The Very Quiet Cricket

When Aidan was a baby, we would read books to him every night. Most of his favorite books were by Eric Carle—The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, etc.  When he was two, he picked up Brown Bear, Brown Bear and recited the entire book. He would flip to the next page to see what animal came next and then proudly say, “I see a ___ looking at me!”

As we approached his third birthday, he didn’t want much to do with books at all. He would flip the pages silently, and could no longer point to the book characters that I would ask about. I can remember reading him The Very Quiet Cricket with tears rolling down my cheeks. Aidan was now MY very quiet cricket. Would he ever be able to say, “hello” to anyone again? At that time, I could only hope.

Almost two years later, and Aidan has become my not-so-quiet cricket. I thought about this last night as we read books during his normal bedtime routine. I asked him, “What should we read tonight?” and he answered, “The story of the Very Quiet Cricket!” Every time he turned the page, he was telling me something new about each of the bugs—their colors, what type of sounds he thought they made, what they were doing in the picture. It was awesome! We don’t have nights like this all the time, but when they come, I breathe the moment in as much as I can.

My little cricket is no longer quiet. 

September, October, November…

We have been very busy with new diets, NAET, Neurology appointments, DAN! appointments, and I had the opportunity to attend the Austim Research Institute’s Fall Conference in Las Vegas.  When I say, “I had the opportunity,” I should clarify that I begged my husband to withdraw more money from our savings account because I knew I would gain new information to benefit Aidan. And I did.

Low Oxalate Diet

A little over a year ago, our nutritionist asked me if Aidan had an issue with oxalates. I had no idea what an oxalate is! When I read about the symptoms associated with eating high oxalate foods, it didn’t sound anything like Aidan.  Then, in September, I started to notice that Aidan would come home from school and go to the bathroom three times within a forty-five minute period. I thought this was odd, and I asked his teachers if he was doing this at school and they said no. Yet, every day when he came home he would pee three to four times within an hour. His mood swings had also become a problem again, and his bloated tummy and stomach pain would still come and go. I remembered that many parents who used this diet, had the same concerns- mood sings, constant uncomfortable urination and stomach bloating. When I looked over the list of high oxalate foods, all of Aidan’s favorite foods were listed as “high” or “extremely high” in oxalates. I decided to give the Low Oxalate Diet a try.

The first two weeks brought non-stop diarrhea. Apparently this is very common. After two weeks on the diet, my husband and I definitely noticed a change in Aidan’s mood. He was happy and engaging with much fewer meltdowns and mood swings. His stomach became FLAT. His tummy stayed this way for about a month, but now we are back to alternating Buddah Belly with a flat tummy. Most importantly, he began having such easy bowel movements. Aidan has always been a constipated kid (aside from the diarrhea experienced in the beginning of the diet), so this has been a wonderful improvement.

Our biggest obstacle now is trying to following a GAPS/SCD style diet while sticking to low oxalate foods. I am beginning to think this may be impossible. Right now, I am still making some things with rice and corn noodles. Hopefully I can figure out enough good alternatives after I finish ready Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha McBride!

NAET

I love NAET. Aidan has completed four treatments, and his face and eyes look brighter. The dark circles are not as pronounced as they used to be. Even our practitioner was blown away by how healthy he looked at our last appointment.  We have also been able to reintroduce eggs without any issues. Now, I can’t say for sure if these changes are due to NAET or our recent diet (low oxalate) changes, but I really believe it is the NAET.

I have also completed four NAET treatments, and I feel really great. The biggest improvement (that still amazes me) is after seventeen years of getting eczema any time I consumed dairy, I can eat cheese with no eczema at all!

Neurology

Not much to update on here. Aidan successfully (I am still SO proud of him) completed a one-hour EEG with no sedation. The Neurologist wanted him sedated and when I told him I didn’t feel comfortable with sedation he said, “I’ll humor you. You can try it without sedation, but most kids with ASD need to be sedated.”  Aidan was a trooper! He sat patiently while the tech put all of the little electrodes on his head. I was pleasantly surprised. We are still waiting for the results.

Our new DAN! Doctor

About nine months ago, I told Aidan’s doctor that I did not feel comfortable with IV chelation or high dose chelation. At that point, he told us that we could follow the Andy Cutler protocol, but that he could not support us, and he didn’t feel like it would pull enough metals to make a difference. Then, (after my worms in the poop incident), I told Aidan’s practitioner what had happened and said that Aidan also fits many of the symptoms of having parasites. He told me I would have to do another stool test to see if parasites showed up. Huh? If you read even the most basic book on parasites, you would know that chances are it ain’t gonna show up in a stool sample. So then I asked if I could put Aidan on a natural parasite tincture and he recommended things that are normally used for treating bacteria. No mention of Black walnut, wormwood, pumpkin seed, etc.  That was the turning point. I knew we needed a new doctor. I didn’t care if we had to fly half way around the world and pull more money from our savings, I wanted the BEST doctor for Aidan. Someone who knows about all of the things that I am interested in exploring with Aidan- Andy Cutler chelation, homeopathy, natural antivirals, energy testing…

After asking people who had recovered their kids, “Who is your doctor?” I found that the majority gave two names. However, one of the two really stood out because their practice supports Andy Cutler chelation, homeopathy and energy testing. Since we starting working with a local Naturopath that does energy testing, I have realized how beneficial it is for Aidan. It helps give me guidance on what his most pressing issues are and what supplements are a good fit for him. I know this sounds a little hippy dippy and spacey, but it works!

So, we had our first appointment with our DAN! Doctor. I say “we” because she is now my doctor too : ) and it was exactly what I hoped for. She asked us so many questions, and really seemed to listen (and truly hear) all of our concerns. The appointment concluded by energy testing every supplement that she thought would help Aidan (and myself). During our visit Aidan and I were both tested for Cerebral Folate Deficiency. I decided to take the test with Aidan because I want to have more children and thought it would be helpful to see if I show any abnormalities in this area.

Things we found from Aidan’s appointment:

-       Aidan still has major yeast/bacteria/gut issues and is also believed to have parasites. We cannot treat the parasites until yeast/bacteria is better under control. We have a new protocol to address this, and the doctor recommended looking into a GAPS diet.

-       Some of Aidan’s energy testing came up positive for Lyme. I told the doctor that this was always a suspicion of mine since Aidan’s regression.

-       Aidan’s Urine Toxic Metals challenge are “higher than any other patient I have seen!” This is now the second doctor to tell us this : ( We really need to get the lead OUT!

-       We are going to continue to put chelation on hold until his gut is in better condition.

