Welcome to the members who have already joined Autism Families - located at http://autismfamilies.gather.com. For those who are involved in the autism community as either a parent, someone on the Spectrum, a relative, neighbor, teacher, respite worker, therapist or other related professional - feel free to join this group.
Articles that cover autism as the topic are welcomed to be posted in the group. For those regarding gather and writing topics on other issues can be posted on your own page and other categories or groups within gather.
Please stay on topic for postings to this group - Autism Families. Feel free to share photos of the family members, doing therapy, on vacation, school, camp, etc.
Let's share about our daily lives, struggles and accomplishments, goals for the future and the IEP, vacation ideas, book and gift suggestions, therapies you are involved in or interested in gaining more data on.
If you have read a good book on the topic, give us an overview or the highlights. Does your child just love a certain toy, have a favorite food, perseverate on one thing you are tired of - whatever the topic relating to someone with autism or therapies, etc is welcomed here.
I look forward to reading articles and looking at the images members post and getting new ideas for holiday time, birthdays and gaining insight into other aspects of the Autism Spectrum.
My name is Bonnie Sayers - I am also the Editor at http://autismspectrumdisorders.bellaonline.com and write reviews on http://www.epinions.com/user-bonniesayers
If you know of a good website for autism related items, pecs photos, your own site - please post a description and link for others to peruse. I also have a yahoo group where we have Round Robins - we share our pecs cards with other members in a mailing that goes around the country and into Canada. Feel free to learn more at the group's home page:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MakingPECSCards/
Post an introductory article telling us about your family, what you have done this summer, when school starts, a bit about the child or person on the spectrum, any new school issues, behavior stuff, feeding or toileting aspects to discuss, therapies that work or not, sleep issues and medication options.
Have you seen any television shows, news reports on autism? What was your impression, let's discuss how autism was presented in the media and what insurance covers, how to get respite and what makes a good respite worker. Anyone been to a conference lately? Who is a good speaker not to miss, what were some of the exhibitor items you wish you could afford?
Let's share and get to know one another and help spread autism awareness to the general public
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Comments: 11
I look forward to reading about your family and services.
Hope it works since I wrote this from memory.
As the mom of a 3 yr old with PDD-NOS, I can (highly) recommed the book "Quirky Kids". A very informative and comforting read that covers a wide range of topics and specific disorders. The book was co-written by doctors Perri Klass and Eileen Costello. I attended a lecture given by Eileen Costello earlier this year, her warmth and passionate support for kids on the spectrum can be felt on every page.
Feel free to start any conversation with an article to the group - this can also be private to the group only if you feel more comfortable doing so.
I am going to switch around the featured articles so everyone can read and meet each other.
I am always looking for something better, something more to help Jaden. We have tried GFCF diet, which really didn't do much for him. He has little to no negative behaviors, mainly just no speech, and little interest in social interaction. But in my constant need for something more, something better, I think I may have come across something. I have learned about a nasty little chemical called Quaterium-15. It releases formaldehyde, and it's found in many things that I use on Jaden - especially baby wash and shampoo. I just found a line of products that I am SO excited to use. I already have several products (the baby wash and shampoo were the first I ordered!) and have a complete home conversion package coming next month. I am replacing all products in my home that contain toxic chemicals. I started to think of all the things that could contain toxic residue. The tub that I bathe him (and the other kids) in, dishes, clothes, bedding, carpets, furniture. Then all the things that I directly use on our bodies - soaps, shampoo, lotion, vitamins, sunscreen, toothpaste, styling products, deodorants. All of our bodies are constantly surrounded by products that contain chemicals and toxins! I can't tell you how excited I am to get rid of it all! I don't want to get kicked off before I even get started, so I'm not going to advertise the name of the product, but will tell you more if you want to contact me personally. I will also let you know of the changes that I see in our lives. Since I'm new here, I don't know if there is a direct link if you would like to email me, so here's my email: jsporter4@juno.com It may be a few weeks before I can check in here again, so you can email me if you would like to hear more. I am glad to have joined you!
Tiffany
PS. I don't sell these products. I only share info about them, and tell you where you can order them if you're interested.
