I am really excited about this year. Reece has a new teacher who I love from what I have seen already. She wanted to make her own assessment of Reece and not just go by what his previous teacher noted. She also retested him on sections of the ABLLS that she felt he didn't do as well on as he could have. How wonderful to have a teacher that sees your potential! And it shows in Reece who is so proud of what he brings home from school. He shows us all his artwork and that it has his name on it. Seeing him so proud of himself is just wonderful!
We have been chelating every weekend since the Summer. I am seeing such a huge difference in Reece. He is talking so much. He even put together a SEVEN word sentence last weekend!!! He was wearing a pink bunny watch the girls had from Easter and I had to wait until he fell asleep to get it off. When he woke up in the morning and realized it wasn't on him, he yelled, "Mom--I want my pink bunny watch!!" YAY!!!! He also started a soccer clinic for kids with special needs and is doing so good. He is dribbling the ball and kicking at the goal. It doesn't hurt that there were two highschool girls assigned to be his "buddies". I think he loved their attention too!
I am noticing how much more he is following directions that are more complicated. I can give him something and tell him to put it upstairs on my bed, and that's where it goes. I can ask him to get me something out of the pantry and he will. He cleans up with his sisters and is behavign so much more typical. He is also playing even more with the girls. He sits and listens to music with them and joins in with them.
The changes in school are also evident at home. He is so into his books right now. Green Eggs and Ham is a big favorite. He asks to read it all the time and even goes to sleep surrounded by his books and magnetic letters from the fridge. I thought it was great the other night he had a letter "M" he traced in class and was turning it around so it would be a "M", "E" or a "W". He is so happy to show you what he knows.
I am so excited with all these positive changes and best of all to see how excited Reece is with everything now!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Latest
This Summer has been really good. I have been focusing on really getting the Cutler Chelation done and am seeing great gains. Erin's flapping is greatly reduced. I really don't notice it any more. I am so happy that we are getting such great results for her without the antibiotics. Especially since the flapping was really starting to bother her and she was realizing that other kids don't do this.
For Reece we are seeing more speech and interaction. He was playing with other kids in the pool and was so happy to be included. When my husband told the kids to take it easy on Reece because he couldn't talk to tell them if things were too much for him, he was set straight by one of the kids. The little boy told my husband, "We know he can't talk, but we know what he is saying. He's having fun and playing with us!" I loved it when my husband told me. The boys were going under and Reece was putting his face in the water trying to do it too. He had a blast!
I really want to focus on reading with Reece. The other day when our older son was a little to pushy trying to get Reece to drink some apple juice, I guess Reece thought he needed to make things clear. After telling P several times "no" that he didn't want it, he went to the dish washer where the magnetic letters are and spelled out "no". The he pointed to it and said it again! I thought this was so clever and P thought it was great!
I wasn't sure how summer school would go for Reece. I was driving him to savew him the one hour commute each way in an unairconditioned bus. The drive is only 15 minutes at the longest! Two summers ago was the last time I tried to drive Reece to school. He flipped out, tantrumed, the whole works and it was so bad I had never done it again! But after a tearful first day, he started smiling and would pull me to the door! He has really enjoyed school this summer.
The boardwalk is another big step this year. Last year was horrible when we tried to go to the Ocean City MD boardwalk. Reece tantrumed when we tried to get him to walk away from the ticket booth where the fans were inside. And tried to run into every store that had a fan along the boardwalk. This year we have been to Wildwood and he did great! He did still look for fans but wasn't too bad trying to get in the shops. And he went on rides---even by himself! He loved the ferris wheel--I guess it's like riding a giant fan! And he really loved the carousel too. We did have our moments but all in all things went really smooth. He even went in the ocean and enjoyed it. He was trying to pop the bubbles in the surf from the waves and even laughed when he got knocked down.
I was so afraid that Reece would still be in Pull-Ups for his 6th birthday. But he has been potty trained for a few months now and I got the best present of all on his birthday--He woke me up by saying "I love you!!!" How wonderful is that?
For Reece we are seeing more speech and interaction. He was playing with other kids in the pool and was so happy to be included. When my husband told the kids to take it easy on Reece because he couldn't talk to tell them if things were too much for him, he was set straight by one of the kids. The little boy told my husband, "We know he can't talk, but we know what he is saying. He's having fun and playing with us!" I loved it when my husband told me. The boys were going under and Reece was putting his face in the water trying to do it too. He had a blast!
I really want to focus on reading with Reece. The other day when our older son was a little to pushy trying to get Reece to drink some apple juice, I guess Reece thought he needed to make things clear. After telling P several times "no" that he didn't want it, he went to the dish washer where the magnetic letters are and spelled out "no". The he pointed to it and said it again! I thought this was so clever and P thought it was great!
