Embracing Wellness

Autism is an Iceberg

2012-01-31T23:30:00.001-05:00

My good friend Ginger Taylor posted today on her blog, Adventures In Autism, about an article written by Rick Jones and published in CFO magazine entitled, "The Value of Life: Why an ethically complicated calculation can help determine the value of your company’s risk reduction programs." WHAT???? Read Ginger's post for a beautifully rendered analysis of the article, pointing out the problems with some its assumptions but, bottom line, what Mr. Jones writes is:

"The lives saved and dollar benefits from vaccines are hard to calculate, but it’s safe to say that these and other immunizations have greatly improved the quantity and quality of life for millions of people -- at the tragic, yet accepted cost of a few. "

Yes, he acknowledges that children will be harmed by the vaccine program and he is willing to stand up and say outright that that is acceptable. While it is disturbing to read in print that someone believes it is knowingly acceptable to harm children, at least he is being honest in his acknowledgement

One of the issues that Ginger points out and that Jones does not address and which should have been considered in his analysis is the chronic health crisis among America's children. In a recent article, based on a 2007 survey, the authors found that, 43% of children had at least one of 20 assessed chronic health problems, and when obesity and risk of developmental delay were included, that percentage exceeded 54%! Moreover, 45% of children with one condition had at least a second - meaning that almost 20% of children had at least two chronic health conditions assessed in the study.

More than half of this country's children are ill and those charged with protecting our public health do not seem particularly curious - let alone panicked - as to why? Alarm bells should be ringing! This is like the Titanic.... and autism is the iceberg. They see autism and think they can avoid or ignore it but they don't have a clue as to what is hiding beneath - or here, hiding in plain sight. Here's a handy graphic (pardon my admittedly lame art skills, but thank goodness for SketchBook Pro on my iPad) showing all those conditions...

Sadly, I am guessing that many children have more than one or two of these conditions. When I look at it, I count several for my own son - at least 5 diagnoses he carries in addition to ASD and I am not including speech and developmental delay (I will throw a bone and subsume, for my child, those issues under ASD), and two others that may be applicable. This is not my idea of a fun game. Ooooh who gets the most chronic illnesses - ME ME ME! There is no winner here and our children are the big losers. No potential cause - including vaccines - should be ruled out as a contributing factor to this epidemic of chronic illness without serious investigation. And for those who baldly claim that vaccines have been vindicated - I urge you to take a hard look at the science - it does not support that position. This is still an open question. Read Vaccine Epidemic (full disclosure - I am a contributing editor and author) and watch "The Greater Good." Ask yourself - what is the greater good if more than half our children are being harmed by something(s)? Why are we not racing to identify the cause or causes of rampant chronic illness? What does that say about our society and our willingness (or lack thereof) to protect the most vulnerable? And what does our future bode as a generation of chronically ill children struggle to compete in an ever more challenging world economic climate?

Those of us in the autism community have been struggling with many of these questions for years, and now we watch families of young people in LeRoy, NY struggling with a mystery illness. So many are willing to dismiss their illness and give an easy diagnosis that does not take a serious look at causation. Yet, because these families are standing up and others are taking notice, we are learning about potential environmental causes for the these symptoms that so many in power - including their own school officials - are willing to ignore or are affirmatively refusing to consider. The autism families, the Le Roy families, and every family with a chronically ill child should continue to demand answers.

I was reading Oprah's magazine today and she had a feature about defining yourself in 6 words (inspired by Larry Smith). I have been pondering my 6 today. Right now, I am feeling: "Stand Tall. Be Heard. Demand Accountability." I hope that you are feeling it too!

Sugar, Sugar... or, Shall I Say, Coconut Sugar

2012-01-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

Wow, I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted. If you could see me now, I am kneeling, begging an apology. I am resolving (well at least January is not over yet) to write a post at least once a week. Short or long, profound or frivolous... gotta get back in the habit. There is much to write about and I hope to devote space to some serious issues - especially issues regarding autism, in upcoming posts. But today, I am thinking about coconut sugar.

Lots of sugar everywhere we look!

We all KNOW that we should avoid most sugars, not just high fructose corn syrup. Sugar is loaded into way too many foods and beverages.

However, for some things sugar is, if not necessary, at least preferred. A cookie is one of those things. We don't eat many cookies here - not because I don't love them, I do, but H does not. And I am hard-pressed to justify making cookies just for me when my 11-year old doesn't want them. But over the holidays I made ginger cookies from a recipe at Elana's Pantry - a wonderful source of gluten-free, paleo-friendly cooking. As a bonus, Elana's Pantry is a treasure trove of gluten- and dairy-free recipes appropriate for many Jewish holidays (but great for anyone, not just those who celebrate Jewish holidays) - today there were even recipes posted for Tu B'shevat!

Back to those cookies...

I was going to a holiday party for the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy - a great non-profit on whose board I sit -and, among the foods we were all contributing, I wanted to make sure there were some (hopefully) yummy gluten-free holiday cookies. I turned to Elana's Pantry and was rewarded with an easy and yummy almond flour based gingersnap recipe.

Here is some of my coconut collection!

The one ingredient that was unfamiliar was coconut sugar. Coconut sugar? Huh? Luckily, in short order iHerb.com was able to provide me with Sweet Tree organic coconut palm sugar! This sugar is not made from the coconuts themselves but from the sap of coconut nut palm tree buds so if you are worried about imparting coconut flavor to everything, no worries. I thought I was pretty well-versed in coconut products - coconut oil (of course), coconut water and milk (even coconut-based kefir), coconut flour, coconut syrup, and coconut vinegar (both from coconut water and from the sap). Coconut sugar had, however, flown under my radar.

I apparently am behind the eight-ball on this one! The good folks at EasyEats wrote about the benefits of coconut sugar just a few weeks ago. According to them, it is only 9% fructose and it has a lower glycemic index than even agave. Plus it has B vitamins and minerals, and it is even pretty environmentally friendly to grow. Natural News reported on the benefits of coconut sugar and how it is displacing agave several months ago.

Taste-wise, coconut sugar is pleasant and easily can substitute for refined sugar. While I like honey, I try not to overuse it and concerns about agave sourcing and processing have me mostly avoiding that as well. I just cannot take the aftertaste of stevia (and I have tried many and, at least for me, they just don't work). Lo Han is ok but not my favorite. (Not even mentioning the artificial things here - we give those a wide berth). So, in moderation, coconut sugar may be a good choice when you need a little sweetness in your life!

Spring is Sprung

2011-05-15T21:44:00.000-04:00

Somehow months have gone by without a post. My apologies. Life has been busy.... I am vowing to post more and update on all the things that have kept me away. The photo above was taken today at the Bronx Zoo after viewing their butterfly garden exhibit. My little Zebra Swallowtail (that's the butterfly above) is doing really well and had a great time today as we strolled the nearly unoccupied zoo this afternoon (threatening weather kept most folks at home!).

"Cheese"-its

2011-02-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

What do you feed the GFCF, soy-free, potato-free, corn-free, lots of other stuff free kid who would really like goldfish crackers? I think I FINALLY have a solution, thanks to the good folks at ReadyMade Magazine (to which I am a subscriber). In their latest issue, ReadyMade compared several different cheese crackers, including a homemade variety. On their website, they posted the recipe for the homemade cheese crackers. The ingredients are simple: flour, butter, cheddar cheese and ice water. Of course, three out of the four don't work for someone on a GFCF diet (at least the ice water is ok!). In this case, the substitutions were simple and worked quite well. I substituted the same amount of GFCF-safe ingredients for the originals with the exception of the ice water. I found I needed a touch more water than the two tablespoons called for, but I added it slowly in tiny amounts to get the correct consistency.

Crispy, finished crackers cooling on a rack

Crackers before baking

Here are my substitutions:
Daiya cheddar style shreds for the cheese
Purity Farms ghee (or other well made ghee) for the butter
Chebe All-Purpose Bread Mix (a manioc [tapioca] based mix) for flour.

The crackers baked up crispy, crunchy and cheesy tasting. My GFCF boy loved them, and even my husband and a few friends proclaimed them a success.

These were easy to mix up in a stand mixer and quick to make (there is some downtime while the dough chills in the fridge). The trick is to roll out the dough quite thin and bake just long enough to get crisp without burning. They only take about 15 minutes in the oven but should be watched carefully. They also should be watched carefully once placed on the cooling rack -- they were mysteriously disappearing from my kitchen!

Vaccine Epidemic - The Book

2011-02-03T23:30:00.001-05:00

Officially launching on February 9, 2011 but already shipping from amazon.com, Vaccine Epidemic is a whole new way of looking at the vaccine debate.

I am proud to be a part of this effort. Over twenty authors have contributed chapters on a wide array of topics, including law, ethics, media, human rights, medicine, epidemiology, history, philosophy, and personal stories of vaccine injury. In addition to my role as contributing editor, I also authored a chapter on vaccine exemptions and forced child removal.

We offer parents, medical professionals and others ways to critically examine the issues surrounding vaccination. But let's be clear, "Vaccine Epidemic" is NOT anti-vaccine. It is pro-vaccination choice. It is in favor of informed consent concerning vaccination. Parents (and others), regardless of what they ultimately decide is the right choice for themselves and their family, should have the opportunity to make their decision from a position of knowledge. Their decision should not be based on fear, coercion, and lack of knowledge concerning their rights and the potential risks and benefits of vaccination.

Vaccine Epidemic" rises above the name-calling and rhetoric and offers a studied and serious look at the issues concerning vaccination and why the book is not closed on the link between vaccines and a wide variety of diseases and disorders. It is an eye-opening read, no matter where you stand on issues surrounding vaccination.

If you are in or will be traveling to NYC on February 18, join us that evening for our launch event at NYU School of Law. The event will include panel discussions, Q&A and a book signing. A number of authors will be in attendance, The event is free and open to the public but requires pre-registration. Click here for more information and to register.

Stayed tuned for more events, chances to win a copy of the book, and other news!

Preserved Lemons

2011-01-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

While in Paris this winter, we ate a small Moroccan restaurant frequented by friends who live nearby. Le Tagine was wonderful. They accommodated H's dietary needs and served tasty Moroccan cuisine in a nicely decorated room (I especially loved the punched metal sconces and light fixtures). I had a delicious tagine of lamb, olives and preserved lemon and the flavors just burst in my mouth. This was my second run in with preserved lemons in a week. A few days before I had prepared a version of Charlie Palmer's "Ten-Hour" veal pappardelle that I had eaten in November at Metrazur, the Palmer restaurant in Grand Central Station. The recipe calls for preserved lemons, to which I did not have ready access in a small French town over the Christmas holiday, so I did without, using lemon zest (BTW, the family loved it so even without preserved lemon, it is worth making - warning that it is time intensive - best for a long weekend).


Quarter the lemon but do not slice through

Open up the lemons and salt the interior

A jar of preserved lemons on their way

These two dishes got me thinking about preserved lemons (and the lack thereof in my kitchen). It turns out they are really easy to make.

One of my activities this weekend was preserved lemon preparation. I used the recipe at SimplyRecipes, but substituted regular lemons for Meyer lemons. While I like Meyer lemons a lot, I wanted really zingy preserved lemons. All you need is a clean/sterilized canning jar, kosher salt, and a slew of lemons (I think 8 or so went into my jar, plus the juice of two others). Use organic lemons if at all possible, after all, it is the skins that are the part you will be using and who wants to eat pesticides?

Take a look at the link above for the details, but basically a couple tablespoons of salt go in the bottom of your jar, followed by lemons with the ends trimmed and then quartered, but not sliced through, that have been salted. You squish the lemons down into the jar to release juice (I suspect the salt helps this process because they release a lot of juice). Fill the jar and top off with extra juice (if needed) and a couple more tablespoons of salt. They stay at room temp a few days and then continue to cure for a few weeks in the fridge until they are ready to use. I cannot wait. I am going to try to replicate that lamb, olive and preserved lemon dish from le Tagine.

Vinegar for Winter Health

2011-01-16T14:47:00.001-05:00

In catching up on some backlogged magazine reading while on vacation this winter, I happened upon a recipe in ReadyMade magazine for herbal vinegar that is supposed to help boost the immune system to stave off winter health woes. The recipe for the tincture is credited to Trilby Sedlacek, a registered herbalist in Iowa and owner of Green Angels Herbs & Healing Arts. The recipe is easy - raw apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg) and fresh herbs of your choice (recommended are: nasturtium, mint, garlic, sage and basil). You simply fill a clean/sterilized canning jar (a Ball jar) with herbs, not overpacking, and then fill the jar with vinegar. You seal and let it sit for about two weeks at room temperature, shaking gently once in awhile. Then you strain out the herbs, label and date the jar and start enjoying. Note: the Wild*Crafty blog recommends letting ther herb/vinegar mix sit for six weeks before decanting.

