chiropractic - Cranio
Sacral Therapy - Interactive Metronome - Creative Arts Therapies Research
Studies - Complementary & Alternative Treatments - Plus Many More...
Breakout Lecture Schedule
Toddlers and Preschoolers School Age Children Adolescents & Young
Adults
11:30 - 12:30 1:00 - 2:00 2:30 - 3:30-
Getting a Diagnosis - It's Never Too Late to - Puberty and Sexuality-
Securing Services Try Something Different - Transitional Services-
Multidisciplinary Approaches - Friends and Fitting In - Vocational
Training-
Therapeutic Options - Peer Pressure & Bullies - Residential Options-
Educational Advocacy
FREE ADMISSION - FAMILIES WELCOME FUN & ATTRACTIONS FOR CHILDREN
BOUNCERS - BALL POOL - BIG APPLE CIRCUS CLOWNS
Navigating the Spectrum - www.navigatingthespectrum.org -
(914) 826-5300
Dept Community Mental Health - www.westchestergov.com/mentalhealth
- (914) 995-5220
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Summer Safety Concerns
There's always a fine line that I find myself walking between doing too much for Gus, trying to protect him too much, and allowing him to learn things for himself. So I tried last weekend to let him ride his bike without hovering over him. He went down a hill, not a steep one, but steep enough to gain a decent amount of momentum. I was shouting for him to use his brakes, but apparently he's forgotten how since last year. He nearly ended up in the main road - he didn't even think to turn. His father was close enough to catch and stop him. We won't be taking that chance again.
So we took the bikes out again today and again, I tried to get him to use his brakes (on a secluded side road) and this time he went up on a curb and almost into a stream. Insert deep sigh here. I was a little frustrated by then, so I told him he would not be allowed to ride outside of our parking lot until he learned to use his brakes. Then I marched him, well, rolled him actually, back to said parking lot.
There was a group of teenage boys wrestling near the house. Amazing how at almost seven years old, he's already concerned about his image to the big boys because as I was trying to help him up the hill, he pushed me away.
Anyway, we practiced pedaling and stopping, or at least we tried to. I feel bad for him. He doesn't have the coordination to pedal backwards to stop, but doesn't have the hand strength to use the hand brake. It doesn't help that the brakes seriously need tightening, more than I can do myself. I'm predicting a trip to the bike shop in the near future.
Is it imperative for him to be able to ride a bike? No, not really. But he likes it and I'd like him to be able to do it. But I can't just let him run amok because he doesn't have the safety awareness to know when he's heading for trouble.
It's going to be an interesting summer.
So we took the bikes out again today and again, I tried to get him to use his brakes (on a secluded side road) and this time he went up on a curb and almost into a stream. Insert deep sigh here. I was a little frustrated by then, so I told him he would not be allowed to ride outside of our parking lot until he learned to use his brakes. Then I marched him, well, rolled him actually, back to said parking lot.
There was a group of teenage boys wrestling near the house. Amazing how at almost seven years old, he's already concerned about his image to the big boys because as I was trying to help him up the hill, he pushed me away.
Anyway, we practiced pedaling and stopping, or at least we tried to. I feel bad for him. He doesn't have the coordination to pedal backwards to stop, but doesn't have the hand strength to use the hand brake. It doesn't help that the brakes seriously need tightening, more than I can do myself. I'm predicting a trip to the bike shop in the near future.
Is it imperative for him to be able to ride a bike? No, not really. But he likes it and I'd like him to be able to do it. But I can't just let him run amok because he doesn't have the safety awareness to know when he's heading for trouble.
It's going to be an interesting summer.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Smart Mouth
Sometimes I have to wonder what's worse: having a child who doesn't talk or having one who talks too much without fully understanding what he's saying.
Ha! His sister just told him, "I think you forgot that words have power."
So, Gus is being punished tonight. No television for the rest of the afternoon and evening. He was apparently misbehaving at school all day, but the worst offense was that he called one of his aides Stupid. Now, I know full well that he didn't mean it in the context that most people would assume, but that's beside the point. He knows he's not allowed to use that word. He sees it on television, he reads it sometimes in books, heck, sometimes I even slip and use it. But the message is always clear: it is not a nice word and not allowed. Period.
It's not as if he's watching anything above a G rating or reading things that are really inappropriate. We're currently reading A Wrinkle in Time, which is an amazing story and well within his ability to comprehend with minimal assistance. Before that we read Pippi Longstocking - a classic. He watches mostly Noggin, Disney or Discovery Kids, or sometimes old Superfriends. Teen Titans is the one thing he probably shouldn't be watching because of the violence, but the language is actually quite tame (comparatively) and my kids are banned from certain episodes that I consider over the top. Shows or movies with 'rude' humor are not allowed at all. The only time he's ever been shown Sponge Bob, for example, was at school last year. My point is that compared to what some kids are allowed to watch or read, his entertainment diet is quite bland in terms of language.
