Recovering Boys- One RECOVERED, 2010!!!!!!!

Division of "autism" moms

2011-06-27T09:01:00.000-04:00

You know, when you find out your kid has an "issue", any issue for that matter, different personality styles will handle the "issue" differently. What continues to surprise me all these years later is how the different styles of dealing with autism, ADHD, anxiety, allergies (fill in the problem here)can be so against one another. My way of handling the problems (and yes, I view allergies, asthma, autism, anxiety, and speech delays as a problem)is to find the root and try my best to fix it naturally (this is because I think the environment played a part in the problem). What I have noticed in my journey is that my type is in the minority. At first I was more judgmental about why other parents would not choose to heal their children through means beyond the mainstream course of action since the mainstream course of action produces such minimal results. In the years since I started this process; however, I have become much more understanding that some mothers deal with things differently and that is not for me to judge (though I will admit I am a work in progress). What I have learned is that virtually every mom does what she deems best for her family, so far be it for me to decide what someone else thinks is best for them. There is another school of thought that consists of "these are the cards I have been dealt" (I actually admire that school of thought, a bit) and that's how God made my kids(that's the part I take issue with) and so there is really no need for me to attempt all these "unproven" methods of healing. I know several mothers (or know of) this parenting style and these moms and families are actually quite happy. They say, my kid has autism (or speech delay or anxiety or ADHD or whatever) and I will take what the state (or school system or pediatrician) gives me and move forward with my life.

The most disturbing part of the division of belief systems is the animosity for the other side. I have had a few parents reach out to me when they realized their kids were struggling and I have given them advice on what we did to improve our situation (I now rarely ever dole out advice, fyi). What has happened on numerous occasions is that those parents end up not "buying" into my school of thought (I mean, why would they...not one mainstream doctor or therapist probably supports it) and they actually will stop speaking to me or contacting me. As a human being, it does hurt my feelings....you would think after the friends I initially lost once we went biomedical it would be okay, but even four years later, it does sting a bit. I would think a recovered child would give me enough credibility, but I suppose, it does not. I have plenty of biomed friends that think along the exact same lines as I do, but I do wish there wasn't such a huge division of autism moms. I think we can all agree that there are too many sick kids today and we simply cannot accept this is what the Universe intended!

First IVIG down!!

2011-06-21T17:39:00.000-04:00

Well, my little one had his first IVIG infusion exactly six days ago. I have to say, it went quite well. He is using Gammagard with low IGA, since he is so low in IGG and IGA. The doctor said regular IVIG could kill him. Needless to say, I was quite nervous and saw the box prior to administration to ease my mind. He wore a backpack with the IV bag and the infusion lasted about five hours The side effects were minimal. Day two he had a headache and some loose stools, but that was about it. He did have severe light sensitivity that is still giving him a problem, so I will have to check with the doctor on that. I have noticed his play skills have increased and he is slightly more verbal. He has been more eye stimmy, but I think that is due to the light sensitivity. His real issues are the eye stimms and the poor language skills (I know that is a lot), but other than that, he has no "issues" that stand out. He is not echolalic or scripty, he has great eye contact and plays with others. I don't think we have a lot to "fix" but he is still young, so I'm not sure yet. At this point, the main thing I'm worried about is his immune deficiency and his language skills. He will be four at the end of July. I am praying for a language boost between now and his first day of VPK (voluntary pre-k). I'm also praying he is well enough to stay in school since he was sick for months at a time last year.

IVIG

2011-04-25T09:19:00.001-04:00

My three year old has been very shaky over the past year when it comes to his health. It turns out he has a pretty substantial immune deficiency. Once again, we are faced with healing a child with very little support from the insurance company we pay high premiums to. We decided to see Dr. Rossignol in Melbourne as a second set of eyes for our little one. Switching doctors was a little stressful for me since we have had great success from our previous doctor with our older son. My meeting with the new doctor went quite well. His personality couldn't be more different from our Miami doctor, but I don't need the hand holding and the universal blessings this go round. I simply need an office that is closer, easier maneuver (not in downtown Miami Beach!), and really knows what they are doing (and can explain it to me in normal language) when it comes to IVIG.

I still have my moments when I feel sorry for myself. It still seems unreal that I have two children with such major health issues that are not covered my insurance. The amount of money we have spent so far could have sent both of them to an Ivy League college.

I called our Miami DAN doctor for input regarding giving him the Pneumovax vaccine (the little one's allergist is pushing it hard). The conversation lasted 30 minutes. The results were do not give the vaccine and do IVIG. The bill was $200.00. The next week we went to the new DAN doctor in Melbourne. We spent an hour discussing IVIG options and then the little one was chelated. The total bill for that day was $800 and something. I honestly don't think the average family could quite fathom that we paid out $1,000 in less than a two week period to see if we can heal one child. I have stopped thinking about it so much. I do find the whole thing unfair, but I know that one cannot put a price tag on a child's health. The great new is that the chelation was a success and little B's language took a huge boost afterward.

We are now waiting to see if Aetna will cover the drug portion of IVIG. If they do, it will only cost us $900.00 per infusion. If Aetna does not cover it, our cost could be as much as $4,000 per infusion. We have not made any decision yet what we will do if Aetna doesn't cover it. I think it's a mandatory item, at this point.

Witch hunt and the media

2011-01-07T09:53:00.007-05:00

Witch-hunt: An investigation carried out ostensibly to uncover subversive activities bu actually used to harass and undermine those with differing views.

Well, if you follow any mainstream news channel you have seen what's been going on over the past 48 hours. The media, once again is not focused on vaccine safety, but continues to report the findings of one lone journalist's mission (Brian Deer) to discredit Dr. Andrew Wakefield's study that said the MMR "may" cause bowel disease. Somehow that turned into he said the MMR causes autism...blah, blah...it's the worst game of telephone, ever. The sad part is that the mainstream media and the public buys into this entire thing hook, line, and sinker. Needless to say, the disgusting manner in which the reporters are interviewing anyone concerned with vaccine safety is atrocious. It's embarrassing that the US media has turned into such a biased disgrace. As JB Handley said "They're not just beating a dead horse, they're beating a horse that never existed at all." Regardless, the media has assured the public that Andrew Wakefield is a big fraud and now we can put the autism/vaccine connection to rest.

Really? Now we can put it to rest? I always wonder when common sense will prevail. We have over 36 shots on the schedule and more coming our way. What will it look like in ten years? Autism is on the rise!! What are we doing about it?? Nothing. Plain and simple. I have friends who are pregnant now. There are no precautions except don't eat lots of tuna that any OBGYN is giving. How can that be? "There is an environmental role" the media says, but it's not vaccines. I've never thought vaccines are the sole cause of the autism increase, but really?? How dumb are we? It's been a rough two days for me. Lots of tears and anger because I have to relive the bullshit. This does not make me or anyone like me go away. this makes my resolve stronger! It's as simple as this...children in The United States are over vaccinated. There are too many shots given, too many at one visit, and too soon after the previous round. Enough is enough!!!

I LOVE chelation!!

2011-01-04T11:02:00.005-05:00

Chelation worked very well for my older son. As I have written in earlier pieces, he went from having horrific echolalia and scripting before chelation to non existent echolali after. I knew chelation was his main healer which is why I couldn't wait to try it on my younger son. The first time my younger son went in for his IV chelation he definitely had gains from it. More than I was thinking he would, actually. His language improved some (when you have minimal language "some" improvement is great but you still have a child who can barely speak)and his eye contact and "withitness" improved. I knew that he was a chelation responder after the first round. What I hadn't predicted was how he would react to his second round of chelation. My mother in law had flown in the night before and generally had a good idea about his minimal language capabilities. We drove to Miami (two hours down) and had both boys chelated though IV. We had lunch in the park and then my little one fell asleep in the car for the entire two hour ride back and even slept an additional hour in his bed. When he woke up from his three hour nap, his language was INSANE!! He was speaking in complete sentences and had started to become conversational for the first time, ever!! My mother in law asked me if she was imagining things or if this was chelation at work. I told her, Oh, this is chelation, baby!! My husband, my mother in law, and I were ecstatic! He gained more language in the three hours post chelation than he did his first three years of life. That was November 11th and our next chelation isn't set until Jan. 17th, which is way too long in between. I will be picking up the pace for these chelations, that's for sure. Now that I am working, it is not easy to take off. Now we are chelating two at a time instead of one at a time, which also means $400 per chelation instead of $200. I cannot wait until the next one!!!

Reading and Spelling

2011-01-03T08:30:00.004-05:00

Ty's teacher sent me this email just before winter break. To say I was THRILLED would be putting it mildly. I take no achievement for granted. I just love that she is as excited for his progress as I am.

"Just a quick email with some good news: Ty is in my highest reading group AND he scored the third highest score in my class on a spelling placement test for Words Their Way! He’s making so much progress!

Go, Ty go!"

Autism Slayer

2011-01-03T08:06:00.006-05:00

I've often thought of myself as an autism slayer. Little by little, we (our family and team of professionals) get our boys to a place where they overcome something that was once a giant hurdle. When those moments happen, it is like living in the most amazing dream, ever. One such thing just recently happened. Fireworks has always been one of my favorite things. As a matter of fact, Fourth of July was always my favorite holiday....well, until I had kids. Both boys suffered from severe audio sensory issues. My oldest really agonized with loud sounds more than the youngest, but both children have always been absolutely TERRIFIED of fireworks. My oldest has made us close all the blinds and drapes in the house every Fourth of July and New Years Eve so he can't see any neighbors fireworks displays (yes, we live in FL where you can buy fireworks at the grocery store and set them on in your front yard!) Anyway, we have always planned events around fireworks displays. We leave Disney before the fireworks start or baseball games before the ending fireworks display. The other week, we decided to take the boys to a holiday light show that we have taken them for the past few years. The schedule said they would end the event with a fireworks display, but we figured we could have them in the car heading home by then. What happened was an amazing surprise to us. We had just arrived when the fireworks show started (two hours before we thought they would). Both kids watched calmly and enjoyed it. At first, my youngest wanted to leave, but I just affirmed how pretty and fun it was and that he was safe. They both continued to enjoy the show like all the other kids. I watched and got teary eyed. I thought we're doing it! Year by year, we are slaying autism!!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-02T19:59:00.002-05:00

Recovered, for sure!!

2010-10-16T20:42:00.002-04:00

Kindergarten parent conferences were recently held, but the teacher sent a note home with Ty saying no conference was necessary. Just so I understood, I emailed her to be sure he was on target with all his skills. (being the autism, helicopter mom I am, I asked if he was playing with friends and following directions) She is unaware of the depth of his past struggles. Here is what she wrote:

Good morning!

You are correct: other than fine motor skills, Ty is right on track. He knows all letters and sounds and can recognize the sight words that have been introduced. He scored well on the FAIR test and is on grade level with everything!

I do, sometimes, repeat directions for him. I’m not at all concerned with this, as I repeat myself a million times a day for EVERYBODY. I predict that as the year goes on, Ty will be able to follow directions the first time given. That’s our goal and I think he will achieve it.

I meet with all parents at the first report card conference. As of now, we’ve done so much testing and observing to see the levels of all of our students, I am just now getting into the academics of our curriculum.

Yes, he does play with friends at recess. He rarely is with me anymore during recess and has stopped trying to be responsible for everyone else on the playground.

No worries on my part for Ty, for academics or social development. He’s right on track. I enjoy him so much.

Um, that last line says it all!!!! Whoooohoooo!!!!

Recess Woes

2010-10-10T20:00:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe how much my five year old is thriving in kindergarten. There were a few struggles in the very beginning with recess. My son had a hard time navigating such a new social format. In pre-school there was a very small play yard with no more than 10-20 children in it at any given time. Most of the kids he had known since he was two, so there wasn't a lot of social dynamics he had to worry about. During the fist two weeks of kindergarten I asked him who he was playing with at recess and he would say no one. I emailed the teacher (who is unaware of any autism diagnosis in the past) and said I was concerend. She did say he wasn't very interested in playing with the kids and would stay by her the whole time. Apparently, recess was the only place he was having a hard time socially. After a good cry, I spent time with Ty and explained some ways to make new friends at recess. He just wasn't using the right approach. He now loves recess and always makes sure to play with friends. Just because he no longer has "autism" doesn't mean he won't struggle in certain social situations. It does mean that I will continue to help him navigate it.

Totally Likeable Child

2010-10-01T19:00:00.000-04:00

Each week a new child in the class is chosen to be the "TLC" or Totally Likeable Child. Ty was thrilled to be the second child picked in his class. He got to take home "Chunky Monkey" for a week and chronicle his adventures with him. On the last day they asked a few kids to say some good things about Ty for his TLC poster. One of his friends from pre-school happens to be in the same class as him. He said that "Ty is my best friend" and another child said "Ty is a rock star" of course, one of the favorites was, "Ty has awesome Sketchers." :)

Barnes and Noble in 2010

2010-02-25T16:19:00.005-05:00

Well, I was at Barnes and Noble today and there it was...an entire section for children with special needs. I've spent most of my life at book stores; they top the list of my favorite places to spend time. Granted, I don't get there much these days, but I never recall such a large section for special needs. The majority of books were on Autism, ADHD, and diets for kids with developmental and speech delays. If you think this section is there because we are a more enlightened society, don't kid yourself. More parents are dealing with these issues so more authors are born and the need is there, so more people are buying. Welcome to Barnes and Noble in 2010. I hate to think how big this section will be in five years.

Getting BCaBA Certified on hold

2010-02-07T09:22:00.002-05:00

As some of you know, I have been in school to get my certification in Behavior Therapy, specifically, in ABA therapy. I have decided to take time off from that right now. I decided to sit in on one of Ty's old therapists for the day to see what "a day in the life" of a behavior therapist looked like. To be honest, I think it's all too fresh and raw for me to be truly effective at this point. I saw a total of four kids and each had a one hour session (Ty always had two hour sessions). One little girl had such bowel problems from withholding that she moans and groans during therapy and will most likely need surgery soon. I asked the therapist if she was on a special diet, if she had been to a DAN doctor, if the parents were treating her biomedically. The therapist wasn't sure at what capacity she was being treated for it outside of a mainstream physician. I wondered what steps were being taken on all the children to heal their physical symptoms, and again, the therapist was unsure. She knew some of her kids were seeing a DAN doctor. During the sessions I found myself getting so pissed off and choked up on the inside. I was screaming (in my head...with much more cursing than I will write down here) but this is what my head was thinking, "how did this happen to these kids!!? How come no one gives a shit!!? When will society at large get involved!!????"

Then I thought about my own child (almost all these kids were older than him). I wondered about what he will look like when he will be their age. I was depressed the whole way home.

I have decided it's not a good idea for me to get involved on such a personal level with behavior therapy, at this point. I have too much invested emotionally in this right now. I firmly believe in biomedical for the majority of cases and don't know how I could work with a parent that was not seeking that course for their child. I'm 100% sure I would not want to work with a family that did not have their child on one of the diets, even if it was just The Feingold.

I will continue my Rescue Angel work and help specific families that ask for my input. Right now, I am best suited for that. I believe in behavior therapy. I think I could be good at it. Not right now, though.

Recovered 2010...it happened!!

2010-02-06T17:10:00.006-05:00

I will write about this more when I have time, but we got some results in yesterday an they were amazing!! Ty had a GARS autism rating evaluation done and he did not score on the autism spectrum. I have heard that the GARS scoring is more lenient than the ADOS, but the professional evaluator even went back when it came up typical and rescored and did not give him the benefit of the doubt on certain questions. She said he still didn't even come close to scoring on the autism spectrum. Would I feel better if he cleared an ADOS? Yes, I would, but she doesn't like the ADOS and she has been working with children who have autism for many, many years. One day, when I can afford to, I will make sure he clears an ADOS, as well...(evaluations aren't cheap!)She also did a very comprehensive speech evaluation and he scored within normal limits for a child his age on both receptive (what he understands) and expressive (what he can say) language. I think the language score was more shocking than the autism score. We have thought (as have many others)for some time now that he would not be considered on the autism spectrum. It was nice to hear it "officially", though. This does not mean he is without issue or our work is done. Actually, we will continue to work hard so that he does fall behind and revert to some of his old behaviors or lag behind his peers. He is doing very well in his regular preschool class and he will be heading to regular Kindergarten next fall with all the other kids. WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! It happened, IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!

