My sons latest update

Julie is keeping us updated with her son. Here is the latest. This item was emailed to this blog.--AR


Hello,
Just wanted to keep you updated with my 5 year old boy.I had a hair analysis done a year ago showing 95% toxins, but I chose not to cehalate do to risks associated with DMSA.I since moved out of PA.I guess there is a lot of mercury hovvering over that state from coal.The same is with Iowa.

Both my parents and sons fathers parents live down the road from power plants.My 8 dental fillings and then the biggest his vaccs.I believe all comtributed to his autism leaving him speechless.I went to the natural path/homeopath.She gave my son a remedy of four tiny dissolvable I believe were some kind of salt.We werent allowed to touch them.I put them in his mouth when he was sleeping.She also gave me a supplemnent to take 3 times a day 2 capsules I break open and mix with drink.They are NAC to promote glutithione to help his body start naturally excreting toxins.She said we would do a urine analysis after we get some of this stuff moving through him.

The first day of the supplement he had diahrea rel bad all day.It went away the next day.I spoke to the natural path and she said that was good it means he got rid of something.i then heard about Zeolite drops and asked her about those.She said they werent proven to work and to follow his treatment with her.

I applied on line to participate in a study for children 3 to 11.Not everyone is accepted to participate, but I am.Now I am kind of stuck and not sure which way to go.Its hard because I cant do both right now.The study will be providing free Zeolite and followng up for 90 days.I am assuming this will be the proof from the 80 some kids they are studdying that Zeolite does work.

My sons natural path gave me another supplement to take called HLC Mindlinx.I can use supplements and is recommended for the study for 2 months but no other cehalation.The next step with the natural path is to detox, so I need to decide in a month or so.This HLC is due to gluten and dairy proteins being broken down in the gut into peptides with opiate properties similar to endorphind and opiate drugs.Not only gluten containing dairy generate exorphins-meat and some vegetables also.

HLC has two new strains that can break down these damaging exorphins in the gut before they can be absorbed.I dont know of any problems my son has with wheat or dairy.I do know the brain evolves from the bottom up and our immune systom developes first.I definitely think all disease or disorder are associated with the immune systom no doubt.after one dose my son made a little bit more eye contact, but nothing else yet.I will let you know what else goes on.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,-Julie Shaffer

Story Idea-insurance

This person wants more coverage on insurance issues. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Hi-I wanted to contact you concerning your coverage of autism. I do not live in your area but since you, as a member of the press have asked for input I am taking this oportunity to express my opinion concerning the presses typical coverage of autistic disorders.

I am the Father of a 4 year old by who was diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum disorder at 18 months. To our knowledge our son has never recieved thimerisol in any of his vaccines. In fact, on the day he went for his 18 month check up he was diagnosed. This check up included giving him the MMR vaccine. To be clear-he was diagnosed as literally minutes before recieving the vaccine.

I do not discount the posibility that mercury or vaccines play a role in some childrens autism. However i find it to less likely than the billions of other potentialy viable causes. I say this because it has been tested and tested and tested and the tests do not indicate this is the cause. Meanwhile just about everything else has not been tested.

You, as a member of the press are looking for controversy. I understand that. Unfortunately you, and the rest of the press are missing the real controversy which is the blatant discrimination by the medical insurance industry. Over 90% of health insurance policies will not cover what main stream medicine recommends to treat children with these disorders. Occupational, Speech and behavioral therapies.

There is no controversy among health professionals that these interventions, when administered early, result in the best outcome for our children. Yet this contoversy is drowned out by the dead horse argument of vaccines and thimerisol. Moreover the paltry sums of funding going to finding treatments for autism are being drained to fund even more testing for an argument that has already been decided. The press has an obligation to report on controveries that affect public policy.

Where is the report that asks the insurance industry-Why are you descriminating against Autistic Children? If you investigated this, you will find that the justifications for this has no merit. We live in a society in which treatment or erectile dysfunction are funded by insurance yet treatments for autism are not-why? The most blatant effect of this descrimination is the economic reality that without insurance unding for autism treatments, no economic incentive exists for finding better treatments. Who is going to fund research into something they will not be paid for? Examples of the lack of economic incentive and/ or misguided priorities for research in finding better treatments are numerous.

I will give you one: Medical science has known for over forty years that abnormal EEG's, siezures and autism are closely related. However, to date, no research has ever been conducted to determine whether autistic children- who are given drugs to correct abnormal EEG's and eliminate the potential for siezures-autistic symptoms get better or worse after treatment with these drugs. The why is obvious-drug companies will be paid for treating siezures, they will not be for treating Autism.

My wife and I funded out of our pocket over $30,000 last year for main stream medicine recomended therapies. Afer considerable effort our insurance company reimbursed $408. Because my insurance was under Cobra law; due to my changing jobs I paid for our health insurance. The premiums were $1200 per month or $14,400. I currently make $84,000 per year plus benefits. Congress is currently trying pas legislation to give free insurance to children whose families make up to $64,000 per year.

Yet this coverage will not cover Autism nor will the coverage the rest of us pay for through our employer sponsored plans. A few states are passing legislation to change this problem. However, neither the federal government under which ERISA sponsored plans (the laws which govern insurance plans for most of us) or my state has passed such legislation.

I do not know what your state is doing. But I urge you to find out. We are overwhelmed with the 24/7 job of caring for a child with an ASD. It is outrageous to me to have to pay insurance pemiums and taxes whch fund every disorder except the one my son has.

Richard Fauth, P.E., M.B.A, CSSB.

Story Idea-yeast,diet, vax, allergies

This person wants to share their ideas for the series. This item was emailed to this blog.--AR


Hello! Thanks for covering such an important topic. Here is what I think needs to come to the forefront. I'm the mom of two kids with ASD so I think I'm qualified to weigh in.

For one, wwww.tacanow.com and www.austim.com have some fabulous information about autism that is rarely talked about.

Other than that: 1) Yeast- Candida Albicans. This is a "theory" that in my opinion is right on that affects all of our ASD children. It causes problems such as sensory issues, weak immune systems, fatigue, irritability, speech delay, digestive issues, rashes, eczema, poor appetite, sleep disturbances, sound sensitivity and much more. It is worth looking into and very valid

2) Gluten Free Casein Free diet- supposedly controversial but plays into the yeast situation. Very effective when used long enough...i.e. most parents who claim that this doesn't work have only tried it for a month at most. It takes up to 9 months for the body to rid itself of gluten and casein remnants.

3) Vaccines- I know that this is also supposedly controversial but it is fact that not only is thimerosal used in vaccinces, but just as bad as that is the fact that formaldehyde, arsenic, aluminum bicarbonate (a neurotoxin), tin, and antifreeze are used at preservatives. Would you feed this stuff to your infant in his or her bottle? Research from the cdc.gov website the side effects of formaldehyde and the other ingredients including thimerosal. Isn't it quite interesting that acute mercury poisoning and autism share the same exact side effects? Then look at the others...do you think that brain damage and seizures is an acceptable side effect?

