Everything Works

I'm reading a book that justifies my theory that "everything works when you work for it" with Autism. It's called Overcoming Autism written by the cofounder of the Autism Research Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

She says:

"everything you do will make a difference. There's a lot you can do for your child, more than you may be aware of right now . . . There are no miracles. It would be nice if a nonverbal kid suddenly started talking in sentences, if a self-injurious kid suddenly decided he preferred playing the piano to hitting himself in the head, and if a withdrawn boy suddenly realized that it's fun to play with other kids. Of course, none of that's going to happen.

"The good news, though, is that if you remove "suddenly" from the previous paragraph, it's a completely different story, because we have seen all these things happen. They just didn't happen suddenly or out of the blue - they were the result of hard work."

Now that we've been combining a variety of approaches to Holden, it seems like he's making a lot of progress. Everyone from his teachers to his therapists are really encouraged by the amount of progression he's exhibiting. His task persistence is still low, but it's getting better. His language and sentence structure is getting more complex, he is jabbering less. His temper tantrums are shorter and I'm getting better and figuring out why they're happening and helping him avoid them. And he's interacting socially far more than I've ever seen.

So here's what we're trying right now (in addition to Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, GF/GAPS diet, and my in-home ABA sessions.

Drum Therapy



We listen to Shamanic drumming music every morning and dinner time. Those two times are the typically the hardest times of the day for Holds. Our OT recommended we get drumming music because it's beat is similar to the beat of a heart. And it helps kids with Autism regulate their nervous system. It helps calm them down. We listen to it in the morning as we show him his schedule, make breakfast and get dressed. And then either at dinner time or before bedtime, he likes to hear it again. Drum therapy just basically reduced stress and tension - which is good for all of us.

Picture Schedules



I bought a laminating machine a couple weeks ago and have been a laminating queen. I searched Mr. Google for all the activities and places and things we do throughout the day to help Holden know what his day looks like. He used to have meltdowns every day when I'd try to explain where we were going. People with autism have a hard time with concepts they can't see. This has cut down on tantrums SIGNIFICANTLY. He does so much better when he can see what's coming.

He's such a literal kid that the first time I used our lunch picture, he saw what his actual lunch was and said "no, want this lunch" - it took a few times before he started accepting these were symbolic and the reality doesn't have to be exact. :)

Essential Oils



I never thought I would use essential oils, but I sort of love them right now. I only have a few. We use Cedarwood and Lavender mostly. Lavender is calming and soothing to the nervous system, but also an antisceptic, anti-inflammatory, and bunch of other things, which is why they call it the Mother of all Oils. We put lavender on Holden's pillowcase and rub it on his feet at night or any time I can calm him.



I used Cedarwood on the back of his head on the top of his spine. It's supposed to help open up his limbic system and help his concentration and focus.

Cell Phone Timer



Several therapists recommend a timer for behavior problems. 90% of Holden's tantrums are around transitions. He has a hard time, even with a picture schedule, transitioning from one activity/place to another. I used to count, give him warnings, say he has 5 minutes left, etc. but this method has been the most effective. I tell him how many minutes he can play for, then show him the timer and let him push the start button. So far, it's the best thing ever. I just need to remember to use it!

Holden and his Giant Memory

Like many autistic kids, Holden has a knack of reciting lines from movies and songs. I got a book at the library our SLP recommended called "Polar Bear Polar Bear, What do you Hear?" and it had an audio CD with it. After the first time he listened to it, Holden started reciting it back to me.

He loves reciting it to anybody who will listen. And he even does the part of the book where the narrator says: "want to read along? When you hear this sound (ding) please turn the page." And then starts all the way over. But he's very tired here so he just does it once. But still, it's cute.



He has started to generalize this with other animals and will ask them what they hear (Eg "Dinosaur, dinosaur, what do you here?") and then make up sounds for them, which is very encouraging. In fact, his imagination has been improving a lot. In the pool the other day he said he was a crocodile. Every time he does pretend play it's like a little ray of hope and sunshine.

Our Autism Diet: GAPS and Gluten Free

You might think I eat, breathe and drink autism, based on my posts. I asked Wes if he thinks people will think we're obsessed. He says this blog is a great way to document what's going on and that it is really beneficial for us. Even if nobody else reads it.

I keep getting asked how our GAPS diet is going. Well the truth is, I jumped off the full GAPS wagon weeks ago. And I've been trying to find myself ever since. I left because I lost too much weight on the diet and lost my milk. Fitz was crying every time I nursed and I didn't realize why until I pumped and created next to nothing! So my dear friend told me to go get a shake. Which I did.

So here's what we're doing. We are on a mostly Modified GAPS/Gluten Free/Whole Foods diet. I hate the word diet - it drives me to overdose on Snickers and cookies. There needs to be another word.

The GAPS diet has been amazing for what it is taught us. I like it so much better than the "Autism Diet" which is Gluten Free/Casein Free. Commercially-made gluten free foods are jam packed with starches and weird ingredients like xantham gum and disaccharides. Even homemade ingredients have a lot of sugar and starches. How can that be better than wheat and spelt? And I get that some people really do have allergies to gluten (Celiac disease) but Holden (unlike most autistic people, apparently) has never had any digestive issues. So it's hard to know if he really needs the GAPS diet or even the GFCF diet. Whereas the GAPS diet is amazingly healthful: no sugar, just meat, veggies, fruits, honey, and homemade dairy products.

But sometimes I just need some darn grains. And dessert!

So anyway, here's where we're at: we eat mostly GAPS foods - eggs, meat, vegetables, nuts and nut butter, fruit, honey, and yogurt (I can't figure out lacto-fermented vegetables). Occasionally we eat gluten-free foods/desserts like chicken nuggets, chocolate flourless cake, and pasta. And super duper rarely we might eat sourdough wheat bread, that I have yet to make but keep thinking about.



Here are foods that Holden eats eagerly:
Banana pancakes
Butternut pancakes
Nut butter bread
Sunbutter
Honey
Chicken
Hamburgers (bunless)
Scrambled eggs
Carrots
Juice
Grapes
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Sausage
Bacon
Zucchini bread (GAPS)
Apples
Frozen Yogurt

Foods he eats with some persuasion
Cooked carrots
Zucchini
Squash
Bananas
Green Smoothies
Lettuce
Pot Roast
Pork
Salmon

Foods he still will not touch
Potatoes
Broth
Cabbage
Applesauce
Yogurt