Autism Recovery is Not for The Faint of Heart

2010-02-03T06:54:00.003-05:00

Everyone has a right to proceed the way they want to and feel is best for their child when it comes to autism. With that said, I will probably never understand mothers who don't try what the parents of recovered and recovering kids are doing. I know lots of people now who have kids with autism, but so many don't put in the effort and energy required to allow their kids to have the best chance. If you honestly want to recover a child, you will have to go way above and beyond what seems fair. Your kid may still never recover, but he or she will be the living to their highest potential. The moms I know who are doing this have seen amazing results. I am one of them. There was some Facebook postings recently that read, "children with autism don't want a cure, they just want acceptance"...that's bullshit. Children with autism want to be able to communicate with their parents and they want to make a friend or two. I do believe we should "accept" people the way they are, but a majority of these kids are sick and it is up to the parents to heal their insides. Once they begin to heal physically, they begin to lose many autistic symptoms. Never give up!!

Please read JB Handley's article from today's Age of Autism HERE.

Is Tylenol contributing to the autism epidemic?

2010-01-23T08:06:00.007-05:00

I've written before about what I believe harmed my son. I had two dental amalgams removed during my pregnancy and I got a severe infection afterwards. I took Tylenol in droves to ease the tooth pain. I took Tylenol for the duration of my pregnancy until I was able to have oral surgery to fix the tooth once my son was born. I knew, in my heart, that all the Tylenol was not safe. I cried and cried while I took the Tylenol. My dentist and OBGYN assured me that all the Tylenol was completely safe (I knew it wasn't) and eventually I was prescribed something else for the pain.

It was later (after the autism diagnosis) that I learned how Tylenol lowers glutathione (children with autism are low in glutathione). I also gave my son Tylenol before and after every vaccination to reduce the pain and fever since he was SEVERELY sick after every single vaccination.

Today, I only have Tylenol (acetaminophen) in the house for emergency use only (if my kids' fever is so high I need to chase the ibuprofen with Tylenol).

My advice: Never take Tylenol while pregnant and never give Tylenol to a child unless you need to chase ibuprofen.

Check this study out HERE

and the apathy continues...

2009-12-23T12:20:00.011-05:00

Well, I know that some (many people actually) find Obama to be doing a great job. People (several)in my own family have said he inspires them, though I think one can find inspiration from anyone who is successful. Nevertheless, Obama and his administration have done nothing and continue to do nothing for the autism community. I am not surprised since he was pretty clear during his campaign that autism was a genetic disorder and not a priority on his list if things to "fix". You can disagree with me that Obama is doing a poor job on several fronts, but it is a fact that nothing has changed and has even gotten worse for autism under his administration. Changing health care while NOT including autism is insane. You must understand that this is not getting better. This affects everyone even if you don't have children. On a societal level, we should be focusing on helping these kids reverse the autistic symptoms early on and making sure we reduce the environmental factors so we lower the amount of children who contract (that's right, CONTRACT autism). Actually, this is a fabulous article from Mark Blaxill in today's Age of Autism that explains the less than stellar job that people under the Obama administration have done. As Mark states, It's clear that H1N1 has been the focus. Please read the full article here.

Autism Heroes

2009-11-30T06:52:00.004-05:00

Here is a video that ran on AoA thanking autism heroes. I've met some of these people, seen them speak, and even had dinner with one. They are amazing people.

Recovered!! Alec

2009-11-28T08:27:00.001-05:00

Recovered!

2009-11-25T07:08:00.002-05:00

Read Ricky Mize's recovery story HERE.

Kim Stagliano in today's AoA

2009-11-24T18:24:00.001-05:00

Mainstream Media to Autism Families: Let Your Children Burn.
By Kim Stagliano

Your pretty red house is on fire. You're on the second floor with your kids. The stairs are gone. You call the fire department. They tell you they don't go to red houses. They assure you that your house is not on fire, it's just your imagination. They hang up on you. Then they disconnect your phone lines. Smoke is choking your children, flames licking their feet. Do you throw them out the 2nd story window or let them burn to death having been told your house is not on fire? You may choose to let your kids burn to death. Good on ya. Get out of my way, though. I'm throwing my girls to safety.

That's my response to the Chicago Tribune accusing us of performing "uncontrolled studies" on our kids. (Our medical doctors are thorough and safe, by the way.) The AAP and mainstream medical doctors have abandoned our sick kids. They offer us nothing. Do they really expect us to let our children suffer? And why does it bother journalists like Trine Tsouderos and Pat Callahan that some of us are improving our children's lives?

Who on earth would tear down progress for so many kids and moreover, why?

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor for Age of Autism.

Russell Blaylock, MD

2009-11-17T12:12:00.004-05:00

I saw Dr. Blaylock speak at the Autism Conference. His work is simply amazing! Check more at his website HERE

National Autism Conference

2009-11-17T10:41:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the most amazing moms, researchers, doctors, and advocates that our community has. This was the first time I've attended an event with a nearly recovered child, so there was definitely a different feeling for me. I remember the DAN (Defeat Autism Now) conference I attended a year and a half ago when I was desperate for some help and for some answers. I remember feeling like I didn't want to belong to the group or the subculture I was in. I remember the Green Our Vaccines Rally holding up a picture of my son who was still so sick. I remember praying that I would one day be able to say that I had a recovered or nearly recovered child.

This conference was different. I felt so at home with other parents and doctors who share my same passion for more answers and for real studies and for transparency that shows how the environment and toxins are claiming the normal and healthy lives of so many of our Earth's children. I no longer care that I am not one of the majority of Americans who puts blind faith in the drug companies who care for their bottom line well before they care about the health of our children. I know there is something much larger than genetics going on here. I see the facts that many Americans continue to ignore because it's easier and less work to trust some pediatrician who believes whatever the AAP is saying. The same AAP who is taking money from the drug manufacturers. The amazing moms I met are pissed off enough to have the energy to fight and heal their children, yet still walk around with a smile on their faces and love in their hearts to give others. These conferences house some of the nicest, hard working, hopeful and determined people I could ever know.

I learned a lot and while I hope no one else joins our club, it's a club I'm appreciative to be a part of.

Flu shot propoganda!

2009-11-01T07:56:00.001-05:00

Wow, a new low has been reached here. I was watching Sid the Science Kid with my vaccine injured four year old and the whole episode was a propoganda ad on why we all must get the flu vaccine. This is insane. What next!!??!!

Dr. Oz on the GFCF diet

2009-10-11T07:26:00.002-04:00

Thank you, Age of Autism, for running this story. Yet another doctor explains why our struggling kids should be on a specialized diet.

1 in 91

2009-10-05T19:40:00.004-04:00

It's been asked before....what if one in 91 children born in the United States was born blind or became blind in the first year and a half of their life? Would there be outrage? You bet! Where is the outrage for our children??? Today the official new numbers came out. Autism is no longer 1 in 150, but 1 in 94. That's not even counting those with ADHD and other developmental delays. Think this is not your problem? Guess what? who will be paying for all these kids when they are older? What about the entire generation of little girls who have yet to give birth? The number is only rising. Where is the public outcry? What is the government doing? We are still looking for the genetic component??? I think it's safe to say we've got something much bigger than genetics going on here. Doctors agree there is "something" environmental at play, but are willing to make no changes in the environment for pregnant women or babies. I'm disgusted. This is shameful. This is as shameful as anything we have had in our society. Thank God for some pissed off mothers and fathers...if not for us, many parents of newly diagnosed kids would have no idea what to do.
You can check out this mediocre FOX story HERE

Yummy GFCF (egg and soy free,too!) Wraps!!

2009-10-04T13:31:00.006-04:00

I made a new item today and it was a big hit (two years into the diet and I'm really starting to find my groove!)

I saw these Millet and Flax wraps by Sami's Bakery at the local organic market by my house. usually any of the bread I try comes out too rubbery and my kids won't eat them. I decided to take a chance. I ended up putting some olive oil in a pan, laying the wrap down to get the outside a little crispy (kind of like a quesadilla). I added some turkey breast that I baked a few weeks ago and froze the leftovers. After I thawed the turkey, I shredded it up and added it in the wrap. I added some organic ketchup in it, folded it over, and my son had a sandwich....really for the first time using any kind of bread!!

Check out Sami's bakery HERE

Typical Ty

2009-10-02T22:28:00.004-04:00

I read this awesome book several years ago, long before autism entered my life called, Freakonomics. These two economists statistically look at random stuff in society. One of the things mentioned in the book was baby names. They say that what you name a child can affect what they become later in life. For example, if you name your son "Dennis", he is likely to become a dentist (get it, Dennis and dentist sound alike). I once got pulled over by officer "Speed" and I've heard "Dr. Beaukus" is one of the best plastic surgeons if you want a nose job. All according to these authors, is no coincidence. What IS a coincidence is that I had only one dream for my son, and that is to be typical. How fitting that the first two letters of that word spell Ty.

I have been subbing at my son's preschool all week. Not in his class, but in a neighboring room. The window to my classroom overlooks the playground. I've been able to witness him playing, socializing, laughing, and having a great time with his friends. I could see him having snack time outside, eating lunch outside, walking in the hallway, doing projects in his classroom... You know what I saw? Typical Ty. The only real issue this kid still has is language fluency. He just can't spit out a sentence with ease like other kids his age. He's four; we have time and we have patience. Better than that, I have a child with the determination and will of steel. I honestly believe he will become anything he wants to be.....regardless of what he has been named.

Two Years

2009-09-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

Two years ago today, I decided to try something that virtually all parents of recovered kids had done. I put my child on a GFCF diet. He was already dairy free, so I knew I could do it. It was challenging at first because I hardly knew what gluten was, so I wasn't sure what foods I could give him, but over time it became so much easier. I will never forget what happened just two weeks after starting the diet....I took my son outside where lots of kids and parents were hanging out and my friends in the neighborhood could not believe what a difference two weeks had made. he had eye contact, he was engaging, and he was playing. I knew that I was on to something. Not every kid is responds so quickly, but I know this diet has worked for my son. I think all parents owe it to their struggling kids to just try it. At least give it 30 days and see if it works. My son is now gluten free, casein free, egg free, and soy free (GFCFSFEF). He is also pesticide and preservative free as well. I look at food completely differently now. Food is medicine. It's true, we are what we eat. I'm so happy I didn't listen to any mainstream doctor or therapist and tried this diet on my own. The transformation that has taken place over the pace two years is nothing short of miraculous.

If you are wondering how to begin this diet for your own child, check it out HERE.

H1N1/Swine Flu

2009-09-25T11:03:00.000-04:00

Living a rich life

2009-09-23T13:45:00.001-04:00

I've heard many times that having a special needs child (or a child who needs medical attention) brings the family a rich life. You know, it's so true. I would never hope my situation for anyone, but I am a changed person. There was a time, in the not so distant past, when I worried about the brand of clothes I wore or the kind of car I drove...don't get me wrong, I still enjoy nice things, but it does not define me like it once did. I am a deeper person, one who understands living life with priorities. I care about the environment more...not in the sense that I want to save every fish from extinction, but that putting so many chemicals into our soil and water and air does come with a price; our health and the health of an entire generation of children who have suffered from our past mistakes. When you have a child who is struggling and you decide to sacrifice yourself for a while and give what you can to that child, it is amazing how your life can be transformed.

I often hear moms complain about the most mundane and stupid stuff. I feel blessed that I don't fret over ridiculous things. I see children whose diets are terrible and loaded with toxic chemicals. I am grateful that I found out what that can do to a child, especially eating like that for a lifetime.

In the end, the parents I know in this community are some of the best people I've ever come to know. They are people willing to put in the hard work to help the whole family. It's not easy, but hard work sure does pay off. We take nothing for granted and feel truly blessed by each stride our child or the other children in our family make. It is true, we live a challenging, yet rich life.

The Battles Continue

2009-09-22T20:46:00.006-04:00

I am currently taking courses towards ABA therapy certification (BCaBA). I do not believe that any one therapy works for all kids. People in the ABA field think their way is the only way and people in the RDI (another form of behavior therapy) field their way is the only way. No two people are alike, so no one therapy will work for all kids. I do think ABA has helped my son (though his therapist uses lots of RDI methods, too) and right now it is the only certified training that insurance companies under the new autism insurance bills will take.

I must watch about 5 hours of lecture a week in preparation for the class. While watching today's lecture, the PHD Guru that heads the whole program mentioned some very unflattering things about Jenny McCarthy. He said he hopes people wouldn't waste their time reading her book, that none if it has ever been proven, and then he proceeded to call her a stripper. You see, I have a big problem with this. He is training the future therapists that will be walking into the homes of parents who are trying to give their children some sort of normal existence. I thought he was fair with his reply. I will note that his campus is in very close proximity to one of the largest DAN doctor groups in the country.

The following is the email conversation between the two of us. I have left out his name and the school for his privacy.

The emails:

Dear Dr. (name withheld)
I am currently enrolled in (course withheld) I enjoy watching your lectures and hearing your stories. I respect you and realize that you have been in the field of autism probably longer than I have been alive, but I was saddened by something you said today in one of your online lectures. You completely discounted biomedical treatments for autism. You said they are no proven studies regarding anything Jenny McCarthy says in her book. You see you should be a little more sensitive because many of the new therapists getting their BCBAs are mothers who are working towards recovering their children from autism. I am one of those moms. Maybe you don't believe in autism recovery, but I have seen in in my own home with my own eyes from my four year old son. ABA along with biomedical treatments (the combination of both) is improving the quality of life for many (thousands and thousands) of children. You may never believe that (though children ARE recovering from autism), but please watch what you say on the videos. I decided to work towards my BCaBA after watching two years of behavior therapy for my own son. While ABA helped him, our DAN!(defeat Autism Now) doctor in Miami, Dr. Andrew Levinson changed his life. He looks like any other typical four year old on planet. He is enrolled in a typical pre-k program without a support specialist. One would never know by looking at him that he once had autism.

Jenny McCarthy is so much more than a stripper...SHE saved my son's life. I've often heard you say Skinner was not God and he didn't know everything. Time will show (as many more children reverse their signs of autism), that biomedical approaches work for many children with autism.

I hope you know how much I respect you and the program. I'm just looking for some sensitivity. (school withheld) should not be training BCBAs to discount the right of a mother to try a GFCF diet along with her ABA therapy.

Sincerely,

His response:

Hello ,
Thanks for your positive and, specially, for your corrective feedback. I really need to be more careful in how I present my opinions. I do hope some day there will be well-controlled research showing the benefits of bio-medical interventions and that these findings are published in peer-reviewed journals. I have read literature reviews such as the ones found in the book by Jacobson, J.W., Foxx, R.M., & Mulick, J.A. (Eds.) (2005). Controversial therapies for developmental disabilities, fad, fashion, and science in professional practice. New York: Routledge. They cannot find any scientific evidence for these treatments. Our local DAN doctor charges lots of $ for hyperbaric chambers, Auditory Integration, chelation, and many other procedures. Some of the parents of kids we work with say they can only afford a few hours a week of ABA therapy because they spend so much on these other treatments. You and I both know ABA works. It is a shame when parents cannot afford what works partially because they spend thousands of dollars in these other treatments. But perhaps they do help some children. I am glad that some of these treatments appear to have helped your son and perhaps even "saved" him. I will keep an open mind and be more careful in my wording next time.