Fresh, organic sage (left) and basil (right)

Bragg ACV

The chopped herbs, loosely packed

I started my tincture this afternoon. I chose sage and basil and I would recommend organic herbs if you can find them. While garlic has many healing properties, unfortunately, both H & I recently tested as sensitive to it. So, for the time being, it is out of our diets. This took only a few minutes to make and now I just have to patiently wait for the tincture to be ready.

The finished product - ACV & herbs

Once the tincture has "matured" for a few weeks, you can use a few spoonfuls in salad dressings, sauces, soups/stews. Or, if you are like me and love vinegar, have a few spoonfuls straight up! For hot food, it is recommended to add after cooking so as not to destroy the healthful benefits of the raw vinegar. The theory behind the tincture is that the vinegar helps to extract the minerals from the herbs. Unlike the strictly culinary vinegars that you can buy in gourmet groceries, which use just a small amount of herbs for their flavor properties, this type of tincture is prepared with larger quantities of herbs for their healthful properties - that they taste great too is an additional benefit!

Green Means Go

2011-01-15T21:50:00.001-05:00

I have been absent from blogging for too long. Life in general and, especially, a book project, had left me pressed for time. My apologies but when you hear more about the book, I hope you will think it was worth the blogging break. Intrigued? Click the link above and learn more now.

Today I had two great green food experiences. One was cooking an old favorite - kale - a new way. The second was my introduction to an entirely new food for me - sea beans.

First the kale. Kale is one of my favorite foods, sauteed, raw, in green drinks. I just love it. And Henry really likes it too, which is great because kale's nutritional profile is a strong one - it is a veggie superstar. A few days ago, an email from Elana Amsterdam's blog dropped in my inbox with an enticing recipe for sea salt and vinegar kale chips. As an aside, if you are not familiar with Elana's blog, Elana's Pantry, or her cookbook, especially if you are gluten-free, they are definitely worth checking out. The kale chips took only minutes to make and are delish! You toss a small bit of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt with the kale in a bowl and bake in the oven (details are in the link). I have to confess that I was eating pieces of it right out of the bowl (I told you that I love kale!) I haven't been able to get H to try one, but hopefully soon. And if he doesn't want them, more for me! The photo above are a few of my sea salt and vinegar kale chips.

These are sea beans, or salicornia:

Apparently they have been showing up in farmers' markets and gourmet shops the past few years and I have missed them... lost, sea bean-free years I shall never get back. Very sad. But now I know them and will definitely pick some up when I see them. These are wonderfully crisp little gems that taste of the sea (read: salty) but also with a clean vegetable taste. I just looked through a bunch of my vegetable and raw foods cookbooks and nary a mention of sea beans, so I may not be the only one missing out. Gothamist pointed me to Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini as a source of information. This out of print book looks really amazing - a combination of vegetable encyclopedia and recipe book - I might use of one of my amazon.com gift cards to get this. Given there saltiness, I would think that those on a salt-restricted regimen might have to be careful with these.

I have been eating handfuls of them all afternoon since returning from the Whole Foods in Darien, CT with a bag full of them. This is a stop we frequently make on our way home from visits to Darin Ingels, ND, who is helping both H and me with allergy/immune system issues. Today we found not only the sea beans but also emu eggs (alongside the more familiar quail and duck eggs). The emu eggs were huge and colored a deep blue-green - not unlike a really huge avocado. And not inexpensive ($29+ each!). I am not sure what one does with them - my googling suggests what you do with other eggs but that one is like a dozen+ chicken eggs. Yikes! Nonetheless, they were lovely to look at, just not practical for our family.

Dancing With Max - a Book Review

2010-11-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

I recently joined LibraryThing to try to organize my book collection and, along the way, signed up on the site to be an early reviewer. This means that every month I receive an email linking me to many books that LibraryThing makes available to its members in exchange for a review. You can request as many as you would like and if you are chosen to receive a book, it is sent to you and you have several weeks to read and review the book (more people request most books than copies are available so you don't get all you request). In my second month on the list, I actually got a book. As fate would have it, from the many I had ticked off as books I was interested in, I received an autism book: Dancing With Max: A Mother and Son Who Broke Free by Emily Colson (with prologue and epilogue by Charles Colson, her father), published by Zondervan. The following is largely based on my LibaryThing review but I wanted to share here too.

Dancing With Max is a wonderfully uplifting story of breaking free of what parents of children with autism are often told to expect from their children, but the book is much more. The book is about both author Emily Colson and her son Max growing and changing, in sometimes unexpected ways. It is about forming a truly deep parent-child bond despite the challenges of autism. The book also is about how Emily's relationship with her own father evolved and healed, due in part to the family having to understand, accept and adapt to Max's challenges with autism. Chuck Colson was special counsel to President Nixon, a workaholic, who did not always, by his own admission, spend enough time with his family. He also was incarcerated on Watergate-related charges. He became more religious and founded a non-profit to minister to those in prison. Like her father, Emily is a woman of strong faith and she found unique and wonderful ways for Max to share in her faith.

Emily's story demonstrates what so many fail to understand about "autism moms" - how a mother can continue to fight to improve her child's life - searching for new therapies, schools, treatments - but all the while accepting him and loving him for who he is at the moment.

I suspect that while on the surface there are many differences between myself and Emily Colson, deep down there is much that we share. Her book is a moving tribute to her son and her family. It is clear that, while he faces many challenges as he becomes a young adult with autism, Max also has a gift to share with the world and Emily is working is ways both small (in their everyday lives) and large (the book!) to share Max and his gift with others. While the book is frank about tough moments - any parent with autism would see through a book that did not give a fair shake to those tough times - it is ultimately affirming -- a story about moving forward, persevering, growing, loving and being loved.

Congratulations!

2010-11-16T07:05:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Angela Fish, the lucky winner of "All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa"! Enjoy Angela.

Giveaway and Book Review: Kim Stagliano's "All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa"

2010-11-07T12:46:00.001-05:00

Reading Kim Stagliano's new book, "All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa" from Skyhorse Publishing is like sitting down with a cup of coffee (glass of wine?) and catching up with an old friend. It is the perfect book to cozy up with on the sofa on a chilly day and read cover to cover (or maybe that's just because this is exactly what I did). See the end of this post to see how you can win your own autographed copy of "All I Can Handle"!

Kim is the mother to three amazing daughters, each of whom is on the autism spectrum. She is also the managing editor of AgeOfAutism, the online newspaper of the autism community, a HuffingtonPost contributor, and a blogger.

In her "Kimoir" (as she calls it), she shares her no-holds-barred story of raising her girls. I sound like an overblown ad for a blockbuster movie when I say "I laughed, I cried - bring your family and friends, see (read) it again!" but that is exactly how I felt about this book. Kim's story is one of negotiating the ups and downs that life throws our way with faith, humor, and aplomb. But, as the title says, she is no Mother Teresa. Thank goodness! Her story would not ring true if it was all roses and ponies. Plus, this book would not be nearly so funny if she was a saint. And it is laugh out loud funny! If you cannot imagine an autism story written with humor - think again. Without giving away too much, the image of Kim inadvertently stealing a fan from a local store after a bathroom flooding "Stagtastrophe" (her name works so well for wordplay like this!) is priceless (and hysterical!).

She shares moments of joy, such as her daughters' First Holy Communions, successful birthday parties, exciting career moves. But she also shares challenging moments of anger, marital stress, financial difficulties, illnesses, a child lost in a vast Disney resort. What she shares is real life. As the parent of a child on the spectrum, her book is particularly meaningful to me but I truly believe that everyone can enjoy this book because there is so much more than autism here and the lessons of life, even when learned through the lens of autism, are applicable to so much more.

But back to autism... this book also serves as an important PSA to parents of children with autism. It is incumbent upon us to be the best advocates we can for our children. My heart broke and my anger swelled when Kim related her experience of a neurologist telling her that they just aren't that aggressive in treating children with autism. I felt such anger reading this that I cannot imagine how the Staglianos felt at that moment. This doctor was writing off a child - a child with so much potential - merely because of the label of "autism." As so many parents know, and as so many doctors still so fail in ignorance to recognize, children with autism are sick - they have GI problems, they have seizures, they have immune system dysfunction, they have metabolic and mitochondrial disorders. Thank you Kim for spreading that message.

So run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore or e-tailer and get a copy today. Also, I am privileged to have an autographed copy to give away to one lucky blogreader. Comment below, leaving your name and full email address, and I will pick a winner at random on November 15, 2010 and contact you by email. Enter to win and feel free to share this post and spread the word.

Come meet Kim and hear her read from her book at the National Autism Association - NY Metro Chapter parent network exchange meeting this Wednesday, November 10, 2010, at the Rebecca School, 40 E. 30th St. in Manhattan (b/w Park and Madison Aves.) from 6pm-8:30pm. Increase your chances of winning a copy of Kim's book by also visiting NAA-NY Metro's facebook page or blog!

Communications Shutdown for Autism - Nov. 1

2010-10-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

Can you live without Facebook and Twitter for ONE DAY!?! I bet you can. And now you can do it and raise money for autism worldwide. National Autism Association is one of the beneficiaries. All it takes is a small donation - and some willpower to avoid FB and your Twitter! Join me in tuning out for a day and raising awareness.

Fox News Steps Up to the Plate on Autism

2010-10-11T23:51:00.007-04:00

Regardless of your political leanings, autism warrior moms and dads should tune in for continuing autism coverage on Fox and Friends - they have made Saturday mornings newsworthy several of the past weekends! To those following autism in the news, CBS's Sheryl Attkisson often seemed like a lone media voice willing to investigate and report on controversial autism issues. Now she is joined by Fox and Friend's Alisyn Camerota. In late September and early October, Ms. Camerota has presented three segments on controversial autism issues.

First, TACA's Rebecca Estepp went head to head to with Dr. Marc Siegel regarding the Hannah Poling case and "Vaccine Court" (the omnibus proceeding), among other things:

The next weekend, Mary Holland, an NYU law professor, and Dana Hall, a parent with a case pending in the autism omnibus proceeding, appeared on Fox and Friends to discuss recent developments in the omnibus proceeding:

Mary and Dana captured in a few short minutes many of the flaws in the omnibus proceeding and why it has failed. Mary summed up with this powerful statement: ". . . we will look back at this proceeding in shame."

Then, on October 2, Dr. Bob Sears, a board-certified pediatrician and author of The Vaccine Book, appeared to discuss the CDC's failure to test vaccines in real world circumstances - i.e., to test the safety of vaccines given in the multi-vaccine combinations in which they are administered to infants and children. Dr. Sears called out the CDC on its testing failures and challenged its blanket claims of vaccine safety, including the CDC's claim that vaccines present lower level exposures than children may encounter in their environment - pointing out that inhaling and injecting are very different! Finally, he touched on the issue of bias and scandal surrounding some vaccine research.

This coverage is welcome and we hope to see more. Let Fox & Friends know that you are tuning in and continue to support Sharyl Attkisson's superb coverage on CBS as well.

Restaurant Review: Pure Food and Wine - Haute Raw Vegan Cuisine

2010-09-07T03:17:00.001-04:00

Haute raw vegan cuisine - not words you usually imagine putting together. But you can at Pure Food & Wine on Irving Place in Manhattan. I had the pleasure of dining there a few nights ago with a good friend and I cannot wait to go back. I love casual, down-to-earth eateries too but for a change of pace, haute raw vegan rocks it!

The restaurant space is beautiful and sophisticated and it has a large back garden (but it was too hot a night for me to enjoy outdoor dining so we opted for inside). The menu is likewise sophisticated. I started with king oyster mushroom scallops in a lemongrass/coconut broth and my friend had an heirloom tomato and watermelon salad. Both were amazing. The king oyster mushrooms had a texture that was remarkably like a scallop. We shared a plate of Dr. Cow's nut cheeses (made locally in Williamsburg (Brooklyn)), with rosemary crisps and strawberries, mache and raw honey as accompaniments. Yum! For a main course I had a delicious zucchini "fettuccini" with asparagus and peppers and my friend had beautiful stuffed squash blossoms. We were too full for dessert - a huge regret because they all looked great.

You can also order some of the products used to create delicious raw vegan cuisine, along with some awesome raw cookbooks featuring recipes from the restaurant, at the OneLuckyDuck website. I am going to try the tomato/watermelon salad in the next few days - I think that was my favorite thing out of all the things I tasted at dinner.

I have stockpiled a bunch of raw cookbooks and want to start incorporating more raw meals into my diet. I appreciate that Sarma Melngailis, the owner of Pure Food and Wine, admits to not being raw, or even vegan or vegetarian, all the time - definitely takes some of the pressure off - especially for raw newbies, like me. That said, every raw recipe I have tried so far has been great - so fresh and just "good" - getting back to the essence of what food tastes like. You don't even need a recipe to be raw (though there are some great ones). One day I just pureed chunks of butternut squash in the VitaMix (this may be a must-have for vegans and raw food enthusiasts -- never have I seen a blender work so well. It costs $$$ but is worth it). The raw butternut squash soup - seasoned with some fresh herbs, was amazing. This past week, I had a lot of Crenshaw melon at home - I pureed it, with some lovely oil, vanilla infused sea salt, a touch of (non raw I think) maple syrup, cayenne pepper and seeded cucumber - delish, even my husband loved the fresh and 99% raw fruit soup.

