New member with questions

Posted August 23, 2004 · August 23, 2004

Hi Pattie,

Welcome to our group.

>>>>I've been reading the posts frequently and have gone through the

files. I started the diet and am adhering to it strictly, except that

I am still eating organic plain yogurt.

===>Well done for starting the diet Pattie. As Robin mentioned it

would be better to make your own yogurt if you are having commercial

made. Commercial yogurt lacks proper fats (the higher the fat

content the lower the lactose/sugars), often does not contain proper

bacterial cultures and is much higher in lactose because they do not

culture it long enough.

>>>>I am also in the process of weaning off coffee. I refuse to do

this cold turkey because I have tried it before and got skull

shattering migraines.

===>I hear ya. I went off coffee recently but I weaned myself

gradually. But the weekend I stopped I got a horrible migraine for

about 18 hours - thank goodness it was the weekend. I just prayed it

wouldn't last long, which it didn't. Like Zack suggested maybe having

pau d'arco tea would help you wean - it helped me a lot.

>>>>I'm how quickly die off might begin to occur, because other than

the vaginal itching, (which was not impacted at all by any of the

> suggestions I received) and two itchy spots on my arm, I feel great!

===>Like Robin says you might not have die-off symptoms on the diet

and that's a good thing. You could probably start on the antifungals

and probiotics sooner than others.

> The VYI seems to be calming down, but the outside skin is still

very itchy.

For your itching have you tried coconut oil applied directly? It is

an antifungal too and very soothing. It is important to alternate

antifungal treatment with probiotic treatment for vaginal yeast. You

could also make antifungal and probiotic creams by mixing powders in

pure cold cream and applying them directly. Also try epsom salts

baths.

>>>>Also, is there any problem with using a topical benydryl to

control itching?

===>It is better to try a more natural treatment first. Use benydryl

only for emergencies like when you are attending an important

function.

Bee

Posted August 25, 2004 · August 25, 2004

Hi and welcome to the group!!!

Isn't it amazing how many hoops we sometimes have to go through to

get a correct diagnosis? ~hugs~ Repeat after me… " Not all

Psychologists are created equally… nor do they all understand

Aspergers! " At least you did get the school to do evaluations over

the summer and now are in a position to get appropriate care!

On my son's team (which changes from year to year) I have every

professional that is currently working with my son. That has included

his OT therapist, his PT therapist, the facilitator of his social

skills group, his counselor, the psychologist, the school

professionals working with him, as well as any extracurricular

leaders that have an interest in his educational wellbeing. Many

volunteered or were more than happy to be involved. Those that

couldn't attend a meeting wrote letters containing their observations

and concerns, which were then taken into account during the meetings.

Congratulations to a good start to the year!!! Often the starts

and " newness " is the hardest time for our kiddos, so perhaps he will

have an excellent year!!! ~hugs~

Tyler has had a lot of help with social skills and pragmatics. Though

he isn't quite " up there with the NTs " , he can hold his own now. Kids

3-5 years younger than he is adore him, looking up to him, and often

feel he understands them better than the adults and peers surrounding

them. (great improvement!) Though he is a bit behind, he is advancing

and eventually (probably as an adult) will catch up to his peer

group. Tyler was in a social skills group twice a week for three

years. He also had training 4 days a week on boundaries and

respectful behavior through martial arts training with an instructor

who had a degree in not only martial arts but also in child

psychology (and understands AS very well!!!) This training went on

for almost four years. Currently, he is on break from both, but has

learned to take social cues from the adults around him (we have

definite signals we can give him that other kids don't seem to pick

up on) and he is able to be involved in a wide variety of activities

independently… It is my hope that eventually, he won't need the cues

from the adults, but can then take the more subtle cues from his

peers as well…

As far as elastic waist pants… No worries!!! ~grins~ If he is still

needing them when he gets that big, you buy the inseam to fit and the

waist about 4 inches too big. Then you take your sewing machine and

insert your own elastic into the back. With long shirts being the

ongoing thing for high schoolers, no one will be any the wiser that

he has an expandable waistband!!! I have had to do this for kids

before and have wondered if it wouldn't be more comfortable for me (I

don't really like the look of elastic, but it sure seems like it

would be more comfortable!!!)

Good luck, and again… WELCOME!!!