Regards,

The Anger That My Community Faces

2009-09-21T19:40:00.007-04:00

You know, I normally wouldn't give credence to such a ridiculous comment that was left below, but I think it's important to show what we (the "autism is not solely a genetic issue, therefore symptoms can be helped and reversed" community) are up against. I know that some people think I'm crazy. Maybe some even feel sorry for me. I don't really care because I know and have seen many kids with autism and my kid, the one who is on a detoxification protocol, looks like virtually any other "typical" four year old on the planet. Even if he didn't, improving a child's diet, any one's diet, by eating healthier improves life. I think the medical community is in agreement that you can reduce your risk of cancer or heart disease by eating healthier. So this was a comment that was left by some coward in response to my article "Autism and The American Dream"

By Anonymous:
You do realize that you don't have to feed your kid all that soy stuff. Organic has no affect on autism, therefore, it is a waste of money, and possibly time if you spend a lot of time looking for it. Autism is not the result of toxins, "I have decided to heal my child with food, vitamins, and detoxification," therefore, you are wasting your money on things better spent. How do you think your son will manage later on in life? Will you babysit him? When you die, what then? Your short sightedness is pitiful. Your son will go into remission. He will never have your "American Dream". Autism is nature's way of weeding out genetic inferiorities. Your actions, they are for naught.

In response:
The irony here is that this person thinks I'm leading a pitiful life by improving the quality of my child's and my family's life. Actually, my son will be a tax paying citizen, so he will be improving the quality of America. The reality is, leaving such hatred on my site and hiding behind "anonymous" is the complete definition of someone leading a pitiful life.

I can only imagine that people who are this angry have unsuccessfully tried to recover their own kids. For that, I'm sorry for you and for your child. In the end, I have made a significant contribution to my son, my family, and society. Not only is my life not pitiful, it is filled with richness and purpose. Some people search a lifetime looking for that in their lives.

My piece in Age of Autism

2009-08-23T07:46:00.003-04:00

My favorite daily on line newspaper ran my piece today, Autism and The American Dream. Feel free to go over and comment. You can see it HERE.

Autism and The American Dream

2009-08-17T06:56:00.005-04:00

I realize that with the terrible state of the economy these days this piece could be about the bad housing industry, but for me and my situation it is not just about that, it is about autism. My husband didn’t lose his job and I can find work if I had to, but instead my son is a victim of insurance discrimination.

Four years ago when my oldest son was just a few months old we moved into our brand new single family home. I remember sitting on the carpet with my beautiful baby and thinking that everything I had longed for in life was finally come true. I was raised by a hard working single mom who often struggled financially. I grew up dreaming about owning my own house one day and having some extras for myself and my family. I waited to get married and have children until after I graduated college, had a little money in the bank and a career going for myself. I thought if I played by the rules, everything would be okay. I always believed that if I worked hard and did what I was supposed to, the sky was the limit for me and my future family.

Two years ago when my son was two and a half, my husband and I were at a loss as to why he was becoming increasingly withdrawn and had lost the few words he had ever spoken. We also felt overwhelmed with his gastroenterological problems, his eczema, and his severe allergic reactions. I took him to his first speech therapist when he was just over a year old because he wouldn’t eat table food. We had him evaluated by three different speech therapists by the time he was two, and I kept hearing things like sensory issues and speech delays. It wasn’t until I saw Jenny McCarthy on Oprah that I realized my son had autism. We started a GFCF diet right away and scheduled our DAN doctor appointment. We were kicked in the stomach when his ADOS scores came in as moderately (not mildly as I had thought) autistic. To say I was devastated would be putting it mildly. I was in a haze during those early days after diagnosis, but I knew from the beginning that I would do anything and everything humanly possible to recover my son. My husband and I quickly figured out that our insurance, the plan that we had paid huge premiums for, was worthless when it came to helping our son. We knew to give him the best opportunity to have any type of functional life; we couldn’t worry about how much it was going to cost. Over the past two years, he has had behavior therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy, speech therapy, and developmental therapy. We have been to see the DAN doctor at least twenty times. We feed him organic and preservative free food with no gluten, casein, egg, or soy. All of this comes with a huge price tag. We have been very fortunate to have members of our family sponsor therapy hours, but the money goes quickly.

Thankfully, our son is nearly recovered. He functions pretty normally in a typical world. He goes to a typical pre-school and he is in a gymnastics class for typical kids his own age. To outsiders, it seems that we live a very normal existence in the neuro-typical world. Behind the scenes, there are hours and hours of hard work and thousands upon thousands of dollars that have been put into it. My husband and I came to a point where we just couldn’t afford to keep our home and give our child the therapy and biomedical treatments that have been working for him. Saving a house or saving a child was really a no brainer for us, so we sold our home. I sit here and write this as I am surrounded by boxes and moving mess. This is my last day of living in our house. Tomorrow night we will be sleeping in the rental home we leased down the street. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a dream and that I will wake up soon. I can hardly believe that my son was injured and that our insurance doesn’t cover him. Early on we realized our child had hardly any chance of reaching his full potential unless we gave him lots of early intervention that we had to pay for out of our own pocket, follow a group of parents that the mainstream thinks are crazy and lose the support of our son’s pediatrician, allergist, and gastroenterologist. In addition and hardest of all, is knowing some friends and family members think I am crazy because I have decided to heal my child with food, vitamins, and detoxification instead of pharmaceuticals or accepting what someone with a medical degree says, which in our culture seems to be the answer to everything.

As for us, my husband and I can try again later to recoup everything that autism has taken away from us. What about this generation of children whose American dream was stolen from them right at the beginning of their lives? Not only are warrior parents trying to restore our own dreams, but we are diligently attempting to give our kids a shot at their own American Dream.

WalMart Super Star

2009-08-13T15:08:00.004-04:00

I live about a mile from a super WalMart and having been taking Ty there ever since he was three months old. No matter how terrible he is doing, what regressive phase he is in, he is always a super star at WalMart. I think part of it is that since he's been going there for so long (seriously, some weeks I'm there two or three times!)he feels really comfortable in that environment. He always says hi to people in the isles, he chats with the cashiers...he has always looked completely typical at WalMart. My husband and I always tell each other how well he does at WalMart. That was even the first public restroom we took him to when he was potty training. I actually use WalMart as part of his therapy. He helps with groceries and he sometimes pays. I've often joked that I'm going to set up his next ADOS in the middle of the WalMart!!

Chelation

2009-08-09T07:35:00.000-04:00

I've said in the past that chelation has been one of the biggest pieces in Ty's progress. Ty knows that he will get "strong like daddy and Superman" when he gets his IV, so he doesn't give us much grief when it's time for it. His urine levels are still showing massive amounts of lead being pulled from his system and high levels of aluminum, too. We IV chelate about every 5-8 weeks now. It's amazing what transformations take place within 48 hours of his IV.

For anyone that thinks chelation is scary, it's not. I hope to chelate myself one day when I have a few dollars to focus on myself (haha!).

July 19th

2009-07-24T06:14:00.003-04:00

My life is full of irony and strange coincidences. The odds of crazy stuff happening to me has always leaned on my side; that's the way it always has been. July 19th is a bittersweet day for me. July 19, 2006 my first son Ty was given nine vaccines during his two year old well check. He would never be the same. One year later on July 19, 2007, my second son Brett was born. We just celebrated my son's birthday. Through all the joy and fun I can't help but remember that while it marks the birth of one son, it also marks the damage to my other son. Since both boys are doing well, we were able to enjoy our small family party for Brett. Happy Birthday, baby.

"A Bump in The Road?" By Julie Obradovic

2009-07-17T06:46:00.003-04:00

This is a post that was in today's Age of Autism by Julie Obradovic. Many of the things she says are phrases that have come out of my mouth. It is raw emotion and very real. I can completely relate.

You can read her article HERE.

"What's Autism?"

2009-07-09T06:48:00.004-04:00

As my son gets closer and closer to recovery, there are a few things I wonder how I will deal with. One thing I ponder is do I tell him he has/had autism? If so, what age does he need to know that? I've wondered when he needs to know what autism even is. My husband and I don't use the word autism in front of Ty because I'm not quite ready to deal with answering these questions. When my son learns a new word, he tries to fit it in his vocabulary whenever possible until he gets it right. He heard me say Motrin a few times when he had a fever and he used Motrin whenever and wherever he could. Once he pinned down the exact meaning of Motrin, he used it appropriately. If he or my little son does not feel well, he will be the first to say "get the Motrin." I'm not ashamed of the word autism, I just don't want it used in front of Ty. My mom and sister where just here for a visit and they word autism came up a time or two in front of Ty. I simply explained we don't use the word, and that was fine. My husband and I will spell "A-U-T" when we need to, as in "she works with kids who have A-U-T." Yesterday, Ty's behavior therapist asked me where I ordered some emotions cards. When I gave her the website, she said she couldn't find them. She asked "did you get them under the category specifically for autism?" and then it happened, Ty looked at her right in the face and asked "what's autism?" .....she ignored him and asked him to do something, but I know the question is coming again. I have to decide how to answer this complex question. Then, I have to decide when he will find out he had it.

Puzzle piece mystery

2009-06-29T07:15:00.004-04:00

Every child with autism is different. When "they" say autism is a spectrum, boy "they" were right. Many people have asked me what my definition of autism is since I seem to differ with many in the mainstream medical profession. I found this definition in today's Age of Autism by Julie Obradovic. It really puts into words my position on autism for my son's case:

Position 1: Autism is a Treatable, Medical Disease

People who take this position believe the first problem with Autism is its name. Autism by definition in one dictionary means “preference for fantasy over reality”, an inexplicable cluster of behaviors and symptoms that manifest for some unknown reason. (That particular definition makes it sound like it's even a choice.) It is categorized as a psychological disorder.

But for these people, Autism is hardly a mystery. They believe it is a treatable and preventable whole-body disease that occurs in a genetically susceptible group. Genetics is not the cause of the problem; it is simply a factor in developing it. So are toxins. So are vaccines.

While not precisely known, they believe Autism is a collapse of the immune, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems that eventually manifests itself physically and behaviorally, only appearing to be psychological in nature. Addressing medical issues in those areas can often reverse the disorder in its entirety or at a minimum relieve the intensity of its symptoms.

This position is hopeful; it does not believe Autism is a lifelong irreversible disorder for which there is only behavioral therapy. It embraces a whole gamut of possibilities for treatment, recognizing that while the root causes are similar, each child is unique and needs specialized treatment.

You will never see a puzzle piece sticker on my car or a puzzle piece pin on my lapel. The puzzle piece has never represented my experience with autism. For me, it has never been a mystery.

Speech evaluation

2009-06-27T10:15:00.005-04:00

I haven't written in a while, that's actually a good thing...when I'm not writing I tend to have less anxiety and move forth with the million other things on my to do list. We just came back from an awesome vacation in Orlando, which I will post about later. Ty just started with a new speech therapist a few days ago. As usual, I filled out a very lengthy and detailed intake application. I went over his progression from no words to echolalia to scripting to now being conversational. His diagnosis is listed on the intake; it was a very comprehensive form. The therapist also called me on the phone to go over some background.

His first one hour session was basically a speech evaluation. She sat with me after the session in amazement. She said that if she didn't know Ty's history, there is no way she would have thought he was on the autism spectrum. She said she works with children who have autism all week long, and he simply doesn't seem to have the same issues. She looked at me and said "do you know how lucky you are?" "Yes, I do, oh yes I do." I replied. She said he had typical speech delay and gave me his deficit areas which were tense, pronouns, and verbs. She just kept shaking her head saying, I can't believe this child was once as bad off as you said (he was non verbal less than two years ago). She said that his receptive language was great (that's a fairly new thing from chelation in May). She said she is excited to work with him then she asked me where he was going to school in the fall. I told her a regular pre-k four year old program (VPK in Florida which prepares for Kindergarten). She said, "I'm sure he'll do great."

Some days I almost pinch myself. Ty is not recovered, but I have no reason to believe that he will not fully recover.

Recovered!

2009-06-04T06:42:00.004-04:00

Jake Exkorn completely recovered from autism when he was 4; he's 12 now. His story was on several FOX affiliates last night. Watch Jake tell some of his story HERE.

Jake's mother, Karen Exkorn, wrote a book called The Autism Sourcebook that discusses the treatments she used for Jake. I have never seen the book, so I'm not sure what strategies she used or what her philosophies are. I do believe, based on the index of her book and what I could find on the Internet, she used some biomedical treatments along with early intervention and behavioral therapies to recover her son. You can find her book on Amazon HERE. From what I could gather, her information seems basic, so I gather this book is geared for the newly diagnosed or the parent who is just now considering the idea that autism is reversible and not for the parent who is already heavily involved in recovery.

Forgiveness

2009-06-01T11:50:00.003-04:00

I wrote this post a month ago, but have decided to finally post it now. Some days I feel good and some days I'm more annoyed. Today I happen to feel a bit melancholy about things. It could have something to do with the fact that I haven't left the house since my son has three back to back therapies in a row.Most are familiar with this story, but I still can't help but wonder how different things would be for my son had TACA existed (the way it does today) in 2004.....

I received my TACA (Talk about Curing Autism) newsletter in the mail a few days ago. One of the articles was what to do and not do when pregnant. One of the items was do not have any amalgams put in or removed during pregnancy.

I can't help but wonder how different my life would be if I had just read that the day I found out I was pregnant. My dentist told me I needed to remove four amalgams. He said my teeth were decaying and the longer I waited the worse it would be. I knew that I was going on maternity leave and I would lose my personal health insurance. I would be going on my husband's plan, but to keep costs down, I did not take the dental portion. I told my dentist I was pregnant, but he assured me it was fine, but I needed a note from my gynecologist. I assumed if there was any danger my gynecologist would say no, but he approved the dental work. My dentist did a complete hack job on the first two amalgams removed. I was in so much pain (unbearable tooth pain) for months. I took Tylenol in droves. I cried because I knew I made a mistake. I knew I should never had the work done. I immediately cancelled the work on the other two teeth (thank God). I cried to my dentist and gynecologist because I was taking so much Tylenol. Both assured me Tylenol was 100% safe for pregnant women. (Do not take Tylenol while pregnant was also on the list of don'ts since it lowers glutethione).

I can't help but wonder how different my life would be had this not occurred during my pregnancy. We only get one chance to do what's right for the baby while they are in the womb. I can't believe I did not nurture my fetus more. As women we are told to trust those who have more education than us, but I know better now. Always use your gut instinct and common sense when it comes to your children. No one knows better or cares more what happens to your child than you. Trust your gut. I am learning to forgive myself. It takes time.

YouTube

2009-06-01T07:34:00.003-04:00

A tool that has worked tremendously for us has been "prepping" Ty with YouTube. Ty suffers with anxiety and I have been able to teach him and show him what will take place by plugging it into YouTube. For his birthday we had a pinata. I was unsure how he would react to kids hitting the pinata, so I showed him several videos of kids on YouTube hitting a pinata. If I know we are going somewhere he is unfamiliar with, it helps for me to show him in advance what to expect. I even YouTubed giving an MB12 shot so I could learn how to give him one properly. You would be surprised what you can find as a teaching tool for us and for our kids on YouTube!

Stepping up ceremony

2009-05-29T14:05:00.003-04:00

Today, Ty's preschool (he attends a nuerotypical school)had a ceremony for all the kids moving up to the next class and those moving on to Kindergarten. My son's class performed several songs and used props and sign language to go along with them. Each child's name was called, they walked across the stage and waved to the audience, accepted a carnation and met their parents at the bottom. I was super nervous wondering how my son would do. We prepped him for the past two days. We told him that he would be performing in front of an audience and that I would be videotaping. I went on YouTube and typed in applause and showed him videos of people clapping so he would know that the parents would be cheering for all the kids. I have to say, he did AMAZINGLY WELL!! He did not stand out at all. He looked just like any other kid, even better than some, at the event. He was singing and using his props and smiling and waving. He's come a long way this year. I was nervous about putting him at a typical pre-school, but I have to say, his progress has been phenomenal. He will be moving on to the four year old class next year. More kids; more days; more challenging curriculum. I can only assume, he will be fine. What a great day for our family.

Leo Lytel; Recovered!

2009-05-14T07:12:00.003-04:00

I don't believe that recovery is as rare as this article would have us think, but at least the mainstream is starting to agree that kids do recover. They mention nothing about biomedical intervention in this article, but it's a start. They do say that at least 10% of children recover from autism. I try not to focus on what the number is (because then it seems hard to achieve) I just know that kids can recover and my kid is certainly on his way!!

