really? why?

there are so many parents undeserving of having children and even more upsetting are the crappy parents who happen to have special needs children. All children are vulnerable, but especially special needs children..why did some of them also have to be given awful parents?

Case in point at therapy today...an autistic boy here with his mom, maybe 4years old...the mom was talking to the therapist and the boy was crying wanting to be held..she wouldn't hold him, he kicked the therapist and what did she do? she hit him SO hard you could hear it, right across his chest then repeatedly yelled at him 'you don't ever hit'...uhm seriously??? That sounds logical..teach a 'no hitting' philosophy by beating your child...AWESOME idea.
Thankfully the therapist picked him up and cuddled hm and he calmed.

Me to parents - get a grip!!!! Our children, no matter how much they may drive us nuts, are vulnerable and scared. They are the most precious gift given to us and the easiest cheapest thing we can provide them with is our love. Don't mistreat them.

sensory news update

"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat." ~Malcolm S. Forbes

Quite excited to report that boy has conquered the 2 wheeled bike beast! After working on it for several months during sensory therapy, he finally took off on the 2 wheeler last Tuesday. I felt badly that I got to witness the first solo bike riding moments while practicing...our sensory therapist has worked so hard that I really felt she should have gotten the honor haha, but she was more than excited the following day when he showed her how well he could ride--seriously, we both started screaming and jumping up and down when he told her.

Each day that he takes the bike out he gets better at steering straight, maneuvering around obstacles, keeping his balance...I am so proud of him! We have gone from a kid who couldn't even keep the bike up with training wheels on AND while someone was holding onto the bike to a kid who can balance correct himself, stop, turn, swerve....amazing, absolutely amazing.

Kudos to our therapist who has worked so hard with him. If you are looking for a sensory therapist, please keep in mind that you need to find someone who connects with your child and is, to a degree, emotionally invested in the partnership. You cannot have a therapist who is simply working through the motions of therapy. You need someone flexible who can adapt to your child -- your child should not need to adapt to the therapist. We are extremely blessed to have our therapist!!

got milk?

"Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit." ~William Somerset Maugham

Ah, we had milk in excess for certain over the weekend! Chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs and cheese pizzas and grilled cheese sandwiches...oh did boy get to "cheat" and oh are we paying dearly for it now.

Not only do the milk products affect his behavior and personality, but they also do a number to his tummy...which I still am in shock that he does not have an "official" gastrointestinally diagnosed issue, but I guess overall children with Autism tend to have these issues.

So now we are back to more strictly enforcing the no milk products rule. Thankfully we don't have to truly be strict or use force because he does understand how milk affects his mood and his body and he agrees that milk free is the way to be.

Oh the fun of pictures

"Objects in pictures should so be arranged as by their very position to tell their own story." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Today boy had 1st Communion pictures taken with his cousin...oh how much fun can one have at a studio?

tv goes Aspergery

Oh for the love of God people...tv attempts to be compelling with a tv show with an Asperger boy in it. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. The boy was recently diagnosed with Asperger's and cannot stand the sound of the bubbles in the fish tank at school so he breaks it...

The next scene the parents are trying to find a decent school for the boy and are like total goofballs..again, should have expected it.

ha.

oh how he makes me laugh

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter" ~ E.E Cummings

Just a few things that made me laugh this past weekend...I hope you also find them funny.

Sunday - shopping for a 1st Communion suit for boy

• We go into the fitting room with a few suits to try on. While getting the suit ready for him to put on, I told him "Take off your clothes". A minute later I turn around and he has his socks off and is taking off his underwear...
• It came down to picking between 2 suits so I asked him which one he liked best, his response "The one with the FBI warning"...he noticed in the inside the security tag had an FBI warning on it...

Monday morning - getting dressed for school
My youngest daughter was trying to help him get dressed by giving him his pants and she got really mad that he wouldn't take them. Finally he yelled at her "Don't you know you're not allowed ot put pants on before your socks!"

Love him

pyroluria?

Just received this interesting information from a fellow mom friend, Betsy.

Up to 50% of autism kids test positive for pyroluria, her pediatrician had never even heard of it. Basically it sounds like it causes too much Kryptopyrrole in the blood which leads to a dramatic decrease in zinc and B-6. Some of the symptoms that I read were: poor tolerance of physical and emotional stress, mood swings, depression, sensitivity to light, noise and other tactile sensitivities.

If interested you can ask your pediatrician to run a Kryptopyrrole test done via urine. Betsy's son's levels were indeed elevated.

I will keep everyone posted if I hear anything more on this and I plan on having boy's levels tested as well.

Some interesting reads:
http://kryptopyrrole.com/
http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?heading=Pyroluria

Thank you again Betsy for sharing this information!!!