CJ's Woodland Shed and the Autism Journey

Happy New Year!

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Dear readers, thank you for a great 2009!

What a great goal raising awareness is for the new year. I love this necklace that my mother gifted to me for Christmas. It is true that when I wear it I am forced to tell curious people why I am wearing a puzzle piece charm around my neck, but really that is the beauty of it. It really is a pretty effortless way to raise awareness.

I am excited to continue my blog into the new year! This month marks my one year of blogging about my journey with autism in my family. My primary goal was to share resources with other parents, because I know how maddening it is to try to find out what your child needs when he/she has autism. I hope I have been successful in making the search easier for someone else this year. This blog has also also been a good outlet for me to voice my frustrations, AND to share some of my JOYS!

My journey with biochemical intervention started when I read "Changing the Course of Autism" by Dr. Bryan Jepson. After all the numerous experiences I have had with autism over the course of my life, autism finally made some sense to me when I read this book. I knew then that my son was meant for the DAN! program. I will forever be indebted to Julie of the Etsy for Autism Street Team for recommending this book to me. I have seen incredible improvement in my son's health and skills over the past year. Explaining it all would fill volumes, and I hope to continue to share the journey in 2010.

Best wishes to you all in the new year!

-Celeste Jean

Autism Treasury in Treasury West

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I have just been made aware that there is a new treasury in treasury west that is centered on autism awareness. It was so thoughtful of Cape Cod Consignments to create this treasury!

If you are unfamiliar with etsy.com let me explain. Treasury West is an alternate treasury to the one on the etsy site, although just as popular. Treasuries last afew days, and when they expire, users can claim a spot and create a new one. It is not an easy thing to claim a treasury spot, and once claimed the creator fills it with creations found on etsy. I personally find it to be a great honor when someone chooses one of my items to fill a spot in a treasury they create.

Many of the etsy sellers in this treasury are autism parents and/or supporters of the cause. Many belong to the street team Etsy For Autism. Use the search "Etsy For Autism" in the etsy.com search bar to see other handmade items by these team members.

CHECK IT OUT! It lasts until Saturday:Autism Treasury

Merry Christmas!

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:57:00 +0000

Eli came home from school one day dressed like Rudolph with his lunch on his face and a big smile! Too cute.

Vaccines

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:35:00 +0000

I have blogged on this topic before back in July, but I didn't feel like I had good resources for new parents who had concerns about vaccinations.

I have a new niece and my sister has asked me for an alternative vaccine schedule. My first response was, "There is no alternative schedule, because the American Pediatrics Association does not recognize that there is a connection between vaccines and autism because the CDC denies that there is a relationship!" Ok, so I am alittle bit passionate about this.

After deciding to take a look anyway and see what I could find, I DID find some resources for my sister. Here they are.

This one was given to me by my son's DAN! doctor: A User-Friendly Vaccine Schedule

This one I found on Ginger's blog: Generation Rescue's Vaccine Page

And lastly I'd like to share Ginger's blog. She is not a medical professional, but an autism mom who writes about the current controversy surrounding this subject as it relates to autism: Adventures in Autism

Conventional Cotton

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:13:00 +0000

My journey with autism in my family has taught me to look at earth conservation in a new light. I believe that many diseases, including autism, are brought upon us in part by our environment, or rather, our lack of care for it.

I was playing with google one day and I came up with the stats that only 5% of all crops are cotton, yet 25% of all pesticides/fertilizers are used to produce commercial cotton. Also that the production of three conventional cotton t shirts require the use of one whole pound of pesticides and fertilizers. I am not bothering to cite sources on this one because I found these same stats on MULTIPLE sites.

In my little family we are doing some small things to try to combat this issue. First of all, we shop thrift stores first. Thrift stores have more variety and they are easier on our budget. More importantly, buying second hand prevents use of more harmful chemicals for the creation of a new outfit, and that fact alone gives us so much pride in our thrift store purchases! We do not have any sources of organic clothing in our area as far as our knowledge goes, which is really very sad. If anyone knows of one, or of a good online source, do tell.

Recycling pre loved fabrics is something that I do in my studio and I am very grateful for my family's support in this. I make clothing items out of old worn out fabrics. Recently I made myself a long sleeved t shirt out of afew of my husband's old t shirts that would have gone in the trash. I find using preexisting fabrics to create new fashions very exciting because, once again, reusing fabric prevents the use of harmful chemicals. Some of my creations I post in my etsy shop.

Speech Progress!