Plus, eating raw brings incredible health benefits, preserving many of the enzymes naturally found in foods. I have a tendency to go full bore at something for awhile and then tucker out but I can definitely see slowly incorporating more raw cooking ideas into everyday life -- it is all about the balance (see Sunday's post - but then ask why I am up at 3am??? - work in progress....).

Balance

2010-09-05T13:09:00.001-04:00

My "Balance" ecoBowl

Balance is my new mantra... Wish me luck!

I spent two weekends in August in New England working on ideas related to energy healing. First was a series of workshops led by Dr. Miriam Wolf in Putney, Vermont. Two days of learning and working on healing techniques on many levels - it was eye-opening, challenging, very positive, and centering. After that great experience, the next weekend, the whole family (it was our anniversary too!) traveled to Exeter, New Hampshire for a little R&R and for me to work with Hilary Crowley, to catch me up in my Reiki master level training.

Both these weekends got me thinking much more about balance and the need to reestablish balance in my life. I tend to go 110 miles an hour on everything, rather than balancing. So now I am going to start making a conscious effort toward more balance. That may mean letting go of some of my preconceived notions of how and when things need to get done, figuring out what it is important to focus on at any given time and what can wait. I am hoping that this new outlook will be liberating but it will definitely be work for me to let go of some of the old paradigms. I also have to recognize that it won't happen overnight - it will take time to recalibrate and, in a first step in that direction, I recognize that this is okay.

While in New Hampshire, we stayed at the lovely Exeter Inn - our stay was terrific, the only downside was that our shower, while beautiful, was not designed for tall people (the building is older and space constraints dictated what they could do). While I worked with Hilary, the boys explored Exeter and then we met up to check out Portsmouth, New Hampshire - which was completely charming. While there, I happened upon a great shop that had opened up only days earlier called Presence of Nature. This shop sells beeswax bowls (ecoBowls), the creation of which helps beekeepers (who sell their scrap beeswax to create the bowls). You use the bowl as a vessel into which you can place all sorts of materials, including air plants, to create a very personal environment (you can buy pre-made versions or create your own with their huge selection of items). The shop's (and website's) tag line is "No matter what you choose, it's right." You cannot make a mistake - I love that! When I walked in one of the first things I saw was a small flat stone with the word "Balance" engraved on it - there's a message for you! I used that as a centerpiece to create my own bowl, which is now in our dining room (see the photo above).

Both weekends inspired me to continue to learn more about different energy healing modalities and to challenge myself to open up my mind to new ways of thinking. One thing I am now very excited to learn more about is Matrix Energetics, a powerful healing modality developed by Richard Bartlett, DC. But there are so many other things to learn about as well. Dr. Wolf introduced me to some amazing books a variety of aspects of energy medicine that I cannot wait to dig into. Of course, I have to balance all this new learning with the rest of my life!

Just one of the cutest things ever!

2010-08-04T21:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to HuffPo, I was just introduced to a photo blog with some of the cutest pics around. Check out Mila's Daydreams, where new mom (and super creative person) Adele Enersen creates the sweetest photo tableaux while her little girl is napping! The photo below is "Surfer Girl" (natch!) Kudos to Adele for her creativity and capturing just how sweet little babies are.

Who is Showing Callous Disregard?

2010-07-25T13:36:00.015-04:00

Dr. Andrew Wakefield recently spoke at a meeting of the New York Chapter of the National Autism Association. Almost 100 people attended - it was a full house! I have had the opportunity to see Dr. Wakefield speak several times, including at the recent NAA-NY Metro Chapter event as well as at AutismOne in Chicago this May. He is always eloquent and impassioned and he did not disappoint on July 8 at NAA-NY Metro. You can read more about his appearance on the NAA-NY Metro Chapter blog and on Age of Autism. Parents and medical professionals are becoming increasingly aware of issues surrounding vaccine safety and they want to learn more.

As were many others, I was quite curious about Dr. Wakefield's book, Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines - The Truth Behind the Tragedy, which recently was published by Skyhorse Publishing. Dr. Wakefield has been vilified in the media, but this vilification most frequently comes in the form of prepackaged attacks that rehash the same stories over and over. I also repeatedly see stories recasting as "fact" the opinions of those who disagree with Dr. Wakefield. It is unfortunate that many journalists seem to have forgotten about investigative journalism, merely taking at face value what their "sources" tell them - sources who frequently have significant conflicts of interest which go unmentioned. I am not asking journalists to disregard those whose opinions are contrary to Dr. Wakefield's. Absolutely not. I merely ask that both sides be presented in a balanced way, which almost never happens. Without both sides presenting their respective points of view, there cannot be true discourse.

In Callous Disregard, Dr. Wakefield sets the record straight - in methodical fashion, with numerous citations to both evidence and to scientific/scholarly works. Dr. Wakefield walks the reader through complex materials in a way that both parents and medical/scientific professionals can appreciate. This is a book that reaches both audiences, at least in part because Dr. Wakefield respects that parents of children with ASD are knowledgeable and are eager to learn all they can about their child's illness. Even if you disagree with Dr. Wakefield, I encourage you to read this account, and examine the evidence yourself, with an open mind. I also commend to readers an article written by Dr. William Long for Autism File magazine.

Dr. Wakefield continues his fight to clear his name and continues his work to help children with ASD. He has sacrificed incredibly for our children. It would have been easy for him to quit long ago and quietly walk away. He chose not too. I think that speaks measures. Dr. Wakefield's commitment to children with ASD has won him many followers, but many critics as well. I continue to be amazed at the level of animosity toward Dr. Wakefield in some circles. In particular, much cyber-energy is spent in the blogosphere (though certainly elsewhere as well) trying to discredit Dr. Wakefield. Critics of Dr. Wakefield make scathing personal attacks, they belittle both parents and scientists who are open to Dr. Wakefield's work and the work of other scientists exploring a possible link between vaccines and autism. If Andrew Wakefield really is as unimportant and irrelevant as they try to paint him, why waste all that energy? I have to wonder if this is some kind of attempt to convince themselves that his work, and the work of others exploring these issues, is no threat to their their neat little world where there is no potential downside to mass vaccinations at unprecedented levels.

Do these critics think that if they merely repeat over and over again that Dr. Wakefield is a villain and that vaccines are completely safe, everyone will believe them? In fact, the contrary is true; more and more parents are becoming wary and distrustful of bald claims of vaccine safety. As a Harris Poll commissioned by the Center for Personal Rights and conducted this spring shows, a majority of parents believe that the pharmaceutical industry has too much influence over the vaccine schedule, a vax'd vs. unvax'd study should be conducted, parents (not the government) should have the right to choose which vaccines their children receive. Moreover, this poll and a recent study published in Pediatrics show that many parents also are concerned about serious adverse effects from vaccines (48% in the CPR poll, 54% in the Pediatrics study).

As parental distrust mounts and parents ask more questions about vaccine safety, I also have to ask why there are many writers who misrepresent the findings of studies concerning vaccine safety. For example, it is disingenuous (at best) to tell parents that a study vindicates vaccines when a study merely finds that a link between vaccines and autism is not proven - those statements are not equivalent and it simply is wrong to equate them. We can read, and curious parents are, more and more, going to the sources themselves. When they discover a study's actual conclusions and find they conflict with the spin, the spinner loses credibility. The bottom line is that the studies conducted to date are insufficient to prove or disprove a link between vaccines and autism, though there is a mounting body of evidence suggesting a connection, for at least some children. I blogged awhile back on the frightening implications of lack of scientific curiosity on this issue (or fear of what results may show).

On a separate but related note, the vaccine safety studies done to license vaccines are, as a general rule, woefully inadequate: they are short-lived (in some instances only days or weeks and, therefore, unlikely capture many possible reactions other than acute, immediate onset reactions), subject to manipulation, conducted by the vaccine manufacturers themselves (not objective third parties), and do not address the safety of the current vaccine schedule as a whole. Most parents do not know this. I even wonder how many pediatricians are aware of the inadequacies of vaccine safety testing when they tell their patients that vaccines are subject to rigorous testing? You can go to the FDA website to review pre-licensing testing information, and see for yourself what is considered sufficient - it is eye-opening.

Vaccines have become sacred in the public health sphere and to challenge that doctrine is a heresy. However, I think it is becoming more and more apparent that we do need to challenge the current vaccine schedule, challenge the inadequacy of safety testing, and challenge the lack of appropriate studies concerning vaccines and their possible role with respect to many diseases, including autism. As the CPR Harris Poll demonstrates, parents are becoming more aware of this issue, and asking more questions. This issue is now mainstream - half of parents think that there are serious issues with respect to the U.S. vaccine program. Those involved in the U.S. vaccine program need to recognize that parents no longer are willing to accept a pat on the head, telling us that they are the "experts" and know what is "best." Parents and a growing number of doctors and scientists are demanding that more and better testing take place and we are demanding honesty.

As a postscript I want to encourage my readers to also check out this post on Adventures In Autism. Ginger Taylor's posts are always timely and insightful.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am an officer and board member of NAA-NY Metro, a board member of the Center for Personal Rights, and on the steering committee of the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy.

Photos from France

2010-07-12T22:45:00.011-04:00

For your enjoyment (I hope), here are a few of my photos from our recent trip to France. Cliff still has my camera on his research trip so I don't have access to all my shots and I am switching to a new computer so I cannot try out some new Photoshop stuff I just learned about and cannot wait to try. These are unretouched (not that I retouch much but I have just seen some new effects to use with Photoshop that blew me away - I have it on my PC but am not savvy and want to learn more). My laptop having lost an unfortunate battle with a palmetto bug in Florida this spring, I am capitalizing on the opportunity to switch back to Mac after many years and am very excited about the Macbook Pro making its way toward me now. To start using the Photoshop effects I have been eyeing I will need to buy the Mac version of Photoshop too! I find taking these pictures so relaxing and am ready to step it up and invest in a nice digital SLR camera (Nikon D90 maybe?) We have great old Nikon film cameras and oodles of excellent Nikkor lenses (hoping some of the lenses can be used). My current digital camera has some manual functions but I would like more flexibility. Next step, a Miksang (contemplative photography) course at the Shambhala Center in NYC - hopefully they will offer another soon that I can join!

Vive la France

2010-07-12T19:39:00.011-04:00

Embracing Wellness recently returned from 2.5 weeks in France - most of it spent in Provence, near Avignon, with a few days in Paris at the end. We had a great time even if was hot-hot-hot for several days. . . lots of swimming, biking (esp. for Henry) and yummy food, and even a little bit of sightseeing (like the Pont du Gard - that's where the boys are on the left). We saw friends who now live in Avignon (and their brand new baby - a gorgeous little girl who joins her three bothers and two sisters) and friends who have been living in Paris came down to spend several days with us. Henry even had the three Avignon-based boys over for a sleepover - it was fun and lively with four boys playing in the house and pool. Henry told us before we left NYC that the thing he was most looking forward to on the trip was meeting the new baby - she was just 5 weeks old - he LOVES babies. She exceeded his expectations and he was thrilled to be able to hold her. He is so gentle, sweet and protective with babies, it just tugs my heartstrings.

While he was sad to leave the house and go to Paris, once there Henry had a good time. We did lots of walking, took a bateau mouche ride on the Seine, visited Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, climbed on and ran through the columns of the art installation Les Deux Plateaux in the courtyard of the Palais Royal (see Henry and Grandmere), and visited the iconic (even though it is only 20 yrs old or so) IM Pei pyramid entrance to the Louvre. In le Jardin des Tuileries, we took a ride on a giant ferris wheel - much to my height-fearing chagrin - where we were treated to incredible aerial views of the city. Henry also spent a quiet half hour gently steering a big sailboat around one of the man-made ponds in the garden. We almost missed our flight back from Paris (in a scheduling snafu, we were on a different plane than my mother-in-law, and ours left three hours earlier), but on the way home were treated to a cloudless view of Greenland from 37,000 feet - incredible views of mountains, snow, glaciers and icebergs - truly majestic and the stark vastness of it was awe-inspiring. Henry had the window seat and drew my attention to it (along with another plane flying off in the distance!). What a jarring contrast that chilly view of Greenland presented to the heat, hustle and bustle of home once we landed!