Read about Leo's recovery HERE.

Have patience

2009-05-11T07:04:00.004-04:00

This poem is hanging on the wall in our DAN doctor's office. I feel better when I read it. Our DAN doctor says to have patience. He says to do everything I can to help my son recover, but then release the idea of when he should recover to the universe.

“Patience pays. Wait. Let the hand of God work for you. One who has created you let Him create all the environments, circumstances, and facilities & faculties.

Oh individual, why you are in a very doubtful state? One who has made you will take care of you. One who has created this universe, all the planets, planetary faculties and facilities on Earth, He is the One who has created you. Wait, have patience, lean on him, and all best things will come to you.

Dwell in God and Befriend your soul. All the faculties and facilities of the Creation, which are in your best interest, shall be at your feet. You need million things; million things will reach you, if you are stable, established, firm, patient. Remember, Creator watches over you and Creation is ready to serve you, if you just…be you.

So please take away the ghost of your life and stop chasing around. Consolidate. Concentrate. Be you. And may all the peace & peaceful environments, prosperity approach you forever. Sat Nam.”

Swine Flu

2009-04-27T19:25:00.006-04:00

Today I saw a press conference the CDC was giving on Swine Flu. I mean, how can you miss it? The coverage of this has been all over the news for the past few days. The CDC is feverishly working around the clock to find the origin of the strain, they are passing out face masks, they are mobilizing their staff and working day and night to figure this Swine Flu out. During today's press conference, it was reported that there were forty reported cases in the U.S (I learned later it increased to sixty). While I am certainly concerned about the spreading of Swine Flu, I'm a little surprised that the CDC has so much will, determination, and manpower to tackle this task (I haven't seen them do much in the past)

According to the National Center of statistics, there are approximately 2,096,335 male births in the United States each year. One in 97 boys is diagnosed with autism, so you do the math. According to Autism Speaks, 67 children every day in the United States is diagnosed with Autism. Where is the CDC's press conference on that?

Happy 4rth Birthday, Ty

2009-04-25T19:29:00.007-04:00

I've had some apprehension to Ty turning four. When strangers at the playground and at Wal-Mart ask me "How old is he?", it feels a lot better to say three than four. I will probably milk the "He just turned four" phrase for some time. With that said, he had a great birthday week. His astronaut party we had in the backyard was a big success. He played and had a great time with his friends. His typical pre-school had a small party for him and the kids had a lot of fun. I brought some treats for the class and everyone sang happy birthday. One of the boys in his class gave him a big hug and said that Ty was his best friend. I wanted to give that boy the biggest hug, EVER! My son has friends!! It was a really great birthday week. Happy fourth birthday, my sweet Ty.

Good bye negative forces!!

2009-04-23T11:02:00.005-04:00

(this turned out to be a long post, but I hope you will read it!)

I've gone through a lot of emotion over that past few weeks. I think the autism road is full of peaks and valleys. A lot of it has to do with what outside forces and the people we are listening to. As part of transitioning to RDI, we had a new ADOS (the autism test) done on Ty. He hasn't had one since he was two and a half. I was pretty sure he would score much better since he has made so much progress. What I found out was that he scored about the same. In the report, they noted he had no conversational skills, he was using language in scripting and echolalia mode only, and he had no imaginative play skills. They also noted that he was "stereotypical and classically autistic." They then went on to tell me that their program could help him, but he would most likely always have problems. They used play-doh (full of Gluten) during the ADOS (which shows they do buy into a GFCF diet) and she told me I could get rid of my speech therapist, my occupational therapist, and my developmental therapist. She also said that she has never seen any child where biomed made any difference. Not to bash her, really.....she has dedicated her life to helping children with autism, but we clearly have a difference in philosophy. I was devastated after that meeting. I was almost as bad off as when he was first diagnosed.

A few days after that meeting, a friend of mine since birth (she's like family) sent me an article that she wanted me to read. Mind you, I hadn't told her about the ADOS results and she didn't realize I was already in a bad way. The article was about a mom with a son who has autism (now in his thirties or so). She spent lots of money on biomed, did endless supplements, had him on every diet, and tried for years to recover him. Now as an adult man, she realized that he will never recover and she "finally" accepted her son's autism and decided to find him the best group home. From what I recall, he wasn't very verbal. I refuse to link this article because I don't want any mother with a child under 20 that has autism to read it. If the person that sent me the article is reading this post, I know you love me, I know you want to do the best by me, but sending me that article was mean. It has nothing to do with my son, really.

Now, back to the ADOS...after showing it to three of Ty's therapists, they all stated that they did not agree with the findings. Now, maybe that's the one hour snapshot that my son gave them, but the reality just isn't so. Over the next few days as Ty laughed and joked with his friends, chatted with my neighbors, and looked typical in a lot of ways, my husband said, "The ADOS is not real life. Real life is real life and I would rather he fail the ADOS than fail at real life."

We took Ty to his awesome DAN doctor a few days ago. His doctor, who is also a psychotherapist and Yogi, said that he disagreed with the ADOS. He said that Ty is thriving. He said that Ty looks more like a typical two and a half year old than a four year old with autism. I've never cried to our DAN doctor before, but I did at this visit. I said that I needed for him to tell me what he would do if Ty was his own son. He thought that biomedically we were doing every thing for Ty but he is truly delayed and he needs more therapy. 40 hours is recommended and Ty gets about 8 to 9. He said to skip RDI for now and go with ABA and get as close to 40 as I know how.

I have since decided to skip going full force with RDI for now. I also have a new attitude. I'm sorry to say this, but if you don't believe in autism recovery or that my son will be fine, than I prefer you not be around me or him. That statement is not to anyone specifically, but a general feeling that I get when I'm around some people. I believe in the power of energy and I want the best energy surrounding us. I can handle the truth about my son, but please know that the way he is today is not who he will be next week, let alone in 20 years!

If you are a parent recovering a child right now, my advice is to spend as little energy as possible with anyone (even a blood relative) who questions what you are doing.

If you are a friend, family member, or therapist of someone with autism, please do not tell any parent to "accept" reality. Remember, you would not tell the mom giving her child chemotherapy to face facts, so stop telling us to. Our children are not their diagnosis. No one, and I mean no one, knows what the future holds for any child.
God bless!

Jim Carrey, you rock!

2009-04-22T12:32:00.001-04:00

In this article today, Jim Carrey logically responds to a statement made by CNN's Campbell Brown. Read it HERE

Thought for today

2009-04-15T14:20:00.002-04:00

I've had such a rough few weeks. I have lots of blog postings in the works, but no time or energy to get them written. Instead, I would like to leave any readers with this:

"We are trying to achieve our children’s true potential with the final destination unknown. Our children are not a diagnosis; they are children with a promising future AND we will never give up." ~TACA

Recovered!

2009-04-12T21:10:00.002-04:00

Nathan Warner recovered from autism April 8, 2009. You can read his story in Angela Warner's blog Autism Salutes.

Dr. Levinson

2009-04-10T16:27:00.002-04:00

This is Ty's doctor, Andrew Levinson. He is a lovely human being.

Reversing Autism from John Hunt on Vimeo.

14 Studies

2009-04-09T10:52:00.002-04:00

Thank you, Age of Autism. I'm on top of the latest findings, thanks to you! Please, check out the link below. You often hear people say that studies have been done and there is no link between autism and vaccines. They are not speaking the truth. Why are we willing to accept this? Again, I'm not against vaccines. Please single, vial dose them and take out the preservatives. My child should never have received nine vaccines on one day. Never.

Click: Fourteen studies

I love me some Jenny, Jim, and J.B!

2009-04-03T22:13:00.010-04:00

First of all, I am FIRED UP! I just got finished watching Larry King Live with Jenny, Jim, Dr. Kartzinel, and J.B. Handley. I must say, they did a magnificent job, but I wish they were given more airtime. I'm so annoyed that Dr. Wiznitizer actually said that the rise in autism is because of looser diagnostic criteria and because families want to gain from the free services. FREE SERVICES??? What free services? This is what I get for free: two thirty minute group speech therapy sessions a week, during the school year. If I had a child with a lisp, that would be an exceptional service. Is he kidding? Every day I hear of a new mom in my area who has a child diagnosed with autism. Better diagnostic criteria? My son suffered for two and a half years. He went to the same pediatrician and saw several different doctors in the practice and not ONE mentioned autism. I had to read Jenny McCarthy's book and see Evan's behavior to realize my son had the exact same thing. Then it was, Oh yeah, he does have autism. Gee, thanks. J.B Handley, the founder of Generation Rescue, said it best. He said that if they will not even acknowledge there is a real rise in autism, how can they feel there is anything to look at. Right on! I mean, why are they not studying our kids? My child looks very good compared to many in the autism world. Why doesn't anyone in the medical community ask what I'm doing for him? My husband and I watched and thought, they just don't get it. Will they ever get it? I think it will take someone very powerful to experience autism first hand to really make some immediate headway. In the meantime, well done Jenny, Jim, Dr. Kartzinel, J.B., and Dr. Healy. I am so proud that you represent me and my family.

UPDATE: I just went over to the Age of Autism website and found out that that Dr. Wiznitizer is a PAID expert witness against families that are in vaccine injury court. This does NOT surprise me! How can he sleep at night?
See for yourself HERE

Larry King Live

2009-04-03T12:51:00.002-04:00

Tonight is a very important Larry King Live. Once again, the Generation Rescue and Defeat Autism Now community will explain how children can get better, even with an autism diagnosis. I posted a comment under J.B Handley's blog (he and his wife founded Generation Rescue) regarding how these kids are healing. I thank God for men like J.B every day because without him, my son may never have stood a chance. Please watch Larry King Live tonight at 9pm on CNN. Here is my post:

I can't imagine what my life and my son's life would be like without Generation Rescue and the Defeat Autism Now community. They literally saved my son's future. While I was pregnant, I needlessly received a Rhogam vaccine that contained mercury. Though my husband and I both had negative blood types I was told I had to have the shot from my OBGYN. Then, my dentist and OBGYN approved some dental amalgam work during my pregnancy, as well telling me it was "routine" and there would be no risk to the baby. When my son was born he was bombarded with our over zealous vaccine schedule. When he was around 15 months old they had to "catch" him up on his vaccines. He was given Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, Polio, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, and HIB in one visit. He would never be the same. My son was given NINE vaccines in one visit. Looking back, I cannot believe how irresponsible my pediatrician was and how stupid I was to go along with that. We have spent over $30,000 in therapies to help his autism. The medical community failed me and they are refusing to treat him. We are treating his vaccine and metal injury. Over the past year and half since diagnosis he has regained many of his skills. he is a happy, talking, socializing almost 4 year old. He still has a long way to go, but I cannot imagine where he would be without the diet, the supplements, chelation, and the therapies we do for him. This has ruined us financially, but we cannot wait for the government and society to open their eyes. My son needs help now. You cannot put a price tag on his life. We, along with the Generation Rescue and DAN communities, will save him ourselves.

RDI

2009-04-02T08:21:00.002-04:00

As time marches on we are realizing that as much progress as our son has made, he is still struggling. He has done very well learning skills through ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy, but now we have decided to shift gears a bit and try something a bit different. We will be starting RDI (Relationship Development Intervention)in the next few weeks. This is a parent driven therapy, so we will have to get trained in it in order to practice the principles of the therapy. I don't think one therapy is better than another because I believe each child is very specific in his or her needs. Since Ty is lacking a lot of the relationship nuances that we may take for granted, since they develop naturally in typical kids, we will try to teach them to him using this therapy.

Being a parent is a lot of work. Parenting a child with a special need or an illness in unimaginable work. I know that I do twice (if not three times) the mothering of most parents to typical kids. I'm exhausted and there are plenty of days I don't think any of this is fair. I do believe that if you have a child that struggles in any area, a little bit of hard work does pay off. If it didn't, I would not be able to keep moving. Fight for your children and grandchildren. The payoff may not be exactly what you wish for, but there will be a payoff!

Check out RDI HERE

Jenny's new book!

2009-03-31T06:37:00.005-04:00

From the Age of Autism website:

Just Released! Healing and Preventing Autism By Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Jerry Kartzinel
Jenny McCarthy has teamed up with Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, the doctor who recovered her son, to write Healing and Preventing Autism. Their new book provides all the necessary information about biomedical treatment from diagnosis, dietary interventions and environmental changes for the home, to advanced therapies that doctors use today.

Spring is the season of hope, renewal and life. There's no better time to read Healing and Preventing Autism. Why not give a copy to your child's doctor and teachers too? Order your copies Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Here's the media tour for Jenny and Dr. Kartzinel. Go to Generation Rescue for updates.

Los Angeles
Friday, March 27
4:00 (Taping) ACCESS HOLLYWOOD (interview to air 4/1)

New York
Tuesday, March 31
9:00AM- 12:00PM - ABC RADIO TOUR

WRQX RADIO, Washington, DC
WPRO RADIO, Providence, RI New Bedford,
WLW RADIO, Cincinnati, OH
WTAM RADIO, Cleveland, OH
WIBC RADIO, Indianapolis, IN
KCMO RADIO, Kansas City, MO
KTRS RADIO, Saint Louis, MO

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
8:00 AM HOUR - GOOD MORNING AMERICA

9 to 10AM HOUR - (Taping, air date TBA) FOX & FRIENDS WEEKEND

10:30 AM - REUTER TV

Thursday, April 2, 2009
7:00 AM-11:30 AM TV SATELLITE TOUR (mulitple interviews - TBA)

Los Angeles
Friday, April 3, 2009
1:15PM-2:30PM - Tape EXTRA (interview with Jenny and Dr. Kartzinel - air date: TBA)

6:00PM - LARRY KING LIVE (interview with Jenny, Jim Carrey, Dr. Kartzinel and JB Handley)

Monday, April 13, 2009
(Taping) ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW (interview to air 4/14)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
9:00AM - GOOD DAY LA

4:00PM - (Tape) THE BONNIE HUNT SHOW (interview to air 4/16)

Thursday, April 16, 2009
3:00PM-4:00PM - CHELSEA LATELY (interview)

Friday, April 17, 2009
9:00AM - (Taping) THE DOCTORS (interview with Jenny, Dr. Kartzinel, JB Handley, and Stan Kurtz, and a recovered family, air date: TBA)

Recovered!

2009-03-13T08:57:00.005-04:00

Clay Whiffen recovered from autism. Check out his story from Leeann Whiffen's new book, A Child's Journey Out of Autism, HERE

Supplementation

2009-03-12T14:30:00.005-04:00

One of the biggest questions I get asked is "how" are we healing our son. When I say through diet, vitamins, and detoxification, the next question is almost always, what vitamins? The thing about biomedical treatment is that it is specifically tailored for each child. We had blood, urine, and stool tests done to see what was going on in Ty's body. Sometimes it is a guessing game; you try a vitamin, the problem still exists or gets worse, so you pull that particular vitamin. I don't blindly do whatever the DAN! doctor says. I ask lots of questions, I research the vitamin, then I test it out. There are a few things that I feel have not worked, so I don't use them anymore. I have run out of a few supplements and have seen a downward spiral. Whether it was in language, behavior, yeast flair up...that's how I know THIS WORKS! There are so many pills, powders, and liquids to take, that we have a very strict system that we follow EVERY SINGLE DAY. My husband and I cannot wake up one day and say, we don't feel like doing this today. We make sure that he gets almost every single pill every day, regardless of what we have going on in our lives. Some days I don't get them all in because he was at school (they don't allow drinks from home), then he had two hours of therapy...most everything is put in a drink, so some days he drinks less. He usually gets everything, every day. All vitamins are not created equal, so we use the cleanest Gluten free, Casein free, Soy free vitamins on the market. We go through each bottle rather quickly. If I had to guess, I would say his supplements run around $200/month. I have no idea how long he will be on this supplement regime. I do know that we should all be taking more vitamins!