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Autism causes caused developmental delay that often severely tampers with speech development. Our son not only has autism, (inherited from the family,) he also has additional issues with speech. (Also inherited from the family.) He has had many "Eli" words for many of his favorite things for a long time. For example, "Go-Go" was Gordon the train from Thomas and Friends for quite a while. I just had to write a little post to say that we have had some things going for us in the speech department lately.

Eli's doctor has put him on a pretty high dosage of vitamin E, which of course he monitors. He said that it helped with speech development. Also, at Eli's new autism preschool he receives significantly more speech therapy than he used to. (Next week the speech therapist is even meeting with me to teach me things we can to at home with him. Exciting!) The result of these changes has been just pure awesomeness. Yesterday after some coaching Eli learned how to say "Thomas" correctly. He has always loved Thomas the Tank Engine, but for the longest time he has called him "Boo-Ess," then he was "Mum-Ess." Now at age 4 and 1/2 he can finally call him Thomas! We could not be prouder. Now if I can just get him to stop saying "Bups" for "Grapes."

The Neighbor Boy

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:29:00 +0000

My son has a little friend in our duplex who is just his age. For being only 4, his little friend has been pretty understanding and patient with Eli. They run around together in the yard we share and ride their bikes up and down the driveway together. Sometimes his friend comes over and they watch TV or watercolor together.

Just recently though I have been noticing that his friend has been starting to take advantage of the fact that Eli has a hard time communicating. On acouple of occasions very recently Eli's friend has done little naughty things to him, like taking things from him, when I am not looking. Once I noticed a little smirk on his face when Eli couldn't tell me what was wrong.

Now of course I am not mad at the little neighbor boy. He is probably behaving age appropriately for whatever typical 4 year old phase he is going through. Most little boys probably would have started this type of behavior long before now. I should probably explain to his mother because I happen to know it is very important to her that her son learn how to interact and have patience with people who have special challenges. I know she will be able to gently explain to him why his behavior is not appropriate in a way that he can relate and understand.

I am finding myself upset about this today because it's alittle bit traumatizing to me. It makes me scared for my son and how people may treat him in the future. If you are familiar with the play, "Flowers for Algernon," you'll remember that Charlie, the man with special challenges in the play has coworkers who he says are his friends. All these men do all day is poke fun at Charlie and laugh at him. Although Eli is very bright and I hope for much recovery for him, I do not know what level he will be at socially when he is, say, a teen. Or when he enters the work force. It makes me afraid of people taking advantage of him because of his challenges.

Dear God, protect him. Even from his friends.

Eli's Toy

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:54:00 +0000

We call this Eli's "P" toy. I give it to him on days when he is having a hard time keeping his fingers out of his mouth. I ordered this for him some time ago so he could have a chewing outlet without reverting back to the binky. It is just a therapeutic orange "P" that he chews on... it keeps him from chewing on his fingers, the playstation cord, etc.

www.chewytubes.com

We often put this on a nylon cord as a very loose necklace for him when we go places with it. Last week I went to my mother's with Eli and his "P" necklace. My 16 year old brother, (who also has autism,) was very concerned. "What does that P stand for?" He was very interested to know. I told him that it didn't stand for anything, it was just Eli's toy to chew on. "OH!" He said with very obvious relief. "I am so glad that it does not stand for anything inappropriate." I love you Jared, you are hilarious!

Art About Autism

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

I am very proud to show off my latest piece. It is called, "An Autism Sibling's Childhood." It is about my childhood in Oregon. We had picnics at the coast, trips to the mountains, and of course, autism with all of the unique, beautiful, and sometimes complicated characteristics that go along with it.

The medium is a linocut print. I carve these in an artist linoleum and hand print and pull them. It gives them an irresistible rustic look. Every print I make from this block will be unique.

View listing by clicking here.

I Am a Kirkman Mom

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:39:00 +0000

My son is on a small collection of supplements which are monitored closely by his DAN! doctor and they really do make a difference for him. I have discovered that most of his supplements I can simply get from one place online, Kirkman Labs.

I thought I would share the site there in hopes it would be helpful for other parents. The great thing about them is that their supplements are made for people with food sensitivities. There is no gluten, casein, sugar, or other reaction triggers in their products. I have also found them to be very reliable.

One thing that I love about this company is that this year they were named one of the "Oregon Top 100 Green Businesses" which they have to meet high standards to qualify for. They also have a line of products called Kirkman Kleen and which are natural, safe cleaning products. Go Kirkman!