ASD on the High Seas (well, at least the Lake in Central Park)

2010-05-16T22:40:00.012-04:00

Today we took to the water. . . Henry and I met up with our friends Claire, Milo and Sasha (and Chad, the wonder service dog that I have written about before (here and here)). Claire and her boys have gone kayaking/rowing in Central Park several times this spring and invited us along for today's outing. Henry had been rowing with his dad before but had never been in a kayak (and I suspect that he probably did not do much rowing when he was in the boat with Cliff) but he was game.

Claire and I (and Chad!) were in a rowboat and each of the boys had his own kayak (pictured are Henry in his yellow kayak and Milo in his red kayak). Henry picked it up right away - I was so proud! He and Milo and Sasha zipped around in the kayaks while Claire rowed us around (I took the oars for a bit; in short, to say that I don't have an Olympic rowing medal in my future would be an understatement - but it was fun!). Henry took a brief break, pulling up to our boat and, while I held the kayak, climbing in to the rowboat to rest (while we used Chad's leash to drag the kayak behind us) - luckily after a few minutes he climbed back into the kayak - VERY carefully - and was off like a shot.

One of the highlights of the outing was Milo, pulling into a little inlet surrounded by huge, inviting rocks on which people were lunching, and sharing with everyone his story of having an autism service dog, and how Chad helps him. Milo is truly an ambassador for autism service dogs - he is so articulate and matter of fact about sharing his story. One of those in "attendance" was a woman whose dog is trained as a therapy dog - very cool that she just happened to be there and totally got what Chad is all about.

For those who live in NYC or who may be visiting, boat rentals at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park (near the 79th Street entrance on the Eastside) are a bargain ($12/hr/boat ($2.50 for each add'l 15 minutes after the first hour (the add'l charge is figured upon your return based on your time stamped receipt) with a $20 refundable deposit). Out on the water you feel like you have left NYC, though you can admire the beautiful buildings like the Dakota and the San Remo, visible from the lake. This is a really fun family activity. They have only a few kayaks (maybe only three) so if you have your heart set on those, come early. We got there at noon, got all three kayaks and the lake was not too crowded. When we left at 1:30 a line was forming. This is definitely something we will do again soon!

Autism and the Arts Conference/June 25 & 26

2010-05-16T20:44:00.003-04:00

The arts can be a powerful tool in working with children on the autism spectrum. Michael Pizzi, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, founded an organization, Touching Humanity, to help get that message out and now Touching Humanity is putting on the its first conference: Creative, Expressive and Performing Arts and Autism, June 25 & 26, 2010 in New York City. The conference has a full slate of speakers relating to all aspects of the arts and autism and there is content appropriate for parents and other caregivers as well as professionals working with children on the spectrum. If you are in NYC at the end of June, do check it out.

Spring!

2010-04-23T10:32:00.002-04:00

Spring has sprung ...a photo taken with my iPhone and the hipstamatic app on my way to work. The tulips made me very happy!

My Rallying Cry - Protect our Personal Rights

2010-04-19T22:44:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader... I know, I know... money is tight for all of us. I am trying to raise $200 for the American Rally for Personal Rights. That's it -- $200. And I pledge to try to get one other person to raise $100! Just a few people, donating just a few dollars, can get this done! Learn more about the rally at my ChipIn page and click on the "Chip In" button below. Thanks for your support!

More on Milo and Chad

2010-04-15T21:53:00.003-04:00

Following up on my recent post about Milo and his wonderful autism service dog Chad, Milo's mom Claire has shared with me more articles published about this dynamic duo and I wanted to pass them on to my readers. The first was published online and the second was published in the Long-Islander newspaper - Both are about Milo and Chad and the welcome and understanding they have received at Gersh Academy.

What a team! And what a mom!

Book Review: Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism

2010-03-24T13:26:00.006-04:00

A really short review of Ken Siri's and Tony Lyon's new book "Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism 2010-2011", newly released by Skyhorse Publishing, would be "WOW!" That single word really captures how amazing this book is.

I believe that this book should be required reading for anyone whose life is affected by autism. In one volume, Ken and Tony have brought together mainstream and alternative treatments, long-standing protocols and cutting edge therapies. I have never seen such a comprehensive book, presenting so many different options in one place and the information, succinctly presented, to allow parents to make informed decisions about treatments they would like to explore further. There truly is something for everyone in their book and, even for an old-timer like myself, some new things to learn.

Even with respect to "traditional" therapies, such as speech therapy, the chapter's authors address innovations in their field and offer practical advice to parents (disclosure: Lavinia Pereira, one of the chapter authors, has treated my son). Each chapter is authored by someone with particular knowledge of the chapter's subject - the specialists discussing their areas of expertise, rather than a generalist trying to take it all on.

I appreciate that the book is organized into small, self-contained chapters so that a busy parent can can pick up the book, soak up a chapter or two, and easily come back to it later. This book is a real gift to the autism community and, in that spirit, a portion of the proceeds are being donated to AutismOne.

Isn't the cover terrific too - a little boy uplifted by his dad and reaching for the sky -- just what we want for all our children. . . what wonderful imagery!

The book is available online from B&N and Amazon and other booksellers . . . I encourage you to read the book and post a review online as well (I did!)

Bowling for Autism Dollars: A Bowlathon to Help Autism Families

2010-03-19T22:47:00.004-04:00

I am thinking of all my bad bowling puns... let's strike autism, Let's roll over autism.... I could go on but I will "spare"you (sorry, couldn't resist!) - at least my mind is not in the gutter (oops, I did it again!).

This Sunday is the National Autism Association New York Metro Chapter's bowlathon -- donate now -- or even in the days following if you cannot right now! Every dollar helps us help families in the NY Metro area. Your support is MUCH appreciated.

Milo's Gift: Chad, an Autism Service Dog

2010-03-18T20:36:00.010-04:00

Last year, my dear friend Claire and her family brought an autism service dog -- the incomparable Chad -- into their lives from Oregon-based Autism Service Dogs of America. Chad has made a tremendous difference in the life of Milo, Claire's son with autism -- and the lives of their whole family! Milo and Chad are featured in Rachel McPherson's book Every Dog Has a Gift, just released. In the moving video below (see parts 3 and 4 featuring Claire), Claire discusses Chad's incredible gift. Her own words are more powerful than anything I can say:

Autism Hero Needs Us Now

2010-03-16T01:19:00.001-04:00

One of Autism's true heroes needs our help now:
http://nationalautismassociation.org/jo.htm
Jo is in my thoughts and prayers. If anyone can beat this, she can.

Animal Factory -- Factory Farming and Its Impact on All of Us

2010-03-04T23:24:00.006-05:00

Tonight I attended a reading at Borders Bookstore at the Time Warner Center in NYC by David Kirby, author of the bestselling Evidence of Harm and the sure to be bestseller Animal Factory. Animal Factory was released only a few days ago but the buzz it is generating is HOT! The book is an incredibly well-researched and timely look at the factory farming dilemma in the United States, from a very human perspective.

In discussing the book, reading 3 excerpts to the standing-room-only crowd, and fielding many questions, David eloquently discussed the very real looming crisis facing the U.S. as a result of huge CAFOs ("Consolidated Animal Feeding Operations"), a term that itself, quite frankly, makes me feel kind of disgusting - a feeling exacerbated as I learned more about them. As David said, when you dissect the acronym, "Operation" is kind of innocuous, "Animal" is, well, animal, that's OK, I love animals as a general rule -- it is the "Consolidated" and "Feeding" aspects that are problematic. CAFOs are huge operations in which thousands of animals may be housed in inhumane conditions and fed things they were not meant to eat (grains, corn, soybeans for cows for example, instead of grass). Moreover, the waste created by these facilities is highly toxic, likely to be poorly stored, and, if leaked or spread (as does happen) creates the potential for catastrophic health and environmental consequences. David described the consequences of poorly run CAFOs (and there are some that he found, though few, that are responsibly administered) and we should ALL be worried. The unwillingness and/or inability of federal, state and local government to address the issues raised by CAFOs is disheartening and worrisome.

In New York City, people often feel disconnected from their food sources. This book should serve as a real wake up call to many, and teach NYers -- and others -- about really examining where their food comes from and the consequences of their choices. For example, David pointed out that many CAFO cows actually eat other cows as part of their diets in several ways. This was very disturbing and, as he elaborated on, creates a real risk for the spread of "mad cow disease."

I grew up in suburban Cleveland a short drive from my great uncle's dairy farm outside of Erie, Pennsylvania, a small operation with dairy cows as well as some pigs and chickens (creating a lifelong fear of chickens because these were pastured chickens that roamed free and pecked me!). The cows were treated well, went outside, and had spacious accommodations in a barn. The aforementioned chickens roamed around, free to terrorize me! The pigs were outside in a sty. Well not an expert by an stretch, I know what a small family farm -- one that has sustained a few generations -- looks like. Contrast that to a thousand pigs in a huge enclosure where, if the power goes out completely, the fumes from their waste will kill the pigs in very short order.

While I gave up it up recently, the rest of my family still eats meat. However, we try to eat whatever we choose responsibly. Our CSA, about which I have written before, allows us to purchase humanely and responsibly treated meat and dairy products as well as organic fruits and vegetables - and the meat and dairy is available year-round. We can obtain grass-fed and grass-finished meat (the "finished" part is harder to find for most people, yet critical to maintaining nutrient levels in beef -- it means that animals were not feed-fed at a lot before slaughter, which often happens even to animals grass-fed on the farm). I consider myself pretty "aware" but I learned a lot tonight that reinforced my gut instincts about factory farming.

Many kudos to David for bringing attention to this subject.

Animal Factory, like Evidence of Harm, is available from all major booksellers as well as many local independent bookstores.

We have Moxie! Canine Therapy for Special Needs

2010-03-01T23:31:00.010-05:00

I have had the pleasure of recently getting to know Barbara Wolf-Dorlester, PhD. Barbara is a therapist with many years of experience working with special needs children as a therapist and reading specialist. Barbara is adding a new wrinkle to her practice, incorporating her own dog, Moxie, into sessions. Henry has spent some time with Moxie lately and it is so refreshing to see him reading with a level of comfort he does not have when the focus is on reading to an adult. No matter how hard we try, it is difficult to not make some comments that, while seemingly innocuous, carry some judgment (even correcting misread words). Moxie delivers a judgment-free audience! Henry wants to make sure Moxie is paying attention (a little projection there???).

For children who are comfortable with dogs, canine therapy opens many doors. Henry loves dogs (having overcome a big fear of them as a toddler) and has embraced reading to Moxie with great enthusiasm. The last time we saw Moxie, he asked Barbara about scheduling a time to come back!

The use of canines in therapy shows great potential. Dogs can be certified to participate in therapy and can serve many functions - they help facilitate social interactions, language production, self-regulation, and relatedness. Their non-judgmental interactions provide a level of comfort to children and relieve some of the stress they may feel in interacting with and meeting the expectations of peers and adults.

On an independent but related note, dogs can also serve a great function as service dogs to children on the spectrum. The NY Times recently featured my friend Claire's family... read about their tremendous experience here.

Bent on Learning - New Yorker of the Week!

2010-03-01T21:52:00.004-05:00

I just had to give a shout out to Bent on Learning. My friend Jennifer Ford is one of the founders of this fabulous organization, which was recently recognized by NY1 as "New Yorker of the Week." Watch the video here and see how Bent on Learning brings yoga practice into the NYC public school system, particularly into many schools that could not otherwise afford to share with their students the wonderful physical, emotional and educational benefits that yoga provides. Of particular interest to special needs parents in NYC - Bent on Learning also is hoping to soon bring yoga to students with special needs. Yeah - we can't wait!

Having just begun to dip my toes into yoga again after a really long hiatus (thanks Jennifer for helping set me up!) I can attest to how good it feels - physically and emotionally - and how its benefits extend far beyond a yoga session itself. I hope to continue to make it a more integral part of my life and to bring it more into Henry's life too! I shared with my instructor this week how, when I was in law school, I found yoga so beneficial to maintaining balance. The trick now is to give it a wedge into my current chaotic life to bring some of that balance back. Reiki has gone a long way to helping bring a centering and calmness when chaos seems to reign and yoga helps me there as well. I can only imagine how our kids, who are bombarded by stimulation and information from all directions all the time, can benefit from this practice - and for special needs kids, who often have even more trouble processing sensory stimuli and regulating and attending, the possibilities are truly endless.

Many thanks to Bent on Learning for all you do! Your kudos from NY1 are an honor well-deserved.

"Bowling for Dollars" To Help National Autism Association NY Metro Chapter

2010-02-11T20:03:00.004-05:00

I am so proud to be the Vice President and Treasurer of a not-for-profit, the National Autism Association - NY Metro Chapter, which provides direct support to families whose lives are affected by autism through free parent mentoring, moderated support groups, educational sessions and other activities and outreach. We have operated on a shoestring budget since we were established in March 2008 -- and have still reached many families and provided many great services. However, we want to expand our programs and services and reach even more families -- the need is so great for families of children and adults with autism. To do so, we are having a bowlathon fundraiser on March 21 and I am heading up "Team Henry and Scott" in honor of my own son and one of his best friends, who also is bowling with us.