4) Allergies- vaccienes are also known to be the culprit of food allergies like wheat, milk, egg, gelatin and latex. This is because these ingredients are all present in vaccines and we introduce them to our infant children when they are less than 48 hours old to their very immature immune systems

5) Also talk about why it is that medical doctors seem to offer little or no support to those whose children have been diagnosed with autism. It's because they don't know much of anything about it to begin with . Most of a parents best education comes from other parents- not doctors.

I also wanted to point out: Isn't it interesting that parents are taught to look to our pediatricians/doctors for advice on autism from the moment they are diagnosed. The problem is that once a parent approaches the doctor, suddenly they know virtually nothing beyong "Hey, let's get your child onto a 2-6 months waiting list (if you're lucky) for speech therapy, Physical therapy and Occupational Therapy. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best!" Although I agree that these therapies play a very important role in helping children with autism, I don't think it's enough.

Also, I am outraged that our insurance companies cover these "band-aid" treatments (as I have called them) but they do not bother to cover the core of the very effective treatments that parents are using to help their own children. I'm talking about proper supplements, vitamins, diets and anti yeast/fungal medications aka biomedical treatments. These are effective treatments....I am amazed at how few doctors actually recommend special diets for people with most any medical condition. I am also annoyed that insurance does not cover testing for vitamin deficiencies (another problem with our kids) and enzyme deficiencies. There should also be testing of our childrens blood work to determine how much of a problem yeast actually is for an individual child so that an appropriate treatment can be determined.Basically, I am upset because insurance companies and medical doctors are all so concerned about putting a "band-aid" over the effects that have already taken place but no one wants to get to the heart of the problem and look deeper inside of the child to fix what can be fixed. If we can do that, then it would be a lot easier for parents to deal with the rest of what is not able to be fixed and can rest easier knowing that they did everything they could do to help their child when all is said and done.

Want to know more? feel free to contact me! or view my story in a nutshell http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/412250/controversy_healing_autism.html

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Destiny's story

This person wants to share their story. This item was emailed to this blog.--AR



Hello,



I am writing regarding the article that you are doing on Autism.

We live in north cenral Kansas and are raising our 5 year old granddaughter, but we are Mommy and Daddy.

Destiny was diagnosed offically in April 2006 with severe autism. We have had her in the public school system even before the diagnonis. After we went to Childrens Mercy they said that the more school she had the more she would learn, so she went to both the morning and the afternoon classes at the at risk school program.


In June of this year we got Destiny a service dog. He has been totally amazing. We have been able to do some search and rescue work with him on finding Destiny when she wonders off and he has shown us that when it gets right down to it, he found her.


She takes him almost everywhere with her and he is a comfort to her. She hugs on him and is getting 100 percent better about taking her melt downs out on something besides her dog.


There are so many people out there who have no idea that a service dog can be such a blessing for these children. I would really think it would be great if you could mention that these animals are available. We got our dog, who is a big beautiful golden retreiver in June of 2007. He goes to school with Destiny and he is picking up on her melt downs sometimes even before the teacher and he gets up and goes to her.


We acquired him from Cares, Inc in Concordia, Kansas. They are a non-profit organization and the fee for the dogs is $525. Of course you have to come to Concordia to school for 1 to 2 weeks, depending on your diagnosis.


Prior to finding Cares, Inc. in our own backyard, I had been researching dogs on the internet and they were asking for thousands and thousands of dollars for them and then there was the trips to Ohio, California or other far away places.


Destiny is doing very well, we are getting by and we will do our best to make her world all it can be, but it is a joint venture. It takes more than us, it takes our family members, the teachers, the paras, the bus driver, the principal, the other children at school, and so many more people.


I have been known to chase people down at the store and give them a business type card that states something about Autism on it. I don't do this to embarrass them, but to educate them.


Good luck on your article !!


My best advice to you is to have a big box of kleenex handy. The stories that you will hear will break your heart. It seems so unfair for these children to be locked in a world that seems to have no real key.


Thank you for your time,


Johnni Ramsey

Story Idea-Spectrum

This parent wants more coverage on awareness, diet, and echolilia. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Something that should be covered, if it hasn't already, is to cover the ranges of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I mean by that is some of the kids behavioral issues when at home or outside. Not every child acts the same. Yes, they do share some issues; however, there are some children who acts out in different ways.

To show the public that not every autism child acts like this or that. And when a child is having a meltdown, study what other people see or think. So that the public can understand what a parent is going through during that time. So people can understand that we are not dealing with our child's emotions but everyone else's who is reacting to it in some way or form.

Also cover Echolilia in Autism children. I don't know if you ever heard of it but it effects at least 85% of children who have autism. And there are two different kinds of echolilia, you would be surprise how many parent's children have it and they don't know to much about it or have families like mine who does not understand what it is and why it is done. Some think that you can just make it stop but what they don't understand that children do it because they need to and if you try to stop it, they can pick up something else that can be even worse to replace what they are doing. And it is still echolilia in some form. Please cover that too, alot of parents on cafe moms (the newbe's) may not know to much about it.... I find it a good information for everyone.

thanks,
gina

I am sorry but I forgot to mention to add eatting issues. My son is 8 and does not eat stuff and he is growing but he is also losing weight to. Alot of families struggle with it so much and there are alot of people (like me) who can not afford to pay the experts to help me to get him to eat. There are parents who have no choice but to put their child on feeding tubes.

I feel that if we make the public know about that, maybe the state can start to look at helping families that are going through this with some kind of government help. I know I want my son to eat and gain weight but we are not so lucky to afford to pay or may not have the insurance coverage to get it done.

Also you should put out there how many families who have children who are disable, how hard it is for them to get coverage. Medical coverage is so hard to get now, but when your child is sick, they don't except these children who need it the most. I feel that if this is brought out, it would show the president how important the state should cover our children. Because if they don't then there will be so many children in the state that are not covered when they need it the most. I feel that the insurance companies should except these children because they need it so much and they know it too!!!! I hope you can take that and run with it too.

thank you,
gina

Ian's story

This parent wants to share their story. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

My son Ian is alot like the others posted. I had a great pregnancy great delivery and great baby. He said many words up until 18 months when it all stopped. Everyone said its fine Dr's said not to worry all kids develop differently and since he drew alot maybe that's what the problem was.