~hugs~

Rabecca

Posted August 25, 2004 · August 25, 2004

> Thanks for your response Rabecca!

,

I'm at the same point as you so I also appreciate Rabecca's

response! My son is 5 and starting kindergarten soon. I'm

worried. He's extremely smart ... I was thinking as were many of

my friends that perphaps he is gifted. I think he's just really

bright and because he can concentrate and focus so well and has an

obsession with numbers and letters, he can appear gifted. He's

certainliy my little gift though! <big grin>

I picked him up at school yesterday and he was all alone in the

sandbox while ALL the other kids were playing together. They were

all kind of loud and running around playing tag so I think he just

couldn't handle it. It took him 5 minutes to acknowledge me ... all

the other kids were going over to him saying " your mommy is

here! " over and over and he just walked in circles looking at the

ground. Breaks my heart but I guess I'm lucky that he's not like

that always. The rest of the evening alone with me and my 2.5 year

old he was engaging and " normal " ... hate to say that since it

appears I think he's not! He's a darling and I'm actually quite

fascinated by his thought process ... I just see a desperate need to

get him some socialization help ... fortunately my cousin works with

autistic kids and she's coming over tomorrow night to give me her

opinion and hopefully some techniques to use at home to give him a

headstart. I'll share whatever I learn with ya!

We don't have an official diagnosis yet ... we meet with a

neurologist September 7. Sounds like AS thought doesn't it?

Kathy

Posted August 25, 2004 · August 25, 2004

Hi Kathy,

If possible, you might visit your son at school during recess. When my son

was in kindergarten, parents volunteered in the class. i would always stay

through recess and help my son socially on the playground. When the other

kids at their snack, i would have my son sit with the group. If another kid

had a character snack, my son liked I would point it out and saymy son likes

Scooby Doo, too. And ask my son to say something about it. Which he would

withmy promopting. If other kids said Hi to him, i would point it out to him

and suggest that he say hi back. When the kids went to play, I would walk my

son other there and have him join in. Still staying with the kids to help

him with conversation. The other kids get to know me and they talk more to

my son than they otherwise would. I continued to do this through 1st grade.

He is doing well now without me. He'll be starting third grade in two weeks.

i think this might help your son socially if you are able to go to his

school during those social time. Hope this helps.

Angels

>From: " alexosmommy " <kshear@...>

>Reply-Autism and Aspergers Treatment

>Autism and Aspergers Treatment

>Subject: Re: " New " member with questions

>Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 16:54:24 -0000

>

> > Thanks for your response Rabecca!

>

>,

>

>I'm at the same point as you so I also appreciate Rabecca's

>response! My son is 5 and starting kindergarten soon. I'm

>worried. He's extremely smart ... I was thinking as were many of

>my friends that perphaps he is gifted. I think he's just really

>bright and because he can concentrate and focus so well and has an

>obsession with numbers and letters, he can appear gifted. He's

>certainliy my little gift though! <big grin>

>

>I picked him up at school yesterday and he was all alone in the

>sandbox while ALL the other kids were playing together. They were

>all kind of loud and running around playing tag so I think he just

>couldn't handle it. It took him 5 minutes to acknowledge me ... all

>the other kids were going over to him saying " your mommy is

>here! " over and over and he just walked in circles looking at the

>ground. Breaks my heart but I guess I'm lucky that he's not like

>that always. The rest of the evening alone with me and my 2.5 year

>old he was engaging and " normal " ... hate to say that since it

>appears I think he's not! He's a darling and I'm actually quite

>fascinated by his thought process ... I just see a desperate need to

>get him some socialization help ... fortunately my cousin works with

>autistic kids and she's coming over tomorrow night to give me her

>opinion and hopefully some techniques to use at home to give him a

>headstart. I'll share whatever I learn with ya!

>

>We don't have an official diagnosis yet ... we meet with a

>neurologist September 7. Sounds like AS thought doesn't it?

>

>Kathy

>

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Posted August 25, 2004 · August 25, 2004

wrote:

> My questions for you today are:

> 1. What team of professionals do you guys have for your AS children?

> And what do each of them do specifically? I have read about

> developmental pediatricians and DAN doctors on the autism list serve I

> also joined, but I can't figure out if they relate to an asperger kid.