Any donation in any amount is very much appreciated. Every dollar will go a long way to helping families. Please share this post with your friends and family as well!

Cick on the icon below to go to my donations page for safe and secure online donations. If you prefer to donate "offline" by check or cash, please email me privately.

If you cannot pass up an opportunity to bowl, go to NAA-NYM's FirstGiving homepage to start your own team or join an existing team, and join in our fundraising efforts and come out to have a blast bowling on March 21 at our fun-filled family event.

NAA-NY Metro Bowlathon

2010-02-07T22:30:00.003-05:00

Help me help to support the National Autism Association NY Metro Chapter. We are hosting our first fundraiser - a bowlathon - on March 21, 2010. I have set up a team page for donations -- Henry and I are bowling as a team along with some friends. NAA NY Metro will use the funds donated to expand our programming and services to ASD families in the NY Metro area. We have operated on a shoestring budget since we were founded and we would like to be able to do even more for a population so in need! Any donation is much appreciated.

Catch Up!

2010-02-07T22:27:00.003-05:00

Things have been busy here so I have lots of catching up to do....
I will post in more detail later but I have adopted a vegan (almost completely!) diet and have restarted my long (reallllllly long) dormant yoga practice. These changes feel really good and very positive. I will post more shortly about each of these. The new year brings so many opportunities for change and, especially with the vegan diet, it felt right and was a surprisingly easy switch to make. Who knew???

Vote Autism!

2010-01-20T00:39:00.000-05:00

Vote Autism!

Get out the vote for the National Autism Association.
A million dollars will go far in helping children, families, and communities in need.

Get Your Vote on for NAA to win $1 Million on Facebook

2010-01-16T18:03:00.004-05:00

Click above now to vote...

National Autism Association is in the running to win $1 million from Chase Community Giving on Facebook. A million dollars can go along way in fulfilling NAA's mission of helping families with autism... with Autism now affecting 1:110 children and 1:70 boys it is a national health crisis.

Click below for an incredible video from NAA. NAA is all about HOPE for families.

Help NAA help families.

Every vote counts.

Cast yours now. Please.

Get Out the Vote: Help the National Autism Association Win the Chase Community Giving Challenge!

2010-01-12T00:52:00.003-05:00

NAA (the parent organization of our chapter) is one of the top charities in the Facebook Chase Community Giving Challenge. NAA has a real chance to be awarded a significant grant that could help many children with ASD to lead safer, happier lives... please participate beginning on 1/15. Click below to see an incredible video and VOTE for NAA!

I need to play catch up

2009-12-10T23:16:00.002-05:00

I spent Thanksgiving weekend hospitalized on IV antibiotics with a mysterious but serious case of cellulitis on my face . . . so I am way behind. I promise that I will catch up on posting soon! I have to finish my conference posts and catch up on life in general! Thanks for your patience. No yucky cellulitis pics with this post. Let's just say it was really not the most attractive look ever.

NAC: Dr. Martha Herbert

2009-11-19T19:49:00.003-05:00

I have seen Dr. Martha Herbert present several times and she is always impressive. Once again she gave an engaging, insightful and -- as always -- scientifically well-supported presentation. She challenged the old classic model of defining autism and researching causes and treatments. She asked what I think is a critical question: Is autism a "brain disorder" or is it a "disorder that affects the brain"? Based on what we learned from Dr. Herbert and others during the weekend, I vote for the latter! As Dr. Herbert argued, we need to move toward a whole body, interactive systems approach to autism.

She reminded us that "science" is not only about discovery, problem solving, and sleuthing, but also about rhetoric -- we need to challenge the old ways of thinking and change the model for autism. We need to reallocate resources for more direct and immediate help for those with autism. Dr. Herbert eloquently explained that she does not view autism as a tragedy because "tragedy" implies that nothing can be done. Rather, she views it as a catastrophe because we can step up in the wake of a catastrophe and take action.

Dr. Herbert demonstrated that it is not possible to explain away most of the increase in autism over recent years -- change in diagnostic criteria, age at time of diagnosis and inclusion of less severe cases can explain only a relatively small portion of the increase.

She also argued that we need to move away from thinking of autism as static encephalopathy -- whether "genetic" or "genetic/environmental" -- and recognize that the mechanism(s) of autism may be active. She discussed that the evidence now suggests "genetic influence" not "genetic determination" in autism causation and we need to recognize that the environment -- which impacts autism as well -- is not constant. Evidence of post-natal brain changes suggests that autism is not caused solely by prenatal injury/changes; however it is possible that prenatal injury may create a predisposition toward autism. Too many, according to Dr. Herbert, make the leap that something like prenatal insult, which might be a contributing element or a risk factor for autism, is the cause of autism. In fact, there is significant evidence of chronic/ongoing problems in autism, such as oxidative stress and inflammation, and these problems are not limited to the brain, which raises additional questions about the validity of the "all prenatal/predetermined" model.

She noted that there are some who believe that the brains of those with autism are "irretrievably broken." While there are changes in the brain associated with autism, we don't know if they are the cause of autism or caused by whatever it is that causes autism. Dr. Herbert discussed some of the science suggesting that there are improvements sometimes seen in autism suggesting that the "unfixable brain" theory is not valid. She also discussed the large scale structural problems sometimes seen in the brains of those with autism may not be the key playerbut rather that problems with cell metabolism can impact brain function and these may play a significant role. This theory makes sense because it helps explain that the cellular functioning changes seen throughout the body -- not just in the brain and changes in cell metabolism can be related to environmental insults. Moreover, many problems related to cell metabolism are treatable. She also talked about an increased ratio of excitation to inhibition in the neural pathways that could exhibit as many common features of autism such as seizures, sensory issues, sleep trouble. She discussed that treatments can potentially help many with autism (and other diseases such as Alzheimer's) by applying the new model of autism she discussed.

Dr. Herbert ended her talk of this new model of autism expressing the need to further research all the areas she discussed. She discussed research she and her colleagues would be doing in this regard and also urged that there be more formal documentation of recovery as a result of biomedical treatments so that the establishment could no longer ignore what so many parents and biomedical professionals are seeing -- children are getting better! While anecdotal evidence is nice, more formalized data collection is what is needed (not just clinical trials but also single subject studies where a child's treatment is well-documented and the child's progress is measured and compared at various points) to overcome the bias against biomedical treatments.

NAC: More to Come ....

2009-11-15T18:02:00.001-05:00

Playing Catch Up .... So much info to share, but first I have to synthesize it! Look for posts soon on Dr. Martha Herbert, Dr. Dan Rossignol (on treating tough nuts and on seizures and autism), David Kirby, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and more...

NAC: Dr. Russell Blaylock on Immunoexcitotoxicity

2009-11-15T12:11:00.002-05:00

Dr. Russell Blaylock (www.russellblaylockmd.com) gave a terrific scientific presentation on immunoexcitotoxicity. Dr. Blaylock's lecture was looking beyond the symptoms our children have to what he believes is a central mechanism. He spoke about the role of glutamate - which is necessary for brain development but which in excess (or released at the wrong time) is highly toxic. Excitotoxicity is the presence of too much glutamate. He discussed the role of zinc and magnesium as protective in this process and how low magnesium may be linked to seizures, autism and ADHD. Moreover, the protective glutamate transport proteins/enzymes may be damaged by, among other things, mercury and aluminum.

Dr. Blaylock discussed early brain formation and the proper migration of brain neurons and the role of glutamate rising and falling (along with IL-1) at the right times. The brain, when formed properly, first forms too many coonections that then need to be pruned and refined by an increase in glutamate and IL-1. From birth to 2 years old, there is extensive dendritic and pathway formation, so you don't want to mess with glutamate or the immune system during this period.

He then discussed immune dysfunction. He discussed chronic activation of microglia - the immune cells of the brain - or hyperactivation of those cells, which should shut down after infection (or after they have repaired damage from infection). The greatest damage in autism is often seen in the cerebellum (and prefrontal cortex and limbic system). He discussed microglial priming - you have the first hit (be it prenatal or post -- it may be vaccine or illness, for example) and then when the next hit or hits come, there is an over-reaction and over secretion of glutamate and excitatory cytokines. Infection can also activate microglia, as can metals, including mercury and aluminum. Dr. Blaylock discussed that ionic mercury is the most toxic and most difflicult to remove from the brain. 34% of ethyl mercury (the kind in thimerosal) converts to ionic mercury in the brain while only 7% of methyl mercury (the kind in fish, for example) is converted to ionic mercury in the brain. Aluminum is absorbed in many organs, including the brain and it is cummulative. It keeps microglia active which leads to excitotoxicity and immune system activation.
Further, many other ingredients in vaccines can activate microglial cells. Glutamate reuptake also is suppressed which leads to further excitatory activity. Food intolerance is a sign of systemic and brain immune system dysfunction.

He also discussed astrocytes, which monitor what is going on in the brain. Mercury accululates in astrocytes and mitochondria. If the astrocytes cannot monitor, this leads to further trouble.

Finally, he discussed dietary and supplement treatment to help with immunoexcitotoxicity.

This was an extremely complex lecture and my synopsis cannot begin to cover it all. Moreover, as with all my notes here - any error is my own...

NAC Saturday: Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Safety & Science

2009-11-14T17:13:00.001-05:00

Barbara Loe Fisher, the co-founder and President of the National Vaccine Information Center (www.NVIC.org) gave a moving and empowering talk this morning. Following a poignant slideshow of children who died or were severely injured following vaccination, Barbara shared her own family's story of vaccine injury.

She discussed the science behind how certain vaccine ingredients (even when allegedly treated to reduce activation) can cause injury. She explained how certain vaccines (such as DTaP, HIB and the seasonal flu vaccine) contain endotoxins and that often these vaccines are given on the same day thereby compounding the effect of those endotoxins. She highlighted the increasing number of vaccines and the increasing rates of not only autism but also asthma, ADHD, learning disabilities, and diabetes, among other conditions.

On www.NVIC.org you can find a new vaccine ingredient calculator which is a work in progress - check back for further refinements.

She discussed the risk of compromising the integrity of our immune systems by having no natural expose to disease. She discussed the increase in drug-resistant disease strains (with vaccine manufacturers' responding by merely creating new vaccines to address more strains). She also pointed out that many of those who have gotten sick in recent outbreaks of childhood disease are those who are vaccinated against the disease - we are creating more resistant disease strains in highly vaccinated populations.

She raised the fact that vaccine safety testing is not rigorous - vaccines in combination are rarely tested and the vaccine trial methodologies are set up in such a way that adverse reactions -- even death and serious injury -- may be written off and excluded as merely "coincidental." Other protocols may allow for the comparison of two experimental vaccines with no placebo/control. She also told the audience that reports of serious adverse effects to the H1N1 vaccine are coming out. In short, she referred to an uncontrolled national medical experiment on our children.

She urged parents to educate themselves to make the right choices for their family and to weigh the costs and benefits given your family's situation. She told us not to trust blindly but to trust those who earn our trust. We need to stand up for voluntary and informed consent and be brave enough to stand up for the integrity of our bodies and those of our children. It was chilling to hear Barbara frankly state that the biological integrity of the human race is at risk. She urged us to never give up.

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet

2009-11-14T12:05:00.001-05:00

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet (second from left) with NAA-NY Metro's Peggy Becker, Sabeeha Rehman, Khalid Rehman and Kim Mack Rosenberg

NAC Saturday: Dr. Jeff Bradstreet: Common Problems & Effective Treatments

2009-11-14T12:03:00.001-05:00

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet presented on treatments based and judged on lab results. Dr. Bradstreet told us that neurotypical is the goal for our children and that goal requires our persistance and the persistance of our doctors and other treaters. He reminded us that if you have no idea which medical problems your child has, biomedical treatment can be a guessing game. This is why doing labs is important -- you can define the problem, then choose appropriate interventions. This can save both time and money. You also can use those lab tests to help evaluate how effective an intervention may be for a child.

Brain inflammation is a common problem for our kids and can be challenging to treat. Children on the spectrum often have chronic autoimmune processes. Neopterin is a good biomarker for this. High neopterin = inflammation and, in the absence of infection, suggests autoimmunity issues.

He also suggested some non-invasive biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease or similar conditions. In particular, he suggested calprotectin as the biomarker that shows the strongest correlations with bowel conditions. Genova Diagnostics can run this test.

Dr. Bradstreet noted that differences between individuals' microbiotia influence not only our health risks but may also help explain why individuals respond differently to interventions.

Dr. Bradstreet noted that recent research has shown that, in one study, 11.5% of mothers of children with autism have reactivity against fetal brain (but not adult) without similar numbers in the control groups. The cause is not known at this time but may potentially be viral. This reactivity may also play a role in families with multiple children on the spectrum, but this requires more research to determine the connection, if any.

