Kiki had a secret that she wanted to share with us!

[Guest guest]

Dear SCD pals at Pecan Bread, Kiki has demonstrated a hidden gift!

I am so happy and honored that I can share this with you. Carla her

speech therapist, started working with her with the cards that she

used to STIM with. I had a suspicion that she possibly could " read "

them. But did not know and to be honest doubted this.

She started stimming with these cards at 15 months old. At the time

I didn't know she was ASD or that this was " stimming " . We just

thought she had malabsorption related to celiac disease. I thought

that the behavior was very disturbing to watch though. It was so

odd for a child of her age to preoccupy herself for close to an hour

in this fashion. When we would try to interrupt her she would throw

a fit and a horrible tantrum! When we learned that she was autistic

I was in shock and I just cried.

No body was allowed to touch her or interfere with what she was

doing this behavior. She would sort and organize. It appeared to

be mindless. Some of the cards would even be up side down and side

ways. Yet she did not care. It did not bother her that they where

upside down. And she did not want corrected. What did we know!

Yesterday she proved to us that she knew most of the cards by their

written words! The cards have a picture on one side with the word,

and just the word on the other side. By just looking at the

word " key " or " apple " etc....she could pick the right card with no

picture! About 90% of the time in a deck of 95 words! The only

reason that we tried this experiment was to see if she learned

anything all those obsessive hours she spent stimming with those

cards. I stupidly assumed that she had not learned much.

All of us where amazed at what we discovered. She was pleased as

pie and very relieved! It was as if she wanted to say: " my God it

took you long enough to figure this out! " She was overwhelmed with

joy and excitement. Her face just glowed with pride for one of the

first times in her life. I wanted to cry. I received one of the

most heart felt hugs she has ever given me!

My husband and I are still rather speechless over the entire thing.

I truly don't know what direction to go now with her. Buying more

cards that is for certain! Her therapist has never worked with a

child with autism and hyperplexia and is going to learn more too.

She is so happy and so are we. Prior to SCD she couldn't

have " shown off her gift " . She would have froze in to place and

would not have been able to perform. She could have not organized

her thoughts to be " tested " prior to SCDiet TM, just five short

months ago. Let alone even participate with a therapist quizzing

her! All of this is new for her and us. We still would not know

her secret. It would still be hidden inside her. I thank Elaine

every day of my life. Thanks to her so many good things have

happened for our daughter! I will forever wish I could have met

that lady and thank her in person!

I am so happy today, yet the tears don't stop falling. I truly am

relieved to know that she is truly intelligent inside that brain of

hers. We have feared permanent damage. I now know that although

she is struggling to learn to speak spoken words, she is obviously

highly intelligent to teach herself how to read at the age of 27

months old!

Kiki and God truly knows how long she has been able to do this!

Possibly for over a year now! I am so glad to know my autistic

daughter's secret. Now we can help her better. Autism is so

mysterious, everyone who knows our daughter has learned a very

valuable lesson about their abilities. I know I have. I thought

that you would want to know too. I am honored to share with you!

Sincerely, with hugs and love, Antoinette (celiac) and family of

five SCD 2/06 Kiki-celiac/asd/pdd