Re: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

[Guest guest]

I would like to thank Marcia too for continuing to write with her emails

of hope. I know there are others (I remember Pat Koulton?) but they get

to move on! I know Marcia's emails have always kept me going. Thank you,

Marcia!!!!

>

>

> Hi Everyone,

> I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I guess

> my twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> almost there- they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email

> because Marcia Hinds is right, you tend to drop off the list or just

> listen because you have been down that road before. Five or Six years

> ago Marcia Hinds recommended and we followed through. Our boys

> were high functioning so while we had our " battles " they certainly

> weren't some of the challenges others faced. We see Dr. and we

> started just as he opened up his office in Texas. Both my twins are

> driving and have the problem solving and critical thinking skills of

> their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals, the other

> still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when to

> change medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> these kids to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids

> do pick up on higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is

> only one piece of the equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to

> work on and make up for lost time. Academically my boys are at peer

> level with honor roll grades, independent work and they will go to

> college to be engineers. They are indistinguishable from their peers

> and people are surprised when the boys tell people they have or " had "

> autism It is a long journey but people on this list will guide you.

> Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a difference in our lives

> Ann MacLaren- Indiana

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ann,

Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with your boys, to

supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

Thanks,

Kristy

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Ann or

Dave MacLaren

Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

Hi Everyone,

I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I guess my

twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one almost there-

they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because Marcia Hinds is

right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you have been

down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds recommended

and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while we had our

" battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others faced. We see

Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in Texas. Both my

twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical thinking skills

of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals, the other

still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when to change

medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for these kids

to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do pick up on

higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one piece of the

equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and make up for lost

time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll grades,

independent work and they will go to college to be engineers. They are

indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when the boys

tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey but people on

this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a

difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

[Guest guest]

Same here! Thanks, Marcia and Ann, for your inspiring stories.

 

All the  best,

 

Robyn

From: Jerri Gann <njgann@...>

Subject: Re: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 2:47 PM

 

I would like to thank Marcia too for continuing to write with her emails

of hope. I know there are others (I remember Pat Koulton?) but they get

to move on! I know Marcia's emails have always kept me going. Thank you,

Marcia!!!!

>

>

> Hi Everyone,

> I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I guess

> my twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> almost there- they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email

> because Marcia Hinds is right, you tend to drop off the list or just

> listen because you have been down that road before. Five or Six years

> ago Marcia Hinds recommended and we followed through. Our boys

> were high functioning so while we had our " battles " they certainly

> weren't some of the challenges others faced. We see Dr. and we

> started just as he opened up his office in Texas. Both my twins are

> driving and have the problem solving and critical thinking skills of

> their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals, the other

> still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when to

> change medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> these kids to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids

> do pick up on higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is

> only one piece of the equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to

> work on and make up for lost time. Academically my boys are at peer

> level with honor roll grades, independent work and they will go to

> college to be engineers. They are indistinguishable from their peers

> and people are surprised when the boys tell people they have or " had "

> autism It is a long journey but people on this list will guide you.

> Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a difference in our lives

> Ann MacLaren- Indiana

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Kristy,

Along with we also had the need for mood Bell for concept imagery

deficits (www.lindamoodbell.com) My boys had comprehension problems and

difficulty writing. They did not see the gestalt or big picture so that was

corrected with about 160 hours of therapy at LMB. We are lucky to have a center

close by. There are other " knock off " centers claiming to do mood Bell

techniques but be careful- stick with an official LMB center. Contact me and we

can talk about all the " watch outs " . If your child has concept imagery deficits

they will not go away on their own (most ADD/ADHD kids on a general 504 who are

struggling learners tend to have these type of deficits). We also found that the

processing time our kids needed did not change much as they got better. I think

that is more inherent in the kid than in autism just like in the normal

population. Some kids work faster than others. Now LMB helped because our kids

weren't struggling learners anymore but once in awhile my boys needed that extra

testing time allowed in their IEP. That is all they have ever really used. Our

biggest question was as the kids got older could they " absorb " all those social

cues because no way could you teach every situation. The good news is " yes "

because they are learning like other kids now. By high school you really want

to try to conquer the academic challenges (we worked every summer to catch up)

