changes

i haven't posted for awhile because my son's dog got parvo and almost died, but I managed to nurse with him back to health with the prayer and determination. this is called changes because that is what is happening. changes are not easy, it is even harder when a person has Autism, last week at this time, we had a healthy dog, two foster kids and my son had his own room, now the foster kids are at a new placement, my brother and his wife moved in, my mom and I switched rooms, my daughter is sharing a room with my son and the dog is recovering. My son is handling it well except for the occasional outburst and meltdown. I also started him on an enzyme supplement today to help him break down his food and heal his gut. I should start seeing an improvement with him within a week I think. I also tried to get my daughter evaluated and that turned into a big waste of time, I am currently trying to get her into the specialist who can test for that.

My son

My son is still doing good, he seems to be getting another virus and that is never fun. He is sleeping all night again after he quit for about three weeks, he started to sleep all night about two nights ago. This weekend we are going to change his room because his bed isn't very good, he will be at his dad's when we do this so I am hoping that he will like it, changing anything with him is sometimes a difficult task. He is starting to get along better so far with people, his meltdowns are not near as long and I can get him to come around easier. He is also letting things end a little better than he did at first, I have reduced the sugar they get by a lot and I am already seeing that they are both calmer and seem more focused, i am going to keep tweaking the food factor until they are able to be okay, they are both healthy, happy and full of good energy. I Have started them on some supplements and I am looking into more, so far they are taking a multi-vitamin, calcium, and my son takes a probiotic, I am going to start them on fish oil later this week and probably zinc next week

tomorow is the day

My daughter is very bright, she made the superintendents honor every nine weeks last school year,and she is already doing first grade math. but she is very difficult at times, I noticed that she started lining up toys at about the age of two or three, she learned to talk and walk and she gave up the bottle at nine months. she potty trained at three but that is mainly because her older brother wasn't yet and she is very stubborn. she use to have to turn the lights on and off about three times and open and close the bathroom door before she went to bed, she has quit doing that, I think the diet is helping her their, she grinds her teeth she has always done that. she has to have things go a certain way or she will trow things, spit on you, throw water on you, she has no patience. at school we had to prompt her to talk to other kids, she says that making friends is hard and she pretty much stays to herself, she will talk to other kids but she doesn't seem interested in making any stable friends yet. Tomorrow I am taking her to see my sons psychiatrist to get her evaluated for Aspergers.

A good day

today was a good day, I went to the health food store and the glass place to get my son's glasses. I only went where I had to go and spent most of the day at home, that always works better for my kids. my son can see better with his new glass prescription, I found out that his old eye doctor just made up a prescription and that it was really wrong. The new doctor spent the time he needed to get the right script for him and they are working great. He did his school work this afternoon and didn't seem to have as much trouble with the math or the reading so I think that he can see it better and is not as frustrated. I am also watching more closely what he eats,i do know that he is healthier because he caught a stomach virus and was only sick for less than a day, really just overnight. before he would have ran a high fever and would have been sick for a week with just a simple bug. He had a really good day, just a few bumps in the road.

just another trip to wal-mart

Today was a busy day, but I thought that my son could handle it because he was doing much better lately, behavior wise. It was about 8:30 in the evening when we went back to Wal-mart to get his power wheel car we had bought earlier. My daughter had also had enough that day and was talking nonstop, which on top of the noise in Wal-mart was enough for my son. he threw the straw package he was holding and started screaming a little more like fussing, I knew I could handle this one, he had done much worse before the diet, when some rude guy said to me and my mom while staring at my son that someone needs to take a belt to him. I was shocked when my mom had told me what he said, my mom said that he has autism and that the comment was uncalled for, I told him that I would never take a belt to a child with a disability, ( I would never take a belt to any child no matter what) The nerve of some people. My son has just as much right to be in any public place as anybody and he wasn't hurting anybody. I had him under control. I just can't believe that with how common autism is becoming that someone would be so insensitive. My son is a great kid, he just has some sensory issues and gets overloaded easy. I am hoping someday everyone will see how great he is and not just think they are seeing a brat. He is sensitive and smart and funny and he is the most polite kid I know.

