Dec 11

We went down to Vancouver last weekend to visit with family and for the Brunaugh's annual Bunko party. On Friday Madeline had an appt with her Naturopath, Dr Chapman. I think I mentioned earlier that we were concerned that Madeline might have "MSUD, maple syrup urine disease". MSUD is a disorder abnormally affecting the metabolism of amino acids. It basically would have meant that Madeline would have to cut back on protien. So basically she wouldn't be eating anything! Well, we got the results back and she does not have it. Hooray! I guess she's exactly the opposite. Her amino acids are really low so we will supplement now. She is also changing her multi-vitamin and adding in magnesium. Our main concerns right now are her bowels. Maybe too much info for some people but it's VERY common in children on the autism spectrum to have stomach issues. We are going to take her to a GI at UW as soon as the referral goes through. I just want to have some tests run to make sure everything is connected and working properly. We are also going to see a nuerologist. She has picked up a new stim (a repetitive body movement (often done unconsciously) that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner). This one scares me because it looks like a mini seizure. However, it seems voluntary. She does it a lot when she is excited. So, we'll go get her checked out. I"m really hoping the dr's can run their tests on the same day so that they only have to sedate her once.

We are getting ready for Christmas. We drove up into the hills and picked out our Christmas tree tonight. The house is decorated, thanks to Missy, and the lights are up. Jon and I pictured this neighborhood being crazy with Christmas decor but we are very disappointed by the lack of lights.

On a different note, ever since I started this journey with Madeline I've always said that if any of my friends ever found themselves along a similar path I would do everything in my power to share my knowledge with them. Of course, I always prayed that no one I knew would need me. Last week, one of my dearest friends gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Shortly after he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. While the challenges our children face will differ greatly we now share a common bond. My favorite quote, and one that gets me through many hard days is "God only gives you what he knows you can handle." I truly believe this. And I know that my friend will be an amazing mother and that her son is already one step ahead for being born into such a loving family. Another quote I love is "There will be hard times, tears, and lots of fears, but the love and joy will be so intense you will not be able to imagine your life without this child". I will do all I can for her and her family and try to be the best friend possible. I've learned a lot in the last couple years, most importantly who I can and can't count on. I'm very lucky for the great friends and family I have supporting me. I know my friend will have the same.

I also want to share an essay that was shared with me at Madeline's school and it shines a little light on the subject.

Welcome to Holland
by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Happy Halloween!

We did it. We actually got both girls to get into their costumes at the same time! (they are a cat and a dog)They went trick-or-treating to about 20 houses and did a great job. Madeline did really well saying "trick or treat" but sometimes before they actually opened the door :) They had a great time and Abby had to be forced to come inside. They celebrated with some Mike n Ike's. I hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

Mostly pictures. We took the kids to the pumpkin patch on Saturday morning with Missy, Travis, Ella and Jack. It was lots of fun. Madeline loves everything about the pumpkin patch. She likes to talk about Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin while she runs around. Abby does not like the tractor ride to get to the field :) Travis loves everything about the pumpkin patch, getting up early, freezing, getting your pictures taken a thousand times. Jon loved all the yuppies trying not to get their coats dirty. hahaha!

We're finally moved in...sort of.

We are in. We still have a lot of work to do but we are finally in a home of our own. It's really nice to be only ten minutes from Madeline's school.

Sharon, PJ and Mom came over on Sunday and helped unpack while Madeline played with Karlie and then went over to Julies house. Missy came over and used her magic touch to hang pics and make it feel warm and homey in here. She's a very talented lady.

We will be busy continually unpacking but at least the important things are in.

Madeline starts her first week of extended days at preschool this week. It means she gets an hour of one-on-one time with the teacher before her actual class starts. We'll see how it goes.
She's still doing really well, however she does tell me she wants to go home every time we take the turn into the school :)

Pictures!

School!

Just wanted to update everyone that read the last post about Madeline beginning school this week. It's going really well. She's not crying when I drop her off and she's actually participating and sitting in circle time. Those are things that didn't happen at all last year. Well, sometimes in bits and pieces. It's really nice to see a preschool run by people that actually have a clue. Madeline has allergies to nuts and eggs and the first day a note was sent home to all the kids stating the the room was a "nut and egg free zone". Meaning the other kids can't bring things with those ingredients in either. PERFECT! People that actually know what they are doing. It's a breath of fresh air.