because high school really needs to be a coaching time. Coping skills are

developmental and every year that got better but it took parental coaching and

good communication with teachers. As kids get older, rules are not absolute and

flexible thinking is a must. High school is the last opportunity to really work

on those things before the peer population graduates. Flexible thinking is

teaching your kids rules are never black and white anymore. For example,

entering into a hotel exercise room with a sign that says " no one under 18

omitted " is OK if no one is in there and you just want to get a drink of water "

or " the speed limit is 65 but people go 70 even though it is technically

illegal " or " makeup tests can be reschedules if you talk to the teacher even

though the policy in print may say differently. Those are the real skills your

child will need to navigate in the adult world. It is funny how the academic

measuring stick changes and you rather have your kid get an A in street smarts

These skills do come as your child cognitively improves but they also need

the opportunity to learn too. Remember other kids had 12 years to learn what you

are trying to teach your kid in a couple of catch up years. I do recommend one

book. You don't need to read the whole book but it really validates what Marcia

and myself are saying. It is Temple Grandin's Unwritten Rules of Social

Relationships: decoding Social mysteries through autism. It will sensitize you

to what foundations you need to establish now so you can build upon them for

later in life. Thumb through and look at the 10 rules that every autistic child

should know. When those real life situation come up-point them out.We also

worked hard on teaching our kids to ask questions and how to search for

information. Don't miss opportinities for them to pay for things. Show them how

to check the weather, what to pack for a vacation based on the weather forecast.

Problem solve, flexible thinking and planning a head to be prepared. All those

skills become very important later on. They need to carry a wallet, keep track

of it, develop there own routine. Anyway, you get my drift. Hope this helps.

Be patient but don't miss opportunties. All the pieces do come together. Don't

unknowingly enable behavior. Keep pushing, it's not fun but it has its rewards.

My kids were very oral sensitive and used to only eat one or two foods.

Antifungals helped and we worked on constantly introducing new foods because

part of their resistant was also behavior. Dessert buffets are great- don't

start with broccoli:) Now, my boys eat anything. No Milk and ice cream rarely as

a treat. They don't crave these food like they did when they were 3 or 4 years

old. Actually now if they should be tempted by ice cream in the summer, my boys

get gas stomach cramps and diarrhea and that usually deters further temptation

:)One of my boys has no IgA) Hope this provides some insight. I could go on and

on..... Ann

>

> Hi Ann,

>

> Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with your boys, to

> supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

>

> Thanks,

>

> Kristy

>

> From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Ann or

> Dave MacLaren

> Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

>

> Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

>

>

> Hi Everyone,

> I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I guess my

> twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one almost there-

> they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because Marcia Hinds is

> right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you have been

> down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds recommended

> and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while we had our

> " battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others faced. We see

> Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in Texas. Both my

> twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical thinking skills

> of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals, the other

> still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when to change

> medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for these kids

> to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do pick up on

> higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one piece of the

> equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and make up for lost

> time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll grades,

> independent work and they will go to college to be engineers. They are

> indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when the boys

> tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey but people on

> this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a

> difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ann,

Did your insurance cover LMB? Thank you for taking the time to help us!

Thanks,

Argie

On Jul 16, 2009, at 11:21 AM, Ann wrote:

> Hi Kristy,

> Along with we also had the need for mood Bell for concept

> imagery deficits (www.lindamoodbell.com) My boys had comprehension

> problems and difficulty writing. They did not see the gestalt or big

> picture so that was corrected with about 160 hours of therapy at

> LMB. We are lucky to have a center close by. There are other " knock

> off " centers claiming to do mood Bell techniques but be

> careful- stick with an official LMB center. Contact me and we can

> talk about all the " watch outs " . If your child has concept imagery

> deficits they will not go away on their own (most ADD/ADHD kids on a

> general 504 who are struggling learners tend to have these type of

> deficits). We also found that the processing time our kids needed

> did not change much as they got better. I think that is more

> inherent in the kid than in autism just like in the normal

> population. Some kids work faster than others. Now LMB helped

> because our kids weren't struggling learners anymore but once in

> awhile my boys needed that extra testing time allowed in their IEP.

