Well, I don't think I have attempted to blog anything in months. Honestly I was never sure that anyone would care. However, I think that this may be a good way to at least document our journey. Since I last posted, my older son (15) has been diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD. We strongly suspect that my husband also has it considering he has a lot of the same difficulties focusing and had a lot of the same difficulties in school. My youngest son has Autism with a lot of ADHD tendencies.
We are seriously considering attempting the GFCF diet, which is supposed to be good for both Autism and ADHD. We have skirted the issue for years, since frankly the diet seems to be a lot of work. The ready made foods are often very expensive, which means that a lot of families do their own baking. We were just not quite sure of the time investment.
What made us realize that we had to at least give it a shot before we wrote it off was an incident from last weekend. My youngest son had a very bad day on Sat. Several breakdowns, a lot of agitation, and lots of emotion. At the end of the day we discovered that we had failed to give him his Anti-Anxiety medication the night before. We had no idea that missing a single dose would have such a big effect on him. This prompted my husband to ask a serious question. "If one dose of medication that is supposed to build up in his system can have such a pronounced effect, would changing to the GFCF diet make as big a difference?" We will never know until we try. Our plan is to try it for 6 months and see what happens.
I have several books I have picked up over the past few years and two new ones. I ordered a new bread machine based on reviews by several GFCF baking and recipe sites. Some baking ingredients have been ordered from Amazon. We hope to get started by the end of the month.
Any advice and information is appreciated.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
My son's Therapies
My 8 year old son has high functioning Autism. He has actually come a long way. He only had about 6 words until he was 4 years old.
He currently receives ABA therapy, OT, and Social Skills Training outside of school and receives OT, SLT, and special education in an inclusion classroom.
The ABA has been the most helpful. The BCBA has designed a points system for us to use and it works well to keep him on track and doing what he is supposed to. He can't really do anything fun without earning points. He earns points by following directions, completing chores, refraining from arguing and negotiating, etc. He also has feeding trials which can earn him a free activity. He has a limited selection of items that he will eat by choice.
His points system is set up on an IPod Touch with the BeGood app. He also uses IPrompts for a visual schedule.
The OT outside of school is designed to strengthen his upper body so he will be able to write more easily and tie his shoes. The OT inside of school works on his handwriting.
The SLT is more for social skills within school and his Social Skills Group outside of school is run by a Clinical Social Worker. He really enjoys the one outside of school and it is good to see him making friends there.
He seldom sleeps for longer than 4 hours a night. We have previously tried Melatonin, which just seemed to make him more wide awake when he did wake up. Even the time release did not keep him asleep. We tried a weighted blanket, but he has come to the realiztion that it makes him fall asleep and refuses to use it anymore. He is a very active sleeper, so it does not stay on him even when he uses it.
We're always looking for something new that might benefit him. My greatest concern is the social aspect.
He currently receives ABA therapy, OT, and Social Skills Training outside of school and receives OT, SLT, and special education in an inclusion classroom.
The ABA has been the most helpful. The BCBA has designed a points system for us to use and it works well to keep him on track and doing what he is supposed to. He can't really do anything fun without earning points. He earns points by following directions, completing chores, refraining from arguing and negotiating, etc. He also has feeding trials which can earn him a free activity. He has a limited selection of items that he will eat by choice.
His points system is set up on an IPod Touch with the BeGood app. He also uses IPrompts for a visual schedule.
The OT outside of school is designed to strengthen his upper body so he will be able to write more easily and tie his shoes. The OT inside of school works on his handwriting.
The SLT is more for social skills within school and his Social Skills Group outside of school is run by a Clinical Social Worker. He really enjoys the one outside of school and it is good to see him making friends there.
He seldom sleeps for longer than 4 hours a night. We have previously tried Melatonin, which just seemed to make him more wide awake when he did wake up. Even the time release did not keep him asleep. We tried a weighted blanket, but he has come to the realiztion that it makes him fall asleep and refuses to use it anymore. He is a very active sleeper, so it does not stay on him even when he uses it.
We're always looking for something new that might benefit him. My greatest concern is the social aspect.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
I've never been very good at New Year's Resolutions. I tend to make them and then quickly forget. Hopefully this year I can do better.