-       We need to treat his adrenal fatigue with natural supplements 

Why some with Autism are not Recovering...Parasites

Here is an interesting article from the Homeopathy Center of Houston that someone shared with me. It discusses many of the signs and symptoms of parasites. They believe that some of the kids labeled as "non-responders" to biomedical interventions could have parasites.

Click Here to read the article

Um…is that a worm in my poop?!

Yes, worms! WORMS people! I have always suspected that Aidan had parasites because he fit many of the symptoms (pale, dark circles under eyes, night waking, teeth grinding, anxiety...). We have done parasite cleanses in the past, but I never saw anything come out in his stool (or mine) and I never noticed any real improvement in his symptoms.

Now, before I go into our worm story, I have to say that never in a MILLION years could I bring myself to share this if my blog was not 100% anonymous! I am very shy when discussing things like…um…worms…and…poop. However, I promised myself when I started this blog that I would be completely open and honest because the whole point of this is to help other Autism Moms (and Dads) who might be dealing with similar issues. So, here goes…

Like I mentioned, we have done 30+ day parasite cleanses. We have used tinctures containing things like wormwood, black walnut hulls, clove, male fern, pumpkin seeds, etc. Nothing ever came of it, so I figured I was barking up the wrong tree. Then, two weeks ago, I took Aidan (and myself) for an appointment with a Naturopath who is trained in NAET. I wanted her to work on Aidan’s multiple food allergies, and also see if I had many allergies.

During our first visit she treated Aidan for BBF, and she treated me for fear. We left the appointment, and while we were driving home I experienced a warm tingling going up and down my spine. My neck and shoulders had been tight for days and all of the sudden it was gone. I felt great! I was shocked! 

The next morning I woke up and felt absolutely AWFUL! I had no energy, and my muscles felt so weak and sore. Thank God my husband didn’t have to work because I could barely function! I drank a ton of water with lemon and took milk thistle because I figured that my liver must have been congested. I laid in bed almost the entire day, and even took a nap (and I NEVER nap). The next morning I woke up feeling a little icky still, but not as bad. Went to the bathroom, and there it was…a dead worm in my stool. What the…..!?!?!???! As soon as I saw it, I realized that I was experiencing die off the day before.  I couldn’t believe it! I had done two separate parasite cleanses with NOTHING, but now I have one NAET treatment, and she was able to clear parasites from my body! As if that wasn’t enough, the next day (still feeling a bit icky and tired) I eliminated another one! After that, I felt MUCH better. Clear-headed. Energetic. Happy.  As soon as I had my energy back, I directed my efforts back to Aidan’s biomedical needs. Obviously if I have worms/parasites, he does. What the heck am I going to do to go after them?

I decided to give it another go. I started him on a parasite tincture about a week and a half ago (since we were approaching the Full Moon). The last two cleanses, I have attempted to give him the tincture transdermally. This time around, I am making the poor kiddo take it orally. He hasn’t been too irritated by it, but I know it is disgusting. My husband can barely get it down! I am also hoping that our NAET practitioner will do a fear treatment on him to help clear out anything that’s left.

I am really hoping that this could be the reason for many of his food sensitivities. Ever since I cleared the parasites, I have been able to eat foods that used to give me stomach pains with no problem. Let’s hope it’s the same for him! 

In just one week on the tincture, his mood has evened and the dark circles under his eyes are gone! He also seems to have so much more energy during the day.

I have been reading a great book called, "Guess What came to Dinner?" and it is incredible the amount of similarities between parasite infestation and the common health and behavioral symptoms of ADHD and ASD.  According to this book, everyone is at risk for parasites. If you eat out, have pets in the home, eat lots of fruits and vegetables...all of these things can lead to parasites.

Why don't they cover this in the DAN! protocol? : )

Update - Round 21 & Bacteria

Bacteria

So, let me start with an update on the bacteria issues. We did a stool analysis (so that I could prove to myself I am not crazy and there IS bacteria) and that came back with a few things that were out of balance. It said he did not have yeast (yeah, right!). The interesting part was that his strep numbers were high. I had recently been worried that Aidan was exposed to someone with strep because out of nowhere he began to display several symptoms associated with PANDAS (extreme OCD, perseverative speech, clingy, VERY ADHD). It was like it happened over night, and it seemed to coincide with him being sick a few days prior. I freaked out a bit and set up an appointment with his doctor. He was also concerned that it could be PANDAS and we began a round of Azithromycin. His inattention/ADHD behaviors improved almost immediately, but the perseverative speech got MUCH worse.

Two weeks later we got his stool analysis and urine analysis results and found that he had high strep in his stool and some clostridia. The urine analysis indicated that his bacteria and yeast levels were high. We realized at that point that these behaviors were probably just related to the high bacteria and yeast, and not PANDAS. Yay! So, I made the decision to go with prescription medication to fight the bacteria and the yeast (since our naturals don’t seem to have kept everything under control). I really hate to use antibiotics, but I remembered how effective they were at helping him with bacteria when we had this issue a year ago. As a side note – we always get our medications compounded to avoid any of the “bad stuff” getting in there. If you get a standard prescription for certain antibiotics and antifungals they can contain things like aluminum. I feel it’s worth the extra money to get a clean prescription through a compounding pharmacy. Just my 2 cents : )

So, we’ve begun treating his bacteria with Flagyl. We are on day seven and things have started to get back to normal. His speech has returned to where it was (receptive and expressive), his eye contact has come back,  and the meltdowns have lessened. On the flip side, the Flagyl has made the yeast HORRIBLE.  For the last 7 days he has been climbing the walls! His stimming has increased (spinning in circles, chomping his teeth together, standing on his head) and it looks like he wants to just climb out of his own body. He is also waking frequently in the night and extremely goofy. I can’t wait to start the antifungal in 3 more days!!! Luckily, we will be done with all of this once school starts, so he will be back to feeling better.

Round 21 of Chelation

We finally reached the big 20. I remember feeling like it was so far away when we were at round 10.  Little did I know, it was! We have had to put off chelation several weekends this summer for travel and yeast/bacteria issues. I was hoping we would be up to round 30 by this time, but we just finished round 21.

We have had more positive gains (and also some setbacks) over the last 11 rounds.

Round 11 - Aidan actually played with a little girl at the park! It was so special to see. This little girl was so sweet. She must have been 7 or 8 and she just kept trying to talk to Aidan over and over, but of course he ignored her, and I could feel my heart slowly breaking. Then, after she tried several times he finally noticed her. He smiled and started chasing her because she wanted to play tag. They were both laughing and running. Ahhhh, I am crying even writing about it! It was awesome! At one point she fell off the play equipment and he stood over her and said, “Madison, are you ok. You fell!” My husband and I looked at each other in complete shock! He actually cared to check on her, AND he used appropriate language, AND two sentences! It is the best weekend we have had to date! Unfortunately, he has not seemed to notice other children since, but now we know it is possible!

