There is nothing more frustrating than not getting answers when you spend a ton of money on labs, tests, or evaluations only to find out nothing more than you knew before.  Jaxon just had a load of testing done to see if we could determine why his focus/attention keeps coming and going and not staying anywhere near consistent.  Well, the test told us absolutely nothing….except that the doctor and I were going to have to make a plan based on past experience, gut instinct, and hope! 

As a parent, gut instinct is something I use quite frequently when dealing with my children.  As a doctor, (not the MD kind…but still a bit of knowledge and experience under my belt) I tend to try to look for some facts to back up this instinct, but when you can’t get any current facts, I always tend to look at the past.  What worked in the past, what failed in the past, what did we skip in the past….then move forward. 

For the next few weeks Jaxon’s specialist and I are going to try a few different things in order to see if we can get Jaxon’s attention and focus to be more consistent and then do some more investigating as to what might be throwing him off track.  Adding back supplements one at a time will be the first step, then changing his diet one food at a time will be the second step….all the while we will keep Jaxon on some antifungals to deal with the never ending yeast in his GI tract.  If you too are dealing with yeast or focus issues, stay tuned, I will keep you updated!

Thanks for stopping by!

Having a doctor you like and can trust is the most important thing (in my opinion) for a parent raising a child with autism.  We recently lost our DAN (also biomedical) doctor and I remained in denial for as long as I could be.  However, as time went on, my child slowly drifted downhill…and so began the dreaded search.  

Reaching out to my readers helped a lot.  I am so thankful for everyone’s feedback and suggestions.  I wish I could step outside the box every now and again and try different forms of treatment, but I am a girl who likes to stick with what works for as long as it works.  With that being said, y’all know that the IQS has been my machine of choice since I was introduced to it, so our new doctor would need to be familiar with and use if for Jaxon’s treatment.  

Luckily, the IQS is still being used by a few doctors in Colorado!  We met with a new doctor two weeks ago, and just in time.  School was starting and I needed Jaxon to 1) sleep through the night again 2) calm down long enough to focus on his school work 3) detox all the gluten and “junk” he ate this summer and 4) just an overall check of his body.  The doctor was great, he was able to go over the symptoms Jaxon was having and put him on the least amount of supplements possible to achieve our desired results. He agreed to go a little more “in depth” at our next appointment and see if we can’t get some answers about some of the long term issues that have been bothering Jaxon.  

I plan to visit all the remainder of the IQS providers in the next few months so I will keep you posted. My husband asked me why I want to keep checking out other doctors if I have already found a good one and all I could tell him was that it took us quite a few doctors to find the perfect one the first time and I wouldn’t settle until I was sure I found “the one” this time too.

Wow, where has the week gone?  We started out the week in Frisco checking out a potential biomedical doctor, and went right into online school with Jaxon on Tuesday!  Today is the first day that I have had time to sit down and even look at my computer!  However, with all the craziness we have survived through in the past few days, I will be able to tell you all about our new adventures!  

Jaxon is loving his online school arrangement, and why wouldn’t he…he has the BEST teacher in the world (yes, I am biased).  We have made it through three days of 1st/2nd grade and he is still willing to show up tomorrow.  I will post a separate article about our school adventure soon!

Our new doctor, Dr. Justin Pollack, is great!  I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it is to get on the IQS again.  That machine is amazing and I really suggest everyone check it out.  You can find a practitioner near you at http://bioset.authorfriendly.com/pages/findapractitioner/ .  All three of the boys saw Dr. Pollack, and I know for sure that Owen was ten times better before we even left his office.  Again…more in another post!

Well, tomorrow is Friday…and the week is over!  This weekend I hope to catch up on a little sleep (a girl can dream right?) and get organized for next week (yes, another dream).  My husband flies out next Friday and we are all excited to see him.  We have some fun family activities lined up but the boys are especially looking forward to a little prank they have planned for him, stay tuned!!