We called up ECFE and asked their opinion and they sent us to a neurologist. At age 2 Ian could recite his alphabet a-z and z-a and count to 30 he was DX with PDD-NOS. At age 3 he started to read and write. At age 4 he was DX as High functioning Autism the Dr says he is at a genius level but his social skills are not there he doesn't understand he cant play rough with his sisters and that sometimes strangers are bad. He isn't afraid to go up and hug someone he doesn't know and regularly tries to go into someone else's car with them. We have a PCA work with him 5 days a week which helps out alot since he has 2 younger sisters. We recently had to place him on behavioral meds because while not on purpose he would hurt himself. Although it is a hard thing to deal with sometimes I thank god for him everyday. I learned how much patience I have and believe god gave him to me so he wouldn't go to someone who wouldn't understand him. Its one of the hardest things Ive ever done to love him so much and feel helpless in how to help him.

Corbin's story

This mother wants to share her story. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Hi.
My name is Rebecca. I am the mother of three beautiful sons Corbin, Brecken and Abraham. My six year old Corbin was diagnosed with PDD-NOS in December of 2006 at the age of 5 years 8 months old. This is his story.
On a late April afternoon in 2001 Corbin came into this world. Physically perfect in every way. However, there was something not quite right, something that the doctors nor us could see. Corbin was born with a form of Autism known as pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

The differences in his first 18-24 months of life were so subtle no one would have caught on really. He spoke, walked, fed himself and did all of the things any normal child does during that time. He learned how to count to ten, all of his colors, how to spell his name and many other things all far before he was three years old. There was always something not quite right though. Something just below the surface that we either couldn't see or couldn't accept.
As an infant Corbin was the most well behaved baby I had ever seen. He rarely cried and was very content entertaining himself. I never found it odd that to get him to sleep I had to lay him on my chest and pat his back and rear for hours sometimes. I just thought it was a weird baby thing, just like some children prefer to be rocked or walked while falling asleep. I also never made the connection that even as a tiny infant he would be fine for hours doing his own thing. We could take him out shopping all day and rarely ever hear a peep from him. He didn't cry when he was wet or dirty or much ever really. However, as soon as we got in the car to start home the screaming started. He would scream for hours after a trip to Walmart and I always blamed it on over stimulation. When we went out of town for trips he wouldn't sleep much at all, in fact he couldn't really sleep anywhere other than in his own home. Like our shopping trips as soon as we got in the car to come home the screaming would start and aside from when he was sleeping it would last for days. Getting him back into a normal routine would take weeks. I again blamed all this on over stimulation.


He also had horrible tantrums. Nothing like I had ever seen in any other child. He would throw himself on the ground and smash his head into the sidewalk at times. The really unusual part was the fact it wouldn't even phase him he would just continue to tantrum.


Sometime between 2-4 a number of other unusual behaviors popped up. He was obsessed with spinning objects. He would line his cars up and then tantrum if anyone moved them. He also began covering his ears and tantruming whenever a train went through town. He couldn't answer questions of any kind, and he couldn't differentiate between he and she. When he began preschool at 4 and 1/2 he had major problems, he cried frequently through out the day. Anytime they changed activities Corbin would cry and tantrum. He wouldn't sing with the other children in music class, but would only sit with his hands over his ears. He also didn't play with the other children but usually chose to play alone alongside the other kids but never with them.


After a particularly horrible session in music one day Corbin was sent to the principle's office for refusing to participate, and sitting with his hands over his ears. When he got to the principle's office he refused to speak with her at all. She contacted me at home and spoke to me and told me what was going on. I was infuriated that they had sent a 4 and 1/2 year old child to see the principle for something so trivial and I got online. I typed in over sensitive hearing and putting hands over ears and one of the very first things Google pulled up was a sight about Autism. That was the day I learned that my gut was right everyone else was wrong. My son was not just spoiled and naughty he was Autistic.


We went through hearing tests (normal), physicals (normal) no answers from anyone. Corbin was given a developmental screening by the county which he failed miserably and was put into pre school special education. However, my husband, and my family was not ready to hear the words Autism. They kept saying oh he is only immature next year he will be like a different kid. Against my own better judgment I listened to them. Really, what did I know he was my first born, all of these people had other children they knew what was normal and what wasn't.


Kindergarten started and Corbin was mainstreamed into a class with 24 other students. A few weeks into the year we decided to pull him out for about an hour a day. When things didn't improve his kindergarten instructor called in the special education director and finally someone listened to me. She saw all the things in Corbin that I had been screaming about for years. I was convinced Corbin had Asperger's Syndrome but she said what she saw was PDD-NOS. This was the only thing I needed to push my family over the edge. Finally someone who was well educated saw the same things I had been seeing. Back to the pediatrician's office we went. This time we were told Corbin probably had ADHD and I put my foot down. I refused to put Corbin on any medication without a referral to someone who worked with Autistic children. We waited for three months for that appointment.


On December 12, 2006 I walked into that doctor's office already knowing what they would tell me. The news didn't come as a shock but maybe more so a relief that finally a Doctor believed me. Corbin was diagnosed with PDD-NOS that day and finally we started getting him the help he so very desperately needs.

Now it is not quite a year later. He has grown and improved more in the last year than he probably had in the entire 2 years preceding. He has had his speech therapy cut in half because he has met so many goals. His tantruming and behavior has improved so tremendously that his behavior plan at school had to be greatly modified. We still have our blows though. We recently found out his IQ was significantly lower than we were hoping. He will also have to be tested for Asthma soon because contrary to popular belief Autism definitely contributes to physical ailments as well. It is NOT just a brain thing. When he gets ill he regresses and has episodes of echolalia, and looses bladder control. When it is bad enough he loses the ability to speak and uses only gestures to communicate with us. Our battle is far from over, but with the major improvements he has made in such little time I can easily see that Corbin has a very bright and beautiful future ahead of him.

Anthony's story

This is Anothony's story. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Our story starts out like so many others that have been touched by autism.

I found out I was pregnant in Dec. of 2004, just 3 weeks after the death of my Grandmother. I pretty much had a normal pregnancy, very unlike my first. I had a beautiful baby boy Aug. 26th 2003, he weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and we named him Anthony.

Anthony pretty well developed normally, met all his millstones on time if not a little early. Anthony said "Mama" by age 8 months, he walked a week before his first birthday and had acquired a vocabulary of maybe 10 words that he used regularly.

Then around the age of about 13 months old, I started to notice some sensory problems ( my oldest also had/has sensory problems) so I talked to his Dr. and at the time he told me not to worry about it, at that time I thought maybe I was being a bit paranoid about things and blew it off, now I so much regret that I ever did that because I knew in my heart something was wrong. Then around the age of 18 months I noticed Anthony wasn't talking as much and he was withdrawing from a lot of things he normally wouldn't withdraw from. He got very interested in fans or anything that spun, he would sit and line things up, it also seemed he was crying all the time over every little thing bt yet he would make eye contact.