Kirkman Labs is on Rosewood Lane in Lake Oswego, Oregon, near to the place where my uncle and aunt lived when I was a child. We lived across the river and we visited them often, so I suppose that is another thing they've got going for them in my book. :)

Check it out here: kirkmanlabs.com

Parent Training

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:48:00 +0000

My son's autism preschoool has parent training nights and I think it is so wonderful because parent education makes all the difference. Tonight after coming home from one, however, I have to admit I am alittle frustrated. Some parents were discussing "the diet" and basically putting down biochemical intervention. It was obvious that they had not tried to educate themselves on it. I told them I have been doing biochemical intervention for a year, I told them about the monumental difference (his social smile, understanding discipline, etc.) I said there is a book they can read, (Changing the Course of Autism, by Dr. Bryan Jepson,) and that I am willing to talk to anyone about it. After that I tried to keep my mouth closed. It was hard because I feel like even if they choose not to do it, they should not discredit it. To me that is wrong. One parent approached me afterward, and she understood exactly how I felt! "Some people are so ignorant about food," she said. I can't explain how relieved I am that there is another parent like me in the group and I look forward to talking to her again on the subject.

One of the handouts we got tonight was a little story. I read it once in Jenny McCarthy's Mother Warriors book, and I have to tell you it never looses significance for me. I think the author got it head on.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

The Pictures Don't Lie

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

These are snapshots I took of Eli's preschool pictures. In the first one he is barely 3, and in the second he is 4 and 1/2.

This one with the glass glare was taken early in 2008. Although not really smiling, he is looking in the general direction and seems to show curiosity on the photographer.

I was so shocked and pleasantly surprised to pull this packet out of Eli's backpack last week! What a difference! Here he is obviously engaged... what progress.

Biochemical therapy has made him so much more available for learning. His schooling, and life experiences, and activities with mom and dad have been more beneficial for his learning than ever. His academic progress has been phenomenal. (He can read many words.) But it is his social progress that makes me the most proud of all, and these pictures are a clear documentation of that.

Siblings

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:46:00 +0000

I am an autism sibling. I've had lots of my experiences come to mind lately as I've been thinking about what my family may be like in the future. I live in a very family oriented part of the country. It is not uncommon to see a woman my age or even younger tote three or four children to the grocery store. When people see that I have a four year old and no other children and no signs of expecting, I get asked, "Do you want more kids?" Rude, I know.

I have a memory bank full of experiences of what it is like to be an autism sibling. I wouldn't call my teenage years "normal." My brother is classically autistic in the moderate range. While there were definitely rewarding experiences, there were also lots of challenges.

This is a story I wrote for autism siblings in a previous post. Even though I am not much of a writer, I feel like for this story I included a good balance of the good and the challenging.
Read The Chocolate Effect here.

I did have some friends that were like the Allison in the story and I will always be grateful. (Admittedly though, we would usually hang out at other places besides my home.) My most Allison like friend, (as far as the purposes in the story goes, anyway,) was the young man that I eventually married. When we were just friends in high school Jason would invite himself over and hang out. He put up with my brother's antics marvelously. My sister and I coined the challenge of our brother with new people "The Jared Test" and when we were young adults we used it on all our dates. We learned quickly which of the young men were most patient. It turned out to be a very viable test.

So as I have my memories running through my head, and my future family before me, I've been feeling like I am missing a perspective. That is the one of the parent of the child that has the autism sibling. Are there any parents out there who are willing to share? What do you do with your autism sib kids to help them learn from, be patient towards, and in some cases, have normal social lives despite their challenges at home?

Hepatitis B Vaccine

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:21:00 +0000

My sister sent this link my way. Especially with my family's history of autism, I wish I would have known this four and a half years ago. Every medical intervention costs the body something, even if that something is meant to prevent. This article also states the rate of autism as 1 in 63. Astounding.

Hepatitis B Vaccine Triples the Risk of Autism in Infant Boys

Dr. South and Recycled Clothing

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:52:00 +0000

It has been alittle while since I have updated. Even though Eli has been in school, I have somehow been very busy. One thing that has been occupying my time is creating products for the upcoming Beehive Bazaar in Provo this next month. I was so thrilled to be accepted because it is a very trendy artsy type of show.

thebeehivebazaar.com

The products I am submitting are eco friendly. I am producing clothing made from pre existing fabric. Most of it is from donated pre loved clothing and linens. I was required as part of the application process to tell them why I do what I do. The answer is simple: Less toxins in our environment means less cases of autism, and as an autism sibling and mom that is important to me.