The only problem she had today was that she wanted to take home Braeden's backpack because it had Thomas the train on it! Those kind of issues I can handle :)

week in review

We've been here a whole week and it's been a bit of a whirlwind. I went from spending all the time locked in the house with tutors coming every two hours to driving all over creation to take Madeline to all sorts of places. I'm learning to plan in advance a little more. I have to get the bags and car ready with snacks and toys the night before so that I'm not sweating buckets in the morning trying to get us all out the door on time.

Madeline had three sessions of ABA with Jennifer this week and she said she did pretty well. A little spacey and quiet but better than I had expected. She hasn't been crying and throwing a fit when we walk up to the building like she did the first two times. She's willingly going in with Jennifer and saying goodbye to me. That's great for a first week.

She also started dance lessons on Saturday! :) I just went yesterday and picked up her tap shoes, leotard, tights and ballet slippers. It's so freaking cute I can hardly stand it. Madeline's OT (occupational therapist) at school is a dance instructor and she teaches classes specifically for children with special needs. Of course, the first session was a bit chaotic but Madeline really loved the room. All those mirrors! :) Madeline is in the class with two other little girls. They are a little bit older than her (5 and 6, I think) and have done the class for over a year so she'll have some good role models. It's every Saturday so that should be fun.

Preschool starts tomorrow. We went on Thursday and met the teachers and therapists and they all seem great. I'm really excited for her to start. Hopefully she'll be happy, I'm trying to think positively about it and make it sound fun when I talk to her. I don't want her to hear the anxiety in my voice. Her cousin Ryan keeps telling her that her school has the best playground! :)

Jon just left today for Texas. He'll be there for two weeks. We're hoping to get into a house quickly after he gets home.

Send Madeline good vibes for her first day at preschool!! :)

Here we go!

This summer has flown by...

We are heading out tomorrow morning for mom's house. Madeline has sessions 3 days this week and then starts preschool next Monday. We get to go and meet her new teacher on Thursday afternoon.

This is where a little more of the anxiety picks up, probably mostly for me. School isn't Madeline's favorite but she needs to go so we'll make her think it's the most exciting place on the planet. Who knows, maybe it will be :)

Here our a couple pictures of the girls with the moving boxes.

Packing!

I really hate packing! It's such a crazy process I barely know where to start.

Last week we were up in Seattle for Madeline's intake meeting and her first official session with her new ABA consultant. It was both sad and exciting at the same time. We are going to miss Audra dearly but we're really hopeful that she'll keep Madeline in her schedule as often as possible.

Madeline wasn't too sure about the new place at first. She cried when we first got there for awhile. It looks a little like a doctors office and those aren't her favorite places. I kept thinking how the space needed a major overhaul of paint and decor but I assume they keep it very bland because lots of kids have sensory issues and fun colors and pictures might be sensory overload.

I really like Jennifer, Madeline's new consultant. She has a dog named Aurthur that she brings in with her everyday. Madeline was interested in the dog, but only for a few minutes. Hopefully they'll become friends. Jennifer knows she has her work cut out for her, I hope she's ready.

Madeline is 4!

Wow, I can barely believe it. Four years ago we were watching the summer olympics in a hospital room and Jon and I were talking about how the next time the summer olympics came around Madeline would be 4. It was so crazy to think of that looking at a tiny, day old baby girl but here it is. We have been through an amazing journey in the last 4 years. I can't even imagine what life will be like during the NEXT summer olympics :)

Hopefully no one got their feelings hurt for not getting an invite to a birthday party. Madeline's not a big fan of crowds so we only had a couple people over for cupcakes. I figure it's her birthday she should get to have a good time.

We are still in the house hunting process. We've just recently rented our home in Vancouver for a year. Hopefully this means we can sell it next year and not lose a ton of money on it.

School starts Sept 8th so we'll be in Seattle then for sure. Next week is Madeline's first meetings and appts at NBA which is her new ABA tutoring place. Audra is going up with us for the initial consulation and meeting to make sure the new consulatant gets all the details on Madeline. We've also been video taping sessions with tutors so that they can see how she works.

Hopefully we'll be able to find a house and close soon so that we won't have to live in mom's basement too long. :)

Rockaway Beach

We're home from a week at Rockaway Beach, Oregon. For those of you unfamiliar with the area it's about 30 minutes south of Cannon Beach. It's a lot quieter. Less people on the beach and in town. A lot more peaceful. We've also noticed that Cannon Beach and Seaside tend to be in a cloud cover most of the time and we've had amazing weather at Rockaway.

