This week has been really bad for tantrums.
Saturday: big one before bed time. Why? He was having too much fun with grandparents and didn't want to stop.
Sunday: big one before church. Why? Dunno! Two more throughout the day - can't remember why.
Monday: At least one. Can't remember why!
Tuesday: huge wobbly at the Early Intervention Unit. Again, he was having too much fun and didn't want to leave. It was very embarrassing to have the school principal come outside to find what all the noise was about! Two more during the day as well.
Today: two so far. Daddy went out before school, so Bright Eyes had to accompany us to drop off big sister. He didn't want to, and ran away and screamed. I had to carry him part of the way.
Our 'activity' for the morning was going to post letters two blocks away. First he wouldn't leave the house, so I picked him up protesting and plonked him on the steps. Then I held him tight on my lap to calm him down.
By the time he was ready to walk (20 mins later), one shoe had been kicked off and there was no way it was going to go back on again. I decided a shoe was an unnecessary luxury and we walked anyhow - him with one shoe on, one shoe off! We got there posted our three letters and headed back, but before we crossed the street to our house, he decided he wanted to walk to the video shop and chucked another tantie. Thankfully Daddy was home and could give me a hand getting him into the house, where he took another 20 mins to calm down again.
This is like the bad old days. What is going on?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
School?
We dropped in to the Early Intervention Unit yesterday in Moss Vale. It's a service that provides intensive support to children with delays in various areas. It's kind of like preschool, but in miniature, with two staff to only eight children.
We're trying to work out what Bright Eyes is going to do next year and especially in terms of preparing for school in 2009.
The Early Intervention Unit looks great (and it's free!) but I have a feeling that Bright Eyes time would be better spent focusing on RDI.
I found the quote below from Dr Gutstein in this week's RDI newsletter:
"By having school take up all the the child's emotional and attentional resources we leave nothing for the most critical objective.
What we know is that unless we directly address the core areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the prognosis for quality of life is very poor.
Imagine if we were talking about cancer and someone said they were so busy with homework they had no time for chemotherapy."
We've got some decisions to make!
We're trying to work out what Bright Eyes is going to do next year and especially in terms of preparing for school in 2009.
The Early Intervention Unit looks great (and it's free!) but I have a feeling that Bright Eyes time would be better spent focusing on RDI.
I found the quote below from Dr Gutstein in this week's RDI newsletter:
"By having school take up all the the child's emotional and attentional resources we leave nothing for the most critical objective.
What we know is that unless we directly address the core areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the prognosis for quality of life is very poor.
Imagine if we were talking about cancer and someone said they were so busy with homework they had no time for chemotherapy."
We've got some decisions to make!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sausages
There was a bright side to the difficult tantrum day. And that is that Bright Eyes ate about two bites of chicken sausage at dinner time.
I found a supplier of sausages that have nothing but organic meat, filtered water and almond meal in them. The butcher makes them for his autistic child and sells them to others who need them. As sausages are usually full of preservatives and often gluten, this is a great option for parents.
I ordered a tray of beef, chicken and lamb sausages last week. Unfortunately Bright Eyes rejected the beef ones straight up when I gave them to him the other day. Today I tried chicken though, mixed in with his regular sausages. He ate one bit and spat it out, but I removed it calmly and encouraged him to keep eating.
When I took his plate, I noticed that only four bits out of about eight were left of the chicken ones. So he did eat some!!!!
I think I might dance around for joy.
I found a supplier of sausages that have nothing but organic meat, filtered water and almond meal in them. The butcher makes them for his autistic child and sells them to others who need them. As sausages are usually full of preservatives and often gluten, this is a great option for parents.
I ordered a tray of beef, chicken and lamb sausages last week. Unfortunately Bright Eyes rejected the beef ones straight up when I gave them to him the other day. Today I tried chicken though, mixed in with his regular sausages. He ate one bit and spat it out, but I removed it calmly and encouraged him to keep eating.
When I took his plate, I noticed that only four bits out of about eight were left of the chicken ones. So he did eat some!!!!
I think I might dance around for joy.
A few forward, a few back
For every number of positive posts, there has to be a negative one, and today's is about tantrums.
For the last week, Bright Eyes has been refusing to go with me out of the house to anywhere except for preschool.
For the most part I have been able to get around this because my husband mostly works from home (he's a church minister) and I can leave him there if I have to.
However, this morning was Sunday and Daddy was already at church when Bright Eyes decided that there was NO WAY he was leaving the house or putting on his shoes, or changing his pull-up, or brushing his teeth, or or or.... you name it.
My options were:
1. Give in. But that's not really an option. We all go to church. It's pretty much a non-negotiable in our house. Besides, it's not fair to deprive Big Sister of her time with friends at Kids church. Bright Eyes had to go.
2. Ring for help. Not really an option either. Daddy was busy organising for the service and no-one else except me can handle Bright Eyes. Someone else could have taken the other children and I could have stayed with Bright Eyes, but that's not really an option either - see no. 1 above.
3. Wait until he calms down and then go. Possible, but see no. 4 below.
4. Take him and count on him calming down once we're there and settling right in.
I decided No. 4 was the best option. I knew that it could take up to half an hour to calm him, either here or there, but I knew that if I tried to move him again having calmed him here, he could very easily explode again, so calming there was the better option.
So, with deep breaths, and not a few swear words going in my head (sorry everyone) I organised the other two children, packed the bags and the snacks, and loaded the car with everything, having decided that our usual walk would be impossible.
