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There is an old song and part of the chorus is this: “But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.” Yesterday, I wrote of some very sad and alarming news, and the title was: “Yesterday 3/29/12 – CDC says Autism is 1 in 88!!!” But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone…
I also wrote sadly, that these staggering statistics have almost doubled since the CDC began tracking these numbers, a shocking fact that was brought out by the organization, Autism Speaks. But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone…
Then as my tears fell, I tried to type the terrible truth that now, yes now, Autism has been declared an “Epidemic” in the United States. As I sigh, I think…But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone…
I gasped and could barely fathom as I read the report of 1 million children that are now affected with Autism. And, I scream for the relief of these children and their suffering families…But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone…
The anger, the shock, the deep sadness, were all but yesterday, and yesterday’s gone…
Gone?!
Yesterday’s gone perhaps…nonetheless…this news is gut wrenching and a day that will never be forgotten. However, what needs to be gone, as gone as yesterday, is the paralyzing shock that comes to us when we receive news such as this. What needs to be gone is any feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.
Lets use this bad news for good shall we…Lets use it as a springboard to spring us into action and do something to stop this gushing wound that is the epidemic of Autism. Don’t let yesterday discourage you from continuing to move forward! Don’t let yesterday stop you from continuously cultivating in yourself “hope”! Do not let yesterday be forgotten…But at the same time, always remember…Yesterday’s gone!!!
Let’s all work hard to make our future “Yesterdays”…better for our children…then as we look back on those yesterday’s…We’ll smile in our hearts, as we say to ourselves:
“But that was yesterday…and yesterday’s gone”.
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What does “Anything” mean to you???
“Anything”, according to one dictionary reference holds this meaning: “No Matter What…”or another reference says, “To Any Degree or Extent…”
With this in mind, also consider that “Anything” has different meanings for each of us individually as well. The degree or extent to which we will go to resolve something, is vast indeed, according to the variety of people and circumstances. Our personal strengths and weakness, our upbringing, our environment, etc., all have merit as to what “Anything” means to us, doesn’t it?
However the phrase, “ I would do anything!” is a common one amongst parents of children on the Autism Spectrum. Why do we feel that way and why are we so heartfelt and sacrificial in our struggles to help our children. As parents, it is in our job description to be this way because we love our children with all our hearts and souls…and our children are our whole world. We would lay down our own life without a second thought, and we do, everyday…every hour…every minute…every second. Yes, we put our child’s betterment before us and this is our priority of life isn’t it?
The biggest challenge of our struggle to do “Anything” to help our child lies in the fact that we must search out what “Anything” is…
There is no one to tell us that “Anything” is: thus and such… No, it is up to us to lift up every stone of a very rocky course to find out what “Anything” means for our child. The Autism Spectrum truly is a world with many more questions than answers and we have to search out those answers as our child’s greatest advocate…there is none greater!
Autism Spectrum is one of the most difficult challenges to handle because of the lack of this particular disabilities’ concrete nature. I remember, personally, when one of my children was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 15 months, the nurse saying to me, “This is so difficult to deal with…” and while of course it was difficult, the more difficult disability to deal with was the ASD. The difficulty was the unknown, the hidden brain of my child…if only I could see it! I used to think, “If I could just get inside his little mind for only 5 minutes, I would know so much!”
“Anything…”
I have thought oftentimes of the lives of the early pioneers traveling westward for a better life for their families, not knowing what they may face, but having the resolve to face “Anything” for their loved ones. One thing they had was hope…hope for a better life. Hope is our hero! Never turn your back on hope!
Hope is:
H –eartfelt
O-ptimisim
in
P-ursuing
the
E-traordinary
***Will we be determined never to lose hope ourselves?
***Will we have the strength to keep mustering strength?
***Will we swallow our own pride, in order to turn over a criticized and less popular stone of choice for our child?
***Will there be any limits for “Anything”?
***Will YOU do “ANYTHING”???
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You may think that you have to give up delicious foods…say, “Waffles” for breakfast if you or your child may be on the Gluten Free and or Casein Free Diet. Well…YOU DON’T…Yay!!!
I made some of the most delicious Gluten/Casein Free Waffles and the good tasting Casein Free butter ever…The Results came in FAST with many ”Yums!!!”… this delicious breakfast for my two boys, age 8 and age 11 was a smash hit…and they gobbled it up. I added fresh fruit compote, made with fresh peaches, blueberries, and strawberries. It was a very, Very yummy breakfast indeed.
I just wanted to pass this little food hint along to any that may be struggling with…”How do I feed my children…?” The GFCF diet can be quite a challenge oftentimes…
All you need is:
1. Van’s Gluten Free Waffles in the Frozen Foods, (Health Food Store and or Publix)
2. Earth Balance Original natural buttery spread, Casein Free, (Health Food Store or Publix)
3. Fresh Fruit, Sweetened to Taste…
Easy and Tasty…Enjoy!!! Your children will actually be echoing the famous commercial…”Leggo My Eggo!!!”
