tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83428363363974902512024-03-20T06:22:38.563-07:00Finding Zachariahmideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-86869456825787474882011-07-18T10:49:00.000-07:002011-07-18T12:01:05.950-07:00Kick Count Card Report - Jul 18, 20111. 7/18/11 8:48 PM - Duration: 00:06 <br>2. 7/18/11 8:49 PM - Duration: 00:08 <p><br>Cara B. Keymideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-17601853513219101822011-01-30T14:18:00.001-08:002011-01-30T14:42:34.204-08:00Methyl B12 injections<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPqUzhNGB8Iu4nxt553YAd33Q5AG-TraQkx4yTAsuS5Vb9UawBOFatRSSIlayZoHi1g5NbEDz9RYk7fH7G254XSk22NT_obO_xUAmkaTOxwMvZNqdHueBXSYCtqb2NQxZR4PB9OMxhEo3/s1600/ZL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPqUzhNGB8Iu4nxt553YAd33Q5AG-TraQkx4yTAsuS5Vb9UawBOFatRSSIlayZoHi1g5NbEDz9RYk7fH7G254XSk22NT_obO_xUAmkaTOxwMvZNqdHueBXSYCtqb2NQxZR4PB9OMxhEo3/s1600/ZL.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of the interventions I mentions in my previous post that we were about to start was subcutaneous Methyl B12 injections. If you would like some background into the theory behind Methyl B12's effectiveness, I recommend reading <a href="http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/medical/methyl-b12-treatments.htm">Talk About Curing Autism's (TACA's) page</a> on the subject and Dr. Neubrander's page discussing "<a href="http://www.drneubrander.com/Files/Methyl-B12;%20Myth,%20Masterpiece,%20or%20Miracle.pdf">Methyl B12: Myth, Masterpiece or Miracle</a>." (Dr. Neubrander is one of the foremost proponents of Methyl B12 injections, and his recommended protocol is included at the end of the article.)</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bottom line: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subcutaneous_injection">subcutaneous</a> (as opposed to intnavaneous or intramuscular) injections of Methyl B12 have a pretty impressive track record of increasing language skills in children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnoses (and possibly in others; I just haven't done research outside of this realm).</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Due to a series of errors (I would say a "comedy of errors," but there wasn't much funny about it), in spite of the fact that we first got a prescription for Methyl B12 injections last June, we started them in January. I won't go into the myriad of things that went wrong.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As of our last appointment with our biomedical doctor, Zachariah had had exactly two shots. The doctor asked whether we had seen any improvements. At that point, we really hadn't seen anything that could be pinpointed as the Methyl B12. We had seen progress, but we had been seeing steady progress before we started the shots, so we couldn't be sure of a correlation.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At some point after that appointment, though, Zachariah brought me a calendar of classic cars and turned to the back where all 12 featured car pictures were shown. He asked me, "Mom, which one would you choose?" </span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">You could have knocked me over with a feather. </span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">He has never asked such a complex question before, not to mention that he was asking my opinion about something. Quite a higher level of communication than we'd seen. And we've heard a couple of other similar leaps since then. I am beginning to become a believer in the Methyl B12.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, yeah, the injection part. Yes, we give our child injections. And by "we," I mean ML. I hold my phone (on the flashlight app, of course) in the general direction of where ML is working. And look the other way. And pray.</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Why the flashlight? Did I not mention that we give him in injections in his sleep? And that he never wakes up? </span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, I'm a wimp. He barely feels it, and not enough to wake up. Really. (Dr. Neubrander has <a href="http://www.drneubrander.com/dev/index.html">some videos</a> on his site, if you're skeptical.)</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Suffice it to say, we will be continuing the B12 shots for the foreseeable future. Especially if we can find a pharmacy that can file with our insurance. Successfully, that is.</span></span></span></div></div>mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-40228804914628031362010-11-24T09:37:00.000-08:002010-11-24T09:38:26.787-08:00ApologiesMy apologies to anyone who comes across duplicate posts in the next <br>couple of days. I'm trying out some different methods of posting, so I <br>am putting up and taking down multiples of each post to see which <br>formats the best (and actually posts pictures).mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-22725953039413870672010-11-24T09:33:00.001-08:002010-11-24T09:41:39.192-08:00If at first you don't succeed . . .<div class="posterous_autopost"><div>I thought I'd list out some different things we've tried in our journey towards seeing Zachariah healed. At some point, I may try to list out the research behind these different approaches, but for now, I will link a blog which spells it out for you: <a href="http://moosemoms.blogspot.com/">http://moosemoms.blogspot.com/</a></div><div>I have heard about the writer of Moose Moms for years (through a friend who has been a guide to me through this process after her son was healed of autism several years ago), but I finally got to meet her and hear her speak this fall. She has a medical/scientific background, and I am so grateful for the hours upon hours of research she's poured through and summarized. For now, I will leave it at a basic link to her blog. Later, I hope to link specific posts that have been helpful to me.<br />
<br />
</div><div>*So, what are some things we have done with Z over the past year?</div><div><u>Gluten Free-Casein Free diet</u>: </div><div>Gluten seems to act as an opiate in the systems of some autistic children, which means that A. they essentially become addicted to it, and B. it dulls their interaction with the world. Casein can cause allergic reactions that have negative effects on kids, as well.<br />
<br />
</div><div>We went GFCF as well as we could (for Z only) for about 8 months. And, can I say, if you think GFCF is expensive in the States, try paying those prices plus import fees for any specialized food. :-/</div><div>I say "as well as we could," because foods are not labeled in nearly as detailed a way where we live, so there was no way of knowing whether the catsup had gluten or not, for example. But I estimate we were 95-98% GFCF, which our biomedical doctor in the US (more about that later) said was adequate to see the result.<br />
<br />
</div><div>And that result was: while Z made significant progress during those months, he did not stop progressing when we reintroduced gluten and casein.<br />