> That is all they have ever really used. Our biggest question was as

> the kids got older could they " absorb " all those social cues because

> no way could you teach every situation. The good news is " yes "

> because they are learning like other kids now. By high school you

> really want to try to conquer the academic challenges (we worked

> every summer to catch up) because high school really needs to be a

> coaching time. Coping skills are developmental and every year that

> got better but it took parental coaching and good communication with

> teachers. As kids get older, rules are not absolute and flexible

> thinking is a must. High school is the last opportunity to really

> work on those things before the peer population graduates. Flexible

> thinking is teaching your kids rules are never black and white

> anymore. For example, entering into a hotel exercise room with a

> sign that says " no one under 18 omitted " is OK if no one is in there

> and you just want to get a drink of water " or " the speed limit is 65

> but people go 70 even though it is technically illegal " or " makeup

> tests can be reschedules if you talk to the teacher even though the

> policy in print may say differently. Those are the real skills your

> child will need to navigate in the adult world. It is funny how the

> academic measuring stick changes and you rather have your kid get an

> A in street smarts These skills do come as your child cognitively

> improves but they also need the opportunity to learn too. Remember

> other kids had 12 years to learn what you are trying to teach your

> kid in a couple of catch up years. I do recommend one book. You

> don't need to read the whole book but it really validates what

> Marcia and myself are saying. It is Temple Grandin's Unwritten Rules

> of Social Relationships: decoding Social mysteries through autism.

> It will sensitize you to what foundations you need to establish now

> so you can build upon them for later in life. Thumb through and look

> at the 10 rules that every autistic child should know. When those

> real life situation come up-point them out.We also worked hard on

> teaching our kids to ask questions and how to search for

> information. Don't miss opportinities for them to pay for things.

> Show them how to check the weather, what to pack for a vacation

> based on the weather forecast. Problem solve, flexible thinking and

> planning a head to be prepared. All those skills become very

> important later on. They need to carry a wallet, keep track of it,

> develop there own routine. Anyway, you get my drift. Hope this helps.

>

> Be patient but don't miss opportunties. All the pieces do come

> together. Don't unknowingly enable behavior. Keep pushing, it's not

> fun but it has its rewards. My kids were very oral sensitive and

> used to only eat one or two foods. Antifungals helped and we worked

> on constantly introducing new foods because part of their resistant

> was also behavior. Dessert buffets are great- don't start with

> broccoli:) Now, my boys eat anything. No Milk and ice cream rarely

> as a treat. They don't crave these food like they did when they were

> 3 or 4 years old. Actually now if they should be tempted by ice

> cream in the summer, my boys get gas stomach cramps and diarrhea and

> that usually deters further temptation :)One of my boys has no IgA)

> Hope this provides some insight. I could go on and on..... Ann

>

>

> >

> > Hi Ann,

> >

> > Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with your

> boys, to

> > supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Kristy

> >

> > From: [mailto: ] On Behalf

> Of Ann or

> > Dave MacLaren

> > Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

> >

> > Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

> >

> >

> > Hi Everyone,

> > I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I

> guess my

> > twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> almost there-

> > they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because

> Marcia Hinds is

> > right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you

> have been

> > down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds

> recommended

> > and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while

> we had our

> > " battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others

> faced. We see

> > Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in

> Texas. Both my

> > twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical

> thinking skills

> > of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals,

> the other

> > still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when

> to change

> > medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> these kids

> > to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do pick

> up on

> > higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one

> piece of the

> > equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and make up

> for lost

> > time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll grades,

> > independent work and they will go to college to be engineers. They

> are

> > indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when

> the boys

> > tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey but

> people on

> > this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a

> > difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

No, insurance did not pay for mood Bell though I thought the Alabama site

had a speech therapist on staff and they might have been able to go through

insurance-don't quote me on that. It is financially expensive but I have to say

it was worth every penny. It was the difference between them academically

succeeding. While it definitely depleted the vacation fund plus some, I took my

vacation everyday after school when I didn't need to help them and they built

the confidence and independence to work on their own. Interestingly my " normal "

ADHD daughter would not have been college bound without the V/V program at

mood Bell. Concept imagery is high risk in the ADHD poulation and it tends

to run in orphanage kids too. I have found that out with the two we adopted

also. My daughter has great work ethic but did terrible in math,nothing stuck,

tried tutoring etc. Interesting her math issues resolved and were more tied to

concept imagery. Now, my autistic boys had no problem in math but had writing

and expression problems. We hit is hard one summer at LMB, did 160 hours/4 hours

a day and it made the world of difference. They were no longer back peddling in

the classroom. Confidence pays a big part too. When they succeed, it shows in so

many other areas.

