Something Fun to Share

T'was the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.  I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.  The leftovers beckoned, the dark meat and white.....but I fought the temptation, with all of my might.  Tossing and turning, with anticipation,...the thought of a snack became infatuation.  So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door, and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.  I gobbled up turkey, buttered potatoes, pumpkin pie and more.  I felt myself swelling, so plump and so round. 'til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.  I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky, with a mouthful of pudding, and a handful of pie.  I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...Happy Eating To All & Pass The Cranberries, Please!!  May your stuffing be tasty.  May your turkey be plump.  May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.  May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize and may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Expanding Food Choices Can Work: Nick from Nuggets to Octopus!

Nick's Food Life

0 to 12 months - Nick could not properly digest any food. Everything he ate from breast-milk to formula to soy upset his stomach and had him in severe pain. He cried day and night, so much so he got a herniated belly button!

13 months to 3 years old - Everything Nick ate made him sick and he suffered from chronic diarrhea for 2 years.



4 to 8 years old - I was so happy he was eating and not sick, it was easy to live with the limitation of a diet consisting mostly of potatoes and chicken in every form imaginable. He loved chicken, he became obsessed with it.  I knew we had a problem on our hands after I nearly crashed the car when we drove by a McDonald's. Nick unbuckled his seat belt, leaped onto me from the back seat screaming "McDonalds" and demanding I get him McNuggets!



8 to 12 years old - We began working to vary his diet, against his will. He wanted chicken tenders or nuggets and fries so much he threw a massive tantrum and began banging his head against a restaurant wall when his food choices were not on the menu.  We knew things had to change. Slowly and  consistently we began adding more foods, implementing the "first this, than that" rule. Adding one food at a time, was a process that made it easy for us to learn what he liked, while keeping an eye out for allergic reactions.



Today - This slow and steady process has paid off. Nick eats bags of veggies, salads and just about anything. Last month he nibbled frog legs and wanted more! He requested roasted duck for Christmas, and last week he asked if he could eat octopus! I agreed, took him to a sushi restaurant, ordered it and he loved it, suction cups and all!!!

Thanks to ABA and alot of patience we've gone from nothing to everything...amazing!

PS: He loves animals and read animal books all the time I think he plan might be to eat everything in the book. This could bring new challenges, LOL. I'll let you know.

The Future: Never Give Up!!

Today Nicky came in the kitchen and asked for Broccoli for dinner! OMG! This is the child who 4 years ago banged his head on a cement wall when he could not get chicken tenders! This is a child who would unbuckle his seat belt and attack me in the front seat of the car when ever we drove by a McDonald's!

Since he was born we have been in food H. E. double toothpicks. First is was; feeding him food that he could keep down, or didn't give him diarrhea. Then it was food with no gluten, then it was any food he could eat and not get constipated! And all along the path, it's been food that could pass his sensory challenges and rigid behaviors.  

I can hardly believe that today he eats almost everything, much less makes a request for Broccoli. Amazing.

Note to self: Remember to never give up. Much of autism is a delay of abilities - albeit a long delay - but not lack of ability. 

Desperation leads to...Chicken Nuggets! Great GF Nuggets

I have started a Gluten Free diet again for Nicky. I'm thinking it might be easier now that my bread loving daughter is living in a dorm!  Like so many of our kids Nicky loves chicken nuggets and until now I've never been able to find any recipe that was yummy enough for him to eat over and over again - much less a WFGF one, so I made one up!  This is so simple, healthy and yummy you won't believe it.  I didn't believe it. Here it is:

Heat your oven to 375 

Ingredients: 

• Chicken breast or thighs
• Eggs 
• Coconut oil 
• Honey Nut Chex Gluten Free  
• Rice Flour 
• Salt and Pepper 

....You can replace the coconut oil and eggs with Greek coconut yogurt if you prefer. 

This is super easy!  

