Fw: Tough challenges in raising children with disabilities

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From: Newsletter: US Autism & Asperger Association <newsletter@...>Subject: Tough challenges in raising children with disabilitiesegerpatt@...Date: Sunday, May 9, 2010, 7:33 PM

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US Autism & Asperger Association

May 9, 2010

Welcome to USAAA Weekly News, an email newsletter that addresses a range of topics on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger's Syndrome.

Headlines:

— These moms know true love

— Women's Health at Every Age

—Reconnect with your kitchen

— USAAA World Conference and Expo Special Offer!

— Shop Our Partners Now

These moms know true loveMothers face tough challenges in raising children with disabilities, but there are rewards in the role.By Sandy Banks, Los Angeles Times

Deedra doesn't need breakfast in bed or a spa massage to celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow.

"Tears spilled down Gosnell's cheeks as she shared the story. 'Her progress has been so astounding in the last seven months, and everybody agrees it's because I'm home working with her. . . . I've learned about patience and love and how to give myself to someone else.'

She received her gift last weekend at a quiet Montecito retreat from 15 women who, like her, are mothers of children with disabilities. They hiked eucalyptus-shaded hills, listened to music and made collages with pictures cut from magazines. They talked for hours about the challenges of mothering children who may never be able to walk or speak, to go off to college or get married. And everyone knew better than to interrupt, criticize or offer advice.

"I never wanted to be different," said Eileen Sunderland, whose 7-year-old son has autism. "I wanted to fit in. . . . But you can't go to lunch with all the moms at preschool. You can't meet them in the park, because you always have a therapy appointment or a doctor visit to get to."

"No one tried to fix it here," explained , a mother of two sons -- a "developmentally typical" 7-year-old, and a 14-month-old whose newborn jaundice left him with brain damage, hearing loss and cerebral palsy. "We can relate to what each one is going through because we're all in the same boat," said as we sat at table at La Casa de Retreat with four other mothers. "What I took away from this weekend," said, "is acceptance." And what I took away was a new appreciation for the unconditional mother-love that many of us give lip service to, as we continually push our children to improve themselves, carrying around our mental check-list of all their shortcomings. Click here for more information on These moms know true love.

Quote of the week - "Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at de sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground." —Zora Neale Hurston

Women's Health at Every Age

By Sherrill Sellman, NDBetter Nutrition

AN ANCIENT ADAGE from Chinese medicine says, "A doctor would rather treat 10 men than one woman." In a way, this validates what women have always known—that we are indeed intricate creatures. At the heart of our complexity are hormones, their ebb and flow influencing all aspects of physical, emotional and mental well-being. When a woman's hormones are in balance, she feels healthy, energized and vital. She is also far less likely to experience symptoms during her menstrual cycle or as she transitions through menopause.

As we learn to listen to our bodies and adjust to the many changes experienced with each decade, we can gracefully dance through our transitions, savoring the gifts and wisdoms garnered from our journey through time.

Unfortunately, all it takes is one alteration to this perfectly orchestrated process for hormone havoc to ensue, transforming a reasonable woman into a screaming banshee (sound familiar?). Our modern lifestyles do not help either, and in fact have had a somewhat disastrous effect on hormonal balance. For example, stress, nutritional deficiencies, hormones in meat and poultry, estrogen-mimicking chemicals in our environment and the widespread use of birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), have contributed to some of the highest estrogen levels ever measured, according to researchers.

Click here for more information on Women's Health at Every Age.

Reconnect with your kitchen

by Lemer, MEd, NCC USAAA Advisory Board Serve a varied menu of organic and home-cooked food. Reconnect with your kitchen. Buy cookbooks; taking a cooking class; download gluten-, dairy- and sugar-free alternatives from www.AutismNDI.com, www.pecanbread.com, www.gfcfdiet.com. Good quality "fast" food is available online, by mail order, and at local super markets. Avoid packaged, processed empty calories, the Golden Arches, pizza and pasta. Steam nutrient dense vegetables. Serve with the ancient gluten-free grains millet, quinoa and amaranth.

Make soup. Crack young green coconuts and make natural probiotics with the water and immature meat (www.bodyecology.com). — S. Lemer, MEd, NCC

"ENVISIONING A BRIGHT FUTURE: Interventions that Work for Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders," by Lemer

Click here to buy Envisioning A Bright Future.

Ms. Lemer is co-founder and the Executive Director of Developmental Delay Resources (DDR), an international, non-profit organization integrating conventional and holistic therapies for children with developmental delays. Here is a Mother's Day gift from USAAA: Click here to read "Prioritizing Therapies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders," that was presented by Ms. Lemer at recent USAAA conferences.

USAAA World Conference and Expo Special Offer!

Three world-renowned autism experts, Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Martha Herbert, and Dr. Shore will provide keynote addresses at the USAAA 5th Annual World Conference October 1-3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri.

US Autism & Asperger Association's unprecedented new conference format will be introduced at the USAAA annual conference. The new design will feature nine panel workshops in non-concurrent sessions in addition to the keynote addresses. Some of the world's most renowned autism and Asperger experts will present new interventions and new research in both education and medicine.

Click here for more information on USAAA World Conference and Expo Special Offer!

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US Autism & Asperger Association 2010 World Conference & ExpoOctober 1-3, St. Louis, Missouri

The 2010 US Autism & Asperger Association Fifth Annual Conference will be held October 1-3, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. Featured speakers include Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Martha Herbert, and Dr. Shore.

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