We went on the trip with Jon's cousins PJ, Tami, Madison and Jadon. We have a great time whenever we are around them. Tami and I have lots of things in common and I think Jon and PJ are two peas in pod. Maddie is the best babysitter we could ask for, she loves playing with the girls and she's great at taking care of them. Very responsible for a 10 year old. The added bonus is that they don't seem to mind the added noise level when my kids are involved! :)

Madeline had fun. She loves the ocean! She'd stay in that FREEZING cold water all day. She loves having the waves crash down at her feet.

Abby wasn't too sure about the beach. She wanted to head straight for the water but she only wanted to be at the actual beach for about 20 minutes and then she was pointing back at the house.

Here are some pics!

Finally Ready!

The house is finally ready to sell. The sport court got the finishing touches put on today and we are totally kicking ourselves for not finishing it sooner. It's beautiful.

We showed the house this afternoon to a couple, friends of our neighbors, that has already looked once before. We are giving them until Monday morning to decide on it. If they don't want it then I'll post it for sale by owner Monday morning.

So exciting!!

losing it

This is for all of you that send me emails about how I sound like I have my stuff together.

As I've probably mentioned Madeline has sleeping issues. Well, first Abby had sleeping issues and Madeline slept through the night and now Abby sleeps like a dream and Madeline is up.

It's 9am on Friday morning and Madeline has been up since ONE A.M.!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which means I've been up since ONE A.M.!!!!!!!!!!!!

She came into our room at 1 and asked me if we could go downstairs...uh, NO! It's time for bed. So I got in her bed with her and listened to her script (recite cartoons) until 5am. At that point I completely lost it and had to leave the room for fear that I might jump out the window. She of course followed me right out of the room. So after 3 or 4 dances of me bringing her back to her room I woke Jon up to make him deal with her. Of course, she wanted nothing to do with him. So she screamed her head off. She's very mommy focused right now. Lucky me.

So here we are. It's 9 and I've already been up for 8 hours. I've been cussing like a truck driver all morning and most of you know that is very unlike me. Madelines upstairs screaming her head off for her wonderful therapist, Debbie, and I'm supposed to be a mom all day when I really want to run away. Hopefully she'll fall asleep in therapy or right after and then we won't completely screw up tonights sleep either.

Specific Carbohydrate Diet

I'm getting a lot of questions about why we should be trying to eliminate carbs in Madelines diet. It was actually a little hard for me to understand too so I'm going to try and explain it for you guys and for myself.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a nutritional regimen that is promoted as treating a variety of chronic and auto-immune disorders including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, coeliac disease, autism, cystic fibrosis, schizophrenia, dyslexia, depression, dyspraxia, Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder and more.

The rationale of the diet described in Breaking the Vicious Cycle is as follows:

When the body receives complex carbohydrates (disaccharides or polysaccharides) these substances must be broken down before they can be absorbed.

In the body of a person who is not able to break these substances down efficiently, an influx of undigested material causes harmful bacteria to flourish.

Bacterial overgrowth is accordingly followed by a significant increase in the waste and other irritants they produce.

Irritation in the lining of the digestive tract results in the overproduction of mucus and injury to the digestive tract, which in turn causes malabsorption and makes it even more difficult to maintain proper digestion.

The purpose of the diet is to break the ongoing cycle caused by an overpopulation of harmful bacteria in the gut. When the body is able to absorb the proper nutrients from simple sugars and other carbohydrates that are easy to digest, the inflammation and other complications caused by many auto-immune diseases can be lessened. The goal is to rid the body of complex saccharides so that the gut will be able to heal itself and enable further healing to occur.
The method of the diet is to keep the gutflora well balanced and to allow the gut to digest all of the food it is given, thereby starving out the harmful bacteria.

Ok so that's still a little confusing.


The Use of the SCD in ASD

Pamela Ferro is a Nurse in Private Practice in Mattapoisett MA, and a parent of a child on the autism spectrum. She has treated well over 300 children with ASD utilizing biomedical approaches in her clinic.

"Children with Autism who are implementing SCD are demonstrating remarkable improvements in bowel function, language, eye contact, self-stimulatory behavior, anxiety, and mood. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet unlike other specialized diets works by removing the foods that cannot be properly broken down. The vicious cycle of malabsorption, maldigestion, inflammation, and food allergies seen in children with autism can be corrected using this dietary approach and healthy digestion can begin."

The latest research appears to prove that SCD is the best diet for Autism Spectrum Disorder!