<br />
</div><div>And I can't say that I was disappointed. Doing GFCF was torture, especially towards the end as Z became more and more aware of his surroundings and what he was missing out on (remind me to tell you sometime about baking a regular cake and a GFCF cake for his birthday and trying to do the bait and switch; or not). Would I have continued with GFCF if it had helped Zachariah? Absolutely. But I admit to being relieved that it didn't.<br />
<br />
</div><div>Now, I will say, if you're looking for an intervention that will potentially help your child, this one is one that I've heard over and over and over again makes a huge difference. For a lot of children. And if you're going to try it, you have to really throw yourself into it and totally clear out their diet, or it will still be in their system, and you won't see the actual results. It's worth it. Please don't let its lack of affect on Z dissuade you from trying this option.<br />
<br />
</div><div>Okay, so I think I bit off more than I can chew. The natives are restless, and I only touched on one intervention we'd tried. I'll list some more here as a reminder to come back and write about those. If you're reading along and want to hear about a specific one, let me know.</div><div>- cod liver oil</div><div>- quality multi-vitamin</div><div>- ABA parenting</div><div>- play therapy</div><div>- SPEAK</div><div>- ABA therapy</div><div>- inclusion Pre-K classroom</div><div>- public school speech therapy<br />
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</div><div>Interventions that we're in the process of starting:</div><div>- university speech department speech therapy</div><div>- chelation</div><div>- methyl B12 injections</div><div><br />
Ones that we'd like to/hope to try:</div><div>- hyperbolic oxygen chamber<br />
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</div><div>*Caveat: I have neither a medical nor a scientific background. I am not promising that I'm going to explain all of this correctly. I will try, though. For a more specific explanation (and the research behind it), please see the Moose Moms blog.<br />
<br />
</div><div><img height="213" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/mideastmom/OAitv4T1SJuG981YCmKgGoAJ2fk7iurkWtK49TDgjrcjDgPxxUwULjQdh7W5/IMG_4180_2.jpg" width="319" /> <br />
<div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div></div></div>mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-45131639334125006392010-11-23T22:28:00.001-08:002010-11-23T22:28:10.958-08:00Trying Again Myself<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/mideastmom/hwsridAiuzlApxACBkepowpidbwyvsvrahwyuvgndGtxkpFeqoGBewBzEbpq/p14.jpg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/mideastmom/hwsridAiuzlApxACBkepowpidbwyvsvrahwyuvgndGtxkpFeqoGBewBzEbpq/p14.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="334"/></a> </p>I've been encouraged by a friend to blog more about our journey with Z. That is, after all, why I created this blog in the first place. And I want to. So I'm going to try again. To that end, I set up an account withposterous.com, which allows you to email content to your blog, including pictures. Now, I haven't explored what blogger itself lets you do these days, so maybe you can do that that way, too. I'm just experimenting with whatever will help me post more often. I have several *incredible* pictures of Z that a friend took this summer, so I thought I'd post them as I embark again on this blogging journey.</div>mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-31788865399082214432010-05-02T07:21:00.001-07:002010-05-02T07:21:30.283-07:00Try AgainOne of Zachariah's favorite phrases right now is "Try again." <br /><br />As in, "Zachariah, it's time to go to bed." "Try again!" :-P<br /><br />He gets this from his beloved Leapster games. It doesn't work, but it sure is cute. mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-6608647235792067312010-04-14T02:31:00.000-07:002010-04-14T02:31:20.439-07:00A Year Later<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 1.0px 64.0px; text-indent: -64.0px;"><b>KMail Update March 8, 2010</b></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 1.0px 64.0px; text-indent: -64.0px;"><b>Date: </b>March 8, 2010 2:44:29 PM</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 1.0px 64.0px; text-indent: -64.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 1.0px 64.0px; text-indent: -64.0px;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal">When you're living with a child with developmental delays and dealing daily with his challenges, it is difficult sometimes to step back and see the big picture of his progress. We have been trying to take time along the way to marvel at how far Zachariah has come in the past year.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> - This time last year, he was speaking in one-word phrases. He now has many sentences that he has memorized and is regularly constructing new ones of his own!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> - This time last year, we were just figuring out that he knew his siblings' names by watching to see whether he looked at them when we spoke about them. He now calls them by name and speaks to them!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> - This time last year, we did not have much hope at all for potty training. He now has more successes than failures!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> - Just four months ago, we told a speech/language assessor that he had asked his first question. He now asks questions of us daily!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please continue to pray for Zachariah, as there are still plenty of hurdles to clear: his speech patterns, in general are still very typical of the autism spectrum ("You all done?" rather than "I'm done," for example); he still has a ways to go with potty training; he needs to progress in the back-and-forth nature of conversation; etc. But please, also, rejoice with us, praise the L0rd with us, thank Him with us for Zachariah's progress!<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-26340196304939489252010-04-14T02:25:00.000-07:002010-04-14T02:25:37.241-07:00Progress<!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoNormal">Date: March 11, 2010 9:29:33 PM<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Subject: KMail Update March 11, 2010<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Back in June, we received a diagnosis that Zachariah was on the autism spectrum. Specifically, he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified), a term for those on the spectrum who don't exhibit all of the symptoms of autism. We received this diagnosis a few days before we were due to leave the States and return to the Middle East. After making a quick trip to the local Barnes and Noble where we were stayingin the US and consulting with some friends who've walked through and out the other side of their own son's autism diagnosis, we returned home armed with some information and determined to do what we could to see Zachariah completely healed. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As we got back to Jordan and moved into our new house, we began to make some changes in his diet and began to do some other types of therapy. Now, five months since his diagnosis, we've seen some improvement. He's able to put together more sentences and make himself understood. He's much calmer in his behavior and his sleeping is better. We're thankful for all this, of course, but there's still a long ways to go, and the window of time for the most effective treatment for him is now. <o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-80286884163249561712010-04-14T02:13:00.000-07:002010-04-14T02:15:50.284-07:00Diagnosis AnnouncementDate: June 12, 2009 7:30:42 AM<br />