You can have your child tested at a mood Bell center. It is expensive so

you want your child to be somewhat functional in a classroom. If not, you may

want to opt until they get a little healthier on - it is a balancing act and

only you can make those decisions based on your situation. I am mentioning it in

case you have a center close to you and to file this information for the future.

You will know when the time is right LMB is the only one who tests and can

track your child. LMB won't keep a child if progress is not made. I have had

contact with many centers and they are a good place to start. You can contact

Kendall at the Indianapolis center and she can answers questions too.

She has some children. There may be cheaper places out there but I can say

that LMB is a national researched based organization with quality control of

their process. If you want the best shot- I would recommend them. I have seen

others go to different places but they end up back at LMB because the child

makes more gains and quicker. The whole idea is fill in the deficit quickly and

move on. I never understand how a child could catch up if they were only going

to therapy 1 hour a week for 18 months It is not to say other places don't

make any gains but just like DAN versus , I think gets the child closer

to their full potential. That has been my experience with mood Bell.

I think one day insurance will cover mood Bell because it really is therapy

and not tutoring. It probably won't happen quick enough for your children. I

remember back in 1994 when speech wasn't always covered for autism. I remember

fighting insurance because speech was as a 6 week brain traumatherapy- that's it

> > >

> > > Hi Ann,

> > >

> > > Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with your

> > boys, to

> > > supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

> > >

> > > Thanks,

> > >

> > > Kristy

> > >

> > > From: [mailto: ] On Behalf

> > Of Ann or

> > > Dave MacLaren

> > > Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

> > >

> > > Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

> > >

> > >

> > > Hi Everyone,

> > > I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I

> > guess my

> > > twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> > almost there-

> > > they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because

> > Marcia Hinds is

> > > right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you

> > have been

> > > down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds

> > recommended

> > > and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while

> > we had our

> > > " battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others

> > faced. We see

> > > Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in

> > Texas. Both my

> > > twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical

> > thinking skills

> > > of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals,

> > the other

> > > still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when

> > to change

> > > medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> > these kids

> > > to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do pick

> > up on

> > > higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one

> > piece of the

> > > equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and make up

> > for lost

> > > time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll grades,

> > > independent work and they will go to college to be engineers. They

> > are

> > > indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when

> > the boys

> > > tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey but

> > people on

> > > this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a

> > > difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

I agree regarding LMB. I can't wait until my son is recovered enough to enroll

him. You may want to go onto their website. Sometimes they offer conferences

regarding their programs and I know the one if Pasadena is always holding an

open house. Reviewing some of their materials (which you can also purchase

online) might help you decide how well your child will respond to the therapy.

 

Good luck,

 

Robyn

From: Ann <annmaclaren@...>

Subject: Re: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

Date: Thursday, July 16, 2009, 1:41 PM

 

No, insurance did not pay for mood Bell though I thought the Alabama site

had a speech therapist on staff and they might have been able to go through

insurance-don' t quote me on that. It is financially expensive but I have to say

it was worth every penny. It was the difference between them academically

succeeding. While it definitely depleted the vacation fund plus some, I took my

vacation everyday after school when I didn't need to help them and they built

the confidence and independence to work on their own. Interestingly my " normal "

ADHD daughter would not have been college bound without the V/V program at

mood Bell. Concept imagery is high risk in the ADHD poulation and it tends

to run in orphanage kids too. I have found that out with the two we adopted

also. My daughter has great work ethic but did terrible in math,nothing stuck,

tried tutoring etc. Interesting her math issues resolved and were more tied to

concept imagery. Now, my

autistic boys had no problem in math but had writing and expression problems.

We hit is hard one summer at LMB, did 160 hours/4 hours a day and it made the

world of difference. They were no longer back peddling in the classroom.

Confidence pays a big part too. When they succeed, it shows in so many other

areas.

You can have your child tested at a mood Bell center. It is expensive so

you want your child to be somewhat functional in a classroom. If not, you may

want to opt until they get a little healthier on - it is a balancing act and

only you can make those decisions based on your situation. I am mentioning it in

case you have a center close to you and to file this information for the future.

You will know when the time is right LMB is the only one who tests and can

track your child. LMB won't keep a child if progress is not made. I have had

contact with many centers and they are a good place to start. You can contact

Kendall at the Indianapolis center and she can answers questions too.