The researchers are finding out that it is the fungi and bacteria in the GI tract that cause GI problems and neurological problems such as autism. The research studies also indicate that that it is starches and certain sugars that feed these fungi and bacteria. The SCD eliminates the foods that feed these microorganisms. Without these foods,the pathogens starve and leave the body; the child is no longer a hostage to billions of pathogenic invaders that poison the gut and the brain.

Here are a couple more links:
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/autism/autism.htm
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/autism/Specific_Carbohydrate_Dietary_Trial_8_27_04.pdf

However, I have no idea how the heck we are going to try and do this with Madeline. All she wants to eat are carbs. Rice and corn chips constantly. UGH!!! I went the store yesterday and bought every fruit and vegetable. So far the only things I can get her to eat are carrots and dried apricots! Well, it's a start! :)

Another Dr appt

Today we went to see Dr Leigh Ann Chapman. She is a naturopath in Portland that has been treating kids with Autism. She has also been traveling around the area speaking to parents and relatives on the correlation between the gut/immune system and Autism. We have seen another naturpath in town for the last 8 months but we haven't seen the amount of progress we would like so we opted to get a second opinion. I'm glad we did.

Dr Chapman was great. It was amazing to watch her read over Madeline's test results and see completely different things from what the other Dr saw.

She noticed that on Madeline's food allergy test all of the carbs were overly reactive. Meaning that her body is not processing carbs the way it should. She is a total carb lover too so the next step of minimizing carbs will be very difficult. We will also give her some digestive enzymes to help her digest the carbs correctly.

She also noticed that her Vitamin D was very low. Plus she was low on Zinc, magnesium and calcium. The top 4 vitamins/minerals. Not good. So she is adding in supplements of those.

Dr Chapman is also trying a vitamin A protocol. There is evidence that children that regressed after an MMR (measles mumps rubella) shot have an underlying case of measles in the gut. Vitamin A in a large dose can kill off the virus.

She's also doing some testing for abundance of yeast and other bacteria that may need stronger medicine.

She agrees with me that Madeline has major stomach issues and that without fixing those it's going to be very hard to get her out of her fog.

She also mentioned the need for chelation. This is the one thing about this whole process that scares me but it may also be the one thing that gets the best results. I'll be reading more about it in the next couple weeks to see if I can make up my mind.

This appt was very promising. I really liked the doctor. She admitted that Madeline was an interesting case. She's not an easy one to unlock. I think Audra and her ABA tutors would agree. :)

Links:
http://www.chapmannd.com/
http://chapmannd.com/uploads///Vitamin%20A%20in%20autism.pdf
http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/medical/chelation.htm

I went up to Seattle last week to look at preschools. I think we have decided on the Snoqualmie Valley school district. This would mean we'd move onto snoqualmie ridge. It's beautiful up there. I've clocked the mileage and it's about 25 minutes to mom's, 20 to Missy and Sharon's and 10 to Julies. It's not the ideal location but it's the best school so I have we have to go with it. Of course, I'd much rather be a lot closer to mom's but the schools districts that are closer are not as good.

We are waiting on the man to come and paint the sport court and then the house will go on the market. We actually showed it to a couple last weekend that were friends of our neighbors. They'll come take another look once the sportcourt is complete. Hopefully they'll buy it and we won't even have to put it on the market.

A slight change in plans...

Since I last posted Jon has been promoted within his company and we are moving to the Seattle area!!

He saw the job come available on his company's website and applied for it without even telling me. He didn't want to get my hopes up in case it didn't work out. He told me the day before he drove to Seattle for the interview and we had to wait a week for the outcome. I was definitely not patient about it. So we got the call last Friday that he got the job and now the moving process is underway!!

We are still fixing up the house a little and we're hoping to have it on the market in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, I'm doing all the research I can on schools in the Seattle area with help from Audra and my aunt Ginger.

I think I've narrowed it down to Issaquah, Snoqualmie Valley and Renton. All of these places are very close to Mom, Kerry, Julie, Missy and Sharon and are also close to Bellevue (where ABA will be) and the airport (where Jon will spend a lot of time). They also have extended day programs for kiddos with autism and use teaching techniques specific to ASD. I'll be going up there next Tuesday to observe some classrooms.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I've wanted to move up there since I had Madeline. Now with all of our craziness it's the perfect place for us to be.

We are really looking forward to this change. While we will miss our family and friends in Vancouver we know this is the best thing for our family.