Stages

2009-03-10T11:21:00.010-04:00

Let me start by saying, this is not going to be a particularly nice blog entry. Some days I don't feel happy or ready to conquer the world (yet, I do it anyway). It doesn't mean that I'm not grateful. It doesn't mean I don't love life, it just means that I need an outlet to vent (why I started this blog) and lately, I'm so angry!! I think if I had to pinpoint the source of my anger and sadness that I recently feel, It would be that Ty will be turning 4 at the end of April. You know getting closer to 4 and still not recovered. It's one thing to have a 3 year old with all his deficits, but a whole new ball game to have a 4 year old with his issues. I am having such a hard time getting out of this particular stage of life with autism I am in. I am so mad that I can't help but be in a bad mood and cry when I think about it too long. I am so angry! I really don't talk to anyone about it outside of my husband and my mother. Many other autism moms might have a hard time relating because Ty is doing so well that I might seem ungrateful. Also, other autism moms don't need to hear me bitch; they have there own crappy days to deal with. I can't even go see a psychiatrist because I don't trust anyone in the mainstream medical community. I would have to know they were a natural path type. I'm pissed because I want more money for our situation since Ty gets the bare minimum and I know he would do better with more therapy than we can afford; I'm pissed because our expensive insurance doesn't cover ANY of Ty's needs; I'm pissed that I can't afford to take Brett to gymnastics or music class because there's no money left for him; I'm pissed that I can't go to a gym and leave Brett in the daycare because he isn't vaccinated; I'm pissed that so many people live relatively typical lives, but not us; I'm pissed that my pediatrcian, some of my friends, and many people in America think I'm crazy; I'm pissed that autism stole my lightness and the love and trust I once had for my country (I hope to get it back one day. Don't get me wrong, I know the USA is a lot better than most, but I feel no where near the love I once had for it.)I'm pissed that I'm always playing catch up with Ty. I finally get him talking, then his social skills are well behind. I get his social skills a little better, now his writing skills are way behind....always playing catch up....I'm out of breath from running so hard to catch up. I'm tired, but there is no time to rest. Not now. I know this is just a stage for me and I hope I can pass through it rather quickly. As for being pissed off, I think I will feel this way for many years to come. I see how well Ty is doing, but I can't help but think of what he could have been. I believe that my son's illness was preventable. The fact that we are still doing nothing about it makes me crazy. No one denies, not even the CDC that there is an "environmental" trigger. Who the hell is looking for the environmental triggers? Maybe when OJ finds the "real" killers we will also find the "real" triggers.

USA Today

2009-02-25T06:19:00.002-05:00

Generation Rescue is running this ad today in the USA Today. Check out the PDF file HERE

Mothers are fearful

2009-02-24T10:34:00.008-05:00

I felt especially fiery when I woke up this morning. I had insomnia for much of the night and my darling Ty woke up at 5am, so I was feeling annoyed and sleep deprived. I take my younger son (he is 19 months old now) to the library on Tuesdays after I drop off Ty at preschool. They have song and story time for babies & toddlers ages birth to two. I decided to wear my "Green Our Vaccines" rally shirt today (I'm wearing it now). I don't wear it too often and I am aware that it creates controversy and pisses a lot of people off. This morning I really didn't care, so Brett & I strolled into the library ready to head off any dirty looks. The crazy thing is, I received just the opposite. You see, the vaccine manufacturers and pediatricians make us feel like we are crazy and in such a minority, but I don't believe that is so. This group of moms are the specific demographic that care about the vaccines. The first mom that walked in saw my shirt and said, "I love your shirt." She proceeded to tell me that she was already reading Jenny McCarthy's second book (on autism), Mother Warriors. She has one child who seemed to be a little over a year and looked completely neurotypical. Then, another mom yelled out when she saw the back of my shirt (Too Many, Too Soon and lists the ingredients) and yelled out, "Hey, good shirt." and gave me the thumbs up. After the program was over and mothers and babies were milling around, a young mom with a four or five month old came frantically running up to me and said, "I need your help. I see your shirt and I'm so scared to vaccinate, that I haven't done any yet. Can you tell me where to go, what books to read?" Well, why YES I can! My shirt had the website safevaccines.org, which she had already written down during story time. I gave her www.generationrescue.org and told her about Stephanie Cave's book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations, which she already checked out of the library. She said she wasn't against vaccines, but she was scared and wanted to make good choices so her beautiful baby didn't get sick. HELLO???? Do you hear us??? We are crying out for the same thing. These are not parents who have kids with autism. These are parents who don't believe what the government and pharmaceutical companies are telling them because they have a neighbor, a friend, or a family member whose child became very ill and regressed into autism after vaccinations. Please, we are crying out to one another. Please, listen to us.

So, even if I do get dirty looks from my shirt, I have the strength and courage of the concerned moms today who are behind me.

A Walk On Water

2009-02-22T14:43:00.001-05:00

This movie is coming soon that highlights what families, like mine, have done to recover their children from the fastest growing childhood epidemic in the world. Check out the trailer HERE

Good bye, Julie!

2009-01-23T14:45:00.005-05:00

This is an excellent video from Ginger Taylor's blog, Adventures in Autism. It is ten minutes, and worth every minute to watch! Julie Gerberding, FORMER (woo, hoo) director of the CDC tries to explain the vaccine autism connection on CNN. Thankfully, she resigned the day President Obama took office.
Please watch!

Being autistic vs Having autism

2009-01-21T09:47:00.004-05:00

I'm not one for going overboard on political correctness. I understand a lot of what is considered being "politically correct" is really just semantics. With that being said, I would like to express my feelings on calling a child with autism "autistic". Yesterday while on the phone with my very loving, very supportive sister, she mentioned that sometimes in casual conversation with her friends and acquaintances she tells them she has an autistic nephew (my son). Here is my take...children with autism are not autistic, instead they have autism. I believe that what we send out into the universe is important. Implying someone is autistic (I've done it many times myself)is saying they are the autism. Saying someone "has autism", to me, implies it is something they can get rid of. If someone "has" Parkinson's disease we don't say they are "Parkinsinion". If someone has cancer we don't say he is "cancerous". I was not offended by what my sister said because I know she wasn't being offensive. Here is the last point I will mention. I think it's important to ask the people who are labeled what they want to be called. I never know if I should say "African American" or black. I try to listen how the other person refers to themselves as a gauge. I can tell you this... I will never write or say that my son is autistic. He has autism. One day, I believe he will be in remission from his autism.

Broken Open

2009-01-16T14:46:00.006-05:00

I'm watching Oprah's Best Life series on TIVO, when I recognize the guest author, Elizabeth Lesser. I call my husband's step sister and ask her if her mother in law was on Oprah the day before, and sure enough, she was. My husband's step sister is a wonderful person. She is an environmentally conscientious person who eats and lives very naturally. She is a great supporter for the way we are treating our son. I spoke to her yesterday about her mother in law's Oprah debut. What she told me is that the book, Broken Open (I haven't read it, but you know I will)is about turning a negative life experience into a way to live life more deeply with more meaning. It really makes sense. Trust me, I would rather not choose autism for my son's path, but I can tell you that I look at life with more depth and I have more purpose now than I have ever felt in all the years I have been alive. I look forward to reading the book. To find out more about Elizabeth Lesser's spirituality center, The Omega Institute, check it out HERE.

The big lie

2009-01-12T06:57:00.003-05:00

Remember the game telephone from elementary school? You know, one person's word gets completely twisted by the time it ends up at the end of the circle? It's amazing how some rumors start a life of their own.

I have been asked how so many people could be hiding the truth. Some people very close to me don't understand how I could know some truth that my doctor or the government is missing. The average person has a hard time believing that we parents could be right and so many doctors and government officials could be wrong. This is a beautiful article from J.B. Handley. I urge anyone who wonders how there have been "studies" discounting the vaccine/autism connection yet so many parents are still screaming, "lie". Please check this awesome article HERE

Private Practice

2009-01-08T23:04:00.008-05:00

I'm relaxing in bed watching some TV, when the ABC show Private Practice makes me gag. I couldn't watch most of it, but here's the gist...frumpy autism mom bring her three kids to the pediatricians office. Her non vaccinated middle child seemed to have caught a "cold" when traveling to Switzerland to help his autistic brother (non verbal, rocking back and forth, only interested in planes, no hint of a personality) get on a vitamin regime and diet (because they had to travel to Switzerland for that). Surprise, surprise, it's not a cold it's the measles. The doctors then quote the CDC, AAP, and some study that conclusively proved there was no link to vaccines and autism (this is when I turned the channel). I decided to watch the end to see what happened. Turns out she didn't vaccinate the youngest son, but the pediatrician decided against her will to vaccinate. They show her screaming while the doctor gives the vaccine (is that even legal?) All the while the middle kid is dying and the boy with autism is still rocking. Of course, the unvaccinated boy who got measles dies and the frumpy autism mom is devastated because she should have vaccinated him.

As if people didn't think I was nutty enough, now I have TV shows proving how crazy we all are. Just what I need, to lose one more friend or family member's support. This is why some moms, like me, don't like to shout to the world that we have children with autism. My boy looks nothing like their portrayal and I would hate to have him judged before anyone even met him. Thank goodness for the diet and the vitamins. Hey, I didn't even have to leave Florida to get them.

In between the typical & autism world and the latest evaluation

2009-01-06T13:48:00.008-05:00

Just before the holiday break, each child at my son's pre-school had an evaluation. Ty has never done well in any evaluation and my heart has always felt broken when I leave the meeting. Ty does go to a typical pre-school, but his class is pretty small, so he gets a lot of one on one. I'm glad I had this meeting because I was feeling so distraught over Ty's lack of social skills that I was thinking of pulling him from typical school and putting him into a special education program. Please know, some special education programs are awesome, I just don't think the one Ty is eligible for is a good fit for him. As a teacher and a witness to that class room on many occasions, I still feel that way.

The problem with Ty at this point is that he doesn't fit in the autism world. He doesn't fit into any autism schools or classes in the area. He is verbal, has good eye contact, he has no stims, he is fully potty trained, and he is in his age range academically. But, here is the big but...he doesn't fit in the typical world just yet because his language is delayed, he has audio sensory issues which makes him anxious and scared in large groups and of loud noises. There is a "hidden curriculum" that he hasn't mastered yet. He doesn't get some social nuances that other three and a half year olds can easily pick up. He really has to be taught societal rules and norms that magically unfold for other kids. This leaves Ty somewhere in the middle, which is a tough place to be.

I actually left his last evaluation feeling pretty good. According to the two teachers, Ty is doing phenomenally well. She says that during roll call he always says in a real deep voice "here" and the other kids laugh and he laughs and he knows that he is funny. They told me he has a best friend and they play together all the time. She said that even though he doesn't want to play the group games, like duck duck goose, he wants to watch. She thinks in due time he will join in. He's not off doing his own thing, he is just watching and waiting for the day he joins in. I think it's like watching people on the dance floor. Yes, those dancing are probably having more fun, but the ones watching are having a decent time, too. Maybe one day, the on lookers will even join in for a dance or two.

I decided not to pull Ty from his typical school. He really loves it. Here is part of the observation they gave me between Ty and two classmates. They only put his side of the conversation on the observation. This is dated December 2, 2008. As a side note, Ty has had a boost of language since then after a round of oral DMSA chelation:

"This is a tall tower, whoa!" (he is building with stacker pegs) "it's getting bigger". (he is playing w/ Abby & Emerson) "that is some tower, it's orange. What is that? It is like Emerson and this one is like Ty. This is bigger, this is really good. Is that enough?" Yes it is! That is a tower like Emerson. are you okay? You have a lot, Emerson. Whoa! look what I made, that's good. Abby is making a tunnel, Emerson is making a tower. this is red, yellow, and green. (Emerson is talking about orange juice and Ty tells Emerson) "I like orange juice." (Emerson asks Ty if he likes apple juice) Ty says, "I like apple juice". (Ty sees an airplane out the window) "there's an airplane out the window, ...it's gone. It's Santa he is going to bring a truck. It has a digger on top. Santa is going to bring a new present today". (this is Jewish pre-school, by the way :))

Whenever I get down about what Ty cannot do compared to children his own age, I just remember how far he has come. I have no reason to believe he won't keep thriving. So, he hasn't quite found his place. I'm a grown woman and I often feel like I haven't quite found my place either.

The Jewish boy who loved Santa

2009-01-05T12:58:00.010-05:00

When I was young (my 20's), I always stated the type of children I would have (as if I had any control over it). I remember thinking that I would have a boy and a girl who would be well behaved (of course), probably early talkers since I never shut up, definitely athletic, and super outgoing.

When I was dating my husband, Jeff, I told him even before we were engaged a few rules about child rearing. I told him that I whole heartedly believed that babies sleep in their cribs and that a parent should always put a child to sleep awake so that they would know how to fall asleep on their own (this is the most comical part since Ty never spent one night in a crib, NOT ONE NIGHT!! He has been co-sleeping since the day he was born..yes, he still does!) As a side note to this blog entry, I think co-sleeping with Ty since birth was a blessing for him. He learned to give and receive lots of affection at night. He never went through the phase, even at his worst, where he wasn't affectionate towards me. We always cuddled and held hands. Since it took him so long to even say the word "mama", I had such comfort in him just holding my hand at night. Back to my story....one of the things I was adamant about was that no child of mine would believe in Santa. As a Jewish girl, I didn't mind a Christmas tree or the basic Christmas spirit, but Santa was off limits. I thought that was just too over the top for a Jewish kid. My husband tried to sway my opinion since he grew up believing in Santa, but he accepted and married me anyway. :)

For Ty's first Christmas, Jeff bought him a beautifully illustrated version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town that he loved. He was so into the book; it was amazing. Last Christmas he was just starting all his therapies and he was still too sick to know much about Christmas. This year was an INCREDIBLE Christmas for Ty. He wanted to know everything about Santa. He wrote Santa a letter, he talked to Santa, he wanted to know how the sleigh would get around. Since Jeff & I took a cruise at Christmas he truly thought that our cruise ship was meeting Santa's sleigh to pick up all the presents for him and his brother and we would bring them back the day we arrived from the cruise (which we did).

Yes, we did Hanukkah too. But, I just feel like Ty is so left out of so many things. He can't eat like typical kids, he can't communicate like typical kids, he can't do a lot of what typical kids can do because of his fears. I think he realizes that he is left out. There is no way I will let him feel left out of one more thing. As any Jewish person can tell you, growing up in a typical suburban American town, you just feel different and left out at Christmas time. So, just like my other ridiculous rules that fell to the wayside when my kids were hypothetical, my sons can believe in Santa for as long as they want.

One last thing....it's okay to have hopes, dreams, and wishes for your kids; however, having a child with autism surely puts things into perspective. I once hoped that he would marry a Jewish girl. Now, I just hope that he finds someone who loves him and values him (and his mother) for who he is. I hope that he is able to return that love and value in a mature adult relationship. Race, ethnicity, religion...it all takes a back seat.

Jett Travolta

2009-01-05T12:44:00.004-05:00

Several friends of mine have asked me my take on the Travolta tragedy. There is an excellent article in today's Age of Autism that does a nice job summing it up. What I have told my friends is that I'm sure they did everything they could in life for their son. Whether it's Kawasaki, autism, or some other disease they want to call it, the link is chemicals. I told my girlfriend at dinner two days ago when she asked if Jett really had autism is that autism is triggered by toxicity/chemical exposure just like Kawasaki disease, so if they prefer to call it Kawasaki, so be it. Sometimes I don't say my son has autism, I say he has vaccine and dental amalgam/mercury injury. I don't know how many children have to suffer or how many parents will outlive their kids before society will get their collective heads out of the sand. Check the article out HERE

Social impairment

2008-12-05T20:39:00.003-05:00

Some days are hard. Some days are very, very hard. I'm sure this is the case with any child, but as the mother of a special needs child, I can say that the hard days are especially painful. Ty is doing well academically. I think he is nearly at age level with those skills. Where he is still very far behind is socially. He does not thrive in social settings with lots of people and he doesn't understand social norms or cues. Today I realized that he has a loooong way to go. He doesn't fit in the autism world, but he doesn't quite fit in the typical world yet either. I always have such high hopes for my son, but some days, like today, make me realize that the path isn't going to be as easy as I was thinking. I just pray that he continues to move forward...I will accept whatever pace the universe throws at me. I don't really have any other choice.