She has some children. There may be cheaper places out there but I can say

that LMB is a national researched based organization with quality control of

their process. If you want the best shot- I would recommend them. I have seen

others go to different

places but they end up back at LMB because the child makes more gains and

quicker. The whole idea is fill in the deficit quickly and move on. I never

understand how a child could catch up if they were only going to therapy 1 hour

a week for 18 months It is not to say other places don't make any gains but

just like DAN versus , I think gets the child closer to their full

potential. That has been my experience with mood Bell.

I think one day insurance will cover mood Bell because it really is therapy

and not tutoring. It probably won't happen quick enough for your children. I

remember back in 1994 when speech wasn't always covered for autism. I remember

fighting insurance because speech was as a 6 week brain traumatherapy- that's it

> > >

> > > Hi Ann,

> > >

> > > Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with your

> > boys, to

> > > supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

> > >

> > > Thanks,

> > >

> > > Kristy

> > >

> > > From: groups (DOT) com [mailto:groups (DOT) com] On Behalf

> > Of Ann or

> > > Dave MacLaren

> > > Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

> > > groups (DOT) com

> > > Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

> > >

> > >

> > > Hi Everyone,

> > > I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I

> > guess my

> > > twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> > almost there-

> > > they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because

> > Marcia Hinds is

> > > right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you

> > have been

> > > down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds

> > recommended

> > > and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while

> > we had our

> > > " battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others

> > faced. We see

> > > Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in

> > Texas. Both my

> > > twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical

> > thinking skills

> > > of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals,

> > the other

> > > still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets when

> > to change

> > > medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> > these kids

> > > to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do pick

> > up on

> > > higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one

> > piece of the

> > > equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and make up

> > for lost

> > > time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll grades,

> > > independent work and they will go to college to be engineers. They

> > are

> > > indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when

> > the boys

> > > tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey but

> > people on

> > > this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for making a

> > > difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Thank you Ann, we have a LMB center a couple of blocks away and I'll

call them.

Congratulations!

Argie

On Jul 16, 2009, at 1:41 PM, Ann wrote:

> No, insurance did not pay for mood Bell though I thought the

> Alabama site had a speech therapist on staff and they might have

> been able to go through insurance-don't quote me on that. It is

> financially expensive but I have to say it was worth every penny. It

> was the difference between them academically succeeding. While it

> definitely depleted the vacation fund plus some, I took my vacation

> everyday after school when I didn't need to help them and they built

> the confidence and independence to work on their own. Interestingly

> my " normal " ADHD daughter would not have been college bound without

> the V/V program at mood Bell. Concept imagery is high risk in

> the ADHD poulation and it tends to run in orphanage kids too. I have

> found that out with the two we adopted also. My daughter has great

> work ethic but did terrible in math,nothing stuck, tried tutoring

> etc. Interesting her math issues resolved and were more tied to

> concept imagery. Now, my autistic boys had no problem in math but

> had writing and expression problems. We hit is hard one summer at

> LMB, did 160 hours/4 hours a day and it made the world of

> difference. They were no longer back peddling in the classroom.

> Confidence pays a big part too. When they succeed, it shows in so

> many other areas.

> You can have your child tested at a mood Bell center. It is

> expensive so you want your child to be somewhat functional in a

> classroom. If not, you may want to opt until they get a little

> healthier on - it is a balancing act and only you can make those

> decisions based on your situation. I am mentioning it in case you

> have a center close to you and to file this information for the

> future. You will know when the time is right LMB is the only one

> who tests and can track your child. LMB won't keep a child if

> progress is not made. I have had contact with many centers and they

> are a good place to start. You can contact Kendall at the

> Indianapolis center and she can answers questions too. She has some

> children. There may be cheaper places out there but I can say

> that LMB is a national researched based organization with quality

> control of their process. If you want the best shot- I would

> recommend them. I have seen others go to different places but they

> end up back at LMB because the child makes more gains and quicker.

> The whole idea is fill in the deficit quickly and move on. I never

> understand how a child could catch up if they were only going to

> therapy 1 hour a week for 18 months It is not to say other places

> don't make any gains but just like DAN versus , I think

> gets the child closer to their full potential. That has been my

> experience with mood Bell.