Madelines latest appt

Since that cold hit our house about three weeks ago Madeline has not been doing well. She is extremely spacey and doesn't want to do any of her therapy. She cries at the drop of a hat and wants her mommy all the time.

We took her to her naturopathic dr and we are trying some new medicines and supplements to see if we can snap her out of it.

We find it a little strange that she has been so off after having this virus. He's giving her an antiviral now to see if maybe some portion of that virus is hanging around and affecting her mood. http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/medical/comprehensive-anti-viral-autism.htm

We are also continuing b12 shots and adding in Folic acid. This is mostly for brain support and development. It can make kids more aware of their surroundings. Something we definitely need help with. http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/medical/methyl-b12-treatments.htm

We are also trying new probiotics for her tummy issues. Poor little baby.

I added links to this so you can read about the reasoning behind these medications for Madeline. I don't want anyone to think we are totally nuts with this whole diet and supplementation plan. Well, actually, I don't really care what anyone thinks, just added the links for your information :)

The next step will be chelation. This is the step that scares the heck out of me but has great results. There are slower ways to chelate toxins out of the body and those are the options I'm considering. http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/medical/chelation.htm

I have scheduled another appt with yet another naturopathic dr in our area to get another set of eyes on her.

That's all for now, just a quick update. :)

Making a Move!

After a couple weeks of research on surrounding school districts Jon and I have decided to put our house on the market and move to Camas, WA. Camas is about 13 miles East of our current house.The Camas School District was sued a few years back for their lack of a special needs program. Since then they hired a group of people to create an ideal program for children with special needs including an entire class for children with Autism. I went to their open house a couple weeks ago and met with the teacher for the autism class. She was wonderful & knowledgeable. They model their preschool after the University of Washington's program which I've heard great things about. I've met other mom's in the area through my yahoo groups and most are very impressed with the district.



Right now we are fixing the backyard and other small things in the house before putting it on the market. Hopefully it will be up by the end of the month. We know this is a horrible time to be selling a house but we're counting on getting a great deal in Camas. Although we're finding out that it's just as expensive out there as it is here.



I've been spending a ton of time on the internet looking at houses and then driving around Camas to try and find a good area. I want to be close to the freeway since we need the tutors to be able to find the house easily. We don't want to be way out in the boonies.



That's the latest. Everybody here (well, except Jon) has a nasty cold so we are laying low right now. I can't figure out why it's May and it's 50 degrees outside and we are all sniffling and sneezing!

The Great Wolf Lodge

On Thursday Jon and I were looking online at the Great Wolf Lodge. It's an indoor waterpark/resort a little north of Centralia, Washington. Madeline saw the pictures and said "I want to go swimming" so off we went. I packed up a bag of clothes and food and an hour later we were on our way to the lodge. We got there about 6pm and put our swimsuits on and headed to the waterpark. Madeline was grinning ear to ear the second we walked in. They have a small toddler area that is about 6"-12" deep with jet skis to sit on, water sprouts, slides etc. She loved it. Then we discovered the wave pool. Jon and I got on intertubes with the kids sitting on our stomachs and we rode the waves. It was so fun. We stayed the night there and played for a few more hours at the park yesterday before heading home. It was such a great impromptu little trip. The perfect place for little kids. Abby didn't appreciate it as much as Madeline did, I think she got a little cold. Yesterday morning when we were in the pool it was actually snowing inside. Good thing they keep it about 80 degrees inside! :)

Initial Blog

Hello All,



Well, this is my first attempt at blogging. Many of you call and ask for updates on us and the girls, mostly Madeline, so I thought this would be a great way to keep everyone posted.



I'll give you all a brief history and then I'll try and keep it up to date with the latest ongoings.



As you all know, Madeline has autism. Wow, so crazy that I just typed that. I was in denial for so long, I wouldn't even say that word let alone put Madeline's name in front of it. Granted we knew something was up when she was about 16-18 months old. That was the time where she stopped looking when her name was called. She also became obsessed with things, like hand clapping. Of course, I just thought she was adorable and liked to clap. She also stopped speaking to us and started constantly reciting cartoons. I chalked it up to me being a bad parent and letting her watch too much Dora. When Madeline turned two we took her to her pediatrician for her check up. I told her all of my concerns and was told that she was just being two and that's how children learn to speak, by repeating what they hear. Again, since I was in denial, I took her word for it. After Christmas that year we began looking into it a little further. The county had an early childhood program and they would come to your house and observe your child. Of course, Madeline was an excellent test taker, since she's smart as a whip, and passed most of the skills tests with no problem. We had to break it down differently to the observer. We told her of the running in circles and constant reciting. We were sent to Vancouver Children's Therapy Center for another observation/screening. They cannot give you a diagnosis, they can just recommend treatment for delays. Madeline showed significant delays in social play and cognitive skills. She then started the preschool for the 2yr old program. She hated it. I had to stay for the first 5 weeks because she just screamed the whole time. During this time we took gluten and casein out of her diet. It's something that a lot of people try, some with more success than others. Madeline didn't seem to have any real significant improvements with it. Finally she got used to preschool, just in time for her to turn 3 and be moved to the Vancouver School District's 3-5 program.



