autism, asd, recovery, hope,

This past week has been difficult. Accidents, emotional outbursts and a lot of stimming behavior. My wife suggested we slow down with his supplements, I suggested we continue on. Sometimes recovery looks like regression until a breakthrough. My experience in working with my son is that from day to day it is hard to know what to expect. Keep good notes and maybe a pattern will emerge, but maybe not. He finally broke through a few days ago. His improvements cross many areas. He is speaking much more fluidly, he can find the words without spacing out as much, his movements are smoother, and more spontanious, he hopped for the fun of hopping, not as an excercise we encouraged. The potty training is back under control. We even sang a song together from Signing Time Songs. Sometimes I see you stuck For such a long time A daily nothing new Pretend I don’t mind With lists of things you’ll never do Until somehow you do And you do — you do — you shine The days and months and years, they run together Is it just one day? Or is this forever? You’ve taught me in your lifetime More than I’d learned in mine And you do, you do, you shine

Omega 3 and Autism Recovery

We didn't know what to think. AJ started to have an accident daily. He was getting his cod liver oil. Luckily JC remembered we had received a free sample at Autism One last year and left it in the car all day. The heat from the sun all day may have destroyed the beneficial fatty acids in the cod liver oil. Earlier in the week we attended a seminar where Dr. Jorn Dyerberg, one of the pioneer's of Omega 3's and heart health, talked about the value of fish oils. He outlined the importance of Omega 3 and Omega 6. Omega 3 includes both EPA and DHA and has anti-inflammatory properties. Omega 3 also improves cognitive function and acts as an anti-depressent. Dr. Dyerberg stated that 20% of the brain and nervous system are made up of essential fatty acids. I wonder if this is why accidents happen when AJ doesn't get his. With his body constantly trying to cope with the excess toxins he needs all the Omega 3's he can get to keep things working properly. I think we're going to double his dosage for a while and see if there is any improvement in his coordination and mood. I asked Dr. Dyerberg about it, but he has never studied the effects of Omega 3's on children effected by autism. Dr. Jorn Dyerberg also mentioned several tests to have done to measure health. He suggested a non-fasting triglycerides test, most Doctors do a fasting test. Elevated non-fasting results warn of possible heart disease. He also suggested checking your 24 hour HRV, heart rate variability. A good high HRV indicates your heart can adapt to changing needs. The last test he suggested was the Omega 3 Index, which measures the amount of EPA and DHA in red blood cell membranes. I believe this test was pioneered by Dr. Harris and Dr. Von Schacky, but I haven't tried to follow up with it yet. I also had the opportunity to talk to John Carlson the founder of Carlson's fish oil about the difference between fish oil and cod liver oil. He told me the cod liver oil includes vitamins A & D and is suggested for use Sept.- March when we don't get as much natural sun light. The fish oil doesn't have those vitamins included.

Recovery = three steps forward, one step back.

AJ was banging the wall, yelling "Bad wall. Stop it! You don't hurt my sister!" KJ bumped her head on the wall and AJ came to her support. We consider it a positive social development. He is engaging with his surroundings aware of his sisters' pain. He has had several positive developments in the last several days. He's been asking more complex questions, why questions, where questions. He stood on one foot after his bath, looking at the bottom of his other foot. He did it without thinking, without hesitation, and without the typical startle reflex he used to display with only one foot on the ground. I asked him to check his other foot and he did without a problem. Six months ago in Yoga class he was nervous bringing one foot off the ground. His social awareness seems to have lept forward, along with some of his physical coordination. However, he lost, hopefully temporarily, some other skills. He has had a few accidents this week, after being accident free for months. Skills come in bunches, but at least they are coming. His emotions are still unpredictable, but seem to be calming down.