Straight from the medical assistant's mouth

2008-12-04T10:38:00.005-05:00

I took my 16 month old to the pediatrician's office this morning because he has had a lingering fever for several days and not much of an appetite. Since he is so small, I don't like to take a chance and "ride" out certain symptoms. As it turns out, he is down in weight (not good), but he simply has a virus and he is teething. I was a little surprised to learn from the doctor that they now don't consider a child of his age to have a fever unless it's 101.5 or higher; Interesting.

On our way to our exam room there was a little girl who looked around eight and she was SCREAMING. I mean, SCREAMING!! I looked at the medical assistant (I don't know the specific term for the lady who weighs the kids, takes their temperature, and gives shots)and said "wow." The medical assmistant and I had to walk by the room with the screaming girl and I saw two adults holding her down while the shot lady gave her a shot in the arm. I thought to myself, you all should listen to those screams...her intuition might be better than yours. I said something like "oh, she's not happy" to the medical assistant, who proceeded to say this..

"I blame the mother for all of that. She promised her daughter there would be no shots today. She should never have done that. I guess she didn't realize her daughter didn't get her flu shot. You know, I've learned never to promise no shots with my kids. I mean, they keep adding new shots all the time. Seems like there is a new one every time I bring my kids. When my kids ask me if they are getting a shot, I say I have no idea, because really...I don't know."

Wow, this coming from the medical assistant who works at the practice. Kinda scary, don't you think?

Corporate Greed

2008-11-25T20:12:00.015-05:00

I wonder why it's so hard for some people to fathom that the vaccine industry does not have our best interests at heart. Let's see, we have just witnessed how corporate greed and cover up has taken down the financial sector of the United States of America; Fanny Mae, Freddy Mac, Citi,....now let's see some of who makes up the vaccine industry: Wyeth, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline,...
You can read more HERE

We are willing as a country to see how duped we were when it came to the financial and banking companies. We now know that these big corporations and their leaders were more interested in the bottom line and lining their own pockets than looking out for people of America. Let me tell you something, the vaccine industry is BIG business. The money trail is shameful. It is a fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics has taken millions of dollars from vaccine manufacturers for grants, conferences, medical education classes and to help build AAP headquarters. (ocregister, July 2008)

Sometimes society has to hit rock bottom before change is made. We are pretty much at rock bottom with the financial markets and bankrupt companies. I'm not sure how many children and families have to be affected by asthma, autism, allergies, ADD, ADHD, apraxia, diabetes, Tourettes,....before we have realized we've hit rock bottom. As far as I'm concerened, we are already there.

Was autism always in the cards for me?

2008-11-25T09:44:00.009-05:00

I've been meaning to write this entry since the day I started this blog. There are always so many entries I want to write, but time and kids and cooking and life get the best of my day, so I rarely get to write. This is a long entry, but It gives some insight into how autism entered my life long before diagnosis. It is also a lesson in intuition.

I've always believed that the universe gives me warnings. Maybe very subtle ones at first, but then they get more noticeable until I am smacked in the face. I can usually look back and see that I missed something or I should have known something was coming. I think I have a good intuition, when I listen to it. I feel this way about autism entering my life. I know that some people believe that what you think about, you bring about. I believe that to an extent. There are many books I enjoy that are based on those principles, but I don't believe I willed autism into my life. If that were true, I would have a little girl in my house since no one thought about having a daughter more than me. I pictured it, assumed it, prayed for it, made a goal poster of it, lit candles, got on my knees, made my husband do and say crazy things...needless to say, God gave me two lovely boys that I wouldn't trade. The point is, I no more willed autism into my life than having the girl I was so desperate for.

Here is how I believe the universe was "warning" me or perhaps "preparing" me...

When I was little, my cousins would always come over and play with me and my sister. This happened ALL the time, so I'm not sure why this memory sticks in my head, but one time we were playing house (I'm guessing I was about nine or ten years old). My older cousin and older sister were picking roles and my cousin said that I could be the brother. I was upset because I didn't want to be a boy and she said, "you can be the autistic brother, that way you don't have to say anything." I remember VIVIDLY asking her what autistic meant since I had never, ever heard the term before (I bet if you poll any nine year old today, they will have heard of it and know someone who has it). She quickly explained that people with autism didn't speak, so I could just stand next to her and play the brother.

I don't recall ever hearing the word autism again until about seven years later when I was in high school. I took a course where we were all given a pound of flour to carry around for a week to be our babies. This assignment was to show us how difficult it is to care for something that heavy all week long. As part of the assignment, our teacher gave each person's baby a disability and we had to research the disability and share it with the class. The teacher chose the disability and handed us their impairment on a note card. Don't you know, my note card said "autism". I remembered the conversation I had with my cousin years earlier and thought hmmmm, that's the one where they don't speak. As I went to research (1988 was before the Internet), I could barely find anything on autism. I went to the health dept. and got a small brochure (you know the one with the white gummy people on it) on autism. That was it. I only have a few blurbs. I can't even remember what is said, but I knew it wasn't good.

Ten years later (1998), I moved to Florida and became very good friends with a woman who had a two year old son. One day she told me that her son was just diagnosed with autism. The first thing I said to her was that I had to research autism for a project in high school. I thought that was so odd. I mean, what were the chances of this rare disorder coming into my life again...how weird, was all I thought. I will never forget, she said that maybe I could tell her about it since she didn't know anything. I thought how little I had learned from that one stupid brochure. As it turns out, I ended up living with her and her son for a short while. She drove him to therapy and she was very depressed since her marriage couldn't handle the last autism straw. I felt so sad for her. I didn't know much about kids at the time, so I didn't know what a Typical 2 year old looked like, but I knew he suffered. He cried at night and I would console him back to sleep. He was very happy, but he spun in circles a lot and hardly had any language.

At this same time, another one of my very good friend's son had recently turned two. We didn't get to see each other much since I didn't have kids and we lived far apart, but one day I was coming to visit and she said "listen, there is something I have to tell you. Jordan is in therapy right now" (at that word, my heart sank. She didn't have to say another word. I knew the rest of her sentence.) "Jordan was diagnosed with autism."

When I got off the phone with her I remember screaming in my car something to the effect "WHAT THE FU** IS GOING ON HERE? WHY ARE ALL THESE KIDS GETTING AUTISM?" I was very curious and never had a good feeling about the whole thing. I kept wondering why autism kept coming into my life like this. It did not sit well with me. I asked my friend how she thought her son got autism. I really wanted to know. She said she didn't know and know one knows. She said some people try diets, but she didn't think it worked for her son, so she didn't do any diet. I know that she had therapist after therapist in her home for several years. I know she fought the school system. I know she did everything she knew to do for her son therapy wise. I thought, man she really knows how to advocate for her son, to get him therapy.

At this point autism kept coming up on the news. Mother after mother was telling the story about how their boys got autism. Then, I finally heard the vaccine connection. I thought I hope I never have a boy and I don't want to put these vaccines in my kids.

When I got pregnant with Ty in 2004, I worried about autism like crazy. I would always say to my coworkers, I can't drink that, they don't know what causes autism. When we found out Ty was going to be a boy the first thing I thought was "great, now I have to worry about autism." I prayed so hard every night for Ty to be cognitively sound. I never felt comfortable that autism entered my life so many times. I felt it was a bad omen. I called my girlfriend that advocated for her son to ask her what I should do about vaccines. She had two more kids (both girls) that were completely typical. She said, don't worry, they don't put thimerisol in vaccines anymore like they did when Jordan was a baby. I said I needed to know if it were her child what she would do. She said she would delay the vaccine schedule by six months and only give three at a time. I believe that she was telling me what she thought was best and what the doctors told her. I am grateful that she told me to delay anything at all. I did what she said. When Ty was a newborn, a study came out that was all over the news. The headline was "there is no link between vaccines and autism." I thought I could put my vaccine worries to rest. I believed every word of that newscast. For good measure, I'll delay a few montnhs, but clearly vaccines don't cause autism since they said so on the evening news.

When Ty was diagnosed...it was like, I knew it. I believe I always knew it, that's why I was always so uneasy. I think I had an intuition long ago and ignored it. I have learned never to brush a gut feeling or an intuitive feeling aside. I listen closely to what the universe continues to put in my path.

I lost touch with the first friend, so I have no idea how her son is doing. I'm sure she would be surprised to know that I also have a son with autism. My other friend's son is doing well. She home-schools and he is fully conversational. I haven't seen him in years, but I bet his future is bright. I told her how much we spend on therapy. She told me that some months her therapy bill for Jordan was more than their mortgage. I believe it. I live it. I had no idea what she was going through back then when I hung out with her. She had a tough exterior and a strong faith in God, so she never let on how hard her life was back then. She was one of my first phone calls when I suspected that Ty had autism. I could hardly talk. I mostly just sobbed. She said listening to my pain brought back the hard memories after her own son's diagnosis. It gets better, she told me. She was right.

GLS

2008-11-07T06:44:00.004-05:00

This is from Age of Autism. This is EXACTLY how frustrating trips to our pediatrician have been and continue to be.

Does Your Child Suffer from GLS?
What if Treatment for Other Medical Conditions Was Like Treatment for Autism?
a fictional story from a parallel universe. (To which Kim adds, parallel universe...or CHOP.)

By Twyla Ramos

Once upon a time a mom was walking down the street with her son, holding his hand, enjoying a beautiful sunny day, when all of a sudden a car swerved up onto the sidewalk, hit the boy, and then sped away.

Fortunately, the boy’s only injury was a broken leg. Unfortunately, there were no witnesses. The mom immediately called for help on her cell phone, and an ambulance picked them up and took them to the nearest hospital.

As the doctor examined her son, the mom told him what had happened. “We were just walking along, and this car appeared out of nowhere and hit him and drove away!” she exclaimed.

“My dear”, said the doctor with kindly condescension, “Studies have shown that the vast majority of pedestrians walk safely down that highway, therefore it is highly unlikely that your son was hit by a car. In fact, statistically speaking, it is well nigh impossible.”

“Oh, but it did happen, Doctor! I saw it myself!” insisted the mom.

“Clearly you are very emotional,” said the doctor. “Studies have shown that emotional witnesses often see what they expect to see. I know that you feel very sure, but please understand that science and medicine are not based on anecdote, but on higher forms of knowledge. Everything that you think you perceive of reality is in your own head, and has not been scientifically validated nor subjected to peer review. A famous philosopher once questioned an individual’s ability to perceive anything with certainty, and concluded that the only thing he was sure of was, ‘cogito ergo sum’ meaning ‘I think therefore I am’.

“As long as we’re speaking Latin, I must also mention the fallacy of ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’. This must be very difficult for you as a parent to grasp, since you do not have any advanced scientific degrees, but even if your son was hit by a car this would not prove that the car accident caused this problem with his leg. Don’t confuse coincidence with causation! Are you saying that car accidents cause broken legs? What about all the people who break their legs in their own homes? Do you think that they have cars inside their homes? That’s absurd!”

“Doctor, as you can see, my son is in a lot of pain! Can we please stop arguing about causation, and could you provide the treatment that my son desperately needs.”

“Madam, after a thorough examination, I have concluded that your son has Genetic Leg Syndrome, also known as GLS.”

“Genetic Leg Syndrome? Why, I’ve never heard of that! But, if it is genetic, how could it have appeared so suddenly?”

“Oh, I am quite sure that there were signs before this that he suffered from GLS, but you did not notice them. Studies have shown that parents tend to be in denial.”

“But he is on the soccer team – he has always run and walked without any problem! And look at how his shin is crooked – it was never that way before!”

“My dear, I have years of experience and education in this field, and I am telling you that he has Genetic Leg Syndrome. Sometimes GLS is progressive and worsens over time.”

“O.K., doctor, I’m not going to keep arguing with you, but what can you do for him? As you can see and hear, he is crying out in pain.”

“Yes, GLS has a psychological component, and often children with GLS will cry out to get their parents’ attention. It’s a type of narcissism.”

“Again I am asking you doctor, what kind of treatment can you provide to help my son?”

“A good behavioral program will help your son to manage the emotions and behaviors which often go hand-in-hand with GLS. Of course, science is not yet at the point of being able to change the genes which cause GLS. In fact we have not yet identified exactly which genetic aberration is the cause. We have spent millions on research, and we are probably on the verge of a real breakthrough. In the meantime, I advise you to contact your local agency and ask for educational and therapeutic services to make this syndrome more manageable. Good luck!”

With that the distressed mother and sobbing son were ushered out of the office. The mother called her best friend and poured out the whole story to her friend’s sympathetic ears. “You know what?” said her friend. “The same thing happened to my nephew. My sister brought him to see an alternative practitioner named Dr. Smith who is part of the TBLN! group, which stands for ‘Treat Broken Legs Now!’ Dr. Smith took some x-rays and put his leg in a cast, and my nephew eventually got all better.”

The mom was at a loss – what should she do? Could she rely on her friend’s advice? She decided to call her pediatrician. Remarkably, she was able to reach him, and she told him what had happened to her son and what the doctor and her friend had told her.

“X-rays and casts are highly experimental,” said the pediatrician. “Studies have shown that x-rays do not help any medical conditions. A large-scale study was done where 1,000 children with mobility issues were given x-rays, and after three months of x-rays there was no improvement in their conditions. Casts have been shown to have a negative impact on children’s self-esteem, and to cause deterioration of the leg muscles due to the complete immobilization of the leg, with no movement or weight bearing for weeks on end. A recent book by a leading expert Dr. Polly Moppet showed that these treatments are cruel, unsafe, and ineffective.”

“Then, what should we do??” asked the mother.

“You should follow that doctor’s advice,” said the pediatrician firmly. “He is an excellent doctor.”

The mom hung up, more confused than ever. Her son was now screaming in pain. Desperate for help, she called Dr. Smith’s office and was encouraged to come in. When she got there, they took some x-rays. After the x-rays, she asked her son if he felt any better, and he said no. She wondered whether the traditional doctors were right and this alternative medicine was bogus. The doctor came in and showed her the x-ray. “You see, his leg is broken here and here. It’s no wonder he is in so much pain. We will put the leg in a cast so that it can heal in the correct position, and for now we will give him some pain meds as well.”

The mother feared that the cast was an unproven experimental treatment, but the doctor seemed sensible and she agreed to try it.

Once the leg was set and they were home, her son seemed more comfortable. The next day, she had to explain to his teacher and the school nurse why he was wearing this strange thing on his leg and using crutches. The school nurse insisted that she obtain a note from Dr. Smith stating that the cast and crutches were necessary.

Weeks later when the mom and her son returned to Dr. Smith to get the cast removed, it turned out that the leg had healed very well. The bones were straight and strong. But he had lost some muscle in the leg due to the prolonged inactivity, so that leg looked thinner than the other, and he walked with some awkwardness, even a slight limp. Dr. Smith assured them that with time his leg would develop strong muscles again.

The following week, the boy saw his pediatrician for his regular annual checkup. The mom showed the pediatrician how well her son was doing, and told him about the treatment he had received. The pediatrician said, “There is no effective medical treatment for Genetic Leg Syndrome. If he seems better, it is just a coincidence. Anyway, to me he seems worse. That leg is now a lot thinner than the other, and at last year’s check-up he was walking without any limp.”

As more time passed, the boy went back to running and playing soccer, and his leg developed strong muscles again, and soon you could not even tell that he had ever had a broken leg. At his next annual check-up, the mom proudly showed the pediatrician that her son was now fully recovered. “Well then,” said the pediatrician, “clearly he never had GLS. It was a misdiagnosis.”

The mom breathed a sigh of relief. Her pediatrician finally seemed to get it! “Yeah,” she said, “That genetic diagnosis was sooo crazy! By the way, I was thinking about how that doctor said there had never been any other accidents on that street. If someone is keeping track of accidents, I should have reported my son’s accident. Is it too late now? Who should I report it to?”