>

> I think one day insurance will cover mood Bell because it

> really is therapy and not tutoring. It probably won't happen quick

> enough for your children. I remember back in 1994 when speech wasn't

> always covered for autism. I remember fighting insurance because

> speech was as a 6 week brain traumatherapy- that's it

>

>

> > > >

> > > > Hi Ann,

> > > >

> > > > Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with

> your

> > > boys, to

> > > > supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

> > > >

> > > > Thanks,

> > > >

> > > > Kristy

> > > >

> > > > From: [mailto: ] On

> Behalf

> > > Of Ann or

> > > > Dave MacLaren

> > > > Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

> > > >

> > > > Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > Hi Everyone,

> > > > I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I

> > > guess my

> > > > twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> > > almost there-

> > > > they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because

> > > Marcia Hinds is

> > > > right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you

> > > have been

> > > > down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds

> > > recommended

> > > > and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while

> > > we had our

> > > > " battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others

> > > faced. We see

> > > > Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in

> > > Texas. Both my

> > > > twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical

> > > thinking skills

> > > > of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals,

> > > the other

> > > > still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets

> when

> > > to change

> > > > medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> > > these kids

> > > > to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do

> pick

> > > up on

> > > > higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one

> > > piece of the

> > > > equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and

> make up

> > > for lost

> > > > time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll

> grades,

> > > > independent work and they will go to college to be engineers.

> They

> > > are

> > > > indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when

> > > the boys

> > > > tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey

> but

> > > people on

> > > > this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for

> making a

> > > > difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

This is a mom of 13 years old aspergers/adhd/OCD. We are moving from

sdale,AZ  to Bentonville, Arkansas and I would like to start with

after knowing all your results.

Guadalupe and  

________________________________

From: Argie Olivo <golivo@...>

Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 5:00:36 PM

Subject: Re: Re: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

 

Thank you Ann, we have a LMB center a couple of blocks away and I'll

call them.

Congratulations!

Argie

On Jul 16, 2009, at 1:41 PM, Ann wrote:

> No, insurance did not pay for mood Bell though I thought the

> Alabama site had a speech therapist on staff and they might have

> been able to go through insurance-don' t quote me on that. It is

> financially expensive but I have to say it was worth every penny. It

> was the difference between them academically succeeding. While it

> definitely depleted the vacation fund plus some, I took my vacation

> everyday after school when I didn't need to help them and they built

> the confidence and independence to work on their own. Interestingly

> my " normal " ADHD daughter would not have been college bound without

> the V/V program at mood Bell. Concept imagery is high risk in

> the ADHD poulation and it tends to run in orphanage kids too. I have

> found that out with the two we adopted also. My daughter has great

> work ethic but did terrible in math,nothing stuck, tried tutoring

> etc. Interesting her math issues resolved and were more tied to

> concept imagery. Now, my autistic boys had no problem in math but

> had writing and expression problems. We hit is hard one summer at

> LMB, did 160 hours/4 hours a day and it made the world of

> difference. They were no longer back peddling in the classroom.

> Confidence pays a big part too. When they succeed, it shows in so

> many other areas.

> You can have your child tested at a mood Bell center. It is

> expensive so you want your child to be somewhat functional in a

> classroom. If not, you may want to opt until they get a little

> healthier on - it is a balancing act and only you can make those

> decisions based on your situation. I am mentioning it in case you

> have a center close to you and to file this information for the

> future. You will know when the time is right LMB is the only one

> who tests and can track your child. LMB won't keep a child if

> progress is not made. I have had contact with many centers and they

> are a good place to start. You can contact Kendall at the

> Indianapolis center and she can answers questions too. She has some

> children. There may be cheaper places out there but I can say

> that LMB is a national researched based organization with quality

> control of their process. If you want the best shot- I would

> recommend them. I have seen others go to different places but they

> end up back at LMB because the child makes more gains and quicker.

> The whole idea is fill in the deficit quickly and move on. I never

> understand how a child could catch up if they were only going to

> therapy 1 hour a week for 18 months It is not to say other places

> don't make any gains but just like DAN versus , I think

> gets the child closer to their full potential. That has been my

> experience with mood Bell.