Subject: KMail Update News Flash: Zachariah's assessment<br />
<br />
We met with the assessor regarding the results of Zachariah's evaluation. The extensive testing concluded that he has PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delay--Not Otherwise Specified). This is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, but not full-blown autism. The chart below helps illustrate what he has symptomatically, as we understand it. Those with classical autism exhibit symptoms in all three areas, while those with Asperger's and PDD-NOS have symptoms only in two areas (by the way, we recognize we are probably way oversimplifying the issue--we are not medical personnel--we're just restating things as we understand them from what we were told and the literature we were given). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8v4kWSdq0jj6lbrNkb8_6ypSAOJVqQn0PfUNkShwn9sWBrt1vnWDUSYQE81DyxpeucY7Qd-TmeiJuxVBozl_AV8Yu7r7RsPDDFztfJDLnmhWZWLk-qB2Ifejs_gfDV9C8cNWxUcWgVsp/s1600/PDDNOSGraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8v4kWSdq0jj6lbrNkb8_6ypSAOJVqQn0PfUNkShwn9sWBrt1vnWDUSYQE81DyxpeucY7Qd-TmeiJuxVBozl_AV8Yu7r7RsPDDFztfJDLnmhWZWLk-qB2Ifejs_gfDV9C8cNWxUcWgVsp/s320/PDDNOSGraphic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
*Also diagnosed as PDD-NOS, but not the same as Zach's symptoms. <br />
<br />
Please pray for us as we return to the Middle East with Zachariah and the rest of the kids. Both of us, especially CBK, feel pretty overwhelmed at the thought of not only moving and having a new baby, but also the added investment that comes with this diagnosis. We are exploring everything from behavioral therapy to diet changes for Zachariah in order to help him as much as we can to grow and develop in his ability to communicate. We are pr4ying and believing for his complete healing, and we covet your pr4yers at this point for that as well.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-57434056427124343752010-04-14T02:06:00.000-07:002010-04-14T02:06:57.604-07:00Testing UpdateSent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 8:16 AM<br />
Subject: UPDATE: Special KMail<br />
<br />
We are so grateful for your prayers this week as we have been walking through the process of testing Zachariah to determine the cause of his language delay (and, ultimately, to determine how we can best help him to catch up).<br />
<br />
CBK's interview with the tester, CL, on Tuesday went well. They were able to finish early, even, primarily due to the fact that Zachariah does not exhibit many of the potential behaviors associated with language delay. Consequently, CL was able to flip past several pages of the interview booklet from which she was working.<br />
<br />
On Thursday, CL spent a little under two hours with Zachariah testing such things as his ability to follow verbal and facial clues (without gesturing). She thought he was adorable (of course!) and saw his reasoning abilities at work as he figured out how this toy or that one worked. CL was also able to see, though, that Zachariah rarely uses more than one word at a time, which is our biggest concern.<br />
<br />
At the end of the session, she asked to set up another time to work/play with Zachariah to further her assessment, so we will be meeting with CL again when we return from our trip to see family. She has reserved the room for two one-and-a-half-hour sessions on the 29th of May, although she may or may not need that entire time.<br />
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A funny "out-take" from the session: due to having a mommy who is less than enthusiastic about play options that lead to potential messes, Zachariah has not had a lot of experience with Play-doh. Consequently, when Miss CL put a white piece of stuff on a plate in front of him and told him it was "cake," he took a bite of it. Mommy explained to Miss CL that that was due to inexperience with Play-doh, not lack of imagination. :-P<br />
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We appreciate your continued prayers as we press further into the process of determining how best to help Zachariah to learn to communicate. Today was a particularly hard day in which there were many times we had no idea what his desires were, and he was obviously frustrated by that, as were we. Thank you for praying towards healing in this area. Specifically, we are asking that "Zachariah's mind would be renewed."mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-86839468203786135502010-04-14T02:04:00.000-07:002010-04-14T02:04:10.208-07:00Background<i>Hm, it's been a while. Maybe I was a little unrealistic about my expectations of available time with all of our life commitments. But I still feel strongly about getting all of this down, so I'm going to jump back in.</i><br />
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A new mentor friend is taking a class related to becoming an educational consultant for families living overseas, and she asked for the background of how we first became concerned about Z and how we got his diagnosis for a project she was doing for her class. As I was about to type out the story (thinking, "Ah ha! Finally I'll have this written out to copy and paste to the blog! :-), I realized it was already written out somewhere. <sigh of relief><br />
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We send out periodic family e-mail updates, and I'd written a few special ones explaining why we were having Z tested and asking for specific prayer for the testing dates. I forwarded these e-mail excerpts to my friend, and I'm going to post them here, with their date of origin. Hopefully, that will give new life to this blog, and I can get back on track. If not, at least the random few people who wander by each week will have a little more info. :-P<br />
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 1:21 AM<br />
Subject: Special KMail<br />
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We wanted to send a brief special update to some close friends and family requesting prayer this week.<br />