Dr. Bradstreet also said that while we know that many of our children have oxidative stress issues, we should test ourselves too. Many parents have increased RNA oxidation which increases our risk for early onset Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. We also are at greater risk for autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Bradstreet reminded us to take care of ourselves as well as our children.

NAC Friday Night: Gary Null PhD

2009-11-14T10:04:00.001-05:00

Late last night (we ended after midnight!), Gary Null, PhD, a nutrition and health sciences expert, health advocate, and documentary filmmaker, spoke to and took questions from parents. He discussed generally his work in developing protocols for treating autism as well as his new documentary "Autism: Made in the USA". In this documentary he presents the research he and his colleagues conducted regarding causation, treatment, and why he believes we have been misled in many respects. I. am very curious to see the documentary! He also urged us to watch his earlier documentary "Vaccine Nation," which is not autism-focused but addresses death and other serious damage suffered by some families following vaccination. Dr. Null also discussed his research in other areas including AIDs, Alzheimer's Disease, cancer, aging, menopause and a host of other conditions. He has made numerous documentaries, including several on AIDs (and he currently is at work on another). He speaks at professional gatherings as well as before political leaders and challenges them -- as well as us -- to step outside the current health and medical paradigm, to not just accept what we are told but to challenge, and to dig deeper for the truth.

NAC: Dr. Anju Usman on Apraxia and Autism

2009-11-13T18:16:00.001-05:00

Dr. Anju Usman gave a detailed overview of many issues important to children on the spectrum including malabsorption, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired detoxification/methylation, GI issues, immune system and inflammatory issues. Children with apraxia (even absent an ASD diagnosis) often present with these issues as well and can benefit from many of the treatments used for ASD. She suggested getting oxidative stress under control before doing HBOT. She recommended certain tests for children with apraxia and, based on results, foundational nutrients such as antioxidants (incl. fat-soluble), fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K, good fats, phospholipids, l-carnitine, methyl B12, glutathione to help with apraxia. Dr. Usman cautioned to monitor fat-soluble vitamin levels carefully.

For apraxia, she also recommended lymphatic drainage with craniosacral therapy or other modalities.

NAC: Dr. Theoharis Theoharides on Autism as an Emerging Neuroimmune Disorder

2009-11-13T16:39:00.001-05:00

Dr. Theoharis Theoharides just finished an amazing lecture on the potential role of mast cell activation and autism. Dr. Theoharides discussed the changing understanding of the role of mast cells - far more things can activate mast cells than the antigens that cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions. There are many things that can activate the mast cell without degranulation (basically an explosion) seen in IgE reactions so that the activation is hard to detect. There is evidence that stress-related compounds, such as corticotropin-releasing hormone, can activate mast cells, for example. The mast cells are in the brain near blood vessels and neurons and when activated can open the blood brain barrier and have effects on nearby neurons. The opening of the BBB can result in compounds that have no place in the brain entering it. Moreover, mercury can activate mast cells
and can act synergistically with other things to activate the mast cells at a higher level and viruses also can activate the mast cells. I found these to be an exciting reason to keep investigating the potential role of vaccines both with and without mercury preservative. Dr. Theoharides also discussed discoveries relating to the potential role of mast cell activation in mitochondrial fragmentation (fission). As he spoke, I was amazed by the potentially powerful effect of these mast cells. The science was complex and I have barely touched on the doctor's many salient points, and I hope that I have given you a good taste for this emerging area of research.

NAC: Roy Leonardi & Phyllis Musumeci on De-Escalation Techniques to Avoid Restraint

2009-11-13T14:11:00.001-05:00

From NAA-NY Metro President Sabeeha Rehman, a report on De-Escalation Techniques:

Dear Parent:
"Don't wait to get involved." If the school staff is using restraints on your child, and you are not aware of it, your child is likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Prone restraints (child is pulled down on the floor, face down) have led to death.

Look For These Signs:
1. School asks for consent for crisis intervention. Ask them to demonstrate the intervention.
2. School is using weighted sensory devices with your child without your knowledge.
3. School is reporting aggressive behavior more and more frequently.
4. Your child does not want to go to school.
5. You are not permitted to observe your child's class.
6. Window's of the glass are covered.
7. Changes in child's behavior: agression, does not want to be touched, regression, lack of appetite, sleep issues.

Here is what you can do:

1. Have it written in your EIP that the school will not use restraints, they will not call the police, and there will be no 'crisis intervention'. If the staff still puts it in the EIP, as a parent, you have the right to put in a written statement that you are NOT in agreement. This statement will protect you legally.

2. If you get complaints from the school about agressive behavior, have the school do a functional behavior analysis. It must include ABC data and should state what happened prior to the aggressive behavior. It should be over several days and in many settings.

3. Check the school's restraint log.
4. Once a monthn go to the school to observe.

5. Verify that the staff is trained and certified in crisis management, de-escalation, and restraint. Find out which organization trained them and ask for the training manual.

6. Write a "no restraint" letter to the school.

7. Document all conversations with school.

8. Reach out to your legislators to support restraint laws that protect your child's rights.

Don't wait to get involved.

Live from the NAC: Dr. Dan Rossignol on Assessing & Prioritizing Treatments

2009-11-13T14:05:00.001-05:00

Dr. Dan Rossignol is presenting on how to assess and prioritize treatments. He focuses on treating the child as an individual -- based on his or her symptoms not only the labs and to look at the "POEM"s - patient-oriented evidence that matters, not only disease-oriented evidence, which will not provide the whole picture (i.e., a drug that improves the condition it is intended to treat but eventually kills the patient!). He helped patents to understand the different types of studies out there, how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of study protocols, and questions to ask about the safety of medications. While emphasizing the individuality of each patient, he is discussing some of the most common treatments for the most common symptoms and the basic lab work patents should consider to help parents understand what is available and how to prioritize what is right for YOUR child.

NAC: Dr. Julie Buckley - treating Autism as a Medical Disease

2009-11-13T13:43:00.001-05:00

Dr. Julie Buckley presented on many of the underlying pathways that might "malfunction" in our children, the importance of glutathione -- critical to so many biological functions -- as well as things that parents can do at home with natural remedies to start their child toward healing and the many biomedical treatments utilized by doctors to treat children with ASD. She emphasized the 3 (or 4) "R"s as a basic roadmap to treatment: Remove (such as gluten, casein, other foods that cause reactions, as well as environmental toxins); Replenish (our guts with good probiotics); Repair and Restore (with enzymes, vitamins/minerals, Omega 3s, yeast management, etc.). She also discussed the great success her practice had had with hyperbarics. She also reminded us not only to treat our children but to do the rights for ourselves too - eating well, avoiding toxins and generally caring for ourselves. (The photo is the pool at the conference - sorry, I could not resist!)

Rapid Prompt Method with Soma Makhopadhyay at the NAC

2009-11-13T11:51:00.003-05:00

The first speaker on Friday's NAC agenda was Soma Makhopadhyay, presenting on her Rapid Prompt Method ("RPM"). Many people who have heard of Soma and her son Tito may think RPM is a communication method. Soma explained that it really is a method of learning and with learning comes communication. She showed how the method works for a variety of children, verbal and non-verbal. For all children, she works on higher thinking skills, finding that many children may be very verbal but still cannot express higher level thoughts and that non-verbal children, when given an effective means, can demonstrate how much they know and how well they can learn using RPM. Soma was introduced by NAA Vice-President Ann Brasher, who shared her grandson's amazing breakthrough using RPM...a very inspirational story!
(photos: Soma with NAA-NY Metro President Sabeeha Rehman and with me; Soma presenting)

Omega 3s for ASD - live from the National Autism Conference

2009-11-13T09:31:00.001-05:00

Take your Omega 3s! Peggy and I have had the chance to chat with Tim Terry, a senior sales manager with Nordic Naturals. Omega 3s are important for all of us but are especially important for children on the spectrum, and children often can't or won't eat Omega 3-rich foods. Nordic Naturals provides some of the purest Omega 3s available, and, for kids who don't swallow pills, make very palatable flavored liquids. Our family has been using Nordic Naturals for years with great success. They can help with everything from attention to eczema!

NAA-NY Metro is on its way...

2009-11-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

NAA-NY Metro is on its way to Ft Lauderdale for the National Conference. We are eager to learn and hoping for some sun too.

On the Road...

2009-11-10T23:19:00.001-05:00

Leaving for the NAA tomorrow morning and trying to learn to live blog!

Perry the Platypus

2009-11-04T15:09:00.004-05:00

Henry asked to be Perry the Platypus from Disney's Phineas & Ferb this Halloween. I thought, "heck, if it is a Disney thing, there is bound to be a costume to buy." WRONG!!! No Perry costume. So I made one. Yards and yards of felt, a ducknose (for the duckbilled platypus) found online, a tail made using a bent wire coat hanger as a frame, covered with batting and, yes, more felt, a straw hat that belonged to Grandpa Gerry (Perry, in his secret life, is a secret agent). Finally, orange feet that went over shoes using hook and loop fasteners. Somehow the thing held together for two days and nights of Halloween festivities. Whew!

Fitness Basics

2009-11-03T23:15:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, October 25, Henry and I participated in a fun interactive workshop sponsored by NAA-NY Metro. Eric Chessen, who teaches fitness basics to children on the spectrum and teaches others who work with special needs kids how to teach them fitness basics and why the basics are so important, led the workshop. Henry had a great time with Eric and the volunteers. He even got to see his developmental pediatrician whom he has not seen in a long time (Hi Dr. Mark!) It was a spectacular fall day and a great chance for parents and kids to be engaged in a fun learning event. I blogged about it in more detail on NAA-NY Metro's blog.

NYC Conference Redux

2009-10-12T21:57:00.002-04:00

Our conference on Oct. 3-4 was amazing!!! Thanks so much to all the presenters, participants, donors, exhibitors and advertisers.

My report on the conference was published today on Age of Autism . . . Check it out here and please feel free to comment.

Crazy busy here getting ready to renovate our apartment (walls coming down etc.!) but I will post more soon!!!

FREE TICKET TO THE OCT 3-4 AUTISM CONFERENCE

2009-09-22T18:43:00.003-04:00

At one of my favorite blogs -- What To Feed Your Kids -- you can enter to win a free ticket to the October 3-4 Autism/Asperger's Conference in NYC. Comment on the post and you get a chance to win... Blog or tweet about it and leave a second comment linking to your blog or tweet and you get a second entry!!!

Enter to win, but even if you are not the lucky winner -- consider investing in this conference. The conference has a fabulous lineup of speakers! You can register here.

I am an officer and board member of NAA-NY Metro and this conference is an important event for our group. Come out and show your support -- and learn the latest info to help your child or others you know who have been affected by autism.

AMAZING New York City Autism Conference - Oct. 3-4

2009-09-13T16:35:00.003-04:00

HAVE YOU HEARD???

NAA-NY Metro Chapter is again proud to collaborate with

Autism Conferences of America

and Autism Research Institute to bring to our families:

Educating & Healing Children with Autism
2nd Annual New York City Autism/Asperger's Conference

Autism Conferences has been sending out email reminders and brochures, but we wanted to be sure that you knew that this is an event NAA-New York Metro Chapter is proud to be a part of and we hope our members and other interested families take advantage of the opportunity to hear an amazing group of speakers all in one place!

Speakers: Eustacia Cutler (Author and mother of Temple Grandin); Nancy O'Hara, M.D.; James Adams; Ph.D., Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D; David Kirby; Barbara Fischkin; Dan Olmsted; Stephen Shore, Ph.D.; Deborah Gruber M.Ed.; Steven Blaustein, Ph.D.; Kim Stagliano; Peter Bell; Geri Brewster, RD; Stuart Flaum & AXA Advisors LLC; Christina Peck, CPC; and Melvin Kaplan, O.D.

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

DATE: Sat./Sun. October 3-4, 2009

TIME: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm each day

LOCATION:
Stephen Gaynor School
148 West 90th Street
New York, NY 10024

Registration and Program Details:
http://www.autismconferencesofamerica.com/newyork09.html

If you have any questions, please contact:
Sabeeha Rehman: sabeeha.naa.ny@gmail.com Phone: 917. 639.3397
Kim Mack Rosenberg: kmackrosenberg@gmail.com
Peggy Becker: peggybecker1@nyc.rr.com

New Banner

2009-08-29T20:39:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone likes the new banner I worked on today. The magnolia, fig, and pomegranate photos on the banner are some of the many shots that I have taken in France over the past few years. I love to get out and capture the varied fruits and vegetables that are flourishing each June that we visit. The photo on the left is an extreme close-up of a type of rosemary, and the one above is an abandoned henhouse -- I just loved the play of the light filtered through the trees against the old weathered boards. Enjoy!

The "Placebo Effect" -- Not Your Imagination?