>

> I think one day insurance will cover mood Bell because it

> really is therapy and not tutoring. It probably won't happen quick

> enough for your children. I remember back in 1994 when speech wasn't

> always covered for autism. I remember fighting insurance because

> speech was as a 6 week brain traumatherapy- that's it

>

>

> > > >

> > > > Hi Ann,

> > > >

> > > > Thanks for sharing! What other interventions did you do with

> your

> > > boys, to

> > > > supplement the protocol? Did you do speech, OT, etc>

> > > >

> > > > Thanks,

> > > >

> > > > Kristy

> > > >

> > > > From: groups (DOT) com [mailto:groups (DOT) com] On

> Behalf

> > > Of Ann or

> > > > Dave MacLaren

> > > > Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:32 PM

> > > > groups (DOT) com

> > > > Subject: Recovery- Hi Marcia Hinds!

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > Hi Everyone,

> > > > I felt to compelled to email, it has been a couple of years:) I

> > > guess my

> > > > twin boys would be in the category of one " recovered " and one

> > > almost there-

> > > > they are entering 10th grade. I don't normally email because

> > > Marcia Hinds is

> > > > right, you tend to drop off the list or just listen because you

> > > have been

> > > > down that road before. Five or Six years ago Marcia Hinds

> > > recommended

> > > > and we followed through. Our boys were high functioning so while

> > > we had our

> > > > " battles " they certainly weren't some of the challenges others

> > > faced. We see

> > > > Dr. and we started just as he opened up his office in

> > > Texas. Both my

> > > > twins are driving and have the problem solving and critical

> > > thinking skills

> > > > of their age group. One twin doesn't need to be on antifungals,

> > > the other

> > > > still has yeast issues and I can tell from how tired he gets

> when

> > > to change

> > > > medicine. Marcia's last post was right on, it takes a while for

> > > these kids

> > > > to improve but slow and steady wins the race These kids do

> pick

> > > up on

> > > > higher cognitive thinking but medical intervention is only one

> > > piece of the

> > > > equation. You still have gaps and behaviors to work on and

> make up

> > > for lost

> > > > time. Academically my boys are at peer level with honor roll

> grades,

> > > > independent work and they will go to college to be engineers.

> They

> > > are

> > > > indistinguishable from their peers and people are surprised when

> > > the boys

> > > > tell people they have or " had " autism It is a long journey

> but

> > > people on

> > > > this list will guide you. Stick with it. Marcia, thanks for

> making a

> > > > difference in our lives Ann MacLaren- Indiana

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

Ann,

Thanks for posting all the great ideas that will help others catch up after

the resolving some of the medical issues so our kids can learn. For those

of you who can't afford mood Bell for concept imagery deficits there is

more than one way to skin a cat. We never did this program and reading

comprehension and other abstract concepts were a problem for a long time.

Use what they love to teach them. Mine loved computers and workbooks.

(Very predictable!!!) We kept working at it and the deficits eventually

corrected over time. Reading is very developmental. For my son it was

sixth grade when I first noticed he was getting it. He had just started

middle school and I was scared to death that I could no longer control what

happened in the classroom. Now he had six teachers and we had just closed

his IEP file, but he really wasn't done.

He had a reading homework assignment and I said let's read it together

silently. I am a fast reader and he finished way before I did and I said

you didn't really read that. He said, " Yes, I did. " When I quizzed him

about what he read he had it. He even the answered my questions that

weren't just retrieval but needed inferences. That was the last time I

helped him with reading assignments, although he still wasn't there when it

came to writing. That continued through most of high school. They are late

talkers so the reading and writing take time. Now he can write much better

than I. He uses words I have no idea what they mean. But Ann is right

about it sometimes taking him a little longer in certain areas. He still

takes a long time to start a writing assignment. Once he figures out his

start he does great. But he still lacks confidence in writing because it

used to be so hard for him.

However all that time I thought was wasted reading unimportant stuff on the

internet made him read faster than anyone I know. When I was young and in

school a lifetime ago, I used to be the last one done in school also but I

was always the one who got the assignment correct.

Although I wish I had known about mood Bell and could have used it, I

didn't and still got it done. I have heard this program is amazing if your

child is ready for it developmentally. It is my understanding that it will

not be as effective unless your child is at a certain level. It is kind of

like when Dr G. tells us to enroll our kids in Karate, a very important

step but doesn't work until you teach them how to attend and be in a class

with others. They have to be ready for it.

But I definitely want to read Temple Grandin's Unwritten Rules of Social

Relationships: decoding Social mysteries through autism. Thanks, Ann.

Marcia