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As many of you know, we have become concerned as to Zachariah's lack of expressive and receptive communication. Basically, he does not engage in conversation as a child his age (3 1/2) normally would. We know that he is capable of speech, but he is not using speech beyond a rudimentary communication of needs ("water, please," "more, please," etc.) and an occasional flash in which he uses a complete sentence (twice in the past few days, he has said, "Turn it off, please," regarding the radio in the car :-).<br />
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A little bit of background: as Zachariah was nearing his third birthday this past fall, we became more decidedly concerned about his lack of speech, so we took him to see our (American) pediatrician in the capital. At that point, he was still within the lower range of normal for his age, and she recommended waiting six months or so and re-evaluating at that point.<br />
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Zachariah has definitely made progress in those six months; however, since arriving in America, seeing him in various classrooms full of his peers (such as in the nursery at our church), it has become even more evident to us that he has a significant verbal delay. Even during our time here, he has made more progress, but we decided that we needed to take advantage of the opportunity while in the US to have him tested to determine if he was still within the range of normal or whether he needed any particular extra help. Because he has been making progress (even to the point of beginning to read some short words!), we probably would wait further, if we had the option, but since we are leaving in a month, time was of the essence.<br />
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Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), we will be going through a testing process with the local university Psychology Department. I (CBK) will have a four-hour interview with the tester to begin with. Then, on Thursday, the tester will spend a couple of hours with Zachariah one-on-one. It will be a couple of weeks before I will have a final session with the tester to hear her assessment. The young lady who will be doing the testing is a doctoral candidate under the supervision of the head of the department. This setting allows for high-level, in-depth testing at a very reasonable price, and we are very fortunate to have this option.<br />
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Once we hear the results of the assessment, we will share in our general update, but we covet your prayers this week as the testing is going on.<br />
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Please pray:<br />
- that everything relevant will be uncovered.<br />
- that CBK will share everything important regarding Zachariah's behaviors.<br />
- that Zachariah will be cooperative during his portion of the testing.<br />
- that Zachriah's behavior during the testing will shed light on his particular situation.<br />
- that the tester (CL) will have insight into Zachariah's needs and abilities.<br />
- that the tester's supervisor will provide any extra insight necessary.<br />
- that, ultimately, we would have clear direction as to how to help Zachariah progress in communication.<br />
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As you can imagine (and some of you know from experience), it is very disheartening not to be able to communicate with your child as he is growing to a point where that is helpful and necessary, and we covet your prayers that we can make progress in this area.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-74723057018741478132009-11-01T01:22:00.000-07:002009-11-01T01:22:02.308-07:00"No Pizza"<i>Before I had enough margin back in my life to put this blog together, I posted a couple of little progress stories on ZL on the Sonlight Special Needs - Learning Challenges board with the thought that that would preserve them until I could put them up on a blog.<br />
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I need to search back through and find more of them (there are at least two others, I think), but here is one from June 26 of this year.</i><br />
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An interesting window into the mind of my 3.5yods (PDD-NOS/ASD):<br />
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We've been doing a GFCF diet with him for 3 weeks or so now. Since right after getting his diagnosis.<br />
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ZL is low-verbal. He uses primarily one-word phrases (his only two-word phrases have "please" at the end, since we insist, but it's really only one word), mostly nouns. He does not initiate conversation (or at least did not until recently; he's starting to point things out in his environment). So, basically, we don't have a whole lot of insight into what's going on inside his head. We know he's intelligent (he's beginning to read), but we don't know what he's thinking.<br />
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Yesterday, when I was getting the kids ready to take to a friend's house for a while so that dh and I could concentrate on packing our house, I called to one of the kids to get the yogurts out of the fridge and put them in a sack to take with them (ZL had a GFCF snack already packed, instead).<br />
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ZL piped up with, "Yogurt!" (I obviously should have been more respectful and not mentioned it in front of him. We're working hard on this, but I forgot in my rush to get out the door.) So, I had to tell him, "I'm sorry. You can't have any yogurt."*<br />
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His response? "No pizza."<br />
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You see, he made the connection, the first time he heard anything about not being able to have yogurt, with the fact that he's been left out when we've had pizza since we started him on GFCF** (please, understand that we've been packing up in the US, packing our house here, and I'm 3 weeks from having a baby; there's no way we would have had pizza in front of him right at the beginning of him going GFCF, otherwise).<br />
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It floored me. It really gave me a window into how many connections are actually happening in his little mind that we have no idea about, because he can't verbalize them. It excited me (and, admittedly, made me a little sad for all we're missing). And it inspired me. We will find a way to get in there and let him out. Period.<br />
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Oh, and this morning, I asked him if he was a lil' punkin (dh's nickname for him, since he was born on 10/31), and he said, "Yeah." He answered a yes/no question! (Those of you with ASD kids will truly appreciate the magnitude of this.)<br />
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I think I have renewed vision and strength for the road ahead.<br />