“Oh, if there had been an accident,” said the pediatrician, “the hospital would have reported it. But I think you know in your heart that there was no accident. Your son never had any serious problem with his leg. He was just suffering from the normal growing pains so common at his age. Or he had sore muscles from playing soccer like so many of my little athlete-patients.”

“But, doctor!” said the boy, “I did get hit by a car! I know I did!”

The pediatrician chuckled fondly. “Kids these days have such lively imaginations!”

Twyla Ramos and her husband have three children. Their middle child, age 16, has both autism and Williams Syndrome. Fortunately, their children’s pediatrician is not at all like the pediatrician described above.

Caveat: Of course treating autism is much more complicated than treating a broken leg, and not everyone with autism responds so well to biomedical treatments.
Moral of the story: Mainstream “experts” should remove their blinders and pay more attention to the treatments which are helping so many people, and the causes which so many parents have witnessed.

Welcome to Holland

2008-11-03T11:31:00.009-05:00

In Jenny McCarthy's new book, Mother Warriors, she spotlights this poem from Emily Kingsley. It is quite beautiful.

Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley
c1987

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

One more click on the antenna

2008-10-27T14:13:00.009-04:00

My husband always thinks after Ty has IV chelation that the awesome things that follow are more coincidental than the chelation itself. It's not that he doesn't think chelation works (I know he wouldn't agree to it if he didn't think it was working), it's that I tend to think any great sentence or movement that comes out of his mouth from the moment after chelation for about a week afterward is directly related. We IV chelated him (EDTA) two days ago. We always back the IV chelation up with a round of oral chelation (DMSA). So, at 3:00pm Saturday he had IV EDTA at the doctor's office. That evening at 7:00pm he had one oral dose of DMSA. Sunday he had three doses (one in the morning, afternoon, and evening) of DMSA. Today, he has had one dose of DMSA and he will get one more this evening, for a total of six doses. Here is what I have seen: Sunday morning I watched him as he took off his long sleeved pajamas. For those of you with a typical kid, this is HUGE. Ty has never been able to figure out how to undress himself, especially a long sleeve shirt. I saw him doing it and I nudged Jeff to come see. We both looked at each other with a bit of surprise, then he said I would say it was the chelation; your damn right! Then, he was watching a Dora episode he has never seen. In this episode, Dora & friends are Trick or Treating. Dora says, "if you see Swiper the Fox, yell Swiper no swiping because he will swipe our Halloween treats....Ty sees swiper and says "Oh no, it's Swiper. He's going to try and take their candy." I almost fell off the couch...that is no script, that is Ty taking what he heard and re-wording it to make complete sense. And, by the way, I don't even know how he would know what candy is since he has never had it. Today I decided to take the boys to Wal-Mart to get some stuff. We were waiting in a bit of a long line. Ty, who was sitting in the big basket part, sees two boys (around 7 & 9) waiting behind us. He looks at them and says "hi, how are you?" and smiles at them. (came out very natural, not scripty). The mom says to me, "don't you just love how friendly children are? Now, if only we could be more like that" I just smiled and said "I know, kids are so friendly". This mom has no idea that I am cheering and jumping up and down on the inside. My kid looks and acts so typical during this trip to Wal-Mart. Is it the chelation??? Who knows. The combination of stuff we are doing is working. Every day he moves towards the other side. I think of it like an old TV antenna with the click box. You know how every time you click the dial the picture comes in a little less fuzzy? Maybe not a crystal clear picture, but you get closer to it with each click. Biomedical has been the clicks for Ty. Seems like each time we do something we get a little click. Some turns on the dial aren't so noticeable, but some make the picture look much clearer than before.

Golden Arches

2008-10-24T07:55:00.000-04:00

There are two points to this entry. First, the power of marketing in our culture and second, kids with autism may understand more than we think. I've mentioned in previous posts that Ty did not eat table food as a baby/toddler. First of all, the concept of putting food to his mouth and chewing did not come naturally to Ty and he also had sensory issues, so most food make him gag, choke, or vomit. As he started to learn to eat, one meal he seemed to tolerate was chicken nuggets and french fries. Since I had no idea Ty had autism, I would take him to McDonald's once a week to get his nuggets and fries. I would take him to the play area and feed him while he half played and half watched the other kids. This became a ritual from the time he was about seventeen months old until a few weeks before he was diagnosed with autism at two and a half. Since he had no language and virtually no way to communicate with me, I never knew if he wanted to go to McDonald's, but I assumed he liked it. The day I suspected autism, we implemented the GFCF diet cold turkey; no more McDonald's for Ty. It's been more than one year since I've taken him to a McDonald's, but he did not forget. When he started to get some language, whenever we would pass by the McDonald's I took him to, he would say, "McDonald's french fries". Then, as he started to improve even more, he would notice all golden arches and say, "McDonald's french fries, McDonald's french fries, McDonald's french fries..." (anyone who has a child with autism that is verbal understands this repetition. Ty would repeat the same phrase OVER and OVER and OVER until I would say it back, "yes, that is where we got McDonald's french fries." He is now past the repetitive stage (sometimes he reverts)and has more clarity in his language. The other day I drove by a new McDonald's that he has never been to and he said,
Ty: "I need McDonald's french fries!"
Me: "No, Ty. McDonald french fries make you sick and hurt your tummy, so no more McDonald's french fries."
Ty: "no more McDonald's french fries."
Me: "No, no more"
Ty(screaming): "But I need McDonald's french fries!!!"

Ty continues to mention things from the period when we didn't think he had a clue what was going on. I do believe that while our kids can't communicate their thoughts to us, they do have an idea what is going on. I now make an effort (I didn't always) not to say things in front of Ty that would make him think he is different. I never use the word autism when it relates to him in front of him. We should all be careful what we say infront of any child.

Yet another response from the McCain camp on autism

2008-10-23T08:01:00.003-04:00

I am not a one issue voter, but the issue that is most important to me keeps coming up time and time again from the McCain camp. I hope that Obama will take the issue of vaccine safety to heart when he is president, but I have my doubts. He fundamentally believes that government knows what is best. I certainly hope I'm proven wrong. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but I do believe government (both the Republican side and Democratic side) is partly to blame for the huge autism mess I am in. Please read the article from Age of Autism HERE

Cindy McCain on autism

2008-10-21T15:40:00.003-04:00

Check out Ginger Taylor's blog entry regarding Cindy McCain discussing autism. I agree with Ginger that the McCain/Palin ticket has brought it up quite often. Since that is my area of concern, my vote will go for McCain. I don't usually give up so easily, but I feel it will be unlikely McCain will win. Regardless, I am proud of his campaign for bringing it up so many times. The fact that it is being discussed should alert the mainstream population that we have a real crisis on our hands. Please check Ginger's entry HERE

Video of Ty

2008-10-12T13:56:00.004-04:00

This is Ty singing his ABC's one year after starting biomedical and behavioral therapy. Not only can he sing the ABC's, he can tell us what every letter of the alphabet is, even in random order. He is a bit silly and shy in this video, but he is having some fun for the camera.

Collateral Damage

2008-10-11T11:11:00.011-04:00

In life, we are willing to accept that sometimes we have to sacrifice for the greater good. While no one likes war and wants soldiers to be killed, when a government decides to go to war, they do so with the understanding that some soldiers will die for the bigger cause. Right or wrong, this type of collateral damage is not kept secret. I cannot accept that some children are treated as collateral damage when it comes to vaccinations. I've heard doctor after doctor (Nancy Snyderman comes to mind...the Nancy Snyderman who made OODLES of money working for Johnson & Johnson; the Nancy Snyderman who said parents sue in vaccine court to profit from their child's autism...but I digress...) claim that "most" kids are not harmed from vaccines, therefore we need to continue the program full speed ahead without slowing down and without reexamining the protocol or the ingredients. (They always say "most" instead of "all") I mean, even the war in Iraq was reevaluated after too many soldiers were dying. Guess what America, TOO MANY KIDS ARE HARMED AND DYING!!!! A beautiful little girl, Madyson Williams, died six days after her MMR vaccine. The government just settled with her family by giving them $250,000. Can you imagine? Why is this not covered by mainstream media? Check out the article in Age of Autism HERE

Guest Blogger

2008-10-09T17:26:00.005-04:00

I was featured today as a guest blogger for treasurecoastmoms.com. My article was on healthy foods for kids. I'm not sure if you can read the article if you're not a member, but I will link it anyway. Check it out HERE

Jenny's new book

2008-10-03T19:46:00.009-04:00

I cannot even put into words how much I love Jenny McCarthy. I shudder to think what my situation would be like without her. She is really a living angel in my eyes. She has saved my boys and I will always appreciate what she has done for the autism community. Her new book, Mother Warriors is fabulous. Buy it HERE

Check out Jenny's appearance on FOX LA HERE

Check out Jenny on Good Morning America HERE

Failure to thrive

2008-10-03T11:17:00.005-04:00

One thing I have learned during this past year of recovery is never to believe in labels that mainstream medicine attaches to our children. It has been almost a year, to the day, that Ty was diagnosed with autism. We finally are in a good place with him. His progression has exceeded most people's expectations. Even Ty's DAN! doctor said he is "F"ing amazing (he didn't actually curse, he really used the term "f"ing. He could use any term he wants; he is a healer!) I thought I could finally exhale, but now my little son, Brett, has been diagnosed as "failure to thrive". Brett is super small. He went from the third percentile for weight to below the charts. He is 14 and a half months old and he weights 19 pounds (that's down 8 ounces from his weight two weeks ago). He has had lots of blood work, stool, and urine tests. The mainstream pediatrician (we are back to our original pediatrician) tells me his blood work is "worrisome". Apparently, they have no clue what's wrong with him, but he has a metabolic problem. We are awaiting some other tests and we go to the cardiologist next Tuesday. The doctor told me that she believes his metabolic issue is genetic since Ty has autism. Actually, I don't think she is too far off the mark with that. Autism has some underlying metabolic issues, so maybe Brett's issue is genetic. Keep in mind, he did receive three vaccinations at two months of age. (He was born at a great weight and was in the 50th percentile for weight at his two month check up). The nurse practitioner looked at me and said that this should prove to me that vaccines don't cause autism. The fact that both my sons suffer metabolically should let me rest assured that there is an underlying genetic problem with my sons. Then, she told me that a child died from measles last week. After that story, she offered to vaccinate Brett (I'm pretty sure it was a rehearsed story she must be using to parents who are afraid to vaccinate). I just looked at her and said nothing. She then said, well I'm putting on his chart we are delaying vaccinations due to failure to thrive. What??? She REALLY wanted me to vaccinate (don't forget how many he needs to catch up) a toddler who she just diagnosed as failure to thrive...whose brother has autism!!! Insanity!

Let me just say, this does not PROVE that vaccinations don't trigger autism. If anything, it shows me how harmed Ty was from his vaccines. Two children, same parents, both with underlying metabolic disorders. One fully vaccinated = autism. One hardly vaccinated= says about 30 words, puts two words together "more bubbles", "more juice", "bye daddy", and "get up". Brett has awesome receptive language and his motor planning is spot on.

Hmmm.....makes a person wonder, don't ya think?

So they have him as "failing to thrive". This well spoken, cognitively aware child is not thriving. Instead, I challenge that label and I would like to say that he is failing to gain weight. We figured out Ty, now we will figure out Brett. Thank heaven I know that children are not labels.

Change is coming

2008-08-29T10:52:00.007-04:00

Whatever your political views are, the fact of the matter is history will be made with this next president. For the first time ever we will see an African American president or a woman vice president; not only is she a woman, but the mother of a special needs child. While I am not the biggest Obama fan, I respect the incredible boundary that he has broken. As I watched the tears from African Americans (and others)in the audience last night during his speech, I realized that they may never have believed that in their lifetime they could go from from separate schools and bathrooms to a black man running for president. I've heard people say that so many paved the way so Obama could be in the position he is in today. Maybe when Sarah Palin was a little girl and she told people she wanted to be in the White House, they shrugged it off and said "sure thing, little girl", not really wanting to tell the little girl it could never happen. Some of those that paved the way didn't get to benefit from their actions, but they were pivotal players, anyway. This really got me thinking. I know it seems so far away now, but one day those of us in the vaccine reform movement will look back and think "wow, it has really happened."
In America, anything is possible!

Bless baby Elijah

2008-08-27T12:07:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine (we share almost every therapist) has two toddler boys with autism. She gave birth yesterday to another beautiful son. Having one child on the spectrum is tough; having two is rougher that tough; having three on the spectrum seems unimaginable, yet I know of several moms who raise three children that have autism with grace and the same joys that most moms have. If you are reading this please say this quiet prayer...

Dear God, please bless baby Elijah. Keep him safe and healthy. Bless him with all the goodness the universe has to offer. Let his parents experience the typical milestones that so many get to have. Most of all, please let him reach his highest potential in life; whatever that might be.
Amen

Full blown autism...this is a new one

2008-08-25T20:42:00.016-04:00

I had such a stressful day today, I will not even go into all of it, but one thing I have learned about myself is that I am no longer intimidated by people who I feel are not working with me. Most importantly, I am no longer intimidated by those who I feel do not understand the complexities of autism the way I do; that includes some doctors. I will stand up to any main stream doctor that gets in my way. Yes, I respect that they have medical school behind them, but that doesn't mean they understand autism more than I do.

My son starts preschool tomorrow. It is a typical preschool that is a bit overpriced, but the class ratio is very small, it's brand new, and they completely accommodate Ty's limited diet. I looked at lots of schools and I just felt this was the one for Ty, for now. I know that some may not agree, but I never told the school Ty has autism. He is only in their care Tuesdays and Thursdays for three and a half hours each. He was there for two months last year and he did great, so I definitely don't feel I need to divulge every tid-bit about him, especially since he has been on the road to recovery for ten months now. Instead, I told the school and his teachers that he has a developmental delay primarily with speech, but that we are addressing it with speech therapy. I know this is semantics, but labeling him with autism would not be in his best interest at this stage in his recovery.

The school informed me a few days ago that he would need an updated physical form since his had expired. I called his pediatricians office today and left a message that he needed a new form and not to put autism, but instead speech delay as they have done for me in the past. The nurse called me back and said absolutely not. She also said that I needed a clearance form from his neurologist...blah, blah....I told the nurse that I was very unhappy with the practice (I have never been happy with this particular practice; not in the three years I've been going to them) She got defensive and told me she was just the nurse relaying a message. I told her to have the doctor call me. As I continued to fume while waiting for the doctor to call me back, I realized I could take my son up to urgent care and get him a school physical for $25.00. I knew that in the short time they would look at Ty, they would have no clue he had autism; I could get my yellow form and be on my way.

Shortly after, the doctor called me. She is one of the lead doctors in the practice and I do respect her. We had quite a lengthy conversation. During our conversation I remained calm, stuck to the facts, explained my position and what I was looking for. The doctor said that she felt Ty was pretty high functioning, but she hadn't seen him in a while, but based on her notes from the other doctors and the neurologist (who saw him for ten minutes), he had "full blown autism" so she was reluctant to leave it off of the physical form as she had done in the past. (Full blown autism??? This is a new one for me. I've heard of full blown AIDS, but never full blown autism!!!) She told me that I had him in all these "therapies"..so maybe he wasn't as high functioning as she had first thought and she couldn't in good conscience "lie" on his physical form. (Okay, so since he is high functioning, I'm not supposed to work like crazy to recover him. I guess she's never heard of hiring one's own ABA therapist for a high functioning child).