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The search is great, and it can be brutal for the parent who struggles for answers and help for their child on the autism spectrum.
D.A.N. protocol, and functional medicine combined with Hemispheric Integration Therapy resulted in success, and this progress started happening very rapidly. This family from (Oregon) flew back and forth for treatment at the Mane’ Center, and were amazed at the swift progress their son started making right from the start!
This parent testimonial from the mom, speaks to the importance of getting to the “core” or source of her son’s problems. His speech has improved dramatically, along with his motor planning, gross and fine motor skills.
This is the link to her testimonial about finding answers that meant thriving results for her 16 year old son, Christopher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGVzsgW2yGo&list=UUts4lDVcw-_iKKXTQuxdStQ&index=2&feature=plcp
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It’s time for the holidays again along with one of our biggest challenges of all time, if we are the designated chef. How to cook a Gluten – Free Holiday Meal that is not only safe but delicious too.
Many of us have tried and failed many times when faced with this cooking project and ended up looking at our child spit out in disgust the food that we worked so very hard on. Discouraged…a few tears…and perhaps this cooking project ends up indignantly in the garbage can!
Well, my Gluten-Free Friends, cooking gluten-free has come a long way and the food we can buy in the store and the recipes have become much easier to prepare, along with being more palatable as well.
I wanted to pass along this site from the Washington Post that is just chock full of Thanksgiving and Holiday Gluten-Free Recipes. I hope these recipes come in handy for you as we face the “Great Gluten-Free Quest”.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/gluten-free-recipes-for-thanksgiving/2011/11/21/gIQA3kzjiN_blog.html
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I just read an article this morning about a mother who was very distressed, angry, and saddened by the fact that her 7 year old child on the Autism Spectrum was not invited to a birthday party. He was the only child in the whole neighborhood that was not invited, even though they all played together in the same neighborhood playgroup.
As I read it, my heart bled. I am sure that we can all feel this pain. The social/emotional gap between typical children and those on the autism spectrum is wide indeed. A doctor once told me that children are the best diagnosticians in the world, and when you watch a group of them, the odd child will always stand out alone.
So we cry, feel sorry for ourselves and for our child, and become indignant with a “soap box” reaction, feeling that we must go on a mission to educate those ignorant of social disabilities. These are all normal reactions of course, however, after all these negative feelings have passed, what can we do in the here and now for our child in a practical sense?
I was very impressed by the helpful answer to this predicament. The answer was to be proactive in this situation by being prepared with other plans. For instance: The suggestion was made to have plans ready BEFORE the party, simply inviting the child that is having the party to a private celebration, such as going to a favorite restaurant that both would have fun at and having plenty of parental supervision. A “one on one” type playgroup instead of a large group where our child will surely stand out. This great idea not only protects the child’s dignity and self esteem but it also gives an opportunity for education by assimilation, giving the other child and parent an occasion to broaden a greater understanding of Autism Spectrum and the social/emotional challenges that are a huge part of this disorder.
We may feel that we should not have to go to these lengths and that people should be more open minded, educated, and considerate. The fact is, yes, they should be and this would be wonderful if these attitudes were prevalent. However, this is not the case and we are our child’s parent. We accepted that parental role with the true honor of “protector” of our child. In order to be accomplished in our honorary title, we must make extraordinary efforts to protect the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of our child. This is not a simple task either, especially protecting our child’s emotional wellbeing. Keep in mind though, if we do not protect their self esteem and dignity…No one else will!
Let’s arm ourselves my fellow parents with a positive and defensive wall of protection for our kids. Thus, by so doing, we rise above the negative and dwell on a positive direction of promoting awareness. Just remember the old saying, “More flies are gathered by honey than with vinegar” and no one wants to listen to us if our words are sour. It may take more work and effort on our part, but our children are definitely worth it!
Kimberly Larochelle
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Sweet sarcasm? The very thought may seem like the biggest oxymoron in the world! Sarcasm, Sweet, I don’t thing so. Of course, when we are victims of sarcasm, it is very cruel. Yet, what if we don’t understand sarcasm? What if we just don’t get it when someone is being sarcastic with us? For instance, What if someone told you, “Well, you look so nice today.” Let’s say they were being sarcastic and so this statement was said with a slur in their voice and a facial expression that didn’t fit with anything nice. Now imagine, that we respond with the sincerest of a “Thank You” to this sarcasm…BECAUSE…we just don’t get it. Even though we don’t understand the slur, it may confuse and upset us, as the words do not seem to match the face.
Now imagine it’s not us at all who experiences this situation…it is our child and we watch painfully as this scenario unfolds. If we have a child with Aspergers or on the Autism Spectrum, no doubt we have endured this torturous experience. We wonder perhaps… Do they understand the sarcasm? If they understand, do they feel hurt and humiliated? Or does the sarcasm even bother them? We don’t know most times and we long for the ability somehow, someway to get inside our child’s head and heart to be able to understand how they perceive these things. That way, we would also know how to pick up the pieces and soothe the specific hurt, if in fact there even were some injury. We just don’t know do we?