Recently I have made a change at home that I feel has really helped him. It's kind of hard for me to share it, since I have also decided to do this as an at home business. I don't want anyone to feel that I share this info to try and take advantage of families with children with austim, or any other disability. This is not my goal. I know what works for some kids on the spectrum, will not work for others. But this has been so exciting for us! And this is why I want to share! The business end I have decided to do because I feel so strongly about the product, and it will help with the diet and supplementation that can be so taxing on our income. So, here is my story:
Jaden is non-verbal. It was the first worry I had when he was young. He just wasn't talking like the other 3 kids did. I was told over and over that every child is different, and you can't compare your kids. I tried to assure myself that he was fine. At 2 years, he had said maybe 10-15 words, but as I tried to recall some of them, I realized that there were many he said once or twice, but hadn't for a long time. And then, in the first 6 weeks after his second birthday, he lost all of his words, all of his eye contact, most of his social interaction - he was a shell of the little boy we had for 2 years. This began our journey to find out what was happening with our little boy.
I'll skip all the years in between - you know the routine - the hearing tests, the early intervention, the doctor visits, visits to specialists, lab tests, etc. It didn't take us long to realize that our little boy was in the clutches of autism. Like all parents that have faced this, we wanted to know what we could do to help. We tried several different diets, supplementation galore, all the biomedical interventions. I saw a bit of improvement with diet change, so we stick with the a gluten free diet. The casein doesn't seem to make any difference. I tried mass supplementation. He seemed to get worse for a while. I went back to the basics, and feel that the B line of vitamins are most important for him (6,12, and folic acid). ABA has worked well for him - as long as we can maintain teachers, which hasn't been easy. Speech therapy has been long and slow, with not a lot of progress - Until recently.
(Here's where we get to what I have found that I think is making change!) For about a month this summer, I started to be very concerned over things that I had never thought of before. I'd put Jaden in the tub, and think, "Gee, I sure hope I rinsed all the cleaner out well enough, since he drinks so much of the water." Or, "I wonder what kind of residue is in/on the (fill in anything) he is putting in his mouth?" I started to notice the strong smell of chlorine coming from my dish washer while it was running, from the detergent. Many other thoughts like these kept coming to me. I am a religious person, and I feel it was God preparing me for what I was going to soon hear.
As a family of 8, finances are tight, and I am always looking for something to supplement our income. I saw an ad in the paper that caught my eye, "Stayin Home and Lovin it!". I ignored it - 3 times. But it kept coming back to me. A week later, there it was again. I just had to find out what it was all about, and why it had been "haunting" my thoughts! When Jennifer called me with the details, she described a product (in order to have a business, you have to have a product) that was like an answer to my prayers! Safe, non-toxic, natural - products for my home, personal care, vitamins, etc. I looked into it a bit more, loved what I saw, and converted my home to a toxic free environment! This was in October, 2006.
It's now December, 2006. In the last 2 months, I have been so excited about the progress in Jaden's speech! No, he's not speaking sentences. But every now and then we get a word spontaneously. He will try and repeat almost anything we ask him to. He is puting simple sounds together - effortlessly! He seems to want to talk! I had almost given up hope that he would ever talk, but now that thought is fading! There is no way of doing a scientific blind study to see if it's the conversion to non-toxic products that has made this change, but it is the only thing we have done differently in the last 2 months, and I feel strongly that it has contributed to his progress. I am excited to see what may come about in the next few months and years! And it's this excitement that I feel I need to share with other families with children on the spectrum. I know there is so much information out there, so many products and treatments that people claim help, treat, or even cure autism. I don't put that claim on this, because I know every child on the spectrum responds differently to different things. But I'm not the only parent using these products who has seen a difference in their child. Other parents of children with asthma, allergies, exema, and other ailments also rave about these products and their benefit to their children. Adults have had health increases as well. In addition to those already listed are lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, and weight loss. I'd love to share more. I love to take about 30 minutes of your time, with absolutely NO OBLIGATION! Please email me to set up a time to chat! Thanks so much for taking the time to read our story! God bless you and your little ones on your journey through life! Tiffany Porter happyathomefamily@yahoo.com
ChildrensHealth
is always seeking valuable information on this afflicton with an array of symptommology we don't understand. Please check it out and have a great holiday. Thank you for posting this.