I told her that I thought it was time I cut my losses and move on from her practice. I told her I didn't believe we shared the same philosophy on autism. I told her that I was always met with defense and looked down upon when I brought my sons in since I decided to stop vaccinating my second child. I told her that her colleagues did not believe in the gluten free casein free diet that was helping my son. I explained that I never asking her to lie, but I didn't want him labeled at a school that he was already doing well in. I felt developmentally delayed was more appropriate for him at this point. I told her that I will continue to keep him in several therapies, not because he has "full blown autism", but because we believe in autism recovery and that our hopes for him are well beyond the label of autism. I told her I didn't feel that her practice had a good understanding of today's autism and that it is treatable in a way that she is unfamiliar with. I told her she was more than welcome to view Ty and see for herself the differences he has made in ten months. I told her that I felt if her practice wanted to stay current with the autism epidemic they should educate themselves on the DAN (defeat Autism Now) movement. I ended by saying that she once told me not to cry over autism (as I did in her office less than one year ago when I came to her questioning the fact I thought my son had autism..thank you Jenny McCarthy for explaining it to me). I told her I was appreciative that she told me ten months ago, even though he has autism, he could still do well in life. I told her I was confused that she had a different feeling now. I then said that we would agree to disagree and that was that. After chatting with her for nearly ten minutes, she told me I would not have to bring him in and my yellow physical form without the word autism would ne waiting for me at the front desk.

Update....well I am finishing up this entry the next day and I went to pick up the form, free of the $10.00 charge. And by the way, Ty had a GREAT first day at school!

The old Nicole would never have been confident enough to stand up to doctors, pharmacists, or anyone else that I deemed to be more educated than I was. Today, I can handle my own. Don't mess with me; don't mess with my kid. I have no idea what that pediatrician thinks of me, since I did most of the talking. I am a kind and friendly person who enjoys having a smile on my face most of the time, but I am not intimidated anymore. If I thought I could just switch to a different pediatrician that would think differently than she does, I would switch. As far as I know, there are none in my area. In due time. I will continue to take Brett up to my new awesome doctor in Ft. Pierce for his well checks. As for Ty, he will be okay; he has his DAN doctor and his parents on his side.

Schools have no idea how to handle to huge influx of children with autism

2008-08-22T12:14:00.004-04:00

The problem is simple. 1 in 150 (I believe it's more than that)children are being diagnosed with autism (doesn't even count those with ADHD, developmental delays, etc...)and these kids are reaching school age. Our society, our over crowded school systems, our under-paid,under-trained, and over worked teachers (I was one of them)have no idea how to cope with influx of children with learning disabilities. My son's typical pre-school of NINE children (only nine, folks) as far as I know(he hasn't started the new year) has two kids with autism (including him) and one with a major speech and development delay along with aggression. This is not unusual, this is the wave of the future. We are completely unprepared as a society to deal with the autism generation. In my local paper today there is an article about how many children with autism have been mistreated in our area. Check it out HERE. It completely saddens me that my child will be thrown into this chaotic mess. We (our society) did this to them and we better find a way to do right by them. Where is the ADA during all of this? These children deserve some rights. Families with children who have autism should have priority in the airports. If the child was in a wheel chair, they would get to go through security and board first. Hello? While our kids aren't in wheel chairs, they struggle; we struggle. Let's fix this!!!

Bittersweet joy

2008-08-21T14:37:00.005-04:00

I think any mother that has a child who doesn't progress "normally" is in awe when she sees the amazing developments of a "typical" baby. Let me say that I thank God, the universe, my lucky stars, the DAN! community, and Jenny McCarthy from sparing my second child from the autism world. Brett, who is just thirteen months old this week, continues to amaze me and my husband. When we see the things he is capable of, we look at each other and shake our head. We don't think Brett is some amazing genius, we think.....how in the hell did we think Ty was fine. If we knew what a typical child looked like we would have been asking for answers long before we did. It's a weird feeling when Brett does something developmentally appropriate. Again, there is a sigh of relief, followed by a praise God, followed by some anger. Yes, I am grateful, but boy am I pissed off, too. I can see with my own two eyes what I was cheated out of; what Ty was cheated out of. Before we knew there was anything wrong with Ty, I used to read on how to teach sign language, how to do bed time with ease, how to to teach my baby to play games....I always thought it was all stupid. Ty never picked up on any of it. I used to teach sign language all day long and it never worked. I used to think it was dumb and pointless. Hello???? Who's the dumb one? Brett knows the sign for eat, more, bye, boob (one I made up for him). While I will continue to worry about Brett until he is a walking, talking, socializing three year old (I think that's natural), I know that my experience with him is completely different. I am very thankful I spared Brett by not having dental work done while I was pregnant, by not having a mercury laced Rhogam vaccine while I was pregnant, and by not vaccinating him. I will continue to appreciate every single amazing thing my thirteen month old does. I will also appreciate every single amazing thing my three year old does even if it takes him an entire childhood to do them.

Vaccinate your kids press conference

2008-08-05T12:39:00.005-04:00

In my world, some days are a bigger battle than others. This morning when I woke up, I had several emails in my inbox warning me about today's "vaccinate your baby" press conference with Amanda Peet (the anti-Jenny). Then my phone started ringing and then there was Amanda Peet on Good Morning America (doing a rather poor job, I might add) of explaining to the public why vaccinations are more safe today than they have ever been. She even used the analogy that "experts" in Hurricane Katrina told us the levees wouldn't hold and we didn't listen to them, and look what happened. We should always listen to the experts, she said. Okay, I think her analogy actually worked against her. Hurricane Katrina should go to show that we can not always trust that our government knows what it is doing or that it has our best interests at heart. Please check out Ginger Taylor's very well written blog entry regarding this issue. She does a way better job than I ever could explaining it. Please read it HERE

"Mommy, I want broccoli and green beans"

2008-07-31T11:39:00.003-04:00

Training a child how to eat properly really does work. Sure, there are moments when Ty would rather have potato chips instead of asparagus, but for the most part, he has been trained to eat what I want him to. It's been about nine months now since we went GFCFEFSF (in case you don't know what that is, it's all the "frees" you can think of!) Today for lunch, Ty had his usual home made, broccoli dipped chicken nuggets and black beans. When he was finished he came to me and said he wanted broccoli and green beans. I popped a few frozen florets and beans into the microwave and put them on his plate. To think that this child had such severe textural issues that he didn't even eat table food until he was nearly two years old. Thanks to constant exposure, biomedical healing, and a food program (his behavior therapist implemented this), Ty will try nearly anything we put in front of him (he still hates watery foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and grapes).

For every parent who thinks starting a diet is too hard; I will tell you, at first, it is rather challenging. Please know, the payoff is so worth it. I think just like anything else, if you stick with it for a while, you will be amazed. Even if you don't see a lot of gains in language or behavior, you might be sparing them from high cholesterol and other food related ailments as an adult.

I am a Parent of Autism

2008-07-24T23:56:00.003-04:00

This poem was not written by me, but I find that it sums up a lot of what many "autism moms" feel. I certainly think it is very relatable. The author, Michelle Gillespie, has two children with autism. Please check out her webpage at http://www.babyhomepages.net/thegillespiefamily/

Who Am I; I Am the Parent of Children With Autism
by Michelle Gillespie

I am the parent of children that were born healthy.

I am the parent that saw my children make their first of many milestones.

I am the parent that watched my children vanish into their own worlds, right before my eyes.

I am the parent that was lead by mainstream medicine to vaccinate mychildren on the premise that I was doing right by them, my children.

I am the parent that asked questions like, "Should you vaccinate my sick child?" and "Why is my child always sick?"

I am the parent that was cohersed into vaccinating my children under false pretenses that I did not know, at that very time.

I am the parent that was mislead by the same mainstream medical profession that took an oath, "To do NO harm."

I am the parent that was told that my children have autism, not by adoctor but by a close friend.I am the parent that was told by mainstream medical doctors that "There is NO hope!"

I am the parent that has spent countless nights; crying, praying andresearching everything out there on the internet known to man aboutthe causes, cures and everything in between regarding autism.

I am the parent who will NEVER give up hoping.

I am the parent that is now cautious when it comes to mainstreammedical doctors.

I am the parent who, now, questions authority, no matter how dumb the questions may seem.

I am the parent, like so many more, that is overwhelmed with the daily stress that autism brings.

I am the parent that feels so isolated because previous friends and family just, "don't get it, autism that is."

I am the parent who is mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

I am the parent that has become stronger and more vigilant in myquest for answers.

I am the parent who demands respect when it comes to my children with autism and their needs. I am their advocate, I am their voice.

I am the parent who runs on empty.

I am the parent who weaps for so many like me.

I am the parent that dreams of endless possibilities.

I am the parent of beautiful children with autism but autism is justtheir diagnosis.

I am the parent who is going to try like hell to recover my children against all odds.

You are NOT alone!

Autism is an epidemic.

Autism is now 1 in 150, according to the CDC.

Autism is treatable and recovery is possible.

Never give up hope!

Reversing the symptoms of autism and quality of life

2008-07-24T10:10:00.012-04:00

My lovely 80 something grandmother has not been doing well. The past year has been a rough one for her. She was once a well-traveled vibrant woman who always wore nice clothing and did her hair and make up. Now she is forgetting to do the basic care for herself. I am told she won't eat unless someone tells her to. It really has me thinking about quality of life. When I was younger I used to wish I could live to be one hundred years old. Now that I am older, I understand that quality of life is as important as living. I hope I live to be a ripe old age, but I certainly want to do the basics for myself. I prefer not to need help dressing and feeding. This made me think of autism recovery. Isn't what we really want for our children a better quality of life? While some may say you can't "recover" a child with autism, I say you CAN reverse the symptoms of autism to create a better quality of life for the child and the family.

I hate to even give her more "airtime" but here is yet another comment that was left from the naysayer in my inbox. She leaves no way to reply back, so I will address her now, in a public forum...

"Why would you delete my comments? I have an educated opposing point of view which is legitimate to yours and people should hear both sides. To not show both sides of a debate is irresponsible and possibly harmful. This is your blog and therefore you can refute me with facts and your opinions but to delete my comments is immature and unfair. Call me when your son is 10 years old and you realize that he is still Autistic and all your fantasy treatments were for naught."

In response,

Even if my son is labeled autistic at ten years old, the symptoms of his autism have already been reversing, so his quality of life is already dramatically improved. Here are some examples that cannot be dismissed:

1. GFCF diet... Reversed his lack of eye contact and took him out of his own world. He now has beautiful eye contact, plays with kids, and has more language. This happened within two to three weeks of the diet. I have neighbors that witnessed this to back me up.

2. MB12 shots...Reversed his constant fevers and infections. Ty had ear and throat infections every other month. Since we started Mb12, he no longer has them. One exception, we were without the shots for sometime and he developed an ear infection.

3. Probiotics...Reversed his constant itching in his ears, crotch, and anus.

4. Vitamins...Reversed his horrible eczema

5. Within 48 hours of third IV chelation...Reversed much of his receptive language delay. Ty gained months of language over night. he began asking questions for the first time.

6. Within 12 hours of fifth IV chelation...Reversed his need to be isolate. Within 12 hours he kissed, hugged, and played with his brother for the first time. This chelation also reversed his inability to creatively play. He began playing house, airport, kitchen, dolls.....

7. May 1st, 2008, less than 24 hours after IV chelation...Reversed his echolalia & scripting. Ty's echolalia used to be our biggest worry. Guess what? NO MORE ECHOLALIA!!! NONE!!! His scripting has nearly vanished, too.

My son doesn't understand a placebo effect, so there would be no reason for him to "think" biomed is working for him; it just is. It's okay if somebody doesn't agree with what I'm doing; I don't care. All I can wish for is that my son gets the best quality of life he deserves. So, if you think I will look back and think everything I did was for naught....It's too late. The worst thing for me would be to look back and wonder that I didn't do enough. I will always know that I gave Ty the best opportunity possible. There seems to be two communities in the autism world. One where the parents are reversing symptoms and one where the parents spend their energy telling us how crazy we are for trying it. To succeed anywhere in life, you always want to follow the path of those who are accomplishing great things. I will continue to follow that road. I've copied this quote before, but it is rather fitting for today's entry:

"To those who say it cannot be done, get out of the way of those of us who are doing it."

I'm initiated!! Developing thick skin, too!

2008-07-22T11:09:00.008-04:00

Well, I feel like I have been officially initiated as an activist. I woke up this morning to three terribly negative comments left on my blog. I guess I will now join the ranks of those who must moderate their comments before allowing them to post. It's not that one can't disagree with me, but to get into the "hate" speech is not necessary, especially since this blog is not exactly being spread to the masses. I still don't understand the vial anger towards the greener vaccine community. From my experience, our community wants civil and constructive debate and conversation. All we are doing is promoting another option for kids with autism. I have rarely read a comment from a greener vaccine parent discounting what another parent has done (or in most cases, has NOT done) for their child. I can't speak for everyone in the Defeat Autism Now movement, but we are just spreading a message of hope and possibility. Reading what was said on my blog is like getting kicked in the stomach, but I realize that it is misguided anger. I think I remember from psychology 101 that this is what's called a defense mechanism. The woman who tore me up has a twelve year old autistic child. I can only imagine the frustration and disappointment she has been through over the past twelve years. What I don't understand is how she would take her experience and think my experience is unjust. Here are some snippets...

"Give up on the fantasy cures, stop listening to D.A.N.. Continue with the ABA, teach your sons yourself, make sure they have access to a computer and be a good
Mom... "

Regarding the FACT that chelation has worked for my son, she had this to say...

"And how many children has Chelation therapy killed. It's illegal here in Canada. Do you have proof your child was 'injured' by the vaccine because I'd love to see it. Talk about calling the kettle black, you're a hypocrite."

I'm still scratching my head on that one. I haven't figured out where I have been a hypocrite or called a kettle black.

Regarding my blog that Jenny McCarthy saved my son's life...oh by the way, she did. If not for her, I wouldn't even know my son had autism since none of Ty's doctors suggested it.

"Autism is not curable (there are treatments, but there are no cures) and 2. Autism is not 'reversable' as this blogger puts it. The vaccine theory is not true, Mercury was taken out of the vaccination shot in the UK a decade ago and record numbers of children are still being born there. At least you acknowledge ABA as an effective treatment. I know parents of Autistic children who's kids weren't vaccinated but were still born with ASD. And yes, I have a 12 year old son with Autism so I have extensive knowledge on the subject. It's your choice if you want to listen to celebrities when it comes to the health and well being of your children, but trust me, there are many well trained and educated people out there with years of hands-on experience who could help you more. Jenny said herself on Larry King that she has a degree from the University of Google. I suppose you believed Tom Cruise could heal post-partum depression with vitamins and exercise too. Good luck with your sons, just don't forget who you are taking medical advice from."

In response, I do believe that some depression can be fixed with diet, vitamins, and excercise. Why are we always looking to a pharmaceutical company, who is only in existence to make a profit, to heal us from all of our troubles? I don't discount the importance of many prescriptions, but if you don't think diet and excercise can help heal one's life, I don't know what to tell you.

I do not think anyone should do something they are not comfortable with. If chelation or the DAN movement is not for you; so be it. I will continue to promote myself as a positive force in the autism community and on the planet. Long before I had children, almost thirteen years ago, I studied A Course in Miracles, positive affirmations, and even had goal posters. Today, this way of thinking is known as "The Secret". I feel very fortunate to have been enlightened to a higher way of thinking and living well before autism came knocking at my door. I decided a long time ago that I wanted people to feel better about themselves and their lives after leaving my presence. I have some people right here on my street who make me feel worse about my choices and my life. Rather than judge them, I choose to stay away. Marianne Williamson says not to judge those who are against an enlightened way of thinking. She says that God sent us here to work miracles. The primary responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the atonement of himself and not monitor the spiritual progress of other people.

As for me, I will dust myself off and stand back up again. I can only worry about my own journey and my own son. If you want some help, I'm happy to oblige. If not, good luck and God bless.

To read more about Marianne Williamson, check her our HERE

Gardasil

2008-07-21T07:50:00.005-04:00

I've heard a lot about Gardasil lately and the news is not good. Oprah's mainstream doctor, Christian Northrup, has a lot to say against this vaccine, which she claims is only made to combat three strains of the possible 100 strains of cervical cancer. Dr. Northrup is a well-respected author and MD. Check out her stance on Gardasil HERE
Kim Stagliano has an article in Today's Age of Autism on a beautiful girl who died from the Gardasil vaccine. Please check out this article HERE