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*I have since learned how to make coconut milk yogurt, and he is *so* happy to have his yogurt again. :-)<br />
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**We also now keep GFCF pizza in the freezer for him to have when we have pizza.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-2504355151133087062009-10-25T03:50:00.000-07:002009-10-25T06:01:26.376-07:00Reading ListOne of the first things I did after we got ZL's diagnosis was head to Barnes & Noble. We had about five days between when we had our final consultation and when we left the US to return overseas, so I wanted to leave "armed." I wanted to take several key books with us to help us navigate the months to come.<br /><br />How did I determine which were "key" books? Well, I sat down in front of the "autism" section of the shelves, pulled off a stack of about 25 books that looked helpful/interesting and took them to the little picnic table in the children's area (I had the three older children with me, and they were reading there). I thumbed through each book and made three stacks: "definitely," "maybe" and "definitely not." Then, I went through the "maybe" books and narrowed those down. I left with 6-8 books, covering the gamut from personal stories to clinical treaties on biomedical treatment, and everything in between.<br /><br />Have they all been useful? Meh. Some definitely so. Some not so much. And it turns out that, as I've looked up the books to link them for this post, probably 75% of them are now (or have been this whole time; not sure which) available as e-books. Could have saved myself some luggage space. Oh well. Hindsight's 20/20, and, at that point, I desperately needed to <span style="font-weight:bold;">do</span> something, so this helped with that need.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2_5LHSRK294VByS7hf6Z2P2xmJBWCrcrqq4-SMSE5a9oqwWDB5KnVN6L7wl5o_SVU7q58xxYwSOpIQWgxCDpEzQcCn7aUHhdw6AeOKlQfY81ajRbjlcykQQmovS1WY50qVpH1kvKHNEP/s1600-h/easelZL.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2_5LHSRK294VByS7hf6Z2P2xmJBWCrcrqq4-SMSE5a9oqwWDB5KnVN6L7wl5o_SVU7q58xxYwSOpIQWgxCDpEzQcCn7aUHhdw6AeOKlQfY81ajRbjlcykQQmovS1WY50qVpH1kvKHNEP/s320/easelZL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396521913598478738" /></a><br /><br />Here are the books that we have/have read/are planning to read.<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Louder-Than-Words-Mothers-Journey/dp/0452289807/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256417511&sr=8-9"><span style="font-style:italic;">Louder Than Words</span></a>: Jenny McCarthy* has been catapulted to spokesperson status for the movement to heal and prevent autism, primarily by her celebrity status (she's some sort of MTV star, for those who don't know who she is, just like I didn't when I stumbled upon her book). She feels like she is to use that status to get the word out about healing measures and to push for prevention where possible. <br /><br />A summary: she watched her own son descend into autism due to a set of seizures and some possible links to vaccines and medications. She then committed herself to the process of seeing him healed and achieved just that.<br /><br />McCarthy's book is both simplistic and crude, but wait for my reasons why I'd still recommend it. Simplistic, because she is telling her own story. She's not exploring the exponential causes and cures and preventative measures related to autism, just the ones that relate to her own son. Crude, in that she cusses, plain and simple.<br /><br />The simplicity, though, is just the thing that drew me to this book (and her others). I was completely and totally overwhelmed with not only Z's diagnosis but life in general when I started searching for resources. This book was do-able. It was an easy read. It gave me hope (not the only hope I had, but hope). And it gave me tangible things I could immediately implement, primarily the gluten-free, casein-free diet.<br /><br />Quite frankly, the crudeness, too, was refreshing. She uses words that I wouldn't, but she expressed my feelings pretty well. It was helpful to have the unfairness and frustration spelled out on the page for me. Not that I stayed at that point (nor did she), but it was a definite stage of the grieving process. Which is why, if you can handle the language, I still recommend this as a resource.<br /><br />If you can, I'd check this one out of the library, though, because it's probably not one you're going to refer back to, at least not much.<br /><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Warriors-Parents-Healing-Against/dp/0452295602/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256417511&sr=8-6"><span style="font-style:italic;">Mother Warriors</span></a>: McCarthy's second book compiles stories of parents, like herself, who have fought to free their children from autism. Again, this is an easy read. Less cussing, so it might be a better book to read, if you'd prefer to avoid that, although the occasional word slips in. And, again, this is a great intro-to-healing-autism resource. It covers many, if not most, of the possible biomedical interventions as well as the traditional therapy approaches.<br /><br />I find that, in whatever area of life I need to grow in (homeschooling, grief, marriage, etc.), I learn better from reading other people's stories, rather than theory. I glean what applies to me by picking and choosing what has worked for other people. This book provides a similar opportunity.<br /><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Play-Talk-Practical-Late-Talking-Conversation/dp/0978832027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256417633&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Play to Talk</span></a>: I actually ordered and started reading this book before Z's diagnosis, because his primary issue is language delay, and this book was recommended to me on the Sonlight Learning Challenges board as applicable to all language delay and written to be used by parents in the home. Kinda like it was written just for our family.<br /><br />The basic theory (obviously, over-simplified) is to start where your child is, whether that be gestures, grunts, one-word phrases or whatever, and add just one step. When they follow by going that one step, you move one further. And all of this is done during play.<br /><br />Since Z was at one-word phrases at that point, this meant a major shift in my interaction with him. From the time my brother was born when I was five years old, I've had it ingrained in my mind that you don't baby-talk to babies or children. It just wasn't allowed. No cutesy talk. You speak to a child/baby as you would speak to anyone else, and he/she will learn to speak properly. It worked for my brother (to put it mildly [he's a professional sports broadcaster :-) ]), and it's worked for our older three children.