Resolution #1
This year, I intend to appreciate my older children more. They are 14 and 15. I have become primarily the individual that drives them around town, drops off, and picks up. My son and I manage to have good conversations, but my daughter and I seem to have lost that connection. There are only a few more years left that I can count on the older children being around. I am going to enjoy every minute with them, even if it involves driving.
Resolution #2
I will play with my youngest child more. Since he has Autism and multiple dr's appts and therapies, I tend to feel rushed a lot. I am going to make sure that taking care of him also means playing. It's time I had some fun.
Resolution #3
I will be thankful for the life I have. God has blessed me so much and I need to remember that every day.
There are only three of them, so I hope that I can actually keep them this year.
Resolution #1
This year, I intend to appreciate my older children more. They are 14 and 15. I have become primarily the individual that drives them around town, drops off, and picks up. My son and I manage to have good conversations, but my daughter and I seem to have lost that connection. There are only a few more years left that I can count on the older children being around. I am going to enjoy every minute with them, even if it involves driving.
Resolution #2
I will play with my youngest child more. Since he has Autism and multiple dr's appts and therapies, I tend to feel rushed a lot. I am going to make sure that taking care of him also means playing. It's time I had some fun.
Resolution #3
I will be thankful for the life I have. God has blessed me so much and I need to remember that every day.
There are only three of them, so I hope that I can actually keep them this year.
Friday, December 31, 2010
My Kindle
I must say that I love the Kindle I recently received for my birthday. It fits right into my purse and I have it wherever I go and find myself waiting. Doctor's offices, parking lots, etc. There's always something to read. I've always been a big fan of libraries, so I never actually thought I would enjoy something that would require you to pay to read books. I can honestly say you can find many things to read on a Kindle without paying anything.
I found a page on FaceBook (Free Ebooks) that lists free books every day. I already have over 200. These are books that are being promoted - like the first book in a series or an author's first publication. I am also rereading some of the classics that I haven't looked at in years. These are free on the Kindle as well.
I tried the Kindle app on my IPad, but the IPad is a lot heavier to hold while I'm reading. I prefer the Kindle itself.
I'd love to hear suggestions about books to add to my Kindle.
I found a page on FaceBook (Free Ebooks) that lists free books every day. I already have over 200. These are books that are being promoted - like the first book in a series or an author's first publication. I am also rereading some of the classics that I haven't looked at in years. These are free on the Kindle as well.
I tried the Kindle app on my IPad, but the IPad is a lot heavier to hold while I'm reading. I prefer the Kindle itself.
I'd love to hear suggestions about books to add to my Kindle.
Hello!
This is my first attempt at a blog so I thought I should introduce myself. I am a 35 year old wife and mother. I have been married for 16 years to a wonderful man I met when I was 17 years old. My hubby has been in the military for 18 years. He is currently (once again) living away from us for year in order to serve his country.
We have three children. Two are teenagers in high school and our youngest is in the second grade. Our youngest son has Autism. He currently receives OT and ABA outside of school and receives SLT, OT, and special education in an inclusion program at his school. He has previously been a part of several social skills groups. We're seeing a lot of improvement in him.
I currently attend college through the University of Maryland University College. I should graduate in May 2010. This is the first time I have been a Stay At Home Mom and never realized just how much work that actually entails! I live to read and knit! I plant a small vegetable garden every spring and can tomatoes every year.
We live just south of Washington DC in Maryland. We love to visit the museums and National Parks in our area. I will post again soon with great ideas for things to do in the city.
It's nice to meet you!
We have three children. Two are teenagers in high school and our youngest is in the second grade. Our youngest son has Autism. He currently receives OT and ABA outside of school and receives SLT, OT, and special education in an inclusion program at his school. He has previously been a part of several social skills groups. We're seeing a lot of improvement in him.
I currently attend college through the University of Maryland University College. I should graduate in May 2010. This is the first time I have been a Stay At Home Mom and never realized just how much work that actually entails! I live to read and knit! I plant a small vegetable garden every spring and can tomatoes every year.
We live just south of Washington DC in Maryland. We love to visit the museums and National Parks in our area. I will post again soon with great ideas for things to do in the city.
It's nice to meet you!
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