I then walked calmly into husband's office, confronted screaming boy, picked him up kicking and squirming, carried him out of the house and plopped him in the car.
The next dilemma was the seatbelt. He wouldn't put it on. I'm not going to tell you what I did because it was illegal, but it was the best of many bad options. Needless to say, I was very slow and very careful, and we all arrived there ok.
Once there, I pulled right up next to the door of the church and let Big Sister out. Then we just sat and waited. After about 10 minutes of screaming, he let me cuddle him. Then it took another 10 minutes of huffing and puffing to talk about putting shoes on and then another 5 minutes to think up creative ways to get out the door of the car without it seeming like we were getting out of the car.
Once out, everything was fine. He had a lovely time at church and was fine, until... the next tantrum in lab time... and the next one before bath....
What is going on? I feel terrified that I've done something bad or wrong and he's going backwards again!
For the last week, Bright Eyes has been refusing to go with me out of the house to anywhere except for preschool.
For the most part I have been able to get around this because my husband mostly works from home (he's a church minister) and I can leave him there if I have to.
However, this morning was Sunday and Daddy was already at church when Bright Eyes decided that there was NO WAY he was leaving the house or putting on his shoes, or changing his pull-up, or brushing his teeth, or or or.... you name it.
My options were:
1. Give in. But that's not really an option. We all go to church. It's pretty much a non-negotiable in our house. Besides, it's not fair to deprive Big Sister of her time with friends at Kids church. Bright Eyes had to go.
2. Ring for help. Not really an option either. Daddy was busy organising for the service and no-one else except me can handle Bright Eyes. Someone else could have taken the other children and I could have stayed with Bright Eyes, but that's not really an option either - see no. 1 above.
3. Wait until he calms down and then go. Possible, but see no. 4 below.
4. Take him and count on him calming down once we're there and settling right in.
I decided No. 4 was the best option. I knew that it could take up to half an hour to calm him, either here or there, but I knew that if I tried to move him again having calmed him here, he could very easily explode again, so calming there was the better option.
So, with deep breaths, and not a few swear words going in my head (sorry everyone) I organised the other two children, packed the bags and the snacks, and loaded the car with everything, having decided that our usual walk would be impossible.
I then walked calmly into husband's office, confronted screaming boy, picked him up kicking and squirming, carried him out of the house and plopped him in the car.
The next dilemma was the seatbelt. He wouldn't put it on. I'm not going to tell you what I did because it was illegal, but it was the best of many bad options. Needless to say, I was very slow and very careful, and we all arrived there ok.
Once there, I pulled right up next to the door of the church and let Big Sister out. Then we just sat and waited. After about 10 minutes of screaming, he let me cuddle him. Then it took another 10 minutes of huffing and puffing to talk about putting shoes on and then another 5 minutes to think up creative ways to get out the door of the car without it seeming like we were getting out of the car.
Once out, everything was fine. He had a lovely time at church and was fine, until... the next tantrum in lab time... and the next one before bath....
What is going on? I feel terrified that I've done something bad or wrong and he's going backwards again!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Rock stars
Bright Eyes and his big sister were in a band today. She organised it all of course including the fabulous fire headdress, and took the lead guitar role for herself, but Bright Eyes was pretty happy being the drummer. They let the baby play the piano. Everyone had 'shades' and they were all very cool.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Supplements
You might be interested to know where we're at with supplements and medications right now.
Here's the daily routine.
Breakfast:
He has digestive enzymes with his meal.
He has 3 ml of a homeopathic chelation therapy and 5ml of zinc drops in his glass of filtered water.
He takes a kiddies' vitamin supplement.
I spoon on a couple of blobs of goat kefir (like yoghurt) with his cereal and goats milk.
Lunch:
Digestive enzymes
In his tomato sauce, I mix a couple of capsules of Algotene, which is a nutrient supplement, based on seaweed.
I try to squeeze a couple of caps of fish oil over his food surreptitiously so he won't notice.
Dinner:
same as lunch
goat kefir for dessert, when he'll accept it.
In addition
I also mix his foul-tasting zinc undermethylation supplement with dairy free chocolate - he has a couple of bits a day.
He's currently taking a homeopathic remedy to try to clear his bowels.
He has a bath with epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) most nights.
After bath we squeeze on two capsules of evening primrose oil and rub into his back and tummy (omega6)
If I get all that lot in in one day... I'm a champion and I give myself some chocolate and go to bed.
Here's the daily routine.
Breakfast:
He has digestive enzymes with his meal.
He has 3 ml of a homeopathic chelation therapy and 5ml of zinc drops in his glass of filtered water.
He takes a kiddies' vitamin supplement.
I spoon on a couple of blobs of goat kefir (like yoghurt) with his cereal and goats milk.
Lunch:
Digestive enzymes
In his tomato sauce, I mix a couple of capsules of Algotene, which is a nutrient supplement, based on seaweed.
I try to squeeze a couple of caps of fish oil over his food surreptitiously so he won't notice.
Dinner:
same as lunch
goat kefir for dessert, when he'll accept it.
In addition
I also mix his foul-tasting zinc undermethylation supplement with dairy free chocolate - he has a couple of bits a day.
He's currently taking a homeopathic remedy to try to clear his bowels.
He has a bath with epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) most nights.
After bath we squeeze on two capsules of evening primrose oil and rub into his back and tummy (omega6)
If I get all that lot in in one day... I'm a champion and I give myself some chocolate and go to bed.
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