I wasn't sure how summer school would go for Reece. I was driving him to savew him the one hour commute each way in an unairconditioned bus. The drive is only 15 minutes at the longest! Two summers ago was the last time I tried to drive Reece to school. He flipped out, tantrumed, the whole works and it was so bad I had never done it again! But after a tearful first day, he started smiling and would pull me to the door! He has really enjoyed school this summer.
The boardwalk is another big step this year. Last year was horrible when we tried to go to the Ocean City MD boardwalk. Reece tantrumed when we tried to get him to walk away from the ticket booth where the fans were inside. And tried to run into every store that had a fan along the boardwalk. This year we have been to Wildwood and he did great! He did still look for fans but wasn't too bad trying to get in the shops. And he went on rides---even by himself! He loved the ferris wheel--I guess it's like riding a giant fan! And he really loved the carousel too. We did have our moments but all in all things went really smooth. He even went in the ocean and enjoyed it. He was trying to pop the bubbles in the surf from the waves and even laughed when he got knocked down.
I was so afraid that Reece would still be in Pull-Ups for his 6th birthday. But he has been potty trained for a few months now and I got the best present of all on his birthday--He woke me up by saying "I love you!!!" How wonderful is that?
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Update
It has been a while since I updated so here it is. Reece is potty trained!!! Life is sooo much easier. I worried that he would never be fully potty trained. Pooping on the potty seemed just out of reach. But he did it! I am so proud of him!
He is doing great with speech. The best part is that as he is able to make more sounds, approximations and words, he is being so funny! He thinks it's funny to tell me "No bus!" because in the morning we wait for the bus to school. First he was saying "bus". Then it became "yellow bus" and now I get "No bus" and laughter. He also plays a game where we name different color buses. It just shows you how much is in there trying to get out.
He has also become a Mets fan like his older brother. They watch the game together with my husband and Reece will get his Mets hat and baseball. He actually waits up for the game and will go to bed if I tell him there is no baseball on that night.
His entire attitude has changed. He has matured so much in the last couple months. He also wants to do things like his sisters. This is a great motivater for him. He has been to the mall and out to eat without any problems. We have gone to the boardwalk and he has gone on rides with his sisters! I feel like nothing is holding us back any more.
Last weekend Reece and T started swim lessons. The instructor was wonderful and he loved every minute of it.
I had given Erin a break with the antibiotics for her stomach. Since she had such gut issues, I really worry about that coming back. But her tics seem to have gotten worse so I will start that up again this week. The worst part is she asked why she does that. How do you explain that one? But she has overcome so much herself. It's wonderful to ear her talking about things in such detail. Even things that happened when she seemed to be "out of it". She is so smart and so funny. We are so lucky!!!
He is doing great with speech. The best part is that as he is able to make more sounds, approximations and words, he is being so funny! He thinks it's funny to tell me "No bus!" because in the morning we wait for the bus to school. First he was saying "bus". Then it became "yellow bus" and now I get "No bus" and laughter. He also plays a game where we name different color buses. It just shows you how much is in there trying to get out.
He has also become a Mets fan like his older brother. They watch the game together with my husband and Reece will get his Mets hat and baseball. He actually waits up for the game and will go to bed if I tell him there is no baseball on that night.
His entire attitude has changed. He has matured so much in the last couple months. He also wants to do things like his sisters. This is a great motivater for him. He has been to the mall and out to eat without any problems. We have gone to the boardwalk and he has gone on rides with his sisters! I feel like nothing is holding us back any more.
Last weekend Reece and T started swim lessons. The instructor was wonderful and he loved every minute of it.
I had given Erin a break with the antibiotics for her stomach. Since she had such gut issues, I really worry about that coming back. But her tics seem to have gotten worse so I will start that up again this week. The worst part is she asked why she does that. How do you explain that one? But she has overcome so much herself. It's wonderful to ear her talking about things in such detail. Even things that happened when she seemed to be "out of it". She is so smart and so funny. We are so lucky!!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
PANDA--Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep
The day after Thanksgiving we had Erin and Reece tested for PANDAS. The neuro ordered bloodwork that included ASO AB and DNASE-B AB. I was happy to have found a neuro that specialized in PANDAS, Autism and Tourettes. Erin had lost her PDD symptoms but now her occasional flapping seemed to be tics as in Tourettes. She had been pretty OCD at one point, but that seemed to resolve after giving her Olive Leaf Extract. I was hoping the tics would go away but after doing more research on PANDAS, realized that if this was the cause, then we needed a plan of action.