Round 12-14 -  didn’t bring any new changes worth noting.

Round 15 – He woke up in the morning, came to our room to wake me up and said, “Good morning Mommy! Did you have fun at sleep?” It was adorable. He had never asked me a question before. Every day after school I ask him, “Did you have fun at school today?” and it was obvious that he took that phrase to create his own question.  His yeast really kicked up on this round and continued to be a problem that I couldn’t seem to get under control.

Round 16 – I was eating a snack and he walked over to me and said, “Can I have a bite?” He also started to answer me when I would call his name (ex: Mom: “Aidan?”  Aidan: “What Mommy?”). Bacteria seemed to become an issue at this round. His OCD increased and he was easily frustrated.

Round 17 –He tried many new foods on this round without protest. He asked for certain vegetables in his soup (things he had never tried before). He also had a great conversation with Grandma and Grandpa, answering a lot of their questions. He got really good at telling people, “No!” or “Stop it!” or “It’s my turn!”

Round 18-19 – All yeast and bacteria related behaviors and a regression in expressive and receptive communication.

Round 20  - Still lots of issues with yeast/bacteria, but between Round 19-20 he started going on the potty. YAY! Six months ago (before chelation) we tried to start potty training and it was a NIGHTMARE. We had him sit on the potty every 30 minutes and he would pee all over the floor 2 seconds after he had been sitting on the potty and wouldn’t go. I felt like it was going to be a huge uphill battle if we were ever going to get him potty trained. I put it on hold, because I felt like I would “know” when he was ready. 

The first week of July, he came home from summer school and I told him that he could have a remote control Mader (from the movie Cars) if he went pee-pee on the potty. I put him in underwear, and 2 hours later (during his ABA home session) he went pee on the potty and has been in underwear with NO ACCIDENTS since!!! He has done such a great job! I was so nervous the first time I took him out to run errands with me, but he even went on the potty at Target!   Our biggest challenge has been getting him to poop on the potty. He will usually hold it until bedtime (because he knows he can go in his pull up). He has only gone #2 on the potty 3 times. When he can’t hold it in during the day he asks me to put on a diaper. I usually cave, because I would rather him get it out then hold it in.  It will be nice when he feels comfortable enough to go poop on the potty 100% of the time rather than 10%! I have tried everything too! I bought him toys I know he wants and bribe him with it. But, it’s only worked 3 times.

Round 21- nothing new just yeast, yeast, yeast, and more yeast with some bacteria. Since we have begun treating with prescription medication, his receptive and expressive communication has returned.

We’ll start Round 22 once yeast is under control again. I have also decided to try the next round with ALA only, in hopes that the yeast won’t get so bad.

My only struggles with the Andy Cutler protocol have been the awful yeast and bacteria flares and not getting a full night of sleep on the weekends. My husband and I laugh about how we used to look forward to our weekends, and now we dread them because we know we’ll be waking up every 3-4 hours to chelate Aidan.

We recently submitted a Hair Elements test through Doctor’s Data and I am awaiting the results. It will be interesting to see if Aidan meets the counting rules (I am sure he will) since his lead, mercury and arsenic were high on the Urinary Porphyrins test.  I am also anxious to get myself tested. Based on all of Aidan’s test results, I know I am mercury toxic too. 

Beautiful Son

A few weeks ago, during one of my Autism Google-a-thons, I came across a trailer for the documentary, Beautiful Son.  As soon as I watched the preview, I was dying to see the documentary in its entirety. I searched Netflix to see if I could rent it. Nope. Searched the public library’s catalog to see if I could check it out. Nope. So I bit the bullet and bought a copy online from the film’s website. It was well worth it!

Don and Julianna King did a wonderful job telling the story of their beautiful son, Beau along with what so many of us in the Autism community have experienced and seen in our own children first hand. Watching home video from the first years of their son Beau’s life was like reliving Aidan’s first two years. I could relate to their experience 100% and it made me want to take everyone in Aidan’s life and say, “I need you to watch this documentary. This is what happened to us, and this is what we are up against.”

Beautiful Son helped me heal a piece of my heart that was broken the day we received Aidan’s diagnosis. I can’t put it into words, but something about the way the King’s delivered their own story alongside so many others made me feel at peace. It was the first time that I could breathe without feeling like I might drown. It was the first time I was able to look at our situation and honestly say that even if Aidan never loses his Autism diagnosis, it’s ok. I know that our family is giving the fight of our lives like so many others, and Aidan will have the best possible life he can have.  I wish more people knew about this movie! I plan to share it with all of my warrior friends!

http://beautifulson.com/

Nutritional and Metabolic Status of Children with Autism vs. Neurotypical Children, and the Association with Autism Severity

"The autism group had many statistically significant differences in their nutritional and metabolic status, including biomarkers indicative of vitamin insufficiency, increased oxidative stress, reduced capacity for energy transport, sulfation and detoxification. Several of the biomarker groups were significantly associated with variations in the severity of autism. These nutritional and metabolic differences are generally in agreement with other published results and are likely amenable to nutritional supplementation."  Click (here) for the full study

Bacteria rears its ugly head

Oh how I hate you evil bacteria. You have messed up my kid’s head too many times and it is driving me crazy to keep you under control. I am beginning to realize that my kiddo really can’t eat any rice, bread, pasta, etc. I think it is the only way to keep this under control while we chelate.

For the last few months I have stayed on top of giving Aidan natural antibacterials and tons of probiotics, while cutting back on his carb intake (but not eliminating it completely) this no longer seems to be working.

A few months ago, it was attack of the killer Aidan. He scratched up my throat, screamed in my face, and could not be calmed. Once I put goldenseal back into the rotation and upped the Culturelle, he was back to normal…until now. I had to take him off of all of his supplements including all natural antifungals and antibacterials for an entire week in order to complete a new urine analysis and stool analysis. He seemed fine all week but for the last two days he became extremely ADD like. I could not keep his focus on any one thing, and he was perseverating on certain phrases. That was when I started to suspect bacteria, but this morning it was confirmed. From the moment he woke up he was “stuck” on a few different phrases and became aggressive with me over the smallest things. Last night when picking my car up from the shop, he had a complete meltdown because he wanted to get in the car parked next to ours. It took me about fifteen minutes to get him into our car. I tried to explain over and over that we would be riding in our car and that the other car did not belong to us. Of course explaining did not help and he was screaming and crying so hard he could barely breathe. I finally wrestled him into the car and he stopped crying about two minutes into the drive home. Like I said, I HATE YOU BACTERIA!!! Even two weeks ago, I know this wouldn’t have happened.

