You Miss a Week, I Guess You Miss a Lot!

[Guest guest]

Hi, all!

Wow...I had been recovering from surgery and missed the entire

brouhaha that erupted last week. I hate to oversimplify, but I have

to ask: Can't we all just get along?

Barb -- I've been here for a little more than a year, and I can tell

you that this is the second summer that a big 'ol brawl has

erupted...around the same time too. But you know what...I don't even

remember what everyone was fighting about last year. And I likely

won't remember this next year. There really are a lot of great

people on this board -- many who feel very passionately about things,

which is great. But passion by its very nature can get a little

sticky sometimes. I hope you don't let it scare you off. Hey, just

like in life, sometimes we get a bit, shall we say, " spirited " in our

discussions. I respect everyone's right to feel the way they feel,

to advocate on behalf of their particular child or children they way

they see fit, and to try whatever methods they choose in an effort to

help their child. I have tried many different types...some worked

for my kids, some didn't. I'm not going to tell anyone who suggested

a method that didn't work for my kid(s) that they must be wrong

because every child is different. I have two completely different

ends of the Autism Spectrum right here in my very own house. What

works for one does not necessarily work for the other. If every

child with Autism presented exactly the same way with exactly the

same symptoms, then they might very well respond to exactly the same

treatment. But, we all know that isn't the case. So, keep working

to find what is the right treatment for your particular child.

Off the soapbox before I pop a stitch...

Anyway, Barb, I would agree with what many of the folks on the board

have said in response to your problem. We use the first, then method

too. I can't say my guy is always happy about that, but I can repeat

things just as much as he can! Eventually, he gets it. It may not

be an overnight fix, but not many things are.

Sandee -- I'm starting to get my amalgam fillings replaced too. I

find it interesting that the dentist's office told me that most

insurance plans still only cover the amalgam fillings, which no one

really does anymore. They warned me that I'd likely have to pay

possibly even 50% of the replacement cost! Yikes....

That is a great story about Kiernan and the amusement park! That is

awesome that things worked so well! I'm glad to hear that many parks

are understanding the trouble our kiddos have with waiting. I'm glad

to hear he's made up so much of his regression too!

As for us...well, for those of you who know our saga, we have decided

to jump off the Titanic and into one of the available

lifeboats...we've applied for the Autism Scholarship for our boys.

The fighting with the school became more than too much for me. I

have learned that the system is quite broken....at least for us it

is. Rather than spend the money litigating, I'd rather spend the

money on something that will directly help my children. That's just

my opinion -- that's just how my husband and I feel about it. Bless

all of you who have the fortitude to affect change through the legal

system.

Our ideas on the above issue are colored by our youngest son's

situation. Something was just not right. He had not been himself.

He became intensely agitated all the time, began slapping and banging

his head (even dragging it on the floor at school), and had two

episodes of complete and unexplained exhaustion. We called a

neurologist and she got us in right away after hearing his symptoms.

After a really not fun EEG, he was found to be having seizures. He

seems to be doing a little better now, but he must go for further not

so fun tests. I've already warned the nurse in radiology that he is

extremely frightened and will not want us coming near him with an IV

needle. I suggested full-body armor and/or riot gear (just

kidding...she laughed). He may also have a genetic disorder that is

not helping his situation...so we have to get genetic testing done

too.

With all this going on, I haven't been around much. I might not be

around too much, depending on what happens. I'll still pop in as I

can, and I wish you and your children all the best.

We all want what is best for our children. And what is best for our

children may be different. We are all trying in our own way. I

respect you all for that -- even if our ways are different.

Be kind to each other!

--Suzanne