I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! We get to take Sebastian trick or treating tonight off hospital grounds! Progress in the making! Sue

So today I went to the Redmond store to pick up some bentonite clay as it has been highly recommended to me after i mentioned that i give my son bentonite clay, and i found out they sell raw milk. My son is like addicted to milk, so I bought a gallon of this since it is all natural, hoping that Hendrix will like it and he did! I am hoping that somehow this will be better for him than the regular one. Any experiences with raw milk anyone?

I dont post much on here (usually just read alot) but I need to start posting or I may lose my mind. I need to have people to talk with that are also going through some of the same things and don't just look at me like I have lost it when talking or venting about my days. My son Andrew has the DX of PDD-NOS from his Doctors and the Developmentally Delayed with the School District. He is in Special Kinder this year and it's full day so they had started him doing a 1/2 day in special and the other half in regular. I was hesitant at first with this because of his behaviors and anxiety in high stress situations. Well he was doing quite well doing both and had so many good stories to tell me when I picked him up. I never thought that our issue was school related, I thought there was something going on with his meds or something between the both of us being run down and tired. Over the last 3 weeks I have notice changes in his behaviors and his overall attitude. Notes were being sent home daily about this. One day his Special ed teacher told me if was time to re-do his IEP and his 3 year evaluation, she also mentioned that she feels he is ready for all day regular kinder. I went into panic right then and there because I know what would happen if he was in regular ed all day. To make a long story short we are 4 days away from this IEP meeting and yesterday the school calls me and tells me I need to pick Andrew up because they (no one at the school even security) can not calm him down or control him at all. I was so angry on the way to get him because I was at work and this has NEVER happened in the 3 years he has been in Special Ed. At this point I am think what has he done now? He is in the office when I get there and the staff was telling me what happened and I asked to speak with his teacher. At this time I found out that they have been putting him in the regular class ALL DAY. (My eyes get wide now, THIS IS THE CHANGE THAT HAS HAPPENED....THAT I DID NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR) I told his teacher that he should not be in the regular ed all day because of what will happen and guess what it did happen. And as we all know that the madness didn't just end at the end of the school day, it came home and has turned our lives upside the last few weeks. I really was going crazy trying to figure out what was different. He had become so agrssive with me and trying to run away, and just down right out of control and I was able to calm him down for a brief moment and then it all started again. I am greatful to finally know what has changed but can not wait to get things back on track. Andrew is with my parents today and I took off work to have a "mental health" day and am looking foward not back as of right now.

I am so thankful for the staff and doctors at the BHI,they have calmed Sebastian's fears about going to the new hospital tomorrow. I am a nervous wreck on the other hand but I know this is the best for him. I will keep you informed! Sue

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/mandatory-bus-aid-for-special-needs-children-and-adults please help out on this since in look most bus Company transporting Children with specail need look like it no longer Safe their has been 2 incident in the IL one happen last yr with a Local Bus Company that has been working with special need for a long Time and a 2nd bus company also recent news also had an incident please REACT to this thank you for your help

Our director of Pupil Services said this at a meeting on Tuesday! She thinks parents are trying to get the label for kids that just have learning disabilities! My son has been diagnosed by 3 outside specialists/doctors. And the school district refuses the label of autism for him.