Acouple of weeks ago I went to a meeting all of the Giant Steps parents were invited to on BYU campus. The meeting was led by Dr. South and his students in the psychology department. At this meeting I learned that the Giant Steps program is in constant danger of losing funding, and has been threatened especially so this school year. The research that Dr. South and his students do is in part right in the preschool program. I am so excited about this because if they can come up with the actual documentation to show how essential the program is to the kids, it is far less likely to get funding cut because the results are then proven in numbers.

Some of the senior students of Dr. South's presented research on how autistic children reacted to trials differently then typical children. Their findings were interesting, but I kept thinking to myself, autism effects the whole body, not just the brain! Being a parent who is a biochemical therapy convert is maddening at times. I feel that more answers could be found if only all symptoms were taken into account.

Eli's First Day of Giant Steps

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Today is Eli's first day of Giant Steps. We took some pictures this morning while waiting for the bus. He was very happy to show off his spiderman backpack.

It is strange for me to be at home so long by myself when I am used to having Eli with me, and I miss him, but thank goodness for Giant Steps! I have met the staff and peeked in the classroom during work time. It is going to be so good for him and I look forward to documenting lots of progress!

DIR and ABA

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:14:00 +0000

We have been looking around to see what the best option available is for our son's education once he is done with his specialized preschool program. Should we stay here in the area we live now, the Clear Horizons Academy looks like a very promising option. We are going to go tour it soon and start the application process so our son can be on the waiting list.

www.clearhorizonsacademy.org

The exciting thing about this school is that it works on the DIR, or relationship based model. The preschool he will be starting next week is ABA model based. Although I can't remember what ABA stands for at the moment, I know that it works on a rewards system. Things are about routine and memorization. We believe that our son will make many gains with this model in this coming school year.
However, we have been considering for afterward the Clear Horizons Academy for it's relationship based program. Although the program he is in this year uses the DIR model to some extent, the idea of an educational program based on it is very interesting to us. The DIR model is child directed and it focuses on building in the children that kind of social addiction that most of us just seem to be born with. Example: With the DIR model you play, and that play is directed by the child. If the child is banging blocks together instead of stacking them, you bang blocks together. Eventually you are taking turns banging blocks and here we have communication circles opening and closing, and opening and closing.
There is a certain acquaintance of ours who tells us that there is a particular family in the area who flies the husband to California each week for work and the rest of the family stays here in Utah, all because of the Academy. I am thinking, if the school is that good, we are going to look into it.

Why, Mom?

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:19:00 +0000

My son approached me while I was at the sewing desk, so I greeted him and told him what I was doing. "Why Mom?" was his response, so I calmly told him more about it. Really, on the inside, I was just thinking, "DID HE JUST SAY THAT??"

By the time most children are the age of four, they have already been tormenting their parents with the 'why' question for quite some time. I just heard it from my son for the first time about 2 weeks ago when this incident happened. Parents of typical kids: be grateful to hear the perpetually asked question. Apparently it is very important for a child's development. I haven't yet learned all the details of 'why' yet. :)

In the meantime, I am hoping to encourage the 'why' question more often.

In other news, this week is another Low Dose Antigen (LDA) injection. My son's DAN! doc is the only one that does these, but he is very active in the conferences and so I hope that many other doctors learn about it from him. The LDA helps my son not be so sensitive to things in the environment and also foods that bother him. It is very safe, it simply helps him build a tolerance. Parents of autistic children know: These kids are sensitive! A special test showed that my son was sensitive to many common foods, and soy especially was almost off the chart!

Preparing for the LDA includes eliminating fish oils from supplement regimen two days before, and eliminating supplements all together for three days, the day before, the day of, and the day after the injection. Fish oil is still avoided during the week after. Also during the supplement free days, he has to be off of chocolate, eggs, wheat, sugar, corn, and milk. I have to admit though, that we usually never give him those things anyway, except the egg. I'll have to remember that when I'm making pancakes in the morning...

The Move

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:20:00 +0000

I haven't posted for awhile because of all the chaos of our recent move. It is all over though, and we are happy with our new place! The reason for our move was the autism preschool located in Orem, Utah, called Giant Steps. It is public, but it is funded by the Wasatch Mental Health Department. Translation: it is free and the program is cutting edge. The downside is that our son had to be on the waiting list for this program for 2 years. We had to be living in Utah County for him to attend, but that was OK because anything out of the county was just too far to commute for a one car family. So here we are! This program is totally worth the move and we are pumped! It is an ABA based program, (although they will use whatever method works for the individual,) and it is four days a week, with full school days!