> 2. What have you all done in the way of teaching your AS kids social

> skills and pragmatics? My son's biggest issue is out of control

> behavior with kids and adults in the school and daycare setting. I long

> ago resigned myself to the fact that he would only wear plain t-shirts

> and elastic waist pants (though I am wondering how we will clothe him as

> he gets to be a teenager!!).

> Thanks, I am sure I will have more questions later.

When Louie was in school (and for a while thereafter), he had an OT, a

PT and an ST. His Physical Therapist helped him with his body sense,

especially the sense of his body in space. The Occupational Therapist

worked with him on manual skills, coloring, artistic expression, holding

the pencil/pen/crayon in other than a primitive manner, things like

that. The Speech Therapist helped him not only with enunciation and

prosody, but also they did social stories to help him in various social

interaction situations. You can find out about social stories online,

BTW. That person also worked with his teacher (one of them, anyway( and

then later alone on an course of Conversational English that did wonders

for his ability to identify and understand idioms and like that. He

also had a 1X1 aide since he tended to elope and to also melt down in

heavy sensory input situations (like lunch).

I'd recommend all three starting out, until you know just where you and

your son stand.

Annie, who loves ya annie@...

--

People are lucky and unlucky not according to what they get absolutely,

but according to the ratio between what they get and what they have been

led to expect. ~

Posted August 26, 2004 · August 26, 2004

,

Tyler had PT to address his muscle problems. It seems, when he was a

baby, he had very poor muscle tone. When he began to move, he didn't

use all muscle evenly. Some developed and were overused due to being

used for functions they were not intended for while others didn't

develop and were sitting there basically useless. They strengthened

his weak muscles and taught him how to move to better utilize all

muscle groups rather than depending upon only a couple.

The social skills group was actually organized by a psychologist who

had noticed an extremely high population of kiddos on the spectrum at

Tyler's grade school. It was run as an " extended curriculum " for

those that needed it so that they were not pulled out of class time

to participate. Instead, they met after lunch, when most of the kids

usually hid from bullies or isolated themselves due to the over

stimulation on the playground. The kids treated it as a refuge and

none would miss it for the world after the first month (Tyler never

wanted to be sick for fear of missing)!!!

Tyler turns 14 next month. I was actually led to the program not only

by his school counselor but also by his OT. We went in and talked

extensively without Tyler before giving it a try. We initially signed

him up for 3 months. When he made such tremendous leaps forward, the

OT suggested we sign him up for the 3 year program. We did, and he

took a bit longer to complete it than some, but complete it he did

(and so proud we are!!!) I will privately send you a note I wrote

earlier this year that really tells about what we have done, how far

he has come, and what made the most differences for us… It is several

months old, so probably isn't complete any more, but it is the most

comprehensive letter I have probably written!!!

~hugs~

Rabecca

Posted August 26, 2004 · August 26, 2004

Kathy,

Doesn't it just break your heart to want him to fit in so badly and

for his thought processes and instincts being so contradictory??? I

loved and still love listening to Tyler's thought process... and he

does WONDERFULLY well with younger children as well as one on one.

Yet, in groups, he just doesn't have the " social skills " even yet at

almost 14, and that is with lots of intervention. Yet, now that I

have Tyler as a Teen and am seeing what other parents are going

through, I think I will take my ASPIE and thank my lucky stars!!!

Though he has trouble with subtle social cues or picking up on

multiple cues or with massive stimulation... he is very bright,

happy, fairly well adjusted, and now is back on an even keel

emotionally!!! (he had trouble for the first time earlier this

summer, which has now been helped with meds)

Enjoy your son and his uniqueness... You will find his self esteem

really flurishes with it and that you will have less problems than

you would otherwise!!!

~hugs~

Rabecca

Posted September 1, 2004 · September 1, 2004

Hi,

I read your message and was wondering if you would mind emailing me the letter you wrote that tells of the things you have done and what has worked for you. I have a ten yr. old son. He has come a long way with just my efforts, but I am having major difficulities with his school because of his different needs and there are a few other areas I would like to address with his reactions, behaviors etc. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated.

Judy

----Original Message Follows---- From: "rabecca_whalen" <rabeccawhalen@...> Reply-Autism and Aspergers Treatment Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: "New" member with questions Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 03:52:43 -0000