I then called birth to 3 myself and asked them to come check things out and I also talked to his Dr at this point yet again and told him everything that was going on, he then informed me that he had a child with autism and "looking at the big picture" he thought Anthony may have autism and I left his office thinking that Anthony did not have it because he was still making eye contact. I figured it was something else but wasn't sure what.

Birth to 3 came and did the evaluations on him and they said he did have delays as well as Sensory processing disorders and he was able to receive services, speech, OT as well as PT. His Dr also referred him to a specialist in VA. Which I thank God for this man every single day.

Anthony went to see him in Nov. of 05 and that day will haunt me for the rest of my life. We went into this office, and his nurse asked us a bunch of questions, and just watched him for a little bit and then said she was going to get the Dr. to talk to us, the Dr came in and did the same thing that the nurse had done and then said he was going to take Anthony and my oldest child out to the lobby to play ( they had a huge lobby that was very kid friendly) and that he would be back to talk to us.

When this Dr came back in, that changed our lives forever. He told us Anthony had autism and I looked at him and said " No your wrong, he looks at us, he makes eye contact" he then explained to us that what we were "considering" eye contact was not eye contact at all, he felt like Anthony could see right through him and I have no idea what was said after that. I sat there in shock, thinking this Dr is so wrong, this is not happening to my beautiful boy, not to my family. I left that office with my husband and my kids and some pamphlets about autism.

On the way back home (which was a 2 hour drive from where we lived) I remember going through so many emotions, there was many tears, I felt helpless, I blamed myself, then I got angry. I have never felt that much anger in my life. I wanted to know what happened, I wanted answers that wasn't there.

About 2 weeks went by and I actually started to research, and found all this stuff about shots mainly the MMR and I actually went to his Dr and asked if the shot has caused this and he said there's no proof that the shot had done this to so many kids so I left it at that. I felt at the time I would probably never have an answer and instead of looking for something that was not there, I needed to help my son. Somehow I had to get past the autism and find my son before I could ever help him.

Today Anthony is a happy 4 year old who just amazes me in so many ways. He has had a life full of therapy, OT, PT, Speech, ABA, DTT, and has had a very good home program. He is in a very good special needs preschool program with a wonderful teacher and wonderful therapist. Anthony loves school, he knows all his shapes, counts to 10 in Spanish, knows his ABC's and has become quit the little singer.

I remember a time not to long ago when I begged God to let me hear him say "mama" just once more, I needed to hear that from him and it hurt so bad to hear other little kids his age calling for "mama" and Anthony just couldn't do it. Now Anthony says "Mama I love you" and it's so beautiful to watch him grow, to see the things he does, to hear him laugh, to see him smile. I don't see the autism anymore, I see my baby, I see how blessed I am to have autism touch our lives and I wouldn't want it any other way. Autism can be a beautiful thing once you see your child. Once that happens the world is a different place, as adults we tend to take things for granted and we never stop to look at things from a child's point of view, where everything is so new. Having Anthony made me do that. He's nothing short of amazing!

I love someone with Autism!

Story Idea-Our story

This person wants to share their story...This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Thousands of children are not getting the help they deserve because their parents are misinformed or uneducated. My 5-year old son Elias is high functioning Autistic, but you would not know it when first meeting him. Most people think of Rain Man when they think Autism. Elias appears to make eye contact, is very social with adults and is extremely verbal and polite.

We were turned away from services because miseducated doctors told us he couldn't be Autistic because he, "makes eye contact and gestures." These were doctors! With the growing epidemic (1 in 150 children) it is imperative that we show other parents that their "weird" child may be on the spectrum. People always told us that Elias was "just sensitive." I started feeling like maybe I was the person who had something wrong with them. I felt like no one else saw the things my husband and I did. I have never felt so helpless in my life.

We pushed to find out what was wrong with him. It took two years to get help. One doctor told us, if we hadn't pushed he would have surely slipped through the cracks and he would not be getting the therapy he so desperately needs to have a good shot of a independent life. How many other children are slipping through the cracks? Many parents don't know what to do. They are not sure what is wrong with their child. Education is key!

Autistic or has autism

We have a previous post discussing this topic...feel free to comment on here or the other post. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

I have a problem with the label Autistic and so does my son who has autism. It is just like calling him a retarded. I think that word should be considered raceist. Autism does not define who our children are.

There needs to be some sort of intervention between us and everybody else. These kids can't stand up for themselves like other people who play the race card daily. What is happening to these kids in schools among peers and teachers is really a disgrace. We have rights too.

We need help and we need support.

Jeremy Jacobi

Robin wants to share her story about her son with autism. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Hi, my name is Robin and I have a son with Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form or autism. Don't let the high functioning part mislead you, though. Jeremy has been through a lot in his meager 20 years. From the beginning, Jeremy had to overcome surprising obstacles. Jeremy was plagued with ear infections from as early as two months old. I took him to the doctor as often as he was sick; but it got to the point where his pediatrician started just calling in a script for Jeremy instead of actually examining him. I noticed that his speech was delayed and when he began to speak, he used his own vocabulary that described what something did instead of the actual name of the item. For instance, a pot was referred to as a cooker. This only reiterated to me that my son was very smart but had some kind of deficit.

When Jeremy was about 2 years old, I took him in to see his doctor about his speech delay and other mannerisms I noticed. His doctor told me that boys often mature slower than girls and that I shouldn't worry. Then, when the next 18 mos. really didn't bring any improvement in his speech or his behaviors, his doctor said that some children need more time to learn social/language skills. I was a young mother, and after all, he was the expert, right? I should just trust him and hope for the best. Well, I did what I could until Jeremy entered kindergarten and his teacher noticed that Jeremy would face the opposite way of the class when she would walk around the classroom. Eventually, the school nurse, who was a friend of the family, checked his hearing (with actual instruments) and found that he was 90% deaf. Jeremy was then referred to an ENT specialist who told me that in his 30 years he had never seen so much scarring in the ears of a child his age (at that time he was five). Jeremy had tubes placed and a bilateral adenoidectomy. Amazingly, Jeremy's hearing was restored completely. We were so relieved. Jeremy missed out on learning social/language skills in his formative years and now he would be able to catch up with his peers. Or so we thought.