One: 

Crush enough of the Honey Nut Chex, Gluten Free you think it will take to coat the chicken pieces. Put the crushed mix in a bag or bowl and add a little salt and pepper. Then add rice flour - I use a portion that equals about 20% of the Chex mix. (For example if I have 2.5 cups of Chex, I use 1/2 cup of rice flour.).  Blend and put aside. 

Two: 

Mix eggs in a bowl until blended, use one or two eggs depending on what you think it will take to coat the chicken pieces.

Three: 

Melt your coconut oil (if necessary) and let it cool, but not harden. 

Four: 

Cut up your chicken. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts so it only takes minutes to make strips. 

I lay all  of the ingredients out in an assembly line fashion ..and dip the chicken in the coconut oil, then the egg then the Chex mix. I make sure each piece of chicken is really well encrusted and then I place it right onto a cookie sheet. 

Then off into the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces.  They come out crispy sweet and yummy :).  Good luck.

New Alert: Epilepsy's Big, Fat Miracle

With more than 25% of kids with ASD, suffering from Epilepsy this is good to know. I've been asking for details about this diets because Nicky's seizures only seem to get worst, not better despite medications. 


This is worth the read: 
Epilepsy's Big, Fat Miracle 
By FRED VOGELSTEIN 
The author's 9-year-old son suffered more than 100 seizures a day. When he started a high-fat, super-low-carb diet, the number dropped by three-quarters. 

When to take chances...this week it was a spinal tap

No cause, no cure, more questions that answers and we all are desperate to help our children. In a world where there is no "protocol" no single treatment plan for our children we are left to learn for ourselves. I am always asking my self "What chances should I take", "Who Should I listen to", "What therapy or drug just might be the magic bullet".

We all want to cure our kids, we all want our kids to live a full life and we all know that right now no one can promise us that...so when something comes along and people are promising results, we want to run and jump right in. Sadly, we have to be careful because like anything there are going to be some "Snake Oil" salesman -even ones who believe in their oil - praying on our desperate need to help our children. I've learned to listen to my gut and really think about what is being recommended and does it really sound like it could help my guy, and shut off the part of me that just wants to try anything to make him better.

We each have to make our own choices of what to try and what to avoid. I have tried intervention, dietary changes, bio medicine and traditional medicine. I have remained open to trying anything that I am certain will not harm Nicky. Which means that I have passed on some treatments. I have also had to learn the hard way, that like many other things in life, it may not be the treatment itself, but the person administering the treatment. Because much of the alternative care we have been driven to pursue is not regulated, it becomes totally up to us to pay careful attention to who we are dealing with and choose our teams wisely.

After 7 years of trying different things I have finally settled in with "my group" of professionals I trust. Most of whom have children on the spectrum, so they are heavily invested in helping our children. One of these people is Nicky's neurologist. He has an excellent history with children with developmental disabilities and he is a good cross between conservative and progressive. He continues to be involved in both his practice and research. He is not opposed to trying new things both traditional and non- traditional once he is assured that his recommendations will not harm our kids. Because of his open mindedness I routinely forward him information I find about new studies, new treatments and ask for his thoughts. This has been very helpful in creating an open dialog and letting him know that I am involved in Nicky's care. It also helped me to build trust in him, because if he never responded or tossed out all new idea's I would have known he was not the doctor for us.

So we have tried lots of new things including:
Namenda - an altzheimers drug to improve brain function
Melotonian - an herbal sleep supplement
Turmeric - in hopes of reducing inflamation

He does not believe in the whole "bio medical" intervention as being a cure for our children but he is not opposed to parents trying the parts that will not harm the children (mostly dietary restrictions and supplements).

This week I took Nicky to see him and when he said that perhaps we could get a better look at how to best treat Nicky by doing additional tests: Abdominal X ray - to look for abdominal blockages and a spinal tap I agreed. I'll let you know what we learn.

Notes to myself and others:
l. Don't hesitate to ask lots of questions - because everyone is guessing at this point.
2. Work with professionals who has a long history of helping our children.
3. Research up the Doctors and research new treatments before jumping in.
4. No matter how great something sounds...always use my common sense and ask questions.