Here is him train watching today. My back is facing the train, so I could catch his face and the emerging Autumn colors in the background.
Month: September 2015
Giveaways!
– Current Giveaways:
There are no current giveaways at this time. Check back soon!
– Past Giveaways:
Winner: $10 Barnes & Noble giftcard awarded to Michael Blair, autism dad and blog owner (https://runstreak4asd.wordpress.com).
5 Activities to Engage Your Child with Autism
Read about these 5 fun activities here:
http://www.growinghandsonkids.com/5-fun-art-craft-activities-engage-child-autism.html
The Past Two Weeks in Early Intervention Land
What we’ve been working on these past two weeks in early intervention:
3 minute timer where I imitate everything he does. This shows him that I am joining him in his world and that I am able to play on his terms, rather than all work. After each 3 minute imitation, I will invite him to play briefly on my terms (when I would introduce new skills- ex.: rolling the ball back and forth).
Rolling ball back and forth with encouraged eye contact.
Taking turns with toys.
Books: (imitation, attending, and increasing your affect)
-Sit across from him
-Keep control over the book
-Encourage him to turn the page
-Model 1-2 words or sounds for him, give him time to imitate
-Animal sounds are great for imitating sounds!
-Model pointing to the pictures –especially if he is grabbing at the page
-You can remind him-Mommy holds the book. Make it a rule for this activity.
Use countdowns for transitions (5 minutes until ___, 1 minute until ___, 3 more seconds until ____, 3, 2, 1– all done! Time for ___).
Offer him choices between two toys, offer him a choice of who cleans up (him or me).
Singing songs with actions. Examples: Open, shut them. Itsy Bitsy Spider. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. Row, Row, Row Your Boat. If You’re Happy and You Know It. I’m a Little Teapot.
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I will write what we work on this upcoming Thursday. So far, I know that the Speech Language Pathologist will be joining Oliver’s Special Educator that day and we’re introducing PECS visual cards to help Oliver communicate. I’m feeling really good about Oliver’s early intervention program so far!
How I’m “Healing Oliver”
My blog is titled Healing Oliver. The word healing has many synonyms, but the one that I want to focus on is “improving”. When I say that I am hoping to heal Oliver, I am not saying that I feel autism is something that is in need of a cure, per say. There are countless stories from families around the globe that have shown that intensive therapies, diet change, nutritional supplementation, and other measures have vastly improved their child’s quality of life. My goal is to put all of my energy into giving Oliver the best chance possible for a happy and healthy future. I feel that everything that we embark on is worthwhile, whether or not they work for us the way they have worked for some of the families, because we would have, at the very least, tried. I encourage every parent of a child with autism to explore other parents’ stories to see what has and hasn’t helped, for inspiration. I find myself experiencing abundant amounts of inspiration after hearing that there is hope. However Oliver’s story unfolds, I believe that we will see improvement, or in other words– witness healing.
Listed below are the ways that I’m “Healing Oliver”. I’m utilizing the therapies that my insurance company and local school district will cover, as well as undergoing a biomedical approach. I have worked with Oliver’s naturopathic pediatrician to create his current and future supplement plan. I will update this page as I add or remove supplements, therapies, and other treatments.
Therapies:
Quarterly: Occupational and Speech Therapy (teletherapy)
Monthly: Special Educator/Early Intervention (in home)
Every other week: Occupational Therapy Appointment (in class)
Every other week: Speech Language Pathologist Appointment (in class)
Twice weekly: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) (in class)
Weekly: Special Educator/Early Intervention (teletherapy)
Supplements:
Klaire Labs VitaSpectrum Berry-Pomegranate (1 scoop)
Nordic Natural’s Baby DHA (5 mL/10 mL rotating every other day)
Klaire Labs Probiotic PRO-5 (2 emptied capsules per day)
Klaire Labs Reduced L-Glutathione (1/2 emptied capsule per day)
Thorne Vitamin D3 (800 IUs/day)
SevenPoint2 Protein Powder (4 scoops daily- spread out as 1/2 scoop per smoothie) Order here: http://www.savannahslone.sevenpoint2.com
Bed time:
Chamomile Tea (diluted in smoothie)
Hyland’s 4 Kids Calm ‘n Restful (2 under the tongue every 15 minutes for up to 2 hours, then 2 every 4 hours)
For Eczema:
UNDA #270 cream (thick layer daily)
Overall:
LOTS of love and LOTS of hope, diligence, persistence, and love.
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What I will have done/add on in the future, if needed:
Organic Acid Test
Candida Yeast Stool Test (This test is being ordered– will be testing soon!)
Methyl B12 Shots
For Treating Yeast Overgrowth: Antifungals, Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes
Amino Acids
Multi Mineral
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Andy Cutler protocol Chelation
Cranioscacral Therapy
DMG
GSE
MTHFR for Methylation
Secretin
L-carosine
Caprylic Acid
Chromium
Graprefruit Seed Extract
Olive Leaf Extract
Nutribiotics Protein Liquid
George’s Aloe Vera Extract
GPS Tracking Device for Children With Special Needs
I just came across this GPS Tracking Device for Children With Special Needs: https://www.angelsense.com
I think I will be revisiting this when Oliver is a bit older, if he’s still a “runner” like he is now.
Have any of you used or heard of this? Thoughts?
How to Talk to an Autistic Kid by Daniel Stefanski
Adding this one to my bookshelf! Have any of you read this one?
9 Things to Include in Your Sensory Room
How many of you have sensory rooms in your homes? I’m planning ours out now.
11 Famous People With Autism
Included are Mozart, Andy Warhol, Tim Burton, and more.
Read more: http://www.babble.com/entertainment/famous-people-with-autism-2/#wolfgang-amadeus-mozart
I’ve also heard that Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Emily Dickinson, Franz Kafka, Jane Austen, Vincent VanGogh, Virginia Woolf, and Alfred Hitchcock were thought to be on the spectrum, but did not receive a proper diagnosis.
Successful sharing!
Yesterday Oliver had his 13 month old friend over for a playdate. Oliver has a long, long way to go socially, as he has never shown any interest in another baby, toddler, or child. However, I was able to talk him through his first successful attempt at sharing. He actually played near another baby (this is a first) AND took turns with him, as they stacked rings one at a time. There was no eye contact and it took a few tries, but I couldn’t be more proud of him! I demonstrated how to stack the rings and then held his hand and said, “Now, we let him have a turn, and then you have another turn.” This helped him visualize patience and turn-taking. This gave me such great feelings of hope and inspires me to keep him hard at work. I have to log off now because we have a Tele-Therapy (video chatting) appointment with the Special Educator from his Early Intervention center. More posts coming soon!