I would like to share with you a conversation that I heard from the back seat of my car. This particular conversation came from my two children, one with ASD who has never understood sarcasm and his typical younger sibling, not ASD. It went like this: “Here Jacob…You play the bad Guy.”, said my ASD child as he handed his brother the enemy toy figure. He brother quipped back with a sarcastic smile and slur, “Well, thanks a lot, Levi.” The next statement made me forget to breathe…”Jacob, you’re being sarcastic aren’t you?” What? Did I just hear that right? He recognized “Sarcasm” for the very first time in his life of 11 years! This happened 2 weeks ago and in addition to recognizing more incidents of sarcasm, he has used expressions with double meanings, such as, “Thrown under the bus”, used in the right context, very naturally, and even being able to explain what this expression meant to a younger family member as it’s not meaning a literal bus. Wow!
A sigh of relief also has come over me! Social/Emotional Intellect as it emerges in our children is the best sleeping pill ever! Our children may possess all the intellect in the world, however, as parents, we worry constantly about our children’s ability to find happiness and have successful social / emotional relationships with others. To mature successfully, and thrive as humans, we must be able to incorporate our greatest gift, the Emotional/Social Connection with others. In order for this to be a success, we know that two things must happen: 1. our children must be able to understand others. And: 2. our children must be able to be understood by others. To the extent that this is the case, the more likely we as parents can breathe more sighs of relief as we slowly start letting go and the time comes when they have to make it on their own, if in fact this is possible. It can be a very scary thought even with typical children and much more frightening for our parents with children on the Autism Spectrum.
Things such as sarcasm, humor, pragmatic language, broadminded thought processes, etc., all have huge effects on social/ emotional awareness. The greater the understanding of these socialites, the better the overall understanding of others can be, along with greater understanding of oneself. These very things, can be taken for granted when they are not missing. However, if these have been lost somewhere inside our beautiful children, and then, found, it is like a hidden treasure, worth more than we could ever have thought possible. It is in this instance, you see, that “Sarcasm” can be sweet and as sweet as honey, as long as it is “Understood”.
By: Kimberly Larochelle
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School can be very difficult sometimes for the ASD student. Many times, it is said that they are just “wired differently” or “learn in a different way than most”. A few nights ago at our monthly Autism Support Meeting, another mom and I discussed our many frustrations and challenges with helping our kids learn and thrive in their schooling.
Many parents resort to home schooling their children and while it may be easier in some ways as we may know how to reach our own child in a very personal and loving way, this can also bring many challenges. Finding the key that will fit with their particular understanding of the many concepts that must be taught, can be as a very strenuous treasure hunt.
In that search, I have found a little jewel that I would like to pass along. This is a site with many learning tools, games, and such, that can be most helpful. There are books and DVD’s, toys, etc, that assist with Math and Reading. Also, other items that can help with things such as Social/ Emotional Issues, and Sensory Issues, etc.
The site is called, Natural Learning Concepts, Autism and Special Needs, Tools that teach you to succeed:
I hope this will be a helpful tip to all parents and teachers as well. There is nothing better than watching a turned-on child, when the realization of education’s purpose motivates their little minds and hearts!
Here is the web site:
http://www.nlconcepts.com/?gclid=CPbgweH21KsCFQi87Qod-mArSQ
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Have you ever thought to yourself as you struggled to understand your child on the Autism spectrum, If only I could get inside his or her head for 5 minutes…I would know so much!” Well here is a video clip of a simulation of what it is like to walk down the sidewalk with Autism Spectrum. It is not exact, but it gives a very good idea as it compares a “typical” walk down the sidewalk with this same walk down the sidewalk when dealing with ASD. The key objective here is to understand and empathize, in other words, “Autism Awareness”. I believe that everyone would benefit greatly from this video experience as a parent, sibling, friend, etc, as it broadens the scope of understanding the World that is Autism.
Here is the Video Clip:
http://www.theautismsite.com/clickToGive/aut/article/A-Walk-Down-the-Street-with-Autism267/AUT_BLOG_MOMBLOG_CTG
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| Dr Norman Doidge, Author of “The Brain That Changes Itself” is interviewed in Brisbane Australia . Dr. Doidge speaks of the Neuroplasticity of the brain. He explains in this interview how plasticity of the brain is a now known fact, and how this is revolutionary in the way we think of the brain and how we can treat Neurobehavioral Disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Many still are under the misunderstanding that the brain is hard wired, meaning that we cannot have successful results by means of therapeutic and functional medicine. This gives much hope and a brighter outlook to many families with children on the Autism Spectrum because we know now that we can always make positive changes in the brain from cradle to grave.
Here is the link to this amazing and enlightening interview:
http://fora.tv/2010/09/02/Norman_Doidge_The_Neuroplasticity_Revolution_An_Update#fullprogram
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