<br /><br />What implementing Dr. MacDonald's theory meant was that I had to abandon this method. When Zachariah said, "cookie," I had to reply with, "want cookie," rather than, "Oh, you'd like a cookie? Sure, I'd be happy to get one for you," or "Say, 'I want a cookie, please, Mommy." We were going to have to be a lot more purposeful about <span style="font-style:italic;">building language</span>, because it just wasn't happening naturally.<br /><br />In spite of the fact that I haven't ever finished the book (it's a high priority this week), we've mostly been implementing this theory with Z since sometime in May. And I really feel like it's paid off. He's making leaps and bounds in his language process, and I think it's partly because we've broken it down into more simple pieces for him.<br /><br />Suffice it to say, I highly recommend this book for use with language-delayed kids at home.<br /><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healing-and-Preventing-Autism-ebook/dp/B00266OX54/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256417511&sr=8-2"><span style="font-style:italic;">Healing and Preventing Autism</span></a> (I'm linking to the Kindle version, as that is the one I have read): McCarthy's third book, written along with Jerry Kartzinel, her son's DAN doctor. DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctors are a loosely affiliated group of doctors adhering to a particular protocol of recommended tests and biomedical treatments for autism. Many have personal experience with family members with autism, which has led them to think outside the standard autism-is-not-preventable-nor-is-it-treatable box.<br /><br />The style of the book is rather hokey and conversational, but it is also an easy read with even more information than the previous books. Kartzinel talks through the possible causes and biomedical treatments for autism with very specific information about each. We have referenced this book several times when deciding about tests to run and even potential dosages (methylB12, although we have not implemented this yet) for ZL. The digital format makes it a little difficult to reference, so it might be better to purchase a hard copy or check it out from the library (although this might be partially due to the fact that I'm viewing the book in Stanza on my iPhone, as opposed to actually on a Kindle or even in the Kindle app, which drains my phone credit).<br /><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healing-New-Childhood-Epidemics-Groundbreaking/dp/0345494512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256470167&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies</span></a> (I am also reading this book electronically via Stanza on my iPhone, but it was purchased through Barnes & Noble): Written by another DAN doctor, Kenneth Bock, this book promotes his (compelling) theory that the "Four A's" (listed in the title) are a related epidemic caused by toxins in the environment (including vaccines), poor nutrition and overuse of drugs like antibiotics. Bock intersperses technical information and theory with patient stories.<br /><br />A more enjoyable read than <span style="font-style:italic;">Healing and Preventing</span>, as it is better written, and similarly helpful for the technical information. However, be prepared for a healthy dose of ego. I can only imagine the praise heaped on Bock by parents who's children he has helped heal. He, apparently, has bought into at least a bit of his own press, and it shows (not on an over-done scale, but it's noticeable). That, though, does not interfere with this usefulness of the books, so I would still recommend it as a "step up" from the McCarthy books but still readable.<br /><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Best-Your-Child-Autism/dp/1593853173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256467787&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Getting the Best for Your Child with Autism</span></a>: I bought this book as a general overview of autism and its mainstream treatments (so, therapy, basically). It is definitely that. The first third or so of the book walks you through the diagnosis process, and the second two-thirds help you go about getting treatment. <br /><br />I thought that, even though we did not have access to most of the standard treatments, being overseas, and might not avail ourselves of them, even if we did, being homeschoolers and seeing the value of day-in, day-out application of therapy principles, I could still get some use out of this book and its descriptions of the various schools of thought. <br /><br />Hm, not so much. Granted, I haven't finished it, but it hasn't really told me much other than what I'd already gleaned from the other books I'd read, and it spends a lot of time laying out the best ways to interact with doctors, therapists and school personnel, with whom we don't interact, for the most part.<br /><br />That said, it might be just the book for navigating the system it was intended to help navigate, so don't write it off, if that's the process you're going through. Just didn't do much for us, in our situation.<br /><br /><br />And, now, for the books we <span style="font-style:italic;">should</span> be reading. I'll admit, these two are important books. We need to have finished them months ago. Instead, one I've barely cracked and the other not at all. We're getting there.<br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Engaging-Autism-Floortime-Approach-Communicate/dp/0738210943/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256467809&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Engaging Autism</span></a>: A "classic" autism therapy book outlining the principles of the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floortime">Floortime Approach</a>" by the initiator of the approach, Stanley Greenspan. This is the one I've cracked. Can't really give a review of it. But it looks good and useful and was recommended by our evaluator.<br /><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Course-Autism-Scientific-Physicians/dp/1591810612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256467823&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Changing the Course of Autism</span></a>: While this is the book we perhaps most needed, since we're navigating much of ZL's treatment ourselves, it has, I'll confess, been the most intimidating. It's not even that clinical. It's just that there's always been another, easier book to read in my time I've devoted to reading. It gives a history of autism, explores its causes, and outlines the major potential biomedical treatments. It's next on my list. I'll let you know.<br /><br /><br />A bonus book:<br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Different-Like-Me-Autism-Heroes/dp/1843108151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256470153&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style:italic;">Different Like Me</span></a>: On my search through the stacks at Barnes & Noble, I came across this book, which is a compilation of brief biographies of famous people thought to have had autism. I bought it not for ZL, although it was intended for children with autism themselves, but for his siblings. I wanted a gentle way to introduce the concept to them. They've enjoyed reading it, as have others (adults) who have visited our home. Honestly, I hope that, by the time ZL can read this book, his autism diagnosis will be a thing of the past.