Of course while we were at the neuro's office, Erin was totally typical. No flapping or tics at all. Reece was doing his stimming that included verbal and movement tics. Since they had several strep infections while they were falling into autism, he felt PANDAS was a possibility.
After being unable to reach the neuro after the visit, I requested a copy of the lab work. It seems Erin does have PANDAS. Her AB should be less than 150. It was 472. Her DNASE-B AB should have been <60 but was 480. If I don't hear back this week, I will be contacting another PANDAS specialist. Hopefully with treatment Erin's tics will go away and she will have no residual signs of the PDD or PANDAS. Reece's numbers came back within normal limits. But another mom, who is more knowledgeable, told that he can still have the disorder even if his numbers are normal. So we will still be inquiring about this for him. It would be great if he could stop the movements and vocal tics.
I hope this is taking us one step further down the path to total recovery!
Of course while we were at the neuro's office, Erin was totally typical. No flapping or tics at all. Reece was doing his stimming that included verbal and movement tics. Since they had several strep infections while they were falling into autism, he felt PANDAS was a possibility.
After being unable to reach the neuro after the visit, I requested a copy of the lab work. It seems Erin does have PANDAS. Her AB should be less than 150. It was 472. Her DNASE-B AB should have been <60 but was 480. If I don't hear back this week, I will be contacting another PANDAS specialist. Hopefully with treatment Erin's tics will go away and she will have no residual signs of the PDD or PANDAS. Reece's numbers came back within normal limits. But another mom, who is more knowledgeable, told that he can still have the disorder even if his numbers are normal. So we will still be inquiring about this for him. It would be great if he could stop the movements and vocal tics.
I hope this is taking us one step further down the path to total recovery!
Friday, January 8, 2010
January Update
Reece is now potty training! We started on Winter Break from school and he is now in underwear 24/7. It is a little unnerving for me but accidents are only about one a day, sometimes none. Last Sunday he did decide he wanted his Pull-Ups back. I would bring him in the bathroom and he would stand in front of the potty and just smile. Then he would have an accident within minutes of getting his clothes back on. Luckily he seemed to be back on track the next morning after realizing that no matter what, we were doing this.
He has been playing with all his Christmas toys and even is okay with sharing them with his sisters. He will take one plane and give my husband another so they can fly them together. He is being really silly and loves to make us laugh. We are getting more language--he really, really wants to say "helicopter". His newest word, courtesy of potty training is "no"! I think it's great that he can finally say this!
Last night we started a new supplement called Nutriivida. He will get two drinks a day, each with one scoop in it, along with his regular meals. I had heard about a girl who started this supplement (actually a weight maintenance supplement) and started to talk and have better motor skills. She has severe global apraxia as my son does. Nutriivida is GFCF and easy to digest. It has amino acids which we are seeing are so important for kids with autism. It is also Ayurvedic. One of the ingredients it contains is turmeric which we are already giving Reece through Enhansa with good results. He had one drink last night and another with his breakfast this morning. The strange thing is this supplement seems to help you lose weight if you need to, yet underweight people are gaining on it. You can check out this product at www.pursuitofresearch.com and get the nutritional and ayurvedic info.
Now I can't say that the drink had anything to do with Reece doing so well last night, but he did great! He actually went in to the bathroom on his own to go potty! TWICE!! The first time he went in, his sister was cleaning the bathroom and I thought he was just being nosy. I told him to come out. Then he went back in and went to the potty to go. Later, my son was watching him and his potty watch alarm went off as they were starting to have a snack. My older son told Reece that after they ate their cookies, he would go potty. After Reece finished his cookie, he grabbed his big brother by the hand and brought him to the bathroom! This is a huge step forward in potty training. Reece really likes his potty watch but would only carry it, never wear it. I had tried putting it on him and making a big deal about it but he hated it and pulled at it to get it off. Last night he was trying to put it on by himself so I helped him get it on. Then he wouldn't take it off! I had to wait until he was sleeping to get it off his wrist!
Hopefully, next week I will be able to get in to his classroom to show his teacher how I am working with Reece with the flashcards. His teacher is wonderful but there are some things I just disagree with her on. She has had animal sounds on his "goal list" forever. (Sounds for a cow, horse and sheep) He has been doing these sounds since last school year. But because he won't do them for her three sessions in a row, she won't move on! I already explained that he not only can do this, but does the sounds on his own in play. I thought that was the point of all this, to get him to use his skills on his own. So I need to try to explain to her that she really needs to move on or he is going to still have these sounds as goals at the end of the year--he is done with them. He knows he can do them and knows you know he can do them. He probably is tired of being asked to say the same sounds for the second year going!