Gus has a tendency to repeat what he hears if it sounds giggalicious, but he has to learn that he can't just say anything and then hide behind the excuse that he heard it on TV (which he tried to pull with his teacher, who, rightly, did not buy it).
I know this 'freshness' is age appropriate, and in a sense we should be glad that he's acting like a 'typical' kid...I suppose. I guess the loss of that sweet innocence is tough for any parent, autistic child or not.
Edit: I got Gus to write an apology letter to the aide. Later this evening, just before bed he started crying and saying negative things about himself, which I put a stop to, telling him that he was not those things, that he made a mistake and took the consequenc and that it was done with. He said some other interesting things. He asked how he could get the bad things out of his brain so that they couldn't come out and also said that there are too many things he has to remember. Totally heartbreaking. He wasn't being malicious in any way. I hope hos teacher understands this.
Ha! His sister just told him, "I think you forgot that words have power."
So, Gus is being punished tonight. No television for the rest of the afternoon and evening. He was apparently misbehaving at school all day, but the worst offense was that he called one of his aides Stupid. Now, I know full well that he didn't mean it in the context that most people would assume, but that's beside the point. He knows he's not allowed to use that word. He sees it on television, he reads it sometimes in books, heck, sometimes I even slip and use it. But the message is always clear: it is not a nice word and not allowed. Period.
It's not as if he's watching anything above a G rating or reading things that are really inappropriate. We're currently reading A Wrinkle in Time, which is an amazing story and well within his ability to comprehend with minimal assistance. Before that we read Pippi Longstocking - a classic. He watches mostly Noggin, Disney or Discovery Kids, or sometimes old Superfriends. Teen Titans is the one thing he probably shouldn't be watching because of the violence, but the language is actually quite tame (comparatively) and my kids are banned from certain episodes that I consider over the top. Shows or movies with 'rude' humor are not allowed at all. The only time he's ever been shown Sponge Bob, for example, was at school last year. My point is that compared to what some kids are allowed to watch or read, his entertainment diet is quite bland in terms of language.
Gus has a tendency to repeat what he hears if it sounds giggalicious, but he has to learn that he can't just say anything and then hide behind the excuse that he heard it on TV (which he tried to pull with his teacher, who, rightly, did not buy it).
I know this 'freshness' is age appropriate, and in a sense we should be glad that he's acting like a 'typical' kid...I suppose. I guess the loss of that sweet innocence is tough for any parent, autistic child or not.
Edit: I got Gus to write an apology letter to the aide. Later this evening, just before bed he started crying and saying negative things about himself, which I put a stop to, telling him that he was not those things, that he made a mistake and took the consequenc and that it was done with. He said some other interesting things. He asked how he could get the bad things out of his brain so that they couldn't come out and also said that there are too many things he has to remember. Totally heartbreaking. He wasn't being malicious in any way. I hope hos teacher understands this.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Two Weeks Later
We've been able to maintain our dairy-free diet for two weeks now. Gus still won't touch any of the other milks, not even the chocolates or vanillas. But otherwise, it's gone fairly well. I think that I'm having to redirect a little less in general, more so when he's kind of tired.
The real test for me was what his teacher was going to say. I didn't tell her that we had made any changes and I spoke to her on Friday. Now, during the week, there hadn't been any negative reports. But when I asked her if she'd noticed any difference in him, she said she hadn't. The only difference was that he wasn't taking things off of the aide's desk. I've asked her to let me know if she does see any changes.
Even if there isn't a significant difference in his ability to focus, I definitely feel that he's more 'with it' and more conversational. Maybe the other part will come in time. It's only been two weeks after all. So we're sticking with this plan at least for a while longer.
We're getting as much calcium supplementation into the kids as possible: fortified juices, multivitamins with calcium and calcium gummies (those are a huge hit). Those things as many calcium rich foods as I can get my kids to eat seem to be working out fine. I was very excited to find that Apple & Eve now offers calcium fortified juice boxes. If I could find a decent non-dairy mozzarella or ricotta cheese, we'd be golden!
If you're trying a dairy-free diet, please share your experiences! We'd love to hear them!
The real test for me was what his teacher was going to say. I didn't tell her that we had made any changes and I spoke to her on Friday. Now, during the week, there hadn't been any negative reports. But when I asked her if she'd noticed any difference in him, she said she hadn't. The only difference was that he wasn't taking things off of the aide's desk. I've asked her to let me know if she does see any changes.
Even if there isn't a significant difference in his ability to focus, I definitely feel that he's more 'with it' and more conversational. Maybe the other part will come in time. It's only been two weeks after all. So we're sticking with this plan at least for a while longer.
We're getting as much calcium supplementation into the kids as possible: fortified juices, multivitamins with calcium and calcium gummies (those are a huge hit). Those things as many calcium rich foods as I can get my kids to eat seem to be working out fine. I was very excited to find that Apple & Eve now offers calcium fortified juice boxes. If I could find a decent non-dairy mozzarella or ricotta cheese, we'd be golden!