The thing that makes this so hard is seeing your kid when things like this are not effecting his body, and then watching it take hold of him. It is an awful feeling. Unfortunately it is an experience that you can’t really explain to others because while you have done the research and seen the specific changes in your child when treating things like bacteria, no one else would ever believe that bacteria could effect your child’s behavior that dramatically. But it does!

Seventy percent of our immune system is found in the gut. When we interrupt that delicate balance, it shows up physically and mentally. The analogy I have always loved talks about how we feel after we have a beer or a glass of wine, different, right? I know people who can get downright evil if they have had too much to drink.

Everyone keeps telling me that by round 50 of chelation, bacteria and yeast should be a bit more under control, but it can’t come soon enough!! We are currently in the middle of round 19, and 50 sounds so far away! Looking at the bright side, his gut would not go through these periods of imbalance if we were not moving metals.

Back to increasing the antibacterials and removing all grains this time around. Wish us luck!

Got a fever? Don’t use Tylenol.

The other day I received a call from Aidan’s day camp to inform me that he had a fever and fell asleep in the middle of circle time. When I arrived, I heard him whimper, “Mommy is here.”  It was so pitiful. He could barely sit up and was on fire when I touched his forehead. When we got home, I checked his temperature and it had reached 102 degrees. So, I drew a cool bath, put him in, and took his temperature again 15 minutes later. It had gone down to 101.4.  Then, I wet a pair of cotton socks, and put them on his feet for 5 minutes (this was all he would tolerate). That brought his temperature down to 100.7.

So why didn’t I just give him Tylenol? Well, I found out for the first time about a year ago that Tylenol depletes glutathione. Glutathione is a crucial antioxidant that defends the body from toxins (mercury, lead!), disease, viruses, pollutants, radiation and oxidative stress. A deficiency in glutathione can cause a lack of coordination, mental disorders, tremors, difficulty maintaining balance, and has been linked to several degenerative disorders (Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s).

Giving Tylenol after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination has also been associated with a much greater risk of autism. Click (HERE) for a link of the study and (HERE) for an interesting article about the findings.

When I gained this valuable piece of new information, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I (along with tons of other mothers) was a total Tylenol abuser, from Aidan’s infancy through the age of 3. Our pediatrician would recommend we give it to him with EVERY round of vaccines, and every time he got even a mild fever due to teething, I would give Tylenol. I thought that I was being a good Mommy when in reality I was killing Aidan’s chance at building a stronger immune system. I made his immune system vulnerable to any viruses, infections, and heavy metals he would need to fight off in the future. I feel this played a huge role in Aidan ultimately being diagnosed with Autism. 

I need to start a list on this blog called, “The things I would NEVER do the second time around!”

Here is a great presentation from the AutismOne conference on the role of glutathione in Autism and brain injuries

Video streaming by Ustream

Here is a short video by Holly Riley (Chapter Co-coordinator of TACA) talking about vaccines and the use of Tylenol. When I watched this video, I nodded my head in agreement the ENTIRE time so I had to share…

Hidden Toxins

One of the first things that the Nurse Practitioner at the Thoughtful House mentioned to us was the importance of “cleaning up” Aidan’s environment. This was honestly something that I had not even considered. I hadn’t taken in to account that the non-stick pans we used were releasing toxins into his food, or that our drinking water contained trace amounts of lead and chlorine. After our first appointment at the Thoughtful House we took a hard look at what toxic exposures we could limit for Aidan. 

Cleaning Supplies

The first step we took to remove toxins from the house was easy and affordable. We removed all standard house cleaners and replaced them with natural alternatives. Here is a great site that outlines the effects that certain cleaning supplies can have on our health: http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp
A great book for cleanser recipes: Make your Place: Affordable, sustainable, nesting skills by Raleigh Briggs.

Kitchen

We tossed all of our non-stick pots and pans, and now use only stainless steel or cast iron. This was a great excuse for me to round out my collection of LeCrueset cookware : ) Natural News ran a good article outlining some of the concerns about us teflon pots/pans http://www.naturalnews.com/026678_Teflon_iron_cookware.html

Food

Luckily my husband and I had just watched Food Inc. right before we changed Aidan’s diet, so we already understood the importance of buying everything organic. I use gluten free flours here and there that are not organic, but other then that everything else we eat is organic. 

Water

Have your water tested for chlorine, lead, bacteria, etc. May companies will come out to your house and do this for a small fee. There are also test kits that you can purchase on Amazon. We have awful water where we live, so we went ahead and bought a whole house filtration system. Many parents I have chatted with online came to find that their water had higher than safe levels of lead. Lead poisoning can cause major behavioral issues and learning difficulties. This is outlined beautifully in the book Turning Lead into Gold by a Nurse and mother who found out that her twin boys had lead poisoning. 

Bedroom

This weekend we finally got around to putting Aidan into a HEALTHY organic bed. I had no idea about the awful flame retardant chemicals that are used in our mattresses. If you have a typical mattresses, you are literally sleeping on a chemical plant. Organic (and even natural) mattresses are really the best option.

No more vaccines!

I know that this is a HUGE topic of debate for many people. While I am not anti-vaccine, I AM for cleaning up all the crap that goes into the vaccines. Here are links to both the FDA and CDC reviewing what is found in vaccines (just so that you don’t think I am a crazed Autism Mamma making it up!)

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm187810.htm

There is absolutely no reason to inject a child with a vaccine containing thimersol, aluminum, formaldehyde, etc. The CDC says, “Some parents are concerned that aluminum in vaccines might be harmful to babies. However, healthy babies quickly eliminate aluminum from their bodies without harmful effects." Hmmmm…really? Well, what if your baby is not healthy? I know that we gave Aidan vaccinations during an appointment where I brought him in for a cold. We were reassured this was ok because "you want him to avoid getting anything else, right?!" Unfortunately, he received several vaccines that day. So, in theory maybe (and this is a BIG maybe) most children can naturally eliminate these toxins when given in small amounts, but many of these kids are given vaccines when their immune system is already down (compromising their ability to detox) and then they are not given just one vaccine, they are given anywhere from 3-6 vaccines in one visit.

And Thimerisol…don’t even get me started. No amount of mercury is safe! Dentists follow extremely stringent guidelines when disposing of amalgam fillings. Flu shots containing thimersol CANNOT be disposed of in a landfill, they have to be disposed of as hazardous waste because their mercury content exceeds the EPA safety standards by 250 times. Yes. You read that right. So how on earth is it safe enough to shoot into my child? Watch the video below to see what mercury does to the brain.