2009-08-29T18:00:00.004-04:00

The placebo effect has gotten a bad rap. The first line of the Wikipedia entry for placebo states that "[a] placebo is a sham medical intervention." The negative reputation of the placebo effect is based, in lay terms, on that idea that because something is "all in your head," it is a bad thing -- regardless of whether its effect is actually positive. A cynic might say that is because it is hard to bottle and sell the placebo effect.

However, more and more investigation of the placebo effect shows that placebos can have very powerful effects in healing. A recent article online at Wired.com provides a useful history of the placebo effect and its impact on modern medicine. In fact, according to this article, the placebo effect seems to be getting stronger in pharmaceutical trials, which has resulted in more medications failing trials because they are not sufficiently outperforming placebos. Research is being conducted now to explore ways in which the placebo effect can be used therapeutically in the treatment of patients.

But for those interested in energy medicine, the power of the brain to help heal the body is nothing new. The idea that the mind and the body can harness energy to heal and to stay well has long been accepted by practitioners and patients who treat or are treated using energy medicine techniques. The basis of energy medicine is described by Donna Eden on page 1 of her book Energy Medicine: "The first practitioner of energy medicine is you, the one who inhabits the body being cared for. Using the principles of energy medicine, you can optimize your body's natural capabilities to heal itself and to stay healthy."

I am interested in energy medicine generally and I also am a certified Level I & II Reiki practitioner, so it is no surprise that I am a believer in these powerful healing modalities. I have described to many friends the first time that I did Reiki on Henry. Rather than give a "full treatment," I asked Henry where he thought my hands should go. He indicated that the he wanted one hand at the top of his back and one at the base of his spine, which is the area I had wanted to treat. When I placed my hands and began treating him, I felt a strong energy flowing up and down his spine. I did not say anything to Henry though. When I finished, he turned over and immediately said, "Wow, that was like lightening going up and down my back!" Pretty powerful stuff!

Similarly, the mainstream medical establishment is beginning to learn that placebos are powerful healing tools are well.

The Fallacy of "Scientific Consensus" in Autism Causation

2009-08-24T21:03:00.005-04:00

Fellow autism mom and blogger extraordinaire, Ginger Taylor, who blogs at Adventures in Autism, was featured today on Age of Autism. AoA reprinted her amazing, intelligent response to the LA Times article: Bringing science back into America's sphere on Chris Mooney's book, Unscientific America, in which Ginger takes to task those who claim that there is consensus on issues such as any connection between vaccines and autism. Ginger effectively challenges the condescending, paternalistic (my choice of words) attitude of those "scientists" who treat parents as child-like and in need of re-education -- regardless of how credentialed we may be or how carefully and intelligently we analyze and parse the allegedly air-tight (not!) studies upon which they rely. Frankly, those with this attitude and the inability to admit that science is not infallible, utterly lack the scientific curiosity that leads to new discoveries and that is open to changing hypotheses. Science is not static -- it evolves. Those who believe otherwise do science an injustice and are, in fact, the ones who imperil the future of "science." In this area, there is much research left to be done, including a large-scale vax'd vs. un-vax'd study. The failure of the scientific community to undertake this study is of grave concern. To claim that it would be unethical to not vaccinate children for the sake of this study is a red herring. There are significant unvaccinated populations that could be studied -- many parents choose to not vaccinate their children for religious, philosophical, medical reasons. Parents are not asking for a study designed to reach any particular result. Rather, they are asking that needed studies -- whatever the results -- be undertaken. The failure to do so speaks volumes. Hello? Flat earth anyone???

ALCAT Food Sensitivity Testing

2009-08-20T21:50:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week, we sent in a food sensitivity test for Henry called the ALCAT -- we are testing 200 foods, along with 10 food additive, 10 food colorings, 20 molds, and and a variety a environmental chemicals. This is a simple blood test that allows us to test many things to which Henry may be sensitive and will help us make decisions on how to further improve his wellness. Coincidentally, just today, a friend sent me a link to this Houston news report discussing food sensitivities and the ALCAT test. I am excited for Henry's results to arrive so that we can see what our next steps may be and I am really considering the test for myself as well.

http://sclipo.com/videos/view/alcat-featured-on-my-fox-houston

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Just Saying . . .

2009-08-20T21:10:00.004-04:00

This quote really hit home...ancient wisdom that resonates in the modern world. This Arabian proverb summarizes why I do all I do for Henry...

He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.

Wellness for Mom

2009-08-18T20:51:00.018-04:00

After too many years of claiming I was going to do something and too many failed efforts, I jumped at the opportunity to try a different approach. My good friend Kathleen Reily is my new guide in improving my health. My work with Kathleen will fit in nicely with the only things for myself I have stuck with lately, Heilkunst – my healing work with the amazing Rudi Verspoor, Dr. Raphael Kellman, Reiki, and EFT – and I don’t do enough of the last two! Kathleen is very devoted to families facing ASD. She has been working with families with special needs for over 20 years in a variety of capacities including as a nutritional interventionist for children with ASD and ADHD. She recently decided to bring her practical and nurturing approach to wellness to a more specialized counseling practice for moms and has developed a six month program focusing on helping moms to better care for themselves in addition to providing nutritional guidance for the children. Having known her as a friend and NAA colleague for awhile, I am thrilled to be working with her as a client.

I am one week into my work with Kathleen and already feeling better. I feel more energetic (even my usual 3:00 slump seems to have disappeared!) and I am making changes I can stick with – I hope. Kathleen is a proponent of picking a few small things to change at a time because all of those small changes add up. I need this approach. My usual approach, left to my own devices, is to jump into something full bore, only to give up because it was too drastic and difficult. Kathleen tempers this in me. She also gives me someone to be accountable to in making my changes. These are things I definitely need. Add to that her knowledge, insight, accessibility and helpful tips and this is winning package!

So, what are my changes this week? I am supposed limit wheat at dinner as much as possible to improve digestion and inflammation. OK, that has actually been pretty easy!

I am supposed to make green smoothies a few times a week… Check! I went to a local health food store for fresh green smoothies from the juice bar while I was shopping for a high-powered blender to make the smoothies at home. I am the proud owner of a new VitaMix (ordered Weds. night and had it by Sat. – wow!) – it has the horsepower of some small cars. I have been making smoothies every day. I toss in all manner of greens and fruit and a minute later everything is mixed into a smooth smoothie – no lumps. I am choosing a green (kale, chard, romaine or some mix), parsley, cilantro, ginger, beet, celery, cucumber, some fresh lemon juice, chilled herbal tea, an apple (and maybe some other fruit). I am endeavoring to use all organic produce and I will mix it up depending on what is on hand and available either from the CSA or elsewhere. I add some maca powder and maybe a few cacao nibs and blend away. Yum. These shakes are surprisingly delicious - honestly. I usually have a hard time eating breakfast and these are a really fast, easy way to have a hit of nutrition at the start of the day and I have no problem drinking them down. I spend maybe 5 minutes the night before putting all my veg in a bowl and each morning I make an extra cup of tea to chill for the next day. In the morning, it is just coring and quartering my apple and dumping stuff in the blender. Super fast!

Next, I was supposed to try to go a few days without coffee this week. I have not had a cup since last Tuesday. I did not mean to stop cold turkey but it seemed to just happen. I am a fortunate coffee junkie – if I stop I don’t get the headaches etc. so this has been a not too difficult switch. I have been enjoying some herbal teas instead, but I am not foreclosing the possibility of a cup of coffee on occasion.

As an unintended benefit of these small changes, I am not craving the Coca-Cola that I know I should not drink, but love anyway. I have only had Coke on one day since I started working with Kathleen. That is probably the biggest and most unbelievable change – and it was not even on purpose.

Finally, on the fitness end, I was supposed to spend 30 minutes on Sunday reacquainting myself with the Wii Fit balance board that I have owned (and ignored) for longer than I care to admit. I put on the EA Sports Active disc and did a workout. I chose medium intensity workout that included running, boxing, kicking the heavy bag, squats, lunges, curls, inline skating, bent rows and other things. It was actually a lot of fun. However, perhaps I should have started off a bit more slowly as my quads have not been happy since Sunday!!!

More about Kathleen…

Kathleen is experienced and knowledgeable about a wide range of healing modalities. She is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and Nutrition Consultant and holds a degree in Natural Health Sciences. She also is a Board Certified and Accredited Member of The American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP), with affiliations to The State University Of New York (SUNY). Moreover, she is a certified level 1 and level 2 Reiki practitioner.

To top it off, she is also a trained professional chef and personal chef, having cooked in homes and restaurants in New York, London and California. Kathleen’s cooking is delicious and healthy and she has shared with me recipes and food and I am always amazed. I especially appreciate her recipes that fit Henry’s dietary restrictions but are delicious and elegant enough for any event.

In addition, Kathleen and I are both involved in the NY Metro Chapter of the NAA and serve together on its Parent Mentoring Committee. She regularly attends AutismOne and Defeat Autism Now! conferences. Her website, autismhelpathome.com explains her services in more detail.

Community Supported Agriculture

2009-08-11T21:21:00.005-04:00

Each week, for more than half the year, we get fruit and vegetables from our Community Supported Agriculture ("CSA") group, the Carnegie Hill/Yorkville CSA. There are CSAs or similar organizations in many areas. You can learn more about CSAs in New York City here and around the country here. CSAs are a win-win for everyone. You help to support area farmers and, in turn, you get amazing local products. Through our CSA, we also are able to order (year-round!) meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, goat milk, breads, jams, honey, granola, and a whole variety of other products from local farms. The products are raised and/or produced to the highest standards -- this is good, clean, organic food (for example, the meat is grass-fed/grass-finished, the eggs come from pastured chickens). The food tastes amazing, the prices are fair, and we are helping the local farm community and our own health. Here's a picture of just some of the wonderful produce we got today -- isn't it just beautiful? The lettuce, some carrots, the cucumber, some onion and one of the peppers made a great salad tonight. We also got lovely beets, edamame, and more fruit too!

Henry's Lego Creation

2009-08-10T21:56:00.006-04:00

Henry asked me to post this picture. He spent about an hour tonight in his room creating this fabulous ship and asked me to "send the picture so everyone can see it." He was so proud -- as I am sure you can tell.

The Last Day of Camp

2009-08-02T17:57:00.002-04:00

I posted a month ago about Henry starting camp and now . . . (POOF) . . . camp is over. I cannot believe four weeks flew by so quickly. I guess the reason I did not blog more about camp was that it was remarkably uneventful. I don't mean boring, I mean without incident! Henry had a great time. I know that he participated as well as he could in all the events and activities (the stuff that was entirely verbally based was challenging) and he made friends (one of his new friends even made him a really sweet card about how much he likes Henry!) Other kids were happy to see him at drop off (and Henry was happy to see the other kids too).

This camp is University-themed so every two weeks is a "semester" (you can sign up to attend in two-week chunks). Each "semester" the campers choose a major and two electives for their small group activities and then the rest of the day is spent with the whole camp group. On the last day of each semester, the kids perform for all the parents, demonstrating what they learned in their various electives and majors. We missed the show after Henry's first semester because he overheated in the park that morning and got sick, so we were looking forward (with a little nervousness though) to this one. First up for Henry was his digital recording group -- Henry and a whole bunch of girls!!! The group wrote a song and learned about recording (he came home with a CD that he made). Henry hid behind his lyrics sheet for much of this (singing though) but at the end began to warm up, sing in a louder voice and dance a bit! Next was his chess group. The instructor chose Henry to go first and asked a whole series of questions -- all of which Henry capably answered!!! His Story Pirates "major" talked about the solar systems they created as part of their story writing/acting exercises (Henry was a bit shy and quiet explaining his -- which was based on a Jimmy Neutron episode -- but when the instructor said something incorrect about it, Henry was quick to correct her!). He also got a beautiful copy of the illustrations all the kids made -- he is a terrific artist. Finally the whole camp group sang "We are the World" (the head of his camp proudly told me that Henry learned the entire song and that he had a great time in camp!) All of the campers were terrific and demonstrated lots of different electives. Everyone did a great job. Here is video of Henry answering his chess questions (sorry the audio is not better).

Victorian (Victory!) Gardens

2009-08-02T12:18:00.007-04:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words . . . this one speaks for itself (that's Henry in the yellow Crocs). . .

Yesterday afternoon, Cliff and Henry headed to Victorian Gardens in Central Park. Until recently such a trip was not possible because of Henry's motion sickness problems. He still gets arbitrarily carsick (that's the "fun" of it -- you never know when it will happen (e.g., straight road, constant speed -- not necessarily safe)!). However, his vestibular system obviously is making gains - he spun around on this thing just fine (I think that vestibular issues are one component of motion sickness though not the entire story). They had a great afternoon.