<br /><br /><br />On our to-buy list:<br />- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Children-Starving-Brains-Treatment-Spectrum/dp/1883647177/ref=pd_sim_b_10"><span style="font-style:italic;">Children With Starving Brains</span></a>: A look specifically at the nutritional aspect of healing autism, which we are particularly interested in, since ZL has obvious digestive issues and has recently been shown to have deficiencies in specific, odd amino acids. Again, I'll be back with a review of this one, once we either locate it electronically or have it brought over.<br /><br /><br />That's all.<br /><br /><br />*After her appearance on Oprah, where she told of her son's healing from autism, McCarthy's claims were "debunked" on a news program or two by those supporting the theory that autism is not curable. I won't go into the technicalities in this post, but I feel like those posits, in turn, could use to be debunked, or, perhaps more accurately, deconstructed. Maybe I'll get around to that some day.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-89195014938483995582009-10-20T09:30:00.000-07:002009-10-20T12:19:22.655-07:00One More<span style="font-style:italic;">One more recent phrase. I knew there was another one, but I couldn't remember it when I posted earlier.</span><br /><br />- "It's broken. It won't work." ZL has a recently-developed fascination with super-heroes. (This is partly due to the plethora of hand-me-down super hero pajamas he has from when we were living in the US when MS was this age. Oh, the money we save by Mommy not being able to wander through Wal Mart and Target on a regular basis.) <br /><br />We're still in the process of unpacking boxes and a cheap Spider-man surfaced that ZL latched on to and began playing with. It, being cheap, broke quickly. My general policy in these situation is to say, "Oh no, it broke. Guess we have to throw it away," all the while secretly glad that it's another piece of stuff we can get rid of. <br /><br />While I didn't say this out loud to ZL, when he came to me and said, "It broke," because I wasn't sure he would grasp the whole meaning, I didn't have any intention of fixing it. Not worth it. However, when "It broke," developed into, "It's broken. It won't work,"* I caved. I fixed it (Spider-man's leg pin [apparently, Spider-man was injured in 'Nam] had come out). What mom of a kid on the spectrum can turn down two sentences in a row? Not this one.<br /><br />*These sentences are thanks to the recent episode of Blue's Clues, "The One in Which Blue Gets Frustrated," that Mommy chose for his viewing pleasure. Okay, so that's not the title, but we've been on a <span style="font-style:italic;">Monk</span>-viewing streak lately, so indulge me.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-20897246608056741372009-10-20T08:06:00.000-07:002009-10-20T12:19:38.924-07:00Healing Scriptures<span style="font-style:italic;">In a similar vein to the <a href="http://findingzachariah.blogspot.com/2009/10/healing-playlist.html">Healing Playlist</a>, I have Scriptures related to healing that I've been meditating on and praying over ZL. They increase my faith and, I hope, the effectiveness of my prayers.</span><br /><br />- Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of His benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:2-5<br /><br />- And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all. Luke 6:19<br /><br />- I, the Lord, am your healer. Exodus 15:26d<br /><br />- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and tun away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8<br /><br />- But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go forth and skip like calves from the stall. Malachi 4:2<br /><br />- By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. Acts 3:16<br /><br />- Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Matthew 9:35<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Again, I share these for those in a similar position or those who want to stand with us in seeing ZL healed.</span>mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-83179060826991049012009-10-20T07:53:00.000-07:002009-10-20T08:05:47.936-07:00Healing Playlist<span style="font-style:italic;">If you've ever read my <a href="http://cara-mideastmom.blogspot.com/">regular blog</a>, you know I'm a <a href="http://cara-mideastmom.blogspot.com/search/label/Playlists">playlist fanatic</a>. I have a playlist for everything, (almost) every genre of music, every occasion, etc. And ZL's healing is no different.<br /><br />This playlist is for me. I play it to shore up my faith that God will do what He has promised (more on that in another post). I play it to facilitate my prayer for ZL. <br /><br />And this playlist is for ZL. I play it occasionally at night (especially after a harder day) as the kids are falling asleep. I want him, in whatever way possible, to have faith for his own journey out of the inability to communicate his feelings and desires.<br /><br />I this share for those out there who are believing for healing themselves or for someone they love. Or those who would like to join us in believing for ZL's healing. Or those who are doing both.</span><br /><br />- "Healer" - Kari Jobe<br />- "Make Me Whole" - Rachel Milstead<br />- "God of Miracles" - You Alive<br />- "Healing Rain" - Michael W. Smith<br />- "Fall in this Place" - Planetshakers<br />- "When I Speak Your Name" - Christ for the Nations<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">All of these songs can be found on iTunes.</span>mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-58067651473401416092009-10-20T07:39:00.000-07:002009-10-20T12:20:05.052-07:00Progress ReportA few new phrases and their significance:<br /><br />- "Mommy, you soccer ball!" A friend is out of the country on a trip, leaving her husband to care for their four children. Two were down with a stomach virus, so we took the other two to a park for a picnic and some flag football. The flag football game consisted of ML & MS vs. the two friends. And the added challenge was that you had to avoid knocking down ZL, who was running along the field with the pack the entire time, thinking he was part of the game. He came to me at one point (texting a friend after a failed attempt to get him to kick the soccer ball around with me on the sidelines), said the above phrase, and ran off. Very clearly, he was demanding that I watch him play football (all balls are "soccer balls" at this point). He wanted to make sure that I was paying attention. This is a very definite milestone in both social skills (sharing experiences with others) and language (communicating that desire).