Formaldehyde is known to cause cancer, and according to Sanofi Pasteur may cause Autism. I came across an insert for Sanofi Pasteur's DTaP vaccine, Tripedia (which contains formaldehyde) and it has Autism listed under possible adverse effects. Click (here) to see. Gee, too bad more doctors won’t tell you that before you vaccinate your kiddo.

Still makes me sick to my stomach all of the research that my husband and I thought we did before vaccinating Aidan. At least now our next child will benefit from all that we’ve learned.

Gut Bacteria Influences Brain Chemistry and Behavior

You can read about the study by clicking (here).

Aidan, we are not alone

 "Imagine you are seated at a table among several people. Right beside you, your child is choking helplessly. You are frantic, doing everything in your power to save him. The clock is ticking. He is turning blue and the life is draining out of him. Some of the folks at your table tell you to calm down. Take it a day at a time. The rest? They just look away." 

-Lisa Joyce Goes

From the moment we started Aidan on his biomedical journey, I have read reports from fellow Warrior Moms and Dads about finding heavy metals, oxidative stress, methylation impairment, stealth viruses, and major gastrointestinal issues in their children. Every day since, I find myself carving time out of my day just to obsess analyze what is causing Aidan’s Autism. I know it is something. I know that we had a typically developing child that began to slip away from us over a period of months.  And I can look back at videos and pictures to illustrate my once engaged child turn into a lost boy.

Why doesn’t anyone believe this? Why is it impossible to explain our situation to Aidan’s teachers, therapists, and worst of all friends and family? You get the obligatory head nods and the look of pity when you say that your child’s autism was brought on by environmental factors.

I know that more people like me exist. I chat with hundreds of them on the Yahoo! Autism boards and read their comments on the Age of Autism, but why is it so hard for some people to grasp that a child could be helped by biomedical intervention? My husband has always had a theory that these are the people who believe whatever their mainstream doctor (along with the evening news) tells them. I know he is right and it has always been frustrating to me that there is not more news coverage on families touched by Autism that look like ours. Families that are truly in the trenches trying to help their child in EVERY way possible.  Enter Alison MacNeil on the PBS News Hour. FINALLY! A fellow Warrior Mom who is sharing her son Nick’s story, that eerily sounds like so many others that have gone unnoticed and undocumented.

If you haven’t seen Nick’s story, you can watch it below. Be prepared to cry like a baby. I have watched it about twenty times now and I cry every time! It takes me back to the days of fighting Aidan’s doctors, and getting no answers. 

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Chelation update – Round 10

Wow. I am not sure where to begin. We have seen a lot of beautiful gains over the last ten weeks, but also a few negative side effects.

Let’s start with the good stuff. There is so much!

Language, language, language!

There is no doubt that Aidan’s language has improved since we began chelation 10 short weeks ago. Before we started chelation, Aidan was definitely good about communicating his wants and needs (ex: “Mommy, I want more water please”), but since chelation, he has become more engaged with the world around him.  He now narrates every little thing he encounters. It’s funny because before Aidan was talking, these were the type of kids that got on my nerves. You know, the kids that point out the obvious about EVERYTHING just to talk. It is pretty typical 2 ½ year old- 3 year old behavior. Of course now that Aidan does it, I LOVE it! To give you some examples: “The hippo is sleeping”… “He’s opening his eyes”… “There is a drum set on my shirt”… “Mommy is sitting on the couch”… “Mommy is cooking breakfast.” OK, you get the picture : ) It is constant and so wonderful to listen to!

He has also started to string together ideas and use successive sentences. For example, while we were at Physical Therapy (we will call his PT Mr. Phillips) Aidan said, “Mr. Phillips has whiskers. Daddy has whiskers. Daddy is a military man.”  It was wonderful to hear him pull together ideas to tell Mr. Phillips about his Dad.

Best unprompted new piece of language from my munchkin…drum roll please… “Mommy, I love you!”   Yep, he loves me! He came right up to me in the morning, hugged my legs and said it. My heart stopped beating in that moment. Those are the words that EVERY mother of a child with Autism hopes they will hear one day, and I heard it.  Yes, I am all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it. And believe me, I KNOW how lucky I am to have heard these words.  It is a blessing. I know mothers of children twice Aidan’s age who have never heard these words, and yet they still fight like hell and advocate for their kids, day in and day out.  These are the mothers who truly deserve to hear those words.

Cognitive ability

Aidan has been working on following directions with his ABA therapists for about six months now. He was still having difficulty unless he had a visual aide to help him. If you gave him directions without gesturing or showing a picture, most likely he would get confused and stand there frozen because he had no idea what to do next.

Now, I see his PT or ABA therapists give him direction and he just follows along right away. Without any gesturing or pictures to help him along.  For example, I made him eggs the other day and put them on the table. I guess he didn’t realize they were there because he came to the back room to get me and said, “Mommy, I want eggs” and I said, “well then go get them! They’re on the table.” He turns and walks down the hall toward the dining room and returns holding the plate with his eggs. I was shocked!

Answering questions

For the longest time I have said things to him like, “What are you doing?” but I never expect an answer. I’ve just been hoping for the day that he will know that he needs to respond.  The other day I asked him “Whatcha doin’?” and he answered me, “coloring.” In a similar moment I asked him the other day what he was drawing and he answered me, “A rocket ship going up to space.” SAY WHAT!?!?!? Are you serious kiddo? Cool!

Fine Motor & Gross Motor

He can drink from a cup!!!!!!! And he drinks from a cup like he has been doing it all along! No awkwardness whatsoever!

He has also begun to truly jump. He jumps like a little frog now, bending his knees all the way down before springing up and out. This is a huge difference from his little bouncy stim where he jumps in place.

Aidan’s physical therapist wrote a list of goals for him to reach by the end of the year. After only 4 sessions, he told me that he would need to re-write Aidan’s goals. He was blown away by the strength and coordination that Aidan gained in such a short time! And as I wrote in an earlier post, he began riding a tricycle after a few rounds of chelation.

The not so good things that we have seen over the last ten weeks...

Aidan has had lots of tummy issues. When our doctor told us that we better have his gut in good shape before chelating- he was right! Chelation has brought about yeast and bacteria flares that have caused a lot of alternating diarrhea and constipation for Aidan. Because of this, we have seen some aggressive behaviors reappear (which we are able to get under control when we stay on top of the Goldenseal and Culturelle). We have also had some of the spacey behaviors reappear (staring up at the lights), but have been able to control it with upping his antifungal.

