Special Diets Don't Help??!!??

I've been dismayed by the amount of coverage that the so-called study of the effectiveness of using special diets for Autism has gotten. I am especially sensitive to this issue since Michael is IgE allergic to three different foods. It's hard to believe that I have already had to defend myself for taking those foods out of his diet - even though they are potentially anaphalactic!

I wanted to do a post talking about how well eliminating allergic foods has worked for us, but then I came across this posting. It says everyting I want to say, but much more eloquently.

Great weekend!

This has been a really great weekend. Michael had been fairly fussy most of the month, so we hadn’t been able to invite his grandmother over to visit. She is a little fragile and can get hurt very easily by just a little fussing. But, yesterday, he was excited to invite her over, and they played for quite a while. It was so much fun to see them playing together again! Plus, since my MIL hadn't seen him in a while, she was impressed with all the new skills and behavior he had learned since their last visit. Very cool!

When it was dinner time, Michael sat at the table with the rest of us and ate nicely. I don’t try to force him to stay at the table all that often since it’s very hard for him. But, when we have company, I generally push a little harder. Last night, he didn’t fuss and run away all the time. It was very nice!
Another cool thing is that he’s been able to fall asleep in his room lately. It’s so nice to have the bed kid free! He still sneaks in during the early morning, but we can live with that – for now.

And, the last, best thing - he is eating so much better. Today we bought a fresh pineapple. He watched me clean it and then ate some. He was hesitant at first but eventually ate several pieces. I am a happy Mommy! Now, if I can just get him to gain a little weight!

Amazing, scattered day

What an amazing day! Michael has always had very scattered skills – today he had an amazingly scattered day. He was completely connected and 'with us' all day. More so than he's ever been. I'm going to write about a few of the wonderful things he did today. Just imagine mini-tantrums sprinkled liberally throughout. It's almost as if his brain is making connections so quickly he needs to literally blow off steam. It's absolutely astonishing to watch, from a safe distance!

Michael spends a lot of time with Uncle Dan on the weekends. He likes to go between floors and people, from one activity to another. At one point, Dan was teaching him to throw underhand. When Michael made a catch, Dan told him "Nice catch". Michael's immediate response: "Nice throw". It's hard to express why this is so cool. He doesn't have much social language, and the concept of a reciprocal conversation is so hard for him, but this just came out naturally.

After dinner, Michael asked for a treat. He doesn't normally ask for food, but it's something he's been working on. I told him I had a new treat, and asked him to wait a minute while I got it ready. Steve had gotten a bag of cinnamon granola from Whole Foods, and I was anxious to try it. I was not sure at all if Michael would eat it, since it was very crunchy and had a very strong cinnamon flavor. He tried it quickly, and even asked us to refill his plate! I was shocked.

At another point in the day, Michael and Dan were out playing in the sand box on our deck. The wind was blowing and leaves were falling from the trees. Michael made the connection that every time there was a strong gust of wind, he could look at the trees to see a huge flurry of falling leaves. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he clearly enjoyed the cause and effect.

I'm not sure where all these changes are coming from. We've pretty much been keeping up with the protocols we started this summer. We had an initial craniosacral eval this week, with a few minutes of treatment. I can't imagine that it could have so much effect so fast. And if it is the cause, couldn't we have the great stuff without the tantrums? Please?

Houston, We Have Chocolate!

Today was a pretty ordinary day, with a couple really cool things:

Michael drank chocolate 'milk'!!! This is a child who drinks nothing but water. No juice, no soda, no milk substitutes. He drinks water, and only water. Today, he had gotten chilly after a long bath, and I asked him if he wanted something warm to drink. He actually said yes, so we made up a cup of chocolate Dari Free. I added some cool water so it was warm but not hot. After a few minutes of coaxing, he agreed to try a sip. Then he wanted another sip. Pretty soon the whole glass was on his desk. He actually ended up drinking about half a cup worth. I was shocked. Of course, now I am worrying that it would feed yeast. But, it also provides calories he desperately needs. For now, I'm calling it a huge win!

He made it through a 3 store shopping trip with no meltdowns, no long interludes watching automatic doors, and no major fussing. We had to work around some of his weaknesses, but overall the trip was hugely successful. I'm still in shock that we went out and came back with what we intended to buy.

Otherwise a quiet day, and I appreciate that!