DENIED! Why am I Doing the Happy Dance?
Mar 6th
Six months ago I applied for SSI Disability to help me provide for my Autistic son. Meeting the income guidelines for this assistance, I jumped through all the required hoops of their dog and pony show. I supplied them with a 92-page history and timeline of all Justin’s diagnoses, school records, IEP copies, behavioral and developmental assessments, medication history (yes, I at one time investigated that route out of sheer desperation – a story for another day), and every behavior slip, suspension and punishment notice he’d ever received.
I saw their doctor. I followed up, week after week, inquiring about their decision. All More >
Why Gluten and Casein Free for Autism?
Feb 28th
Persons with Autism tend to have food sensitivities more than food allergies. The biggest offenders can be gluten and casein. To most Autistic children especially, gluten and casein are the equivalent of poison.
Gluten and gluten-like proteins are found in wheat and other grains as well as foods made from those grains. They are also found in food starches, semolina, couscous, malt, some vinegars, soy sauce, flavorings, and artificial colors.
Casein is a protein found in milk and foods containing milk, such as cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and whey.
Gluten and casein are not properly digested and form peptides, or substances that More >
An Older Sister’s View
Feb 17th
Ever wonder what it’s like to be an older sister or brother of an Autistic child? Here is one informative viewpoint, provided by my daughter Dorian.
Debi: Dorian, many of us know that having a little brother in general can be frustrating at times! But what kind of unique challenges come into play with Autism?
Dorian: There are a lot of challenges when dealing with an Autistic sibling. For instance, he screams a lot. And many times we can’t go out to restaurants or stores if he’s acting up; or we end up having to leave before we’re done. And, another thing, he’s obsessed with More >
Consequences, Consequences
Feb 7th
There was a time when two to three days of the week I’d receive a phone call from the school demanding I come pick up my son for behavior they could not control. As a single parent working full time, you can imagine how well this went over. Aside from job concerns, I also began to suspect that my very intelligent child learned that if he “kicked it up a notch” he got to go home with and spend the day with Mom. What may have started as behavior he couldn’t help soon fused into a nice culmination of sensory More >
Mmm, the Kitchen Smells Like Brownies!
Jan 31st
My son exclaimed these words recently and I almost cried.
I have found that a significant number of children with Autism have a poorly developed, if not absent sense of smell. Many don’t even know how to actually sniff, they blow out of their nose instead of breathing in, even after being shown how to do it properly.
I had always thought it odd that at a young age my son never seemed to remark or react to strong scents we encountered in our daily lives. I frequently went back through his older sister’s baby book, searching for any notes about smell More >
Sleep Disorders and Autism
Jan 23rd
Sleep disorders tend to go hand in hand with Autism. It is estimated that between 60% and 80% of Autistic children have difficulty sleeping. This can include trouble falling asleep, restlessness and poor sleep quality, thrashing about, and early rising. It continually baffles me that my child will have no noticeable changes in behavior whether he sleeps ten hours or four and three-eighths hours. In fact, a lack of a good night’s rest can sometimes affect everyone else in the family more than the child!
No known cause
There is no solid research on what causes sleep disorders in children with Autism. More >
Are You Going to the Hardware Store for a Loaf of Bread?
Jan 8th
There is a really funny skit I remember from my childhood years of watching The Electric Company called “Coffee and a Sweet Roll”. It was a simple conversation between a waitress and a customer (I will paraphrase, as it’s from memory):
“What can I get you?”
“I’ll have coffee and a sweet roll.”
“We’re out of sweet rolls.”
“Oh, then I’ll have orange juice, and a sweet roll.”
“We’re… out of sweet rolls.”
“Then can I have milk and a sweet roll?”
“WE DON’T HAVE ANY SWEET ROLLS!!!!”
(silence)
“Then I’ll just have a sweet roll.”
It still makes me giggle, probably because it describes many people I interact with daily More >
Why Does My Autistic Child Scream?!
Dec 30th
- Being a “space invader”
- Staring into lights
- Self-stimming, such as rocking, spinning, banging head, humming, or screaming
- Little or no eye contact
- Picky eater (especially regarding textured foods)
Does your child display any of these “odd” behaviors? What we see as abnormal or sometimes even impish or difficult is usually related to the child’s attempt to calm their body or make sense of their environment through the sensory input they receive.
It has been documented that many children with ASD have difficulty processing sensory input. Normal sensory integration is taking information from your surroundings through your senses and sensory systems, including sight, smell, sound, touch, and More >
A Letter to my Son – Clearing the Past
Dec 13th
I recently learned of an amazing clearing tool to help make way for new growth and opportunity. Introduced to me by the illuminating life coach Kendra Thornbury, this Hawaiian self-help methodology called Ho’oponopono (no idea how to pronounce it, don’t ask!) removes emotional obstacles that block your path, freeing your mind to find new and unexpected ways to get what you want out of life. In “Zero Limits“, Joe Vitale and Ihaleakala Hew Len reveal this wisdom. The main process includes four statements that can be used when remembering any situation that is causing residual emotions or behaviors that are no longer More >