When he was still having problems attending, still making noises, and having strange mannerisms, I knew there was something else going on. I suggested that maybe he could have some autistic tendencies- but once again, I was told to leave his diagnosis and treatment to 'the experts'. So at age 5, Jeremy was diagnosed with ADD and put on ritalin. When the ritalin didn't help, they tried dexadrine, immipramine, cylert etc., he ran the gamut. None of these meds seemed to help, and as Jeremy got older he experienced more side effects. Eventually, he came full circle (after being misdiagnosed with ADD, ADHD (he was never hyperactive), Tourette's Syndrome and so on) to being placed back on ritalin. This time, Jeremy pulled out a whole section of his hair on the right side of his head until he was bald. That's when I took him off the ritalin completely, and his hair eventually grew back. I then learned about the work that Dr. Judith miles was doing at the University of Missouri and decided to get Jeremy evaluated. Upon entering 10th grade at Hickman High School at age 16, Jeremy was finally diagnosed with Autism and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) by Dr. Julie Donnelly. Jeremy was very restless at that time and wanted the attention and approval of his father, who was in denial about Jeremy's condition. He decided to move to St.Peters, MO, where his father lives to try to foster a relationship with him and help his father understand how autism has effected his life. Because my ex-husband didn't give any credence to Jeremy's condition, Jeremy didn't get the help he needed in St. Peters until I contacted the school and made them aware of Jeremy's IEP (individual education plan). The school year was still difficult for Jeremy because his father didn't want Jeremy taking any meds, and of course, Jeremy had difficulty with impulsive and obsessive behaviors. In one instance, the kids went to the auditorium where the seating was like a cinema with each chair having an arm on each side. Well, Jeremy has the need to delineate his spacial boundaries, so he put his arms on both arm rests and happened to be touching a young lady's arm next to him. She told the principal that Jeremy was sexually harassing her. This claim was ridiculous and illconceived. Fortunately, the principal was able to defuse a possibly volatile situation. Jeremy decided that he was best supported and loved by family, friends and the community here in Columbia. Jeremy attended his senior year here, in Columbia, MO at Hickman High School, where he graduated in June of '06.

Now, Jeremy works for BCFR (Boone County Family Resources) in a job skills/training program and receives life skills classes throughout the week. He spends time with a volunteer student from MU going to various places around town, catching a bite to eat, going to parks, the library, and downtown shops. He is also active with Judevine Center for Autism in a community inclusion program and attends social activities monthly. Jeremy is looking into a possible learning/job opportunity at the University of Missouri through the Thopmson Center for Autism and Neurological Disorders. At this time, he is doing volunteer work, but he's working towards a career in computer repair (hardware and troubleshooting software etc.) in the near future. Jeremy has many skills in diagnosing and fixing computers and wants to get his A+ certification in computer repair and maintenance to further his career goals. Jeremy is an intelligent, handsome, determined, and beautiful young man who has overcome the odds he has faced in life on many different levels. I'm proud of Jeremy's tenacity to trudge forward no matter what the circumstance, and I'm blessed to have him in my life. A once distant dream of seeing my son become independent and happy is now becoming a reality and I'm ever hopeful and excited about his bright future.

autism moms in missouri

This mom wants to share her story. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Hello,My name is Jackie Hanson and I have a son who was diagnosed with autism in Sept of 06. Im not sure what kind of information you are looking for. But I will start with what of course I believe played a very big role with my son having autism. Vaccines. My son was not born with autism. He was crawling at 4 months standinf up and walking around things at 6 babbling very early everything he did was early.

He used to make eye contact. He would laugh at funny things on tv. He was a little boy. Then one day he had shots and was a little boy with autism. Vaccines that i beleived was helping my son not harming him.

And no We have tons of meeting with school and people with the resources to help my child. We have an account that we are saving money in order to take him to a DAN dr. Instead of saving money for him to have for college. It bothers me very much. The Dr is at least $1000 to $2000 for the first visit. Well Im not sure what information you are wanting but that was a little preview of our story. I fyou would like to know more please feel free to email me at jackie_hanson@sbcglobal.net
Thanks
Jackie Hanson.

Please make this a good story and let people hear what us moms have to say. Because we after all know best right?!

Three Sons with Autism

This mother wants to share her story. This item was emailed to this blog---AR


Hello, My name is Tonya Moyer, I have four sons, three of them being on the Autism scale to one extent or another,When I had my first son 13 yrs ago,after six months of preterm labor, being on meds to control the contractions, and finally 36 hours of labor, my first son was born,Travis. Autism and Aspergers are word's I dont think Id ever heard. Being a first time mom I was delighted in my son; his smiles and giggles and wonderful ability to learn,even though he was frequently sick with ear infections, he was so full of life and happiness in his first yr of life, he turned one, and things started changing , gone was my happy lill guy and in his palce came a very self centered ,fussy,angry little guy, at his one yr birthday party he was tired ,Ithought, and we brought him into a room full of toys and people who loved him ready to celebrate his big day, he cried the entire time, screamed and hit his head off the floor, i was so devastated, this was not the happy go lucky lil guy I had raised for the last yr. after that things got worse, he started not sleeping, bouncing off the walls most times, and hitting himself, alot of things "normal " children just dont do.All the while his pediatrician telling me give him time, he will come around,being a first time parent I had nothing to compare him to, and most of my freinds kids were all older,so there was no sence trying to compare his behavior to there kids , they were all yrs older than him.Eleven yrs. later Travis would be Diagnosed with Aspergers,after struggling for yrs.and many Dr.s telling me so many different things, i finally came across Aspergers syndrome, which described him perfectly.

Having split up with my oldest sons dad, i started dating and met and married a man. When we had been together for two yrs, we had a baby, it was a difficult pregnancy from the getgo, preterm labor, in and out of the hospital, on all kinds of meds to stop the labor, two months in a hospital and being on heavy doses of magnesium sulfate,they realeased me and i returned home to give birth a week later to my second son, Zachary, he was 6 weeks early but weighed almost eight lbs.!He was a very sickly baby, tongue tied and unable to nurse, I had to buy preemie nipples to feed him.When he was two weeks old he was hospitalized for RSV ,which started a very long yr, of in and out of the hospital ,ear infections,and hearing tests to check and see if he could hear. He didnt meet any of the normal developmental milestones, would just lay around and girgle to himself,i was concerned for my son, to no avail, his Dr. said he would be fine, at 12months of age he put him in the hospital to clip his tongue and put tubes in his ears, His Dr.said this would help him with the ear infections and talking..and walking..(due to the ear infections his Equilibrium had been off), after getting the tubes in his ears he finally started walking at 14 months,but still no talking, no interst in playing , or being held,any of the normal things a baby does.