Thanks for continuing to follow along our journey.  I hope to have lots of new and exciting posts in the near future!

Have a great weekend!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous start to their weekend!  The first weekend in May…oh my, where has the time gone!!  Today I have a question for y’all!  I have such a great group of moms reading my blog and hope that someone can give me some idea’s to avoid or stop these horrible migraines I have been getting.  

I am in my last trimester and have had a migraine or severe headache every week for the past 3 weeks now. I am definitely limited on what I can take, and to be honest, I don’t really like taking anything while pregnant, but when you have 2 little boys who need constant attention it makes life with a migraine really hard.  Last week my husband had a different schedule at work and was able to help out quite a bit, but usually it is just me, fending for myself and so I am asking y’all for ideas!

I avoid my trigger foods; I try to drink plenty of water, but sleep, that is a joke right now.  The more I try to sleep the less sleep I actually get.  I have heard that magnesium everyday can help but wanted to know if anyone has actually tired it and gotten results.  I am open to all suggestions!  Thank you in advance, I absolutely can’t keep spending so much time laying in the dark with an ice pack on my head!

Again, thank you in advance for you ideas!

Diagnose. Educate. Advocate. Live.

We are 7 days into Autism Awareness Month, are you anymore aware today than you were a week ago?  I know I have learned a few things about Autism that I wasn’t aware of, however, I continue to be reminded of just how much Autism changes the lives of those affected multiple times a day.  According to the National Autism Association (2013) there currently is no cure for autism, however, with early intervention and treatment, the diverse symptoms related to autism can be greatly improved and in some cases completely overcome.

Some families have been very blessed in that their child with Autism has overcome or recovered from the majority (all in some cases) of the symptoms and side effects brought on by Autism.  However, there are still too many children struggling every day with these life changing, sometimes life threatening symptoms. Autism Awareness is important, but what we need today is Autism Action.  Please share your knowledge about Autism with anyone who will listen.   


References:
National Autism Association. (2013).  Autism facts sheet. 
Available online at: http://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fact-sheet/

Diagnose. Educate. Evaluate. Live.

Today represents day 6 of Autism Awareness month.  Did you know that about 40% of children with autism do not speak?  (National Autism Association, 2013).  According to the National Autism Association, (2013) about 25%–30% of children with autism use some language at 12 to 18 months of age and then lose it. Others might begin to speak later in childhood. 

Jaxon was your typical developing child, single words before he was a year old, requesting things, telling you how old he was, saying mom and dad, etc.  However, when he was just over 18 months old he lost what we considered "normal" language and started speaking in what is called echolalia.  Jaxon continued with this type of language for what seemed like forever.  We got him into speech therapy when he was 2 ½ years old (that is how long it took our doctor to realize that something was wrong, although I kept asking over and over again why his speech was getting worse instead of better). Speech therapy helped a little bit, but not much. Jaxon was diagnosed with Autism when he was 3.  Children's hospital suggested that we continue speech therapy but didn’t have any other suggestions as to how to work through his difficulties.  Five months later we began our journey with biomedical treatment and just a few weeks into his treatment plan he began speaking again.  Jaxon was talking in sentences within a few months.

Not all children are as lucky as Jaxon; some live their entire lives without speaking as much as a few sentences or words.  As parents, we are the ones that suffer alongside our children.  We hurt when they hurt, we get frustrated when they get frustrated, and we cry when we don’t or can’t understand what they are trying so desperately to tell us.  This month is Autism Awareness, anyone who has been dealt the card of Autism is aware of it every single day.  Let’s hope that we can make others aware of how desperately we need ACTION. 


References:
National Autism Association. (2013).  Autism facts sheet. 
Available online at: http://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fact-sheet/

My mornings are crazy. I get up early enough to fix the boy’s lunches, get their breakfast on the table, and get them up, their clothes set out, toothbrushes ready, and hair combed.  I somehow find time to get dressed, brush my hair (ok, some days I get up earlier and shower and on others I put a hat on and shower after I drop the kids off) and wave everyone out of the house with just enough time to get them in their classrooms before the bell rings!  

