Now I know my ABA...

NBear is currently with R downstairs, doing her ABA Therapy. We are very fortunate to have this program available for her through the school district. (Means it's FREE!) As a public school teacher, I know firsthand that public schools are required BY LAW to provide the best possible services for your child's needs - whether or not your child is part of the Special Education program.

The catch-22 is this: without appropriate funding and resources, the service cannot be adequately provided. In laymen's terms: the law gives you the right to demand services appropriate for your child as written in his or her IEP; however, if what your child deserves is not readily available due to lack of funds, or (worse) lack of experienced staff, you are left with only two choices:

1) leave for greener pastures and/or fork out your own dinero to obtain services

2) play the waiting game (which can mean loss of critical time for your little one!)and hope the school hires the "expert" asap

.....or three (I'm doing this last-minute add!).....hire a lawyer whose specialty rests in getting your child those services!

~ I've been "lucky" enough to have witnessed these three things happen to different parents. Keep in mind, it may not always be for their own good. :(

Our perfect example was when one of NBear's classmate's mom (with me so far?) hired a lawyer to make sure that the teacher in their SDC room had a credential that was specific to teaching children with autism. Well, long story short, the teacher NBear already HAD was so much better than the new one that was hired. We weren't happy the first teacher was going to leave in the first place - even if Mrs.RKW wasn't carrying "THE CREDENTIAL", she had the heart and soul of an angel, and loved those kids enough to make significant progress with them. Needless to say, we didn't feel the same about the new one at all. In fact, I doubt "teacher #2" will be coming back for another year.....where's the love in that?

Truly worth a thousand words!

I sent some friends pics of the girls enjoying themselves in their cousins' pool (NBear is a mermaid incarnate!), and got this very uplifting response:

Re: poolside (from KK)
Cute pics! BTW...you know I notice all the little things so I gotta ask if this was after you began the new things on [NBear]?!?! I noticed she is looking at the camera more. YAY!

Re:Re:poolside (Me)
oh my gosh - i didn't even notice until you wrote. i looked at all the pics again and you're right! who knows?...but yes, it was after we started her on the meds....in fact, she took the 1st b-12 shot that day!

Re:Re:Re:poolside (KK)
That was the first thing I noticed. See...I told you...baby steps!

Generation Rescue - Vaccines

This tidbit is taken directly from generation rescue's website. Note the advice they give about the MMR shots:

1.Take Precaution

•Consider delaying vaccines until your child is 18-24 months old.
•Do not vaccinate if your child is taking antibiotics.
•Consider no more than one vaccine per doctor’s visit.
•If you plan to get the MMR vaccine, ask your doctor to give it in three separate vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella.
•Consider giving high doses of Vitamin C (3,000-5,000 mg per day) on the day before, of, and after vaccination.
•With the measles vaccine (MMR), consider high doses of Vitamin A (5,000 IU or more) on the day before, of, and after vaccination.
•If your child experiences any developmental delays, stop vaccinating until you learn more.
•If your child has an adverse reaction to a vaccine, stop vaccinating until you learn more.
•Always ask to see the vaccine insert, and never accept a vaccine that uses the preservative Thimerosal (mercury). For a complete list of vaccines with Thimerosal, see the FDA’s website here. Note: most flu shots today still contain Thimerosal.

For more of what they suggest (and what I would highly recommend), visit their website.

You're welcome:)

I'm really quite thankful you have informed us of the world of autism. Each year that I teach, I hear more and more and see more and more cases of students with some form of autism. So it's great you are getting the word out and keeping us abreast with [NBear's] condition.

(from SFJM)

the only math I am good at

Genetic predisposition + environmental toxins = AUTISM

Despite the fact that many people say that the true cause of autism is unknown, I believe that in order to join a battle, one has to recognize what they're fighting. Of course, in order to do that in the case of autism, you'd have to choose from several "suspects": drugs, bad mothering, vaccines, eating seafood while pregnant, physical trauma to the child, genetics...etc.

I chose my enemy, and can only pray that I'm fighting the right one.

Yes, I believe vaccines had a part in what happened to NBear. Yes, I believe that she just happened to be one of the 150 whose genetic makeup made her more sensitive to the toxins in our environment. Yes, I wish someone had told me that it was okay to follow a more relaxed vaccination schedule.....but most of all, Yes, I believe there is still a part (hopefully a huge one) of her that can still come back from all of that. That's why we're here.

~nite. tomorrow is B-12 #2 day....remember!

I saw...

...the DVD that K bought about Dr. Kenneth Bock and his biomedical program, which is basically what NBear is on. (see his link to the right --> )

This is a must-see for anyone who is concerned about how it works (that would be our parents, mostly! *hahaha*)

In fact, I still found it helpful!

why nurses are banned from migraines

I still smile about the events that transpired last night. :)

Monster Migraine attacked mommy, so I asked Daddy to play nurse and give NBear her 2nd round of meds and supplements.......oh boy.

Don't get me wrong - he's great at measuring the perfect amounts and finding creative ways to get the kids to take them (like adding activated charcoal to applesauce and calling it "Black applesauce", which NBear loved!)...but, like I said, oh boy. HAHA!

Event #1:

M: *head covered by blanket, fetal position, trying to fight off the pulsating pain in my head* So, you gave her all her meds already, right?

D: *getting comfy on the bed, Jenny McCarthy book in hand, preparing to cover himself in the oh-so-soft comforter* Yes, I did.

M: Did you have a hard time finding the Nu-Thera in the medicine cabinet?

D: *insert pregnant pause here* Oh....shoot....I forgot that. I was just looking at the stuff in the little basket! [I bought a small wicker basket from Michael's for her stuff, but the Nu-Thera needed to be stored "in a cool, dry place", and I didn't feel like a spot near the rice cooker would be appropriate]

M: ...and the diflucan? [also in the medicine cabinet]

D: (no response, but hurries out of his comfy spot - tosses Jenny's book back on the nightstand, runs downstairs, and emerges through the door with water and the Nu-Thera...still in caplet form [I mix the contents in the strawberry-flavored cod liver oil for sanity's sake].
* I can hear him trying to convince her to swallow the caplet to no avail. :) When I woke in the morning, I find - on the bathroom counter - evidence that he succumbed to the inevitable: a small porcelain bowl, and a medicine dropper. :)

Event #2

(background info: NBear's glutathione ointment requires us to put on latex gloves as we apply it on her skin. K had read online that it may also be used for helping out with gout, something he unfortunately suffers from)

Him: You know, I tried putting NBear's glutathione on - without any gloves - yesterday!

Me: You DID?

Him: Yeah, ' cause you know how I read that it can help gout...so I figured, what the heck, right?

Me: Uh - huh? [At this point I'm thinking - Why does HE get to have all the mini-adventures?]

Him: Man, when I put it on her back, my FINGERS STARTED TO GET NUMB! *reenacting (sp?) the event by holding his fingers up to his face*

Me: WHAT? What did you do????

Him: *laughing* I just decided to wash it off! (and something to the effect of "I started freaking out"...but I refuse to use inappropriate language on this blog)

Men.

'nuff said.

I love the way he cracks me up without planning on it.