His Dr. finally at my insistantce reffered him to a birth to three program which helps children with developmental problems by offereing therapies to overcome speach, physical,and Occupational development.They did an eval on him started therapy and were the first to mention Autism to me, after two yrs of therapy my son could finally say some words though not clearly, you could only understand him if you knew him, and I had tied toget a diagnosis but with no luck, all I got was alot of questioning and cried alot of tears , from feeling as if I would never get my son the help I knew he needed.I got pragnant again in 2002 gave birth to a third beutiful little boy, Tra, and watched him sooooo closely, for any signs of developmental problems.He developed so wonderfully, I was overjoyed , he was a happy smart funny lil guy, he would chase after his older brothers from six months on, happily knocking down anything they might be working on, just to get their attention, he is and will always be my little helper, he walked at 8 months, would get after his brother Zachary who was only interested in lining his cars up, and force him to play cars with him, this angered Zach so much, but eventually he came to accept Tra wasnt going to take no for an answer, and gave in after many fights... Tra always keeps after Zach, making him aware of his surroundings, they are the best of buddies, Zahc says Tra is his bestest freind to wich Tra just grins and looks sheepish. In 2004 I found out I was expecting again, much to my surprise, and went through another 8 months of preterm labor and gave birth to another little cutie, Woody. He was a fussy baby , hard to get to sleep and still is,he developed fairly typically until he recieved his 12 month shots, he walked at 8 mo. and talked at 6 months, but when he got his shots, the week after his birthday, he changed, he had a bad reaction to the shots, stopped talking within two days, and started hiding under the table, squatting in a corner, or siiting under my computer desk,doing nothing, he bacame fascinated with balls , any of them, he would gather them up and take them to his "hiding "spot and just sit there holding them , No smiles no giggles just sitting there. I called the same program who had worked with Zachary,Birth to three, and they came and did and evaluation,they had added a psychologist to there team of therapist by now and could give Woody what they couldnt give Zach yrs ago, a evaluation from a psychologist, who was Qualified to give a diagnosis. he had so many sensory issues it was crazy , he screamed bloody murder when put in the tub, he cried if you touched his collection of balls, he quit eating and had to go on supplements , ovaltine, and carnation instant breakfast are his normal diet .he had his eval uation from the Psychologist and was immediatly Diagnosed Autistic, although he was slipping away fast, we started intence therapy, and were able to pull him back to us, The intense therapy saved him, he smiles again, though still has alot of therapy ahead of him , he at least will interact now with us again, he as well as Zach and Travis have special needs, those needs are expensive, Ive had to quit my job to watch the kids; as no one wants to deal with Zachary, who is still moderatly Autistic,(Travis has Aspergers, Woody is mildly Autistic), he has frequent meltdowns and will throw things , chairs, bricks, anything he gets his hands on,and no one wants to deal with it, and to be honest I hate asking as well.Not knowing if someone will keep there cool with my son or mistreat him in a fit is too scary to deal with , Ive seen family I never thought would mistreat him, lose there cool after being bitten or smacked, and although I know personally how this feels, my son does not mean to do these things , I see the agony in his eyes ,the defeated look that comes across his face when he cannot get his meaning across to you, the sobs coming from his room when he goes there to calm down; are heartbreaking. Financially my family is a mess, there simply arent any programs out there to help families that need some supplemental income, I think there should be some specific work at home jobs offered to families with special needs , I cant work outside the home right now, I am willing to work, would love to work, but fear for my childrens safety. I tried some of those online jobs, they either want money or programs needed on the computer I dont have and cant afford to buy.I plan on going back to work next yr when Woody goes to special Ed preschool, but until then my kids arent getting the therapies they deserve, the tutoring that would help them,and the supplements that help there moods and digestive systems.Insurances dont want to pay for these things becouse they arent "approved" treatments, it is so sad that you can only help your child if you are rich, some of these diets , supplements , and therapies have been known to work, unfortunately, alot of kids will never get the chance to find out if they can be helped or not.If you know of any workat home jobs that are out there that i could do,without investing $ I would love to know , for myself as well as alot of my friends... I think it is a great thing you are doing , I just wanted to share my story with you;Although it is much more datailed I have hit the high points.And I wanted to tell you I am glad there are people like you fighting for the children On the Spectrum, It is a daily struggle, Hard on all family members, marriages, and freindships. Sometimes isolation feels like it is closing in on you.... that there is no end in sight, then somedays, my sons do something so small ,but yet so wonderful, it makes the sun breakthrough the clouds of Autism, and lights up my whole world with happiness over there accomplishments...Thank you for taking the time to read this...
Tonya M.

Am I the only parent who doesn't believe vaccines cause autism???

I feel like the lone voice in the wilderness. Every time I read one of these articles such as the one written by Dr. Dach I am infuriated. These people who think that autism is caused by vaccines always leave out credible research and quote the shaky research (such as Andrew Wakefield’s Lancet reports, which he later rescinded as inaccurate). It’s so obvious that parents are looking for a scapegoat here. The data just isn’t there to support a vaccine/autism link, folks! I am the parent of a 12-year-old boy with autism and I am a medical journalist. I am sick to death of these fly-by-night, fear-inducing reports. Yes, autism is scary. In fact, at times it’s downright horrible! But the scientific evidence is there on hundreds of thousands of kids from around the world showing that vaccines do not cause autism! Let’s focus our efforts on more credible theories and move on already! I’m sick to death of it! Of course parents are going to be in a frenzy and try to sue vaccine companies. As if they know about this supposed link and are setting out to intentionally give our kids autism? Let’s get on with the real work and support scientifically based research that does not have hidden agendas. Theresa

Mom to three girls with autism

This mom wants to share her story. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

Hi. I’ve seen your site on many autism lists. I’m a writer, speaker and Mom to three girls with autism. I have been following biomedical interventions since the docs first said to me, “Here’s your diagnosis. Call us in a year for a follow up.” Neurologists? Useless. Developemental Pediatricians? A joke. Autism Speaks? Working on getting Prozac approved as an autism “treatment” because their head of treatment happens to own the orphan drug patent on the generic of Prozac. They do not WANT to see recovered kids as that will put them out of business.

I run a site called www.rescuepost.com . Lots of info there.

KIM

Kim Stagliano

http://www.kimstagliano.blogspot.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-stagliano/

Our life beyond the word Autism

This person wants to share their story in dealing with autism. This item was emailed to this blog--AR

It was a little over two years ago I first heard the word Autism. My second child Gabriel was fifteen months old and we were desperate for help. He had stopped sleeping. He wasn’t talking. He had to be on top of (literally) me for almost every minute of every day. If he would get off my lap he had to be in arms reach. I had bruises up and down my arms because he had a need to pinch me (now I know it’s a stimulatory thing and he can’t control himself). We tried to take him to the grocery store and he would scream and fight. We took him to a birthday party for his great grandmother and he screamed so loudly we nearly had to leave the party. And if we tried to give him a bath… all hell broke loose. He would fight, kick, scream, and even bite us to get away. He acted like the water was burning him alive even if it was near to being ice cold. He wasn’t talking. He wasn’t interacting the way other children his age seemed to do. He couldn’t entertain himself for even two minutes at a time. We have an older child so we kinda just KNEW something was wrong but every time we mentioned a fear about him to friends or family we were told to just give him time boys develop later.