<br /><br />- "I kick the ball." Earlier, before the flag football game was underway, ZL was kicking the soccer ball around the field. I asked him, "Are you kicking the ball?" and he responded with the above. Six months ago, he might have responded "ball." A few months ago, it would have been "kicking the ball." That he inserted the correct personal pronoun (that he used a personal pronoun at all, for that matter) and that he changed the tense of the verb is note-worthy.<br /><br />- "He crying." Listening to baby brother fussing about having to burp in the middle of a feeding, this was ZL's comment today. Commenting on things and people around him was something that was notably missing from his overall set of communication skills when he was tested this summer. We're getting there.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-26267702683890925222009-10-11T12:12:00.000-07:002009-10-11T12:27:15.410-07:00I like meat!I'm trying to balance between catching readers up on where we've come from and reporting on where we are/the progress we're making now. This post is about progress we're making now.<br /><br />One of Z's new phrases is "I like/love...!" One of the first examples of his use of this phrase was a couple of weeks ago when ML offered him ice cream if he would go poo-poo in the potty at Burger King (a long shot, since we haven't had any success at all on the "big potty" yet, but a noble effort). Z's response was "I *love* ice cream!" <br /><br />If you're just joining us on this journey, um, Z hasn't spoke in sentences up to this point. Six months ago, he had nothing but one-word phrases. When properly motivated, though...<br /><br />More examples:<br />- When given some lunch meat last night for dinner, "I love meat!"<br />- In reference to Sonic video games (which he watches older siblings play; occasionally, but always joyfully), "I like Sonic!"<br /><br />I don't know where he learned this phrase. It is possible that it came from the dreaded (by adults and siblings) "Y Ga Babba" (Yo Gabba Gabba) of which we own two episodes (bought before we really examined the droning nature of the show). Those have been a recent obsession, and I would love to think that something good has come out of that.<br /><br />I am being realistic in assuming that the phrase was memorized from somewhere. We're not quite to spontaneous sentences yet. But he's taking a memorized phrase and adapting it to fit the situation, and that is *huge* progress, so we'll take that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ64eGjJS1xX_A4qNRA_t1rD8oSo_GwqFfZaWPUgjyaAekLmloMwPl9PIUvJG2rTmSRaJ-yiaXd8iVn0NG5fWmSKZmI6uzh8W4Xm053jNSl9tv9f1YIESaH7mKJkNdFjMcu5W8ZyfiC6v/s1600-h/Brownies.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ64eGjJS1xX_A4qNRA_t1rD8oSo_GwqFfZaWPUgjyaAekLmloMwPl9PIUvJG2rTmSRaJ-yiaXd8iVn0NG5fWmSKZmI6uzh8W4Xm053jNSl9tv9f1YIESaH7mKJkNdFjMcu5W8ZyfiC6v/s320/Brownies.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391425869420319874" /></a><br />one thing Z likes: his GFCF brownies! (Bob's Red Mill mix)mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-73727234555318006732009-10-07T14:19:00.000-07:002009-10-07T14:33:03.303-07:00Diagnosis GraphicBefore our awesome doctoral student assessor explained the autism spectrum to us, I thought that autism was a linear spectrum with Asperger's at the mild end and varying degrees of full autism on the more severe end.<br /><br />Not that simple, it turns out. See, to put it simply, there are three components to autism: impairment of social interaction, impairment of communication skills, and obsessive behaviors or interests. To be diagnosed with full autism, a person must display all three characteristics.<br /><br />Here's where it gets complicated, if a person displays a certain two of those three (impairment of social interaction and obsessive behaviors/interests), he/she has Asperger's. But if a person displays either of the other two possible combinations, the diagnosis is Pervasive Developmental Delay-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Basically, one set got a name, the other two didn't. <br /><br />Z's diagnosis is one of those "other two." He has delayed communication skills and delayed social skills, but (as far as is evident at this point) no obsessive behaviors/interests. That last part was tricky. He sometimes lines things up, but only maybe 1-2 times a week. He's pretty interested in letters (and is already beginning to read), but he can take them or leave them, if he has to. Any of the little things that might possibly constitute a mild obsessive interest do not interfere with daily life, so they don't count. And that's a good thing. He definitely doesn't have the spinning, hand-flapping type of obsessive behavior, so that one was easier to set aside.<br /><br />To help friends and family understand Z's diagnosis, we created a graphic based on the explanation above given to us by the assessor. I actually drew out the graphic for my in-laws when we went to pick the kids up after going over the diagnosis with the assessor. It was how I had pictured it in my head as she explained it. ML, though, is the graphic artist in the family, so he worked it up afterwards to include in an e-mail we sent out.<br /><br />For those who are more visual:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8v4kWSdq0jj6lbrNkb8_6ypSAOJVqQn0PfUNkShwn9sWBrt1vnWDUSYQE81DyxpeucY7Qd-TmeiJuxVBozl_AV8Yu7r7RsPDDFztfJDLnmhWZWLk-qB2Ifejs_gfDV9C8cNWxUcWgVsp/s1600-h/PDDNOSGraphic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8v4kWSdq0jj6lbrNkb8_6ypSAOJVqQn0PfUNkShwn9sWBrt1vnWDUSYQE81DyxpeucY7Qd-TmeiJuxVBozl_AV8Yu7r7RsPDDFztfJDLnmhWZWLk-qB2Ifejs_gfDV9C8cNWxUcWgVsp/s320/PDDNOSGraphic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389974145581103058" /></a>mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342836336397490251.post-58239708534851225502009-10-07T14:08:00.000-07:002009-10-07T14:14:01.748-07:00Jump in!Okay, I've been toying with the idea of creating a blog to document the process of our journey through and (in faith) out of autism since we got our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDD-NOS">PDD-NOS</a> diagnosis for Z back in June. It's been a wild ride since that time (as it was several months beforehand), and I just haven't had the breathing space to do so.<br /><br />Do I have "spare time" now? No, not really. But there are some specific things I feel like the Lord is prompting me to document, so here I am.<br /><br />Randomly, what was the final catalyst was that a friend of a friend on Facebook asked about autism spectrum disorders (ASD's), and I wanted to link him to the graphic that ML and I created to explain Z's diagnosis to family and friends. But I didn't have a good place to post it. It didn't really fit on my regular blog. So I decided to go ahead and create this one.<br /><br />I hope to come back and fill in some of our journey to this date soon. But for now, welcome to our journey to Finding Zachariah.mideastmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05335327337610562765noreply@blogger.com0