Keep Moving Forward (More on My Son Part 34) Keep Moving Forward (More on My Son Part 34) Title for this segment is a phrase borrowed from one of our favorite Disney Movies (funny thing is all Disney movies tend to become our favorites), Meet the Robinsons. Anyway, here we go... the follow up IEP meeting has been scheduled for next week. There should be a ton of observation data that has been collected and reviewed. Since the last IEp he has done pretty well a few bad days, but mostly good in school... until this week that is. Only two days into the week and yesterday he was sent to the office for not paying attention in the library and running and screaming while the librarian was trying to read a story to the class. Even the resource teacher was unable to settle him back down. And if that was not bad enough... at dismissal he was written up again for spitting on his classmates. Sometimes I feel like I am barely able to deal with this. But after a few deep breathes and a nice long bus ride home from work... I feel ready to tackle it all again. I am really hoping a lot fo good things will come out of the IEP meeting next week. With all these experienced, professionals observing, studying him, taking notes, analyzing all the data we should be able to compile into some good useable information (can you tell I work with databases in an IT department). Form this we should then be able to make a bunch of charts, more closely pinpoint common times of his meltdowns and maybe even identify specific things (skills, requests, how stuff is presented, work, other students, etc...) that might be triggering at least some of this disruptive behavior, right? Or am I being way to optimistic? So here we go a week before the IEP I am reviewing all the information I have from his last IEP and notes from the teacher, notes from his home ABA Therapists, etc... and compiling my notes and coming up with a checklist to make sure that they present information (evidence) that they have done everything that they were suppossed to do as a result of the last IEP meeting: What worked; what didn't; what we need to try now based on probable best success rates; what has the added time spent in OT, Speech, & with the Autism Itenerant produced; what new resources can we add to him. Just to backtrack a little, the first week after the last IEP was SO INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFULL, we did request the resource teacher that was assigned to him everyday that week stay for at least another week so, to help continue the transition be smooth while employing some of the techniques we lined up to try. I wonder what kind of luck I will have if asked them to provide me copies of their reports and scatter plots so I can read through them and make notes prior to the IEP in case I have any questions. Think I will do that now. Wish me luck.

Sebastian went to have an EEG,MRI today.He was so proud that he didn't get scared lol. I went to visit him tonight,and play our usual game of Sorry, when he got really upset and started throwing things at me! So I was asked to leave,and about an hour later Sebastian called me crying saying he wants to come home.It broke my heart! OMG! this is going to be so hard for me! I know I have to stay strong,and this will over soon.

Hi Everyone: I haven't been on here very much as of lately.... been dealing with lots of issues at home with my Seanny who is 7. I just wanted to tell you all about a wonderful product that I have had great success with. The dvd's are by Watch Me Learn. They were created by a mom with a son that was diagnosed wtih autism and let me tell you they are wonderful!!!!!!!!!! MY boys have taken to them and they are wonderful.... the website is www.watchmelearn.com and I can't tell you enough how great these dvd's are. I just ordered 2 more. They teach all kinds of things from learning how to tie your shoes to pumping on a swing, duck duck goose and many more play skills that most of our kids have a hard time obtaining. I just wanted to pass along a product that I feel has helped my boys and maybe would help you as well. I have purchased all the tapes... the Jenny McCarthy ones and the Model me kids ones and these are by far better than the others. Hugs and just wanted to pass along some great information. Denise

I just talked to Sebastian therapist and they want to send him to a long term hospital for 6 months.I don't know what to do! Also my parents want to adopt Sebastian so he can be covered by the military and get all the testing he needs done.I don't know what to do! I need feed back on this one! Sue

Everyone I want you to give a warm welcome to my very good friend dracotalon! We have been friends for 18 years and we had our son's a few weeks apart.I told her to join this site because we parents with "special children" need to fight as a whole for our kids. Thank you everyone for the support you have given me now and in the future days to come! Sue

I read this article recently in Oprah's O magazine. I found it interesting, as always, to hear other stories of autism from other parents around the country. Of course, our children are all different and so our challenges are not the same, but there are always similarities and reasons that we can support each other. Although I don't necessarily agree with everything that the featured moms have to say about autism, I think the article brings out a lot of issues that don't often get discussed: depression, financial burden, worries for our other children, treatments that fail, doctors who use our children as guinea pigs, the desperation, marriage problems, loss of friendships....so I was glad to see that the author went deeper than most.... http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200909-omag-autism-moms

I feel like I've been on a merry-go-round for the last 5 days.Sebastian's doctor put him BACK on the meds that made him crazy/mean.Now he is back in the hospital for 10 days,and these doctors are still not listening to me.They can't see the REAL Sebastian unless they see him around my other kids,me and Denny. When will it end?