His pediatrician didn’t look at us like we were crazy. She was also concerned. We started the cycle of testing that would take over most of the next year of his life. First he had a hearing test which stated he had normal hearing. Then we saw a speech therapist that referred us for weekly appointments and to have an occupational therapist consult. And here is where the word autism came up for the first time. The occupational therapist told us in her opinion our son had serious pervasive developmental disorder problems also known as autism. She told us to go see the pediatrician. The pediatrician sent us to see a neurologist. The neurologist ordered an MRI and formal testing and evaluations to get an idea of where on the spectrum our son would fall.

It took a long time to get through all the evaluations and we answered a million and two questions about our son and his daily habits and his life. It was only a few months ago actually we were officially given the diagnosis. We had been told by every single doctor we had seen since it all to read all we could about Autism and to remember that no matter what our child was still our child.

I felt a lot of the time that maybe we were just imagining things. This was partly due to the fact everyone in our surrounding family acted like we were going overboard with doing speech and occupational therapy. They also felt we were letting our son run wild and without any parental control basically because we were too lazy to parent him. They claimed he was perfectly normally and acted like we just wanted extra attention from the doctors and such for whatever reason. We knew something was wrong. We didn’t know for sure what. We felt our job was to help our son no matter what people around us said and we still feel that.

Our son who was so perfectly normal was not included in invites his sister got to off with her aunts. He wasn’t welcome to hang out over at her house. No one could bother to ask us if we needed help. We could barely even get someone to watch him half the time to do things like our Christmas shopping. No one wanted anything to do with him. When we put our foot down about taking one child off and leaving our other one home and the fact it was causing him to attack his sister in anger and hurt her they stopped having anything to do with either of our children.

As he got more and more verbal ability from help of his speech therapist (my personal miracle worker I think) we started getting more control of his behavior. We put him on a medicine to help with his sleep and you wouldn’t believe the difference him getting six hours of solid sleep would make. The occupational therapist worked/works with him and helps us deal with the sensory issues. At times our son appears almost normal but very hyperactive. Other times he melts down and falls apart.

Recently he started the early school program for children with disabilities and he has had a lot of regressions and meltdowns. It’s almost like being back at square one sometimes. We have to take every day as it comes with him and some days we all are ready to just sit down and cry. There are many nights even now after I put all the kids to bed the first thing I have to do is sit down and just cry my eyes out because it was one of the bad days and I am beyond stressed.

Gabriel is now almost four years old. He is considered a high functioning autistic and we have a lot of hope for him in the future. I have to say some of the hardest moments we have with him have to do with public situations. People who can’t help themselves making comments about how we should control our child better or we should spank him to change how he is acting. (Think a meltdown after forty minutes in a grocery store that means he is either bouncing around the buggy semi out of control or sitting in the middle of the aisle screaming for no apparent reason… it really depends on the day)

We finally thought we had a handle on things when our third child was born during all the testing and such being done for Gabriel. We spent the entire pregnancy terrified about the possibility of another child with similar issues. We were given information about how common it was for a second child to be born with the same problems or even more severe ones. Our fears weren’t to be mentioned to family though. They didn’t want to hear that we were worried. They didn’t want to talk about how Gabriel was doing. They didn’t want to know what the doctors had to say about him.

Our pediatrician started watching Alexander from birth for anything off the mark. By six months we had huge red flags of a problem. The biggest one being he was refusing to be held to breastfeed. He couldn’t handle me holding him that closely and would scream and fight to get away. Effectively he self weaned himself in an effort to be left alone with a bottle so he wouldn’t have to be touched. By nine months old we realized he was missing almost all of his fine motor and social milestones. Now he is 15 months old and has a tentative diagnosis of severe classic autism. He doesn’t talk and is so hyper sensitive to things that his occupational therapist says there isn’t a word to describe how sensitive he is. He has many more issues than we ever saw with Gabriel. He does a lot more self stimulatory things. And we have a very long road ahead of us now to see that his needs are being met by us and his medical team.

Our life is in a word chaotic. We spend a lot of time going to and from therapists and doctors. We spend a lot of time dealing with situations that unless you have an autistic child would make no sense to you at all. Like how often do you find a need to coax a child to take a bath by using swim goggles as a bargaining chip because you know the main fear is not getting their eyes wet. We spend a lot of nights talking, rocking, singing, holding, snuggling and a million other things with a child who can’t sleep because his body just doesn’t feel tired (sometimes even on medicine). We deal with rudeness from people who should really mind their own business when they think they know everything about our children based off two minutes of watching us deal with a tantrum/meltdown. But in the end I wouldn’t trade any of my children for anything in the world. Every battle makes each success so much more meaningful.

My daughter is a huge shining star in my life. I am so proud of her for everything. She is so smart, beautiful, and sweet natured. Without her my older son would be completely lost. Most of Gabriel’s kid like behaviors he has learned by watching her and she is tireless when it comes to teaching him new skills… like coloring she spent weeks showing him over and over how to use a crayon to make a mark on paper. He looks up to his big sister and calls her his best friend. And now I see Gabriel trying in his own way to carry that same example to Alexander. On his good days he will do something so small you almost miss it … like showing Alex how to open and close the cabinet door so he can get in and out of it easier (Alexander likes to hide in them).

The way the three of them work together and help each other reminds me of the most important thing about our family. And there is no way to really put it except that I know we are truly blessed. Even though the word autism invaded our life with a vengeance we are still a family. And we will always be a family.

My little boy

This post is from a mother who wants to share her story about her son with Autism. This item was emailed to this blog.--AR

This was just something i wrote for my son who has autism.... Just thought i'd share it with you. Thank you
Desiree Norris

MY Little Boy

I can post all the beautifuly written poetry that i find about Autism as i find it. and i can post all the videos and state all the facts like some automated recording. but now i'm going to post a message from my heart. Coming from me...just me! As i gaze at my son while he sleeps i am so grateful for him. Do i wish things were different? yes i wish my son didn't have autism but he does! so i am now ready to deal with it. No my grieving is far from over. i grieve for the future he will never have. i'm grieving for the moments already lost to autism. but now instead of soley grieving,i am now able to say okay,now what do i need to do. can i cry more? oh yes i cry almost daily, but not selfishly, i cry for the pain that my son goes through. i cry tears of joy at the smallest accomplishments he makes. things that a 1 or 2 year old makes. my son has just did it. my son is almost 5. so if you se me jumping up and down because my son has just learned to climb down my trailer steps and go to the car and hop into his seat by himself, do not laugh at me for this is important to all of us,no matter how trivial it may seem.