He has been more sound sensitive since beginning chelation. He puts his hands over his ears and seems bothered by certain music. We haven’t seen this since he was 2 ½ and he would melt at the sound of a cow mooing or a horse neighing. I read about “old” behaviors and issues returning during chelation in a recovery story that I read (here). This definitely prepared me for our visits from the ghost of Christmas past : )

We have also noticed that his transitioning issues have returned. He is back to having a really hard time saying good-bye to people, or changing activities/locations. My husband and I have debated on whether or not this is tied to the changes in his body that he is experiencing vs. current family situations. My husband has had to go out of town a few times recently, and has been working extremely long hours to the point where Aidan does not get to see him every day. We think this could be part of his regression with transitioning. He does not understand why Dad is not home every day, and I think this makes him worry that Mommy and some of his therapists may not come back.

He has also been tapping his teeth CONSTANTLY. A few other Warrior Mammas told me that their child did this due to either yeast or calcium deficiency, so I am thinking it could be a calcium deficiency since we seem to have yeast under control. We’re off to the doctor for blood work tomorrow, so we’ll know soon enough!

His scripting and perseveration have been through the roof! It is driving me a little batty! I try to redirect him, but there are times where I just can’t bring him to a new idea. “Don’t bite me, cookie monster. Don’t bite me, cookie monster. Don’t bite me, cookie monster. 

Don’t bite me, cookie monster.”  “Aidan, come look at what Mommy has. What color is the frog?”  “Don’t bite me, cookie monster.”  UGHHHHHHH! Finally, I will just say, “Aidan, no more. Stop” and that seems to be the only way to stop it.

I look forward to writing the next update. I plan on writing an update for every ten rounds he completes. We actually just completed Round 13, and I already have more good news for the next update : )

I will leave you with a few more “concerns” from our developmental pediatrician appointment that have disappeared with 10 rounds of chelation.

Defiant behavior (you want him to do something- he will pretty much always do the exact opposite)

Squints his eyes as if he is having trouble with his vision. Like he can’t see straight.

Still not understanding or responding to simple instructions (i.e. hold-on, stay there)

Thinks of timeout as a game – does not understand

So, out of the original 32 concerns we had. We are left with 9. Of the 9 concerns left, 5 of them have improved dramatically. It has been almost 8 months since we came up with that list (you can view the original list by clicking here). Again, certain symptoms of Autism ARE TREATABLE AND REVERSIBLE! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!!!

The Toxicity of Mercury and Its Relationship to Neurological Illnesses and Oxidative Stress by Dr. Boyd E. Haley

Beat down.

“God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us- in the dreariest and most dreaded moments- can see a possibility of hope.” – Maya Angelou

The last few weeks have been roses and sunshine for us. I felt like I was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This always seems to happen right before the storm comes. This is the illusion that Autism always presents. Autism gives you glimpses of what is possible, and then snatches it away never to be seen again, or possibly to be seen from time to time. It is enough to drive a sane person mad.

Yesterday was a pretty bad day for us. Aidan’s therapist told me that he was getting a bit aggressive with her, and tried to scratch her during their session. Fifteen minutes later, he came to me with a race track he wanted to put together, “fix it, please!” so I started to put the pieces together for him, but had some trouble lining it up. Well, out comes Mr. Hyde. Aidan lost it! He became extremely frustrated with me for not figuring it out fast enough and he grabbed at my neck, scratched up my face, and the only way I was able to stop him was with the assistance of his behavior therapist.

We finally calmed him down, but then five minutes later he came over to me and said, “The word bubbles are all done!”  I wasn’t sure what this meant, or what he wanted me to do (the other wonderful fun of Autism, figuring out your child’s alternative language). I was confused, so I said the sentence back to him, “The word bubbles are all done?”

OK, now he was pissed! I couldn’t figure out what he wanted me to do and he is obviously trying to tell me something that is important to him. He raised his voice and shouted again, “THE WORD BUBBLES ARE ALL DONE!” this time he was on the verge of tears. I tried to pick him up to hold him and calm him down but that made him even angrier. Then he tried to hit me and kept saying over and over while breaking down into tears, “ALL DONE!”…”ALL DONE!”… “DONE!”… “DONE!”  His repetitive words continued for about two minutes, and it felt like an eternity. As he was yelling out, he would not let me console him and he would not calm down. The more I tried to calm him the more angry he got.  Once he stopped talking he just kicked all around screaming and crying. He just couldn’t calm himself. Finally about fifteen minutes later he let me hold him, and finally began to calm down as I hummed in his ear. For some reason whenever he will let me do this, it helps him calm down. He was breathing so hard. It broke my heart. His behavioral therapist just sat back and let me handle it. It was obvious it really shocked her. In her 5 months with Aidan, she had never seen him do anything like this before.

The reason she had never seen this before is because it hasn’t happened in over 6 months. However, it used to be almost a daily occurrence. About 3-5 times per week this would happen. Something would upset him out of nowhere, and he would become hysterical. There is no feeling worse then not being able to help your child, and every time this would happen, I could feel a part of me die inside. I knew something was bothering my baby, but could not figure out what it was or what set him off. Was he hurt in some way? It was always so obvious that something went off in his brain to cause these moments where he COULD NOT control himself. 

When I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror I saw the huge bright red scabs under my eyes and on my neck. It looked like I have an abusive husband. I had forgotten about this part of our lives. The part of this journey that has always literally left me feeling beat down and a little defeated. Just when we think we figured out what was causing his aggression or his meltdowns, BAM! It is literally right back in our face. We still have work to do.  Something is still upsetting the balance of my baby’s mind.

I have given myself a morning of coffee and self pity, but now it’s time to scrape myself out of bed and get back to work. No matter how beat down I get, I will never give up. 

Autism is treatable and reversible.

Before I was ready to admit that Aidan could have Autism, I watched a video from Autism Speaks that SCARED THE (insert expletive) OUT OF ME! It is called Autism Every Day, and it shows a day in the life of four mothers who have children with ASD. I cried out of fear during the entire video. One of the little boys reminded me so much of Aidan. He wouldn’t talk to anyone else or be with anyone else but his Mom, and he stood in one place shifting his weight from one foot to the other repetitively. Aidan would do this from time to time while watching TV. However, after I watched that video, I wanted to believe so bad that Aidan did not have Autism. Watching that video made me so depressed at the thought that this might be our life- divorce, bankruptcy, constant tantrums, and dangerous situations with no end in sight. Should I go ahead and just jump off a cliff now!? If Autism Speaks wants to push education and early intervention, they are doing a really BAD job. As a parent, you NEED hope. Hope that things CAN and WILL get better with early intervention or ANY intervention. Instead this video made me FEAR getting a diagnosis for Aidan.