Our last move was back at the end of December of last year when we moved north in order to complete hubby's education. That move was hard on Eli, as you would expect for a young one with autism. We had lots of uncooperative behavior, vocal outbursts, sleep disturbances, etc. He stopped being manageable with taking supplements for a while there, too, but we kept trying. Once we started getting the supplements down him again, things started getting better, and then he started school at the public school there, and things got even better. We have kept with the biochemical intervention for this whole year this last month and let me tell you how great he is doing! Eli now calls me "mom" and his dad "dad." His vocabulary is growing everyday. If he is looking for a favorite toy train he will say "Gordon go?" He tells me about things in his little shows he likes to watch. He is starting to have more and more of a social smile. This recent move has been such a switch from the one back in December! No regression at all.

Eli had some very kind little friends in our town we lived in up north who taught him so much about interaction, playing and friends. We miss all of you sweet little people! These are some pictures to show his friends how happy Eli is at the new place. There is a swing in the backyard that is cut from an old tire.

The BEST Gluten Free Cookbook

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Several months ago I went to a "gut" specialist for the aching and tiredness I was experiencing. He decided we needed to do a procedure so that he could see my stomach and intestines. After the procedure he said he may have seen possible celiac disease, so I went home and stopped eating gluten, and started feeling better. I went back to see him only to hear him say that the test was negative for celiac and to take a prescription for the aches the may be caused by a "non celiac gluten intolerance." I went home confused. If gluten was making me not feel well, it was obviously not being handled by my body properly and should be avoided. I have been eating gluten free ever since and have been feeling great.

Although I had already been cooking gluten free for my son with autism for the better part of a year, this experience led me to search for even better gluten free baking recipes. I worked in bakeries for 5 years. I had to be able to bake things that I would really enjoy!

That is when I found the ultimate gluten free baking book: Cooking Free by Carol Fenstar, Ph.D.

This book is AWESOME for baking for persons with autism, because many of the recipes have included alternatives to the major ingredients that many persons with autism have problems with: sugar, eggs, milk, and of course gluten.

The best part of this book is that the recipes are good! The ones I use most are the pancake recipe, the basic chocolate cake (it's great for family gatherings!) and the sandwich bread recipe.

The basic flour blend recipe that is the staple for all the recipes in the book is a flexible one, meaning you can use the flours to best suit the recipe to your taste. I find that bean flour in the mix makes a better flour for pancakes and sandwich bread, while corn flour (not corn meal) instead of the bean flour portion makes a better blend for sweets, like the chocolate cake. I just mark my two quart ziplock bags "corn flour blend" or "bean flour blend" and I am stocked and ready to bake anytime.

Another Chemical Free Step

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:34:00 +0000

I have heard that persons with autism should only eat organic foods. My thought was, that's nice, but who can afford that? I began washing our produce with special wash from the health food store and took pride in the fact that I had washed off waxes, sprays, and other contaminants.
I recently read this book:
The Organic Food Guide: How to Shop Smarter and Eat Healthier
by Steve Meyerowitz, and it's a great find on Amazon for under $10.
For being a short read, it explains a variety of topics concerned in the choice of whether or not to buy organic. I found the chapter on labeling very helpful. He tells the many reasons organic foods are better for us, and why all those nutrients in healthier soil makes the food taste better.
I took it for a test. I have been buying organic apples for weeks now. I can honestly say that I enjoy apples more now that I have found apples that are generally better tasting. Knowing I am avoiding chemicals and contaminants probably doesn't make them taste worse, either. :)
Now I want to buy nothing but organic. It is true that it does not always happen. Organic varieties are not always available, or always affordable. However, my family and I are taking steps to make it more of a priority to buy organic. Right now it is all of our produce, plus other products here and there. Here is a little collection from my own kitchen.
My efforts to provide organic foods for my family are in an effort to lessen the chemical burdens on my son. I believe that his predisposed little body contracted autism under the burden of environmental contaminants. Anything I can do to lessen the load on his sensitive body makes him a happier boy.

The Face of Autism

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:07:00 +0000

This is just a fun little project that included everyone in the family. My husband shot this photo while doing an Eli "photo shoot," meaning stalking him with a camera until a picture of his face is obtained. (He also managed to get one with a big smile!) I did alittle photo editing on the photo. (I did tons of photo editing in college... already getting rusty!) It is still overexposed, etc, but I found the end result with his little gaze to be pretty meaningful. I can also imagine my brother at this age looking at me with his own gaze which somehow still looks at me and through me at the same time.