My son has always been a fussy baby(as most typical babies are) he hit every milestone on time. rolling over,sitting up,crawling,walking 2 days before his first birthday. we even praised him on the words he would say and waited for many more to come...they did not come. It stopped. I watched as one by one item of food became a torment to him. foods he used to love now he gags at the sight and fights tooth and nail to be near. i watched while all the other children ran outside laughing at birthday parties playing ring around the rosie,climbing up and sliding down slides and hopping on tricycles,noticing mine did not. he still cannot. they were two. he's almost five. i was tormented watching my son scream and hit himself in the head over and over when someone touched him or too many people got around him at one time. I constantly have to watch him since he does not know the meaning of danger like cars in the road.eveyday you have to stay two steps ahead because if you pick the wrong color cup or if you put a shirt on him without asking him which one he wanted in the first place.Forget bathtime and teethbrushing, and haircutting. he screams as i towl dry him because it hurts him. he screams when i didn't get the same toothpaste that he's used to. he screams because they have to hold his head when cutting his hair. and it gets worse as his cut hair falls on him. prickly to us...needles to him. i watch him as his need to calm himself does not include curling up with a picture book or lying down as i guess other kids would. no instead he flaps his hands like he's trying to fly. or he will line up his hotwheels, spin in circles, point to himself while making weird noises and funny faces. that's how he calms down. instead of having a playmate over he opts to be on the computer where he is king.

sounds like a brat...you say. sounds like he needs a good spanking. or here's one...if that was my child, he would not be like that. But what if this was your child? I do not want to "fix" my son. i just want him to grow up to have the best future he can have. We can all learn from Autism.My son is not mental also he is not disabled. he just has a different way of going about the world he was put in.

Now here is the good part....my son now can speak better. And on the days when i see him drawing back into himself, i now know that i can pull him back out. he echos less and now can ask foe most of what he wants. he no longer hits or bites himself. you can see him trying his best to calm himself down. he now lets me touch him. he endures my kisses and my hugs. And he is learning humor. he is also learning how to play pretend like other children. And my son is very smart. He can watch a video one time and turn it off and then mimic the whole video(sounds included) he can navigate through the computer almost better than an adult.Do not make empty promises because when you say you will do something...he will remind you two days later. you can go a certain route and he will remember it the next time stating"light green,go this way mommy" he could say and recognize his alphabets by right before age two.he can hear a song one time and sing all the way through the next go around only struggling a little.he memorized his momo's number after i showed him only twice.He is currently trying to learn Spanish words.He can do things on the xbox games that my husband has been trying to master for days.He watches me so well that i once walked in the kitchen and saw him dusting just like i do in the same routine that i do it in.

It's still very very hard. it's hard to see my son turn away food on a daily basis and watch as the numbers of his weight go down. it's hard knowing that he might be 7 or even 10 and still not potty trained. but for now, i'm just a mom doing the best that she can do. We might not be the best mom's and yes we sometimes feel like we can't go on,but we're doing it. and all we ask is not to be judged if yuo haven't walked at least a mile in our shoes. because after you walk it,believe me, yu won't be judging...you will be pushing your sleeves up in determination to beat this thing. and you'll be doing it with tears streaming down your face!

Story Idea-Awareness

This parent wants more coverage of awareness. This item was emailed to this blog--AR


hello, my name is Georgina and I live in Ca. I know you are doing a story in our own area but if you could please somehow pass it over to other stations around the US.

I say that because there are so many families who children have this and struggle so much. And if we educate our media, maybe some awareness can come out of it.

I suggest to cover if you have not already been told about how many times most families have to go to see doctors before they get the right diagnose. That there are still doctors out there like my peds doctor which had told me that my son was ADHD and then just gave me drugs for it.

And just like any other parent, I tried it but it did not work. He got worse, so bad that he attack me. And he was never like that. So we stop the drugs and we had to go ourselves to see what we needed to do.

It wasn't until my teacher who was at one point a child psychologist that advise me to see a nuro doctor then go and see a child phy to get an psychological evaluation. And that did not come from my son's own doctor. We went through hoops before we found out what was wrong with him. And cover please please not just the children that can not function so well with autism but the high functioning one. You don't know what it is like for a parent (like me) who child is like that and how other people treat him when he is having a melt down.

I tell you if you ask parents like us, you would be amazed on how many people look at them and say there is nothing wrong with them. And the school system... yea, they treat them like nothing is wrong with them either because they don't look like the rest of the other kids who have it and are in bad cases. When I try to give my son's teacher papers on or about his condition, she did not take it. She said that she had a child who had a different type. And what people don't understand that yes there are different types but they are different in other areas.

So now we can only hope that his school will either give him what he needs or we may have to get him changed. There are many parents who are battling with their schools about this... you would be amazed or unless you know of many parents already that is going through that. thank you for hearing my input. I do hope I have helped a little!

Georgina.

Story Idea-Autism Is Crying Out!

This person thinks we should cover autism awareness. This item was emailed to this blog---AR

Ashley, please do a segment on the "Autism Awareness" gap that exists between the average person on the street, the people that watch the news on KOMU TV8, the typical college student, our any other group of people or individuals, and the people or individuals that know or have been touched by someone with "Autism".

Some questions might be:

What do you know about "Autism"?

What would you like to know about "Autism?"

Are you or will you watch a TV News Series on "Autism"? Why? Or Why not?

Do you know what a spectrum disorder is?

Do you know how many individuals have "Autism"?

Who is affected more by "Autism" males or females?

How do you get "Autism"?

How do you cure "Autism"?

How long does "Autism" last"?

I think you get the idea. I think the results would "raise a lot of eyebrows".

I hope you can find some way included some "Autism 101 basics" on all your segments and can find a way reach and educate people and individuals that have not been touched by someone with "Autism". We need "Autism Awareness" to be in all our minds and in our hearts always. We need everyone to understand that we are all an important piece of the "Autism Puzzle" and we need to all work together in trying to find and assemble all the pieces of the "Autism Puzzle". We need everyone outside the "Autism Community" to become involved and be as passionate about solving the "Autism Puzzle" as we are. We need everyone inside the "Autism Community" to work together and to put all their pieces of the puzzle on the table. Then maybe we will have a chance to see what the finished "Autism Puzzle" looks like.

Your Special Friend, (living with "Autism" for over 32 years)

Scott and his dad Steve

P.S. Ashley thanks for being a "Friend" and "Don't Ever Give Up!"

Low Functioning Autism

This person wanted to share their story. This item was emailed to this blog---AR

I have an 18 yr old son with low-mod-functioning autism. He is non-verbal. Because of this, his negative behaviors are quite a daily challenge. I believe that he receptiviely understands a lot, and that 's why he has tantrums. We never know when he will "go off"--anything can set him off and it could be anywhere. We always have a plan B because of this. He communicates with basic sign and pictures. He has had every form of therapy to try and help him with speech, sensory problems and behavior. We have tried medications, herbal/alternative supplements, GF/CF diet---you name it---anything to improve the quality of life for my son. It is a daily heart-break watching him stuggle and to think of the dismal future he may have. We are exhausted, sad but always hopeful that SOMETHING will become available that will help him. Our dream of living a "normal" life (i.e. family vacations, restaurants, sports activities, etc) was side-lined thanks to dealing with daily autism issues.