Thank God for my friend that emailed me a video of J.B. Handley (the founder of Generation Rescue) describing why he felt that Autism is a misdiagnosis for mercury poisoning. WOW! Could this be true? Mercury poisoning? Kids recovering? Does this mean Autism is not forever? We can do something to truly help Aidan?

J.B. Handley, as controversial a figure as he is (and I don't agree with all of his views), was one of my stars in a very dark sky. Once I watched his interview discussing the recovery of many children using chelation, I googled his name and found the short documentary Autism Yesterday. This time I cried, but they were tears of joy. I imagined Aidan recovering just like the children in the video, and it gave me this feeling of power. All of the sudden I went from feeling completely helpless, to the Warrior Mamma who was ready to kick some ass!  That was the night I finally looked at the Jenny McCarthy book that a friend gave me, and knew I was ready to honestly look at whether or not Aidan had Autism.

Thank you J.B Handley. Thank you for shining a light on my child’s underlying health issue. I am truly grateful.

Where we are today

Here is a summary of the things that we feel have helped Aidan the most since receiving the diagnosis:

ABA

After receiving the Autism diagnosis, Aidan was eligible for 10 hours of ABA therapy per week under my husband’s insurance plan. We found two wonderful therapists for him to work with after school, and have seen many improvements since he started. His receptive communication skills have really improved. He has become interested in puzzles again (completing 48 piece puzzles on his own)!  He can now follow two (and sometimes three) part instructions! He can answer a few questions (What’s your name, how old are you, etc.).

ABA has definitely been a huge push in Aidan’s progress.

Occupational Therapy

The doctor also referred Aidan for OT twice a week. This has also been really huge in his development. His OT is trained in Floortime/DIR and when he is working with her, you really see a different child emerge. He has much more spontaneous communication and imagination. Floortime just seems very organic, while ABA can be a bit rigid at times.

Our ABA therapists are very playful with Aidan, however, I find that with ABA, it is easier for Aidan to get stuck on scripting. Sometimes after a session he will say, “do this” or “eyes on me!” and you know it is from an ABA session. Floortime never uses language like, “do this” because every lesson flows naturally with whatever the child seems to be focusing their attention on during a session.  It’s like play therapy.

I wish we could afford to do 10 hours a week of ABA and 10 hours a week of Floortime to get the best of both worlds. What I wouldn’t do to win the lottery and pay for any and all interventions that may benefit Aidan! : )

Methyl B12

Just as Aidan began ABA, we started giving him Methyl B12 injections every three days. This was another great “push” in the progress of his development. We did not notice anything with the first few shots (just some increased energy), but by the 3^rd injection we really noticed an increase in language, and he finally started to include us in his play. He would come find us in another room and say, “Come play in the playroom.”  It was wonderful!!

Preschool

Aidan began special education preschool one month after being diagnosed. Honestly, the only progress that I have noticed from this was in his ability to transition from school to home and vice versa. It was VERY hard for him for the first month or so, but I think that having that daily routine really helped him become comfortable with making changes. We started the Methyl B12 injections about a month after he started school, and the teacher told us that his progress during that exact time was “exponential.” 

At the end of the month we will move Aidan to a new Charter school that has opened specifically for children with ASD. All of the teachers and aids are trained in ABA. We are very excited!

Andy Cutler Chelation Protocol

Aidan recently did a DMSA challenge test, and we found that his lead levels were off the charts! He was moving some other metals as well (mercury, aluminum), but from all of the other parents I have talked to (and the reaction of our DAN! Doc), I think Aidan is one of the exceptionally high cases. We went ahead and did an EDTA IV challenge as well to see if that would move other metals as well as the lead. It didn’t, and unfortunately I don’t feel like the EDTA was a good thing for Aidan. Ever since we did this he has been tapping his teeth together obsessively and he seemed to have some tummy issues.

Getting the results back put a lot of his developmental issues into perspective for me, but at the same time it was scary as hell. Results like this make you start thinking that there is a chance your child has PERMANENT brain and nerve damage.

I immediately began researching different chelation options and read Amalgam Illness. I found that Andrew Hall Cutler’s protocol was the safest thing for Aidan. I encourage any parent that is considering chelation to read his book. In my opinion this is the ONLY way to chelate. Other options are far too dangerous and will redistribute metals in the body.  I wish I had never done a challenge test!

We just recently finished round 6 using both DMSA and ALA, and we have already seen some wonderful gains. He is putting together longer sentences on his own. He can finally ride a tricycle! He also seems to be going out of his way to get our attention and try to converse (of course it is not yet appropriate, but he tries!). He also is beginning to show the intial signs of empathy- his OT was pretending to cry and made a sad face. Aidan made a sad face and said, “you’re sad.”  That was the BEST!!!! I can’t even tell you how many times I have been hurt or cried in front of him, and he just goes along as if nothing is wrong.

Yeast Treatment!!!!

A steady yeast protocol has been so important to Aidan’s progress. When yeast gets out of control I feel like it masks all of his gains. Right now we just use caprylic acid, probiotics, culturelle, and goldenseal. I was very aggressive with this when we started chelation. I dose throughout the day (always at least 4 hours apart so that your antifungal is not canceling out the probiotic). For the first 3 weeks of chelation, I would dose caprylic acid/ goldenseal when Aidan woke up, then probiotics/culturelle around noon, then another dose of caprylic acid/goldenseal in the late afternoon, and a nice big dose of probiotics/culturelle at bed time.

I always suspect he is having yeast or bacteria issues when I see puffiness or darkness under his eyes. Usually it is bacteria when it is accompanied by aggressive behaviors. 

Autism in Reverse by Leeann Whiffen

The Diagnosis

After a four month wait to see the Developmental Pediatrician, we finally got a diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. Even though I had come to terms with the fact that it was Autism more than 6 months prior, it still stung like hell.

The appointment went really well. My husband and I both liked the developmental pediatrician, and felt that he truly got to see Aidan’s current skill and ability level. Before he gave us the diagnosis, I remember being so impressed that my son could now do many of the things they asked of him. He even said “hi” to the doctor as he walked into the room! We were pleasantly surprised. Aidan was doing so much better, but we still had a long list of concerns.

