Someone on my thread asked me about my thoughts on Autism. Here is what I posted. (and the today show has a few interesting clips on Autism and their sensory needs)
Autism: No it wasn't us in the clip (on The Today Show). They would be showing the rest of my house with the inside climber, swing, tunnel, bucket full of beans, trampoline...... Here is my view, no Autism cannot be cured BUT with early interventions and proper help the affects can be minimized. I tell my other kids DS#2 is simply wired differently. Many I know use the slogan "Autism a different state of being" While some believe it is the shots that may have caused the autism I do not believe it caused it in our son. I think in many ways it is just the timing that many people notice the signs of Autism is the same time those shots are given. There is also a theory that the shot schedule it too agressive for some children subsceptible to autism and there needs to be an alternative shot schedule.
While not many doctors think the Gluten Free Casein Free diet works I know of many parents and teachers that have seen differences with some kids on it. I have done the Casein piece of it and we found that DS#2 does not do well with cows milk but we have no issues with other forms of dairy. Soon I plan on trying the Gluten free but that is a lot of work. It's one of those things that doesn't hurt to try but could help so as a parent I had to try it.
With the early interventions it helps to meet their needs and organize themselves so they can deal with everything else. My best analogy is think about if you have a bad itch, one you cannot reach and is driving you nuts. Now in that state how well do you operate if you cannot scratch it, can you concentrate on other things? Maybe but I would bet not to the extent you usually could. These kids have such intense needs that need to be met BEFORE they can focus on anything else. My son needs to jump, crash, bounce, chew on things. These are not wants he truly NEEDS to do these things and cannot focus on anything else until his sensory needs have been met.
Early interventions also help to rewire the brain. I have not done Applied Behavioral Analsys (ABA) and I think by nature it is a part of our world but I have no interest in doing that therapy by itself. I am more interested in engaging him and having him have a vested interest instead of just training him on what to do in certain situations. In my opinion it doesn't give him the tools to deal with other situations. ABA is much like Pavlov's dog in my opinion. If Y happens you need to do X. The problem is it doesn't deal with when W happens.
For example in ABA some are big on forcing the kids to look at people. Now with Autistic kids there is often too much information on someone else's eyes/face, they can't handle it. So other therapies deal with having them learn adaptive strategies, for example they will teach the kids to look at the person's forehead or ear. This way the person they are talking to gets the feeling they are paying attention to them yet the Autistic person isn't overwhelmed by all the information they can see on a person's face.
In the year I have been treating DS#1s autism he is much more engaged, he goes to people, he makes eye contact with people he is comfortable with, he is taking turns much better and he doesn't spin nearly as much as he did. He is still nonverbal and has many sensory needs but we have hope that he will be mainstreamed in school and in his future most won't even be able to tell he has autism. So in many ways the early interventions are helping to redirect the brain connections in a more normal pattern. While he will always be autistic it gives him the chance for a more normal life.
There are also positives with Autism. The intense focus he/they can achieve can be a positive. Many of the researchers we have very well may be autistic, they can focus and notice the slightest change in something. I have given up worrying about jumping on beds, couches anything and my kids have a wonderful inside play area. You learn to value the kids and not the things, since I never know when my things will be broken and they often are. When my son gave me his first kiss I cried and really cherished it. When he starts talking I will be throwing a party.
And a follow up post when someone asked me about Jenny McCarthy
I have had to have a crash course in Autism and do feel strongly on some aspects of it. As you gals can probably tell I do try to focus on the positive side of things in most situations. I never thought I would have a special needs child, there are none on either DF or my side of the family. BUT he is and it is a matter of dealing with what we have and doing the best I can. I often feel I am failing him since I cannot be doing something with him all his waking moments. There are times (most afternoons) I put on Thomas give him his bucket of toys to throw down the cat door and come here in the den and look at things. Other times I rock him and read while he watches Thomas. It is a juggling act to make sure all the kids needs are met and the others are not neglected just because one is so high maintenance. So in many ways I include them in his therapies and get them involved. DS#1 LOVES OT time and in many ways it also helps DS#2 learn about taking turns, he doesn't like it but he is learning. The other thing is to keep in mind what is NORMAL 2-3 year old behavior. At that age NONE of them like to share. The challenge is the stubbornness, the length of time to learn to share, and the intensity of the temper tantrums. But hey we deal.
I desperately want to know the cause and if all our children are now more susceptible to having children with Autism. I think it may be both environmental and genetics. I mean honestly nothing changed with the kids environment so why is one autistic but not the others. I worked for both DS#1 and 2s pregnancies in the same environment. Heck for DS#2's pregnancy we were in a new home. You also look at yourself and your partner and go could it be X? I am not necessarily the best in social situations, I fake a lot of things but I don't have a lot of close friends and don't make friends easily... I know I am opinionated, don't tolerate fools well etc.
I did read Jenny McCarthy's book since so many had mentioned her, I commend her on doing the best for her child as she saw it. Is she a little crazy, in her own admission yes she went full bore on many things. I disagree with her on some things but am also glad to have such a public figure to give more attention this disorder needs. It is amazingly underfunded for being the epidemic it is becoming.
My DF and I have many conversations while relaxing in the hot tub in the evenings. We don't know what will happen with DS#2, will he live with us forever, will he be independent, will he be able to function fully as an adult, will he be able to mostly function in the "real world" with some help? More questions then answers at this point all we know is that we love him and will do all we can for him.
Now the challenge is what does everything entail? Many have mortgaged their homes to the gills, used all their retirement, stopped funding their retirement, stopped funding their other kids needs of sports etc. While I will do all I can for DS#2 I am also not willing to put every cent we have into him. I am not willing to take money out of our home and possibly loose it, I am not willing to sacrifice my retirement for a therapy that "may" help him. I am not willing to sacrifice my other kid's needs for his so it is a balancing act in all ways. I am just glad that in the last 10 years we have not had any debt other then mortgages, if we had had other debt we would have been sunk or at least extremely stressed out. Does this make me a bad person IDK.