finding more info

The DAN conference was very educational. The Dr.s and other professionals were so nice, they answered all questions. It was very refreshing to be a room full of people who have the same beliefs as me when it comes to treating our kids and seeing them get better. I found out that even though I had eliminated all the chemicals such as household cleaners and detergents and switched to more environmentally friendly versions, that was just the beginning of the greening process to make the home environment less toxic for my kids. We learned that using plastic coated utensils to cook with is dangerous and that using a coated pan or one that has high nickel content is also toxic. we are not supposed to use plastic in the microwave, or to store food in them and not to dink out of plastic bottles. I also learned seasonal allergies can worsen autistic symptoms and so now i am going to have my son treated for allergies, he has numerous allergies all year long. I also learned not to use wooden spoons to cook with because, since we are not a totally gluten and casein free kitchen yet, (just the kids so far) cross contamination is very likely with wooden spoons. It is a lot to take in and I am going to start working on making the house less toxic. I do think that with the improvement that I have already seen in the 3 months since I put my son on the gfcf diet that he will continue to improve. I will continue to track his progress and any changes that I make.

doing better without eggs

My son has not had any eggs since Wednesday, he still gets eggs when it is in a recipe, like his pancakes. But he has not had any eggs by itself and he is doing better already. He has not had back to back meltdowns and he has handled things like knocking over his drink a little better. So I think that maybe he just can't tolerate eggs, but he can eat chicken so he will still get his meat. I am going to this week slowly start eliminating eggs from recipes and using an egg substitute that is potato based instead and see if he makes any more improvements. I hope he does not build up an intolerence to potatoes. so far his list of foods he can't have are:
wheat
gluten
dairy
casien
chemicals in food
eggs
dyes in food
processed foods
rice
soy
additives in foods

For household cleaners we have switched to non toxic cleaners and detergents, we are using natural toothpaste that does not contain fluride and he takes baths in epsom salts and ivory soap. we only use non toxic crayola brand school supplies and they do not use playdoh, I have to make it homemade with their flour.

gearing up for this weekend

My ex-husband has agreed to take the kids this weekend so that I can go to the DAN conferences. My kids have not spent a night away from me in four years, they have just been spending Saturdays with him. I think that they will be alright but I still worry. My son is still on one medication and my daughter still takes one to help her sleep, and then they both take vitamins and she takes allergy medication, and he takes probiotics in the morning. It is a lot to remember and he is not used to doing any of it. I know that the kids are smart and they know how I do things. they have also gotten better at turning down foods they know they are not supposed to have. I am planning on packing their food and their dad is going to buy some stuff. ever since he broke up with his girlfriend he has been doing better for his children and he has gotten along with me better. He is following the diet plans better and he calls to check with me before he feeds them anything new. I have never packed for them for more than a couple of hours so I am just packing everything, they are probably taking 3 bags each for two days.

looking for the culprit

I woke up today and decided that I have been handling summer break all wrong, i was never looking forward to it and I knew that it was going to be hard. i do not drive, so there is no way of getting the kids out except when someone is off to rake me, which is just as well because my son hates to go places. I decided to take a different approach and see if it works better, I will no longer yell at my kids, I will not stress at the messy house and I will not argue with them. I am also going to keep a food journal for my son to see if certain foods trigger certain behaviors, if a food is upsetting his stomach he will not process it as pain, he will become fussy and irritable, much like a toddler who doesn't talk yet. My son is very verbal, he learned to talk when he was around 2 1/2 or 3 but he doesn't communicate pain. ever since summer started I have been making him eggs for breakfast, he will eat all kinds of eggs. I am starting to wonder if he is unable to tolerate them and that is what is causing his tantrums and whining. I made him an omelet for breakfast this morning and up until then he was having a great morning, then about 20 min after he finished it he had his first mini meltdown when my sister came home for lunch. I do not know if it was because she came home and he wasn't expecting it or if it was because of what he ate. but she comes home for lunch everyday. Tomorrow I am going to make him pancakes that do not take eggs and see if his day goes better.

going to the conference

I just got a scholarship to attend the DAN conference this weekend. I have been wanting to go ever since I heard about it about two months ago. I am hoping to learn more about the medical reasoning behind autism. My son is still tantruming all day, when he isn't throwing fits he is whining. I do not work so I am with him all day, I am at my wits end. the diet seemed to be working when we first started and now it seems to be at a standstill. I made the switch to almond milk and have taken more soy out of his diet. I think it is yeast build up in his gut. i will learn more this weekend I am sure. I am still expiermenting with different recipes and they all seem to be working out well.

tonight at dinner I made chicken salad for sandwiches that seemed to go over well

I took a small package of chicken breast, cut it up and cooked it in a skillet with a little bit of organic canola cooking spray. I then cut up about two stalks of celery and added that and about 1/4 jar of canola mayo to the chicken in a blowl. the kids loved it. My daughter doesn't like any of the gfcf bread so she eats hers by itself like a salad.