We weren't able to do our round of chelation last weekend because Reece had been sick with strep and I wanted to give him time to recover. I plan on starting today for the next round when he gets home from school. I am so proud of him and all the progress he is making!
He has been playing with all his Christmas toys and even is okay with sharing them with his sisters. He will take one plane and give my husband another so they can fly them together. He is being really silly and loves to make us laugh. We are getting more language--he really, really wants to say "helicopter". His newest word, courtesy of potty training is "no"! I think it's great that he can finally say this!
Last night we started a new supplement called Nutriivida. He will get two drinks a day, each with one scoop in it, along with his regular meals. I had heard about a girl who started this supplement (actually a weight maintenance supplement) and started to talk and have better motor skills. She has severe global apraxia as my son does. Nutriivida is GFCF and easy to digest. It has amino acids which we are seeing are so important for kids with autism. It is also Ayurvedic. One of the ingredients it contains is turmeric which we are already giving Reece through Enhansa with good results. He had one drink last night and another with his breakfast this morning. The strange thing is this supplement seems to help you lose weight if you need to, yet underweight people are gaining on it. You can check out this product at www.pursuitofresearch.com and get the nutritional and ayurvedic info.
Now I can't say that the drink had anything to do with Reece doing so well last night, but he did great! He actually went in to the bathroom on his own to go potty! TWICE!! The first time he went in, his sister was cleaning the bathroom and I thought he was just being nosy. I told him to come out. Then he went back in and went to the potty to go. Later, my son was watching him and his potty watch alarm went off as they were starting to have a snack. My older son told Reece that after they ate their cookies, he would go potty. After Reece finished his cookie, he grabbed his big brother by the hand and brought him to the bathroom! This is a huge step forward in potty training. Reece really likes his potty watch but would only carry it, never wear it. I had tried putting it on him and making a big deal about it but he hated it and pulled at it to get it off. Last night he was trying to put it on by himself so I helped him get it on. Then he wouldn't take it off! I had to wait until he was sleeping to get it off his wrist!
Hopefully, next week I will be able to get in to his classroom to show his teacher how I am working with Reece with the flashcards. His teacher is wonderful but there are some things I just disagree with her on. She has had animal sounds on his "goal list" forever. (Sounds for a cow, horse and sheep) He has been doing these sounds since last school year. But because he won't do them for her three sessions in a row, she won't move on! I already explained that he not only can do this, but does the sounds on his own in play. I thought that was the point of all this, to get him to use his skills on his own. So I need to try to explain to her that she really needs to move on or he is going to still have these sounds as goals at the end of the year--he is done with them. He knows he can do them and knows you know he can do them. He probably is tired of being asked to say the same sounds for the second year going!
We weren't able to do our round of chelation last weekend because Reece had been sick with strep and I wanted to give him time to recover. I plan on starting today for the next round when he gets home from school. I am so proud of him and all the progress he is making!
Monday, December 21, 2009
December Update
Okay, we have done 13 rounds of Andy Cutler's Chelation, are applying Son-Rise principles and found an amazing new speech therapist who uses Beckman's Protocol. Reece is making huge gains in speech and socialization. He is now pointing things out and saying what they are and loves playing with us. A couple nights ago he saw headlights when my husband pulled in the driveway. He immediately grabbed my hand and ran me over to the front door and put my hand on the knob. I asked him who was here and he replied "Dad!". When my husband came in, he went to wash his hands. Reece was so excited to play with him, he tried to grab him to make him sit down on the floor. My husband said to wait a minute because his hands were wet and Reece ran over and grabbed a hand towel and gave it to him. He was really happy to play with his dad. His speech is really coming along. He wanted a cookie and actually said, "I want cookie" really clear. He loves pointing to everything in books and magazines so he can tell us what they are. When I ask him what he wants to watch on tv, he tells me!
I wanted to start working on some academic skills along with everything else. He loves learning and I want him to keep moving forward in all areas. I made some flashcards with the colors red, yellow, green, blue and orange on them. I flashed him the cards and he actually said "green" and "blue" before I did! Then I laid the cards down and gave him foam puzzle pieces that were those colors. I told him to put the piece on the card that said the color--he got them all right on the first shot and every time since! I am going to add some more colors and work on numbers and animals too. He is so happy to be able to show what he knows!
I wanted to start working on some academic skills along with everything else. He loves learning and I want him to keep moving forward in all areas. I made some flashcards with the colors red, yellow, green, blue and orange on them. I flashed him the cards and he actually said "green" and "blue" before I did! Then I laid the cards down and gave him foam puzzle pieces that were those colors. I told him to put the piece on the card that said the color--he got them all right on the first shot and every time since! I am going to add some more colors and work on numbers and animals too. He is so happy to be able to show what he knows!
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