If you're trying a dairy-free diet, please share your experiences! We'd love to hear them!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
There could be something to this
This is day four of our dairy-free trial and I'm actually hopeful this time out. Gus has been, moreso today, more 'tuned in' and aware of what's going on around him. First thing today, I said, 'good morning' to him and he responded the first time. I normally either get no response or have to repeat myself a few times. Then, and this was the heart sweller, he made eye contact with me...and held it for several seconds with no prompting. That is extremely rare!
He's been active today, but not wildly out of control, at least not until his grandparents arrived, but I attribute that to general excitement and nothing more. His sister is just as out of control.
Another example of his being more alert and connected to his surroundings: we were playing a computer game with Mama, and Gus chose to play with his hand-held game. No problem; he'd been asking for it for days. But even while he was involved with his own game, he became curious about what we were doing and kept asking what was going on in our game. He wasn't completely immersed in his own thing. Eventually he came to join us.
He's been more conversational and less perseverative/questioning than is typical.
So, my conclusion is that these things could be for any number of reasons, but I have good reason to believe that cutting the dairy may be helping. The real test will be when he goes back to school. I don't intend to mention the change to his teachers because I want to see if they notice any difference.
Cross your fingers for us.
Oh, and anyone who has gone this route and could offer any advice, it would be very appreciated.
He's been active today, but not wildly out of control, at least not until his grandparents arrived, but I attribute that to general excitement and nothing more. His sister is just as out of control.
Another example of his being more alert and connected to his surroundings: we were playing a computer game with Mama, and Gus chose to play with his hand-held game. No problem; he'd been asking for it for days. But even while he was involved with his own game, he became curious about what we were doing and kept asking what was going on in our game. He wasn't completely immersed in his own thing. Eventually he came to join us.
He's been more conversational and less perseverative/questioning than is typical.
So, my conclusion is that these things could be for any number of reasons, but I have good reason to believe that cutting the dairy may be helping. The real test will be when he goes back to school. I don't intend to mention the change to his teachers because I want to see if they notice any difference.
Cross your fingers for us.
Oh, and anyone who has gone this route and could offer any advice, it would be very appreciated.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Trying Dairy-free
We've tried all-natural and low sugar diets with the slightest success and a big increase in our grocery bill. So they've more or less stuck. We tried gluten-free for a week and it was just too hard at the time and not cost effective. It wasn't a long enough trial run to have seen any results, but I'm not inclined to go there again until finances are much better.
So we're going to give dairy-free a go. Just for a week. From what I've heard if Gus has any kind of dairy allergy or sensitivity or allergy, we should start to see a reaction within a week. Also, since my daughter and husband refuse to drink milk, we're a good portion of the way toward being dairy-free anyway. I've had to find ways to get her an appropriate level of calcium without drinking milk. Cheese is going to be the real challenge. And mayonnaise. My kids both consume cheese in huge quantities. And I have tried to slip in dairy free or soy cheeses before to see how viable a dairy-free diet might be if we ever decided to try it. They hate that stuff. I may be able to get Gus to drink rice milk if I go for the unflavored kind. He's gotten accustomed to drinking skim milk and the consistency is close.
We're doing it this week because he's off from school so I'll have a chance to really see if there's any change.
I've also been doing some looking into this theory of yeast overgrowth in connection to spectrum disorders. While I'm not sure I totally buy it, I'm doing some research. I need to have a chat with our dietitian this week. So I'll have some more info on that shortly, I hope.
In the meantime, if anyone out there has advice on how to make picky little cheese lovers dairy free, I'd sure appreciate the input!
So we're going to give dairy-free a go. Just for a week. From what I've heard if Gus has any kind of dairy allergy or sensitivity or allergy, we should start to see a reaction within a week. Also, since my daughter and husband refuse to drink milk, we're a good portion of the way toward being dairy-free anyway. I've had to find ways to get her an appropriate level of calcium without drinking milk. Cheese is going to be the real challenge. And mayonnaise. My kids both consume cheese in huge quantities. And I have tried to slip in dairy free or soy cheeses before to see how viable a dairy-free diet might be if we ever decided to try it. They hate that stuff. I may be able to get Gus to drink rice milk if I go for the unflavored kind. He's gotten accustomed to drinking skim milk and the consistency is close.
We're doing it this week because he's off from school so I'll have a chance to really see if there's any change.
I've also been doing some looking into this theory of yeast overgrowth in connection to spectrum disorders. While I'm not sure I totally buy it, I'm doing some research. I need to have a chat with our dietitian this week. So I'll have some more info on that shortly, I hope.
In the meantime, if anyone out there has advice on how to make picky little cheese lovers dairy free, I'd sure appreciate the input!
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