The doctor noticed that we had Aidan on a GFCF diet and asked if it had helped. We told him him about Aidan's sleep improvements and his increase in language within days of going on the diet. His response was, "Well, none of the diet stuff has been proven, and you will come across several people claiming to cure Autism, but ABA is the only proven therapy that allows children to lead a life indistinguishable from their peers." Of course we just smiled and said, "OK" but I knew ABA and therapy alone were not going to get Aidan to were he needed to be. We still had many concerns that I could not see ABA fully addressing. 

Below is a full list of what our concerns were at this time. The concerns with lines drawn through them show concerns that we no longer have, and the ones with asterisk are “symptoms” that have been greatly reduced (just six months later!):

1. Aidan appears to have little seizures at times. Sometimes he will stand in place and tense his entire body, clench his teeth, fits, and shake. We can’t tell if he does this because it feels good to him or if it is something he can’t control. **

2. Aidan has lost words & greetings that he once used regularly (ex: saying and waiving hello and good-bye). He has also lost skills (ex: completing puzzles, being able to draw a circle or line when asked, following basic directions)  

3. Aidan shows new anxieties/fears to once familiar things (ex: climbing ladders at the park, swinging,  walking up stairs that are “open”)  

4. Aidan is easily excitable and helps soothe himself by jumping up and down repetitively in place**

5. 99% of the time, Aidan will not respond to his name. 

6. Aidan seems out of sync with what is going on around him at times. He is in his own world when playing with certain toys or while involved in certain activities. He does not even let his Mother or Father interact with him.  

7. Some OCD behaviors- lining up toys. **

8. When he points out an object (For example, says “cat”), if you respond by saying “yes” or “you’re right!” he will continue to say “cat” until you say it back to him, “yes that’s a cat” or “cat” then he can move on.  

9. Aidan has difficulty running, and an awkward way of walking at times 

10. Hard time transitioning. Will flip out even when we are saying good bye to a stranger.  

11. Inappropriate behaviors with strangers (grabbing at stranger’s face to get attention). Tries to put his fingers/hands/feet in other people’s face **

12. Turns feet in and drags them when he walks/ runs. Seems like a drunken walk  

13. Defiant behavior (you want him to do something- he will pretty much always do the exact opposite)

14. Lethargic when out and about, tons of energy the moment we get home (won’t walk when we are out because he seems too tired)

15. Restless leg syndrome. He is jumping, kicking, and stomping constantly. He CAN’T keep his legs still 

16. Slurred and “made-up” words to ask for things at times. He can’t say words that he has said 100% clear in the past

17. Laughs at nothing.

18. Squints his eyes as if he is having trouble with his vision. Like he can’t see straight

19. Perseveration that redirecting cannot stop (repeatedly saying oops, uh-oh, so big, etc. out of context)**

20. Scripting/Echolalia- will recite lines from Blues Clues or things that my husband and I have said to him out of context

21. No interactive play

22. Unassociated, but consistent behavior or words when upset (now it’s “night” or “done”– used to be clapping & saying yeah)

23. Still not understanding or responding to simple instructions (i.e. hold-on, stay there)**

24. Thinks of timeout as a game – does not understand

25. Aggressive behavior- When Aidan  gets upset over the smallest thing, he will throw his toys, clear tables, bite us, or scratch and hit us. It is very scary and not something we have been able to control. We worry about other people’s safety around him when he gets upset.

26. Obsession with fans- wants to turn on every fan in the house and just watch it spin

27. When he gets upset he cannot be consoled

28. Significant receptive and expressive language delay

29. Has the capability to use a fork or spoon but refuses, he has to touch every piece of food before he will put it in his mouth

30. Will break down crying if certain strangers or “newer” acquaintances approach him or just say hi 

31. Extremely sensitive to certain sounds and when he hears them cannot be consoled. Not necessarily loud or soft sound but gets upset when he hears a cow, duck, or horse sound and cannot be consoled

32. Does not always play appropriately with toys. Will set up his favorite toys on play table in a specific way and then no one else can move or touch them.

Had we come up with this list before starting the diet or working with the Thoughtful House, these concerns would have been on the list as well:

-  Difficulty sleeping. Sleeps approx 5 hours per day.  (Later found out this is a sign of food allergies and/or vitamin deficiencies)

-  Puts constant pressure on his stomach (Later found this was food allergies & bacteria/yeast which caused stomach discomfort- leaky gut, etc.)

-  Spins in circles while looking out of the corner of his eye (Vitamin A deficiency and/or yeast)

- Eye stims – sometimes he would roll his eyes to the side or like he was rolling them in back of his head (later found out that this is tied to Mercury toxicity and Vitamin A deficiencies)

- Overly attached to Mom. I couldn't leave the room or do anything else with out him getting upset. Wouldn't even let Dad put him to sleep at night. EVERYTHING had to be done with Mom.

Looking at this list again makes me realize how far Aidan has come. I am so proud of him, and also proud of my husband and I for not taking "no" for an answer. We still have work to do, and I will not stop until every item on our list of concerns is gone. I look forward to the day when I can have a conversation with my son, and know that he understands just what I mean. I look forward to the day he can come home from school and tell me all about his day. I look forward to the day that I take him to the park and watch him play with other children.

Being the parent of a child on the spectrum can truly be a special thing. I find that I no longer take any of the little things for granted. For so long I took Aidan's ability for granted. I would watch him run, jump, and climb at the park and it was just what he was supposed to do. When he lost that ability, it scared the hell out of me. All I wanted was for him to do  the things that he was once able to. Every little bit of him that we get back, has been twice as special to me. I absolutely LOVE watching him at the park now. It makes me so happy to see him have the energy to run and climb, and use his words to ask me to push him on the swing. Just six months prior to this I was so scared that I would NEVER see him do these things again. 

I know that we are nowhere near the finish line, but I share this information because I want other families to know that you CAN and WILL see improvements in your child. It may take several months or years, but it is possible. 

It upsets me that there are still pediatricians that tell parents their child will never talk, never be able to make friends, and never be able to show their feelings. It makes me upset that there are pediatricians who give the Autism diagnosis and in the same breath say that the diets and alternative treatments have not been proven and are really just a waste of time.  While my son is not recovered, I have seen him go from an angry little boy trapped in his own world, to a boy who can now tell me most of his needs and wants. My husband and I have seen steady improvements since we started this journey, and we know that many of them came from treating his underlying medical issues. It has been a long year of diets, supplements and therapy, but it feels so wonderful to look at that long list of concerns and see that over half of them are GONE. 

My hope is that in another year, all of our concerns will be gone and Aidan will be able to start Kindergarten in a typical class. Both of his ABA therapists have told me that this is an attainable goal, but the school district (mostly people who think there is no "recovery" from Autism), thinks I am shooting for the moon. Watch us prove them wrong...