Immunizations

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:41:00 +0000

I had an experience afew weeks ago that I have been thinking about ever since.

I went to see a friend who is an autism sibling like me who had a new baby, about one month old. That little guy was such a doll, and so aware. He could tell that someone that was not mom or dad was holding him, but he decided he could tolerate me after afew minutes. I felt such a connection with the little guy, with the exception of weight and looks, he was just like my little boy at that age... behaved in the same ways. I was so excited I told my husband all about him when I got home. Then he asked me, "Have they been doing immunizations?" And that was all it took for me to sit on my couch and cry for awhile. My husband understood what was wrong and just lovingly sat there with me.

I've spoken before about how I sometimes think about things I would have done differently as a parent in my Mother's Day post. Immunizations is one of those things. I wish I had not been so unaware. Maybe my son would have had less symptoms and had been able to enjoy life more from an early age if I had waited and watched him for symptoms first, waited for safer immunizations, or simply avoided immunizations all together.

Eli has been in biochemical intervention for one year this month. Biochemical intervention has made a difference, even though we can't afford even half the therapies we wold like to have him in. None of his therapies are covered by insurance, and his diet and supplements are hard for us to keep up with. Despite this, Eli can interact in ways he couldn't before, and finds happiness in things he didn't before. (During the drafting of this post he signed "dance" along with a verbal approximation and he grabbed my hands and we danced around the living room!)Previous to Eli seeing a DAN! doctor, his father and I read "Changing the Course of Autism" by Dr. Bryan Jepson. The experience of reading this book was amazing. It is such a compilation of research. It explained to me things that I saw going on with my son and my brother, and the autism community in general, and I was instantly converted.

Now understanding the connection between genetics and autism, and also immunizations and autism due in part to heavy metals, I am appalled to admit that Eli has had the "full schedule" of shots up until the age of 24 months, flu shots, plus he was enrolled in one immunization study. (The doctor, who had children of his own, said that the study was one he would do, and I was way too trusting back then.) My son now has an immunization waiver which allows him to attend public school.

To all the people reading this thinking, "this girl is off her rocker," I want to tell you something: I was once you. Consider the big business that has been built around the immunization program, and what the business implications may be to said big business if each child in the country had one less mercury infused immunization. Consider the government all these years in supporting this big business by requiring children to have a full schedule of immunizations in order to go to school. Then consider that the CDC can't seem to recognize the evidence right in front of them. So I put it to you, I am not a professional after all. Tell me, do these dots deserve to be connected?

Here's an interesting video of CDC accidentally admitting there is a link between autism and immunizations. (I am indebted to Ginger's blog, www.advenduresinautism.blogspot.com for this link.)

Parents, please educate yourselves. Let your mother/father instincts guide you.

"The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief [. . .] of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense."
Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Little Lifesaver in a Jar

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:46:00 +0000

I'm not talking about the candy. I'm talking about the little jar of stuff pictured above--- Ghee! This great stuff has been a lifesaver for me with my son's GF/CF diet.

I went to my local Good Earth store one day looking for this because it was the mysterious ingredient in some of the recipes in this book. One of the managers knew what and where it was... it ended up being clarified butter. I almost passed it up... butter is not ok on my son's diet. She explained that clarified means that all proteins are removed... meaning no casein is in it.

Why is this so great? Well, on top of GF/CF my son limits his own diet quite a bit. Margarine, even canola marg is out of the question. No one should eat hydrogenated fats. Bottom line is that this Ghee stuff helps my son accept some foods he normally wouldn't. I stir a teaspoon of it in his GF noodles with some steamed veggies and some salt. He won't eat spaghetti, but he will eat this. (I love it that I can get some veggies down him this way!) At $8 a jar it sure is not cheap, but this little jar has lasted a long time and has flavored many meals of pasta and vegetables and some of brown rice. :)

Backyard Pictures

zestiecelery@yahoo.com (Celeste Jean) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Eli makes me laugh. He is very interested in the camera, and he notices when I take a picture. He wants to see the picture on the little screen of the camera every time. The funny part is that for all his interest, he sure resists being photographed! Here is one of him hiding his face and running around when he saw me with the camera.

I was just lucky to get this next one, I guess. It does drive me alittle bit crazy that he won't just give me one of his gorgeous smiles for a picture, but his pouty face is just as cute! He may still be working on the language, but he is extremely expressive without it. (You should hear his pouty "aaaaoooowww" expression that accompanies this face.)