Subject: H1N1 vs. Cold - Informative chart In light of the concerns over H1N1 Flu, I thought this chart would be beneficial. Know the Difference between A Cold & Swine Flu Symptoms Symptom Cold Swine Flu Fever Fever is rare with a cold. Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°For higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu. Coughing A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold. A nonproductive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough ). Aches Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold. Severe aches and pains are common with the flu. Stuffy Nose Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week. Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu. Chills Chills are uncommon with a cold. 60% of people who have the flu experience chills. Tiredness Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu. Sneezing Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. Sneezing is not common with the flu. Sudden Symptoms Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days. The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever , aches and pains. Headache A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases. Sore Throat Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.. Chest Discomfort Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

I recently went away for the weekend with my husband , father in law and his wife to a family wedding. On the drive we start talking about Jadens hatred for the potty lol. So my father in law went internet happy on trying to find a solution to help me with our problem. He brought this to my attention. http://www.3daypottytraining.com/ Has anyone heard of it? Now I'm willing to try anything since it's getting crazy with 2 kids in diapers already for almost 2 yrs (let alone expensive) so I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread with Jaden not being potty trained. I went on the website, did some research on it and it doesn't sound bad but it also sounds too good to be true.

I would like to know if Jenny Mc Carthy would be so out spoken and be an advocate for autism if she had a child serverely autistic and non-verbal and not on the road to recovery...She is a mom with money...but she in no way had screamed louder than you or I or any other mom loving their autistic child or vaccine injured child...the only difference between her and I is the $$$$$$$...the only ...difference between her son and mine is the $$$$$$$ that paid for all the DAN Dr's and private tutors and round the clock nannies so that she could relax, recoop, and spend some alone time with Carry...of which many mom's I know need too.

Thoughtful House Center for Children Announcement New Research Study Shows Developmental Delays in Monkeys Given Hepatitis B Vaccines Sept. 30, 2009 (Austin, Texas) - A new research study published today in a leading scientific journal, NeuroToxicology, found that a Hepatitis B vaccine containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal caused significant delays in the acquisition of critical survival reflexes in newborn rhesus macaque monkeys. In this first-ever study comparing vaccinated animals with unvaccinated controls, thirteen of the animals were given a Hepatitis B vaccine containing a standardized amount of thimerosal to match that given to babies; four received a saline placebo, and three were not given any shots. The unvaccinated animals developed normally. Delays in vaccinated infants involved three critical reflexes associated with feeding, which are essential for survival in the wild. "Infants of lower birth weight and gestational age were at greater risk" explained Dr. Laura Hewitson of the University of Pittsburgh, one of the principal investigators of the study. "The reflexes affected in this study are controlled by the brainstem, which regulates functions like heart rate, breathing, and intestinal activity, so these findings give us cause for concern, especially for low birth weight and pre-term infants who might be more susceptible to functional brain injury from this vaccine." According to Hewitson, the study was not designed to determine whether it was the thimerosal preservative or another component of the vaccine that caused the observed delays. Although the FDA and American Academy of Pediatrics recommended in 1999 that thimerosal be removed as soon as possible from vaccines in the US, it is still used as a preservative in flu shots, including the recently licensed H1N1 vaccines. Flu shots are currently recommended for pregnant women and children 6 months of age and older. "We undertook these experiments largely because we were unable to find any safety studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated animals," said Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Executive Director of Thoughtful House and a co-investigator of the project. "This study is part of a larger research program looking at the safety of the vaccine schedule from birth to age four years. What is particularly concerning is that in spite of the recommendation to remove thimerosal from vaccines a decade ago, millions of people, many of them children and pregnant mothers, are about to get mercury in their flu shots." Thimerosal is also still routinely used in Hepatitis B and numerous other vaccines world-wide. About Thoughtful House: Thoughtful House advocates and provides multi-disciplinary treatment for autism and related developmental delays and disorders. The Thoughtful House research program is dedicated to understanding the biological origins of childhood developmental disorders and establishing best practices in treating children affected by these disorders; Thoughtful House supports a 'safety-first' vaccination policy. Click here to learn more: http://www.thoughtfulhouse.org/pr/delayed-acquisition-reflexes-newborn-primates-thimerosal-containing-hep-b-vaccine.php