When I received my latest box from Influenster, I was so excited to see the belVita breakfast biscuits! I have tried many different “eat on the go” snacks while driving the kids to school, but these are my new favorites! I tried the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Breakfast Biscuits; they contain whole grains, protein, and taste amazing! There were four biscuits in the package and I found that they kept me going all morning. 

So…if you are looking for a great “on the go” breakfast, or “pick me up” snack, I recommend you give belVita biscuits a try!!

http://www.belvitabreakfast.com/flavors#cinnamon-brown-sugar

Diagnose. Educate. Advocate. Live.

I came across an article written a year ago by a mother of a child with Autism.  Her article was so many things, loving, accurate, scary, interesting, and motivating.  She wrote about a prayer she says for her son every night.  This hit home for me because I also say a prayer (not the same one) daily for Jaxon and his struggle with Autism.  At the end of her article she wrote this…

"There is no guarantee or insurance policy. Lord give me hope."

I wanted to share this with you because it rings true for each and every family following the journey Autism had lead them on.  Hope seems to be the biggest and brightest answer we have right now.  It is hope that gets me though each IEP meeting, each doctors appointment, each tantrum, each milestone, each set back and each day.  When you are raising a child with Autism you must never give up hope. 
 
Thank you to Cynthia Falar for sharing your story.

References:
Falar, C.  (2012). A mother’s prayer for Autistic son- hope for future.  Available online at:  http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-778005

I wanted to let y'all in on a little secret!  I received the "Colgate White Regimen" a few weeks ago in my Sugar and Spice Voxbox from Influenster and started using it right away!  I have always wanted to whiten my teeth again (did it before my wedding) but my teeth are too sensitive.  Well, now I don't have to spend the extra money and go through the pain and torture (not really) and I can still have a brighter smile!  Within 3 days I could notice my smile getting a little whiter!  I am still using the products and love them!  Not only am I getting a brighter smile, but my sensitivity is getting better as well!  Thank you Colgate and Influenster for sending me a great product!

Diagnose. Educate. Advocate. Live.

Wow, I can’t remember if I ever researched Autism or an “Autism Checklist” back when Jaxon started showing signs of “something being wrong”.  However, if I had, I might have been even more confused that before I started researching.  Today I “Goggled” “Autism Checklist” and there are so many different sights and lists out there.  My search bar brought up “Autism Checklist for Parents” “Autism Checklist for Toddlers” “Autism Checklist for Babies” and “Autism Checklist”.  Each different search result had its own links to click on, and then each link showed various tests, quizzes, and lists to look at.  Surely this could be simplified?  I read through a few and am giving y’all a BASIC list to read over…

 ·        Not showing expressions such as smiling by six months of age (or very soon after).

 ·        Not sharing sounds back and forth with others (parents, or caregivers), or showing facial expressions by nine months.

 ·        Not babbling by 12 months of age.

 ·        Not reaching, pointing, or waving by 12 months of age.

 ·        Not using or saying any words by 16 months of age.

 ·        Not putting two-words together by 24 months of age. 

·        Any loss whether it be speech, social skills, or motor skills at any age.

Remember, this is just a list of basic warning signs and you should always ask and follow up with your pediatrician if you feel that your child isn’t meeting age appropriate milestones. It is always best to be proactive when it comes to the development of your child.


And here…for those of you who have already gone through the basic list, is the link to a more “modified quiz”.
http://www2.gsu.edu/~psydlr/DianaLRobins/Official_M-CHAT_Website_files/M-CHATInterviewREV.pdf

A link to the diagnosis criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
http://www.childbrain.com/pddq3.shtml


References:
Autism Speaks. (2013).  Learn the signs of Autism.  Available online at:  http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/learn-signs