Around the same time Madeline was seeing Dr's for gastrointestinal issues. I'd been reading about the gut/autism relation and decided to investigate further. I took her to a gastroenterologist, who basically looked at me like I was nuts. So, skipped him and when to a Naturopathic physician that was recommended on one of my mom groups. It took him approx 5 weeks to get her gut in check. He ran an ELISA test on her which basically shows intolerance's to foods. Madeline's list was very lengthy: wheat, dairy, soy, nuts, sugar, blueberries, beans, peas..... Obviously, we then made a lot of diet changes. He also started her on a probiotic for abdominal issues which she still takes and seems to work wonders on her belly.

We are also trying some biomedical treatments. Removing yeast, viruses and other toxins from her system. I haven't seen great improvement with any of these either. She just started vitamin b12. I'm reading a lot about it online and I'm hopeful that it will help with her awareness and eye contact.

The one aspect of Madeline's treatment that we do see great strides is with her ABA treatment. Here is a link that will describe ABA. http://www.polyxo.com/aba/
Mary Ellen found us an amazing ABA consultant,Audra, around this time last year and she has been working very hard with Madeline. She also hires additional tutors to work with Madeline at our house. Madeline has her good days and her bad days with them but overall she's doing really well. She's always asking to go to Audra's house. Probably because she has all the cool toys!

In December, Audra and I took Madeline to OHSU to get her official diagnosis. It was 5 hours of playing games and taking "tests". I sat in a room with a developmental pediatrician and answered a hundred or so questions on Madeline's abilities. When I told him she'd already been doing ABA for 6 months he was shocked. He said "so you're acting like you already know what her diagnosis will be". I agreed, by this point I knew she had autism, I just needed him to tell me so I could get some help from our insurance company. So basically, that's what he said and he handed me a pamphlet on autism and sent me on my way. It was a complete waste of time.


She is currently going to preschool at Vancouver School District's Early Childhood Center. It's a really touchy subject for me since they are really not equipped to handle children with Autism. They have no training or specific classrooms for children on the spectrum. They are overcrowded and understaffed and it's a wonder why I haven't moved her out of there already. Mostly because there really isn't another option in our area. You would think that since 1 in 88 kids in Oregon have autism that we would have amazing schools around to help these kids. It's just not the case. I'm currently researching other districts and schools in our area. We may just have to move to get her the quality of education she deserves.




So here it is a year after all of this began and Madeline is doing very well. The main improvement that comes to mind is the eye contact. It's not great, but it's so much better. She also asks for what she needs all the time. Granted, Madeline has always had a ton of language but it's never really been functional. She has hundreds of words in her vocabulary but she uses them for reciting and not for functional converstation.

A question I get asked a lot, I think all mom's get asked a lot is "why". "What do you think causes it?" Well, here's my opinion. It's an opininion I'm borrowing from Jenny McCarthy. I think all kids are born with a bucket. All of the buckets are full to different levels. Additions to the bucket included genetics, environmental toxins, allergies, stomach issues, etc. Then I think at some point, maybe when children are given 36 vaccines, their bucket overflows and their brain is shocked somehow, thus throwing them into the world of autism. In other words, I don't believe one thing causes it. I believe it's many things all added together to form a toxic situation.

Abby is 1 now, she's been carted off to Madeline's therapies since she was a week old. She's just used to it. She does get jealous when people come in and out of the house all the time to play with her sister. :) I have to make sure they all stop to say hello to her too.

Jon and I are well, just a little stressed out! :) We are very lucky to have parents that are very interested in helping us in any way they can. I also accredit most of my sanity to Missy who listens to me whenever I need her and never thinks I'm crazy. Well, at least she pretends not to.

:) Kim

Here are some of my favorite links for those interested.

http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/index.htm
http://www.autismspeaks.org/