Non-Toxic Paints

2009-07-31T13:56:00.004-04:00

Non-toxic paint ("low-VOC" or "no-VOC") is now an easy choice almost anyone can make in an effort to be more "green." VOCs are "volatile organic compounds" and, suffice it to say, they are not good for us. It is important to make a low- or no-VOC choice because "regular" paints off-gas for years after painting, continuing to release toxins into your family's living space. Yuck! I found this terrific link that provides information and additional links on all kinds of low- and no-VOC paints -- from the mainstream retailers (Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore) to the more esoteric (milk paint).

We are about (hopefully) to begin a major apartment renovation -- walls coming down and other exciting events and we are trying to make green choices as we renovate. One of the final steps of the project will, of course, be painting. I am leaning toward Mythic Paints. I love that they are very safe from both a human toxins standpoint and from an environmental perspective (read their FAQs page for more details). Plus they come in loads of absolutely gorgeous colors -- just look at the photo of my Mythic fan deck. I am having so much fun trying to choose colors. I have heard great things about Mythic from a health perspective as well as from a performance perspective. After all, we do want the paint to be healthy and apply easily and last for years.

Oh (gluten-free) Crepes!

2009-07-26T20:37:00.004-04:00

Today, mid-afternoon, I decided that crepes were just the thing my family needed for a snack. A sane person might not have. Plus, I had Henry saying, as I whipped up the crepes, that what he really wanted was popcorn (so that became Snack, Part Deux). But I was determined that crepes were required. As I said, sanity would not have necessarily dictated crepes on a July Sunday afternoon. But we are not here to debate my sanity (and that goes for you too Cliff!).

Yesterday I mentioned my friend's blog, www.whattofeedyourkids.com. Well, there is a great crepes recipe there and I made it for the first time today, after eyeing it for awhile. I used tapioca flour and, since we generally don't give Henry sugar (the recipe calls for a tiny amount -- fine for most kids), I substituted a bit of agave and reduced slightly the water recommended. They worked perfectly! I was tempted to flip them a la Julia Child (having just finished reading "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell on my Kindle, I am in a Julia Child mode, and even made baked cucumbers from Mastering the Art of French Cooking for dinner tonight) but will save the flipping for another day. I encourage anyone who wants a spectacular gluten-free dessert to whip up a batch -- the recipe is quick and easy and the results are lovely and delish. We each had a wonderful crepe (smeared with a berry puree from berries we got from our CSA this week), and then I turned to making popcorn.

We recently have begun allowing a bit of corn back into Henry's diet and Arrowhead Mills has organic kernels -- with just a bit of oil they pop nicely in a big le Creuset covered pot on the stove! As a person whose formative years were spent in the Midwest suburbs in the 70s and 80s, I grew up with one of those plasticy air poppers that now give me the willies (heating up all that plastic -- Yikes). I actually had to turn the The Joy of Cooking for old-fashioned popcorn popping. I have found that, no matter how inane (or how odd or obtuse) a question you might have, the JOC is a great resource (along with The New Basics Cookbook) for basics like how long to cook something (or how the heck to make popcorn that is not encased in aluminum foil or a microwave bag). I love cookbooks, I can just sit and read them (and thus totally appreciate how Julie Powell ended up doing her project) and I love to try and adapt new recipes (esp. trying to make flavorful recipes that fit Henry's dietary needs and that the whole family can enjoy), but sometimes you just need to remember how long per pound a roast needs to be in the oven -- or how to make popcorn the old-fashioned way!

And our dinner of perfectly done (thanks Cliff!) rib eye and baked cucumbers was terrific too (Henry opted for plain baked cauliflower but next time I will substitute ghee for the butter in Julia's recipe and serve the cukes to him too).

I LOVE My Friends and Food (and this post is about both)

2009-07-25T10:59:00.011-04:00

I Love, Love, Love my friends (OK, I watch too much RHONJ, I admit it)... But seriously, I do love my friends for many reasons -- mostly because they are a bunch of amazingly smart, fun and supportive women who are there for me when I need them. But I also love that we are always sharing ideas and resources. Many of my friends are also parents of special needs children and we are an inquisitive bunch, always looking for new biomedical, alternative, medical, educational and therapeutic treatments to help our kids. So many things that we have done with Henry, we have done because I learned about it from friends' successes -- seeing my friends' children blossom not only makes my heart sing but it also is a great advertisement for an intervention, of whatever sort. As with all things, not everything works for everyone, but if I have seen a friend have success with something I am much more inclined to try it. Of course, we also consult with our doctors, other specialists, and therapists about new interventions for Henry and it is always important to do your own homework on any treatment.

A big part of what we do with Henry is dietary intervention. This has been a critical part of his healing. Henry's GI system was in such bad shape a few years ago that he literally stopped eating because all food made him feel sick. I cannot even put into words how heartbreaking it is to have a 4 year old who absolutely refuses to eat for weeks. I heard from people, "oh, he will eat when he is hungry" and I knew, because I was living it, that this simply was not true. One night he sat for 4 hours at the table with my husband refusing to take a single bite of his favorite food (lamb chops). It stopped after 4 hours, not because Henry gave in, but because my husband could not take it any longer. We were close to hospitalizing him more than once through this process. Through work with a great nutritionist, Kelly Dorfman, an amazing feeding therapist, Tina Tan at NYU Rusk Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders Center, and a pediatric gastroenterologist, Arthur Krigsman, who is one of the few gastroenterologists in the world who really "gets" that many spectrum kids have very serious GI disease, we saved Henry (I know that sounds dramatic but he was such a sick little boy he needed to be saved). It was not easy, and it was not fun, but it was necessary.

We have done several of the "autism diets" (such as GFCF and SCD), or combinations thereof, and they have been critical to Henry's improved health. As a result, while his diet is restricted, and may always be, within those restrictions, Henry actually eats a huge variety of really healthy foods -- included many, many forms of protein and tons of vegetables (he is not a fan of sweets so he prefers veg. to fruit and has no interest in candy and cake).

Henry's diet is always in flux so we are trying new foods -- some work and some don't for him -- as we try to find the right combination for him. Sometimes things work for awhile, and then stop, which is frustrating for everyone, including Henry when we have to take away a food that previously did not cause GI problems. Lucky for us, he is a pretty flexible kid.

If you are interested in exploring dietary changes for your special needs child, there are many great diet and recipe books for parents of ASD kids but my favorite resource that brings a lot of it together is Nourishing Hope for Autism by Julie Matthews. Julie brings together critical information about all the top special needs diets. Nourishing Hope for Autism is an amazingly comprehensive book that provides an in-depth introduction to and overview of the latest information out there and helps parents understand why special diets can help children and helps parents to determine which diet/diets might work for their child.

Now we are back to where I started -- about loving my friends. Recently, I have gotten some great special-diets-friendly food sources from friends (thanks Melissa and Dara!). Henry absolutely loves the Italian dinner rolls from French Meadow Bakery (photo on the right, on a regular-sized dinner plate) and the bagels (dairy-free variety) from Joan's GF Great Bakes (photo on the left, also on a regular-sized dinner plate and that is Henry at the top, goofing off with a Joan's bagel!). I also have been making breakfast quesadillas (filling: eggs, veg, and some prosciutto (check ingredients carefully -- you need high quality prosciutto)) using Fre nch Meadow tortillas and these have been a hit. We have Joan's English muffi ns and pumpernickel raisin rolls in the freezer just waiting to be tried. The Joan's bagels have to be thawed either in the microwave (which I try to avoid) or on the counter and then baked and cooled, but they are worth the effort. They have a nice crisp and golden bagel exterior and a squishy interior - YUM. They even LOOK like bagels. As a real test, my husband tried one and really liked it.

One of my all-time favorite bread products is from Chebe. The Chebe products are made from manioc (a.k.a. cassava or tapioca flour/starch), which is a wonderful wheat substitute. We use the all-purpose mix, as well as the focaccia and pizza mixes. You can do a lot with these mixes -- rolls, flatbreads, pizza crusts, bread sticks, pocket sandwiches with hot fillings. The mixes are super easy to make, you add oil, eggs, and water (or a milk substitute) -- literally 2 or 3 minutes to mix and 20 minutes or so to bake. Even very young kids can help make this -- the social and educational aspects are an added bonus. Henry can pretty much make this himself now, which means I have at times come into the kitchen finding him having opened the packages and already mixing everything! This summer, because Henry cannot take his usual almond bread to his nut-free camp, I have been rolling out the all-purpose dough in a thin layer and cutting 3" diameter rounds with a big cookie cutter to make round sandwich breads. Henry takes pumpkin butter, apple butter and raw honey sandwiches to camp.

We also discovered, through the Body Ecology Diet website, some new products, including a snack that is a lot like potato chips but healthier. Arico Foods Sea Salt Mist Cassava Chips are awesome and they are available in health food stores and online (there is soy in here in the Vitamin E, Henry tolerates a small amount of soy in things like vitamin E so these are OK, in moderation, for him; the other flavors have ingredients we cannot use, but for those with less restrictive diets, they sound terrific). I also learned about Grindstone Bakery breads. My friend Dara and I ordered some together, to save on shipping. I ordered the quinoa and millet loaf with sprouted seeds. It is a heavy bread and I loved it but I think the seeds were off-putting to Henry. I am going to reorder the plain quinoa and millet loaf, since Henry was trying to pick out the seeds and eat the bread, suggesting to me the plain loaf might be fine for him. The Body Ecology Diet ("BED") is something I am learning about and incorporating some principles of into our diet, including fermented foods and beverages. I think that this way of eating could be very helpful to the whole family.

A note on all the sites discussed above, not everything is GFCFSF (gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free) so look carefully at ingredients before you order to make sure the products you choose meet your or your child's particular dietary restrictions and needs.

Another of my wonderful friends blogs at www.whattofeedyourkids.com about food issues, new products, and her own amazing recipes (and other wonderful and important things!). This site is always a "go-to" resource for me. I highly recommend that anyone facing food challenges check our her blog -- you will not be disappointed by the comprehensive, fun, and thoughtfully presented ideas and information.

We Survived Day One

2009-07-07T11:03:00.003-04:00

Henry had a great -- but exhausting -- first day of camp. When he first arrived he was immediately approached by another child who began asking him about Bakugan, a topic right up Henry's alley. He came home and reported on all the sports he played, his science lesson (something about snails!), swimming and his trip to the park. He was wiped out and slept soundly and this morning complained that his legs were sore. I told him that was because he had more activity than he was used to and that this is a good thing! He was also very happy to go back to the camp today -- a great sign. When I dropped him off this morning, his Bakugan buddy was happy to see him (and the Bakugan figures he insisted on bringing to show his new friend) and when another child said he did not know much about Bakugan, Henry replied, "That's OK, I can teach you." Bakugan buddy even told Henry he'd like to have a playdate! I was thrilled to see that without my saying anything, Henry only played with the Bakugan for a couple of minutes and then joined the counselors for a game of tag. Right before I left, Henry approached the head of his subgroup (the "science" kids for the next two weeks) to get his name tag and he is taller than she is! He is one tall kid. The head of all the groups in his age cohort told me that he had a great day yesterday and I am happy to note that all his clothing came home!!!

First Day of Mainstream Camp

2009-07-06T07:40:00.002-04:00

Today is Henry's first day at a mainstream day camp program . . . fingers crossed. He is excited about going and making new friends. I spent a few hours yesterday ironing labels into everything he owns. I wonder how much clothing we will manage to lose (he is responsible for all his stuff when he changes for swimming every day etc.)!

Happy Feet and Crying Eyes

2009-07-05T22:12:00.006-04:00

Last night, the movie "Happy Feet" was on the Disney Channel and Henry and I started watching (he saw it in the theater when it came out and about a gazillion times when we first got the DVD, but it has been a long while). Cliff went to bed early and I let Henry stay up late (I know, I know!). There is a scene in the movie where little baby Mumble (the penguin who can dance but cannot sing) is almost scavenged by evil birds. He falls into a little crevasse to save his cute little penguin patooty (and besides, we grown ups know there would have been no movie if Mumble was eaten by birds early on). At the end of the scene, I commented, "Wow, that I was kind of scary, I am glad Mumble was ok." His response, "No, it wasn't . . . but don't look at me." So -- of course -- I immediately look at him , and he turned his head toward me and his eyes were welled up with tears. Not tears of fear (I could just tell) but tears of real concern over Mumble's well-being. He curled up against me to keep watching the movie. My own eyes were tearing up over how touched he was by this little penguin's plight and that he really "got" that movie moment.

Good Golly, a New Lolly

2009-06-28T17:55:00.006-04:00

Methyl B12 is so important for so many kids on the spectrum. Biologically, it is a critical piece in the methylation cycle. For Henry, MB12 brought on so many speech and socialization gains -- a real miracle for us. In fact, here we are on Doctor Neubrander's website talking about it. Henry started MB12 injections at 4.5 and got them, mostly daily, until recently. We have since discontinued the injections -- everyone thinks that, for now, he no longer needs the intense B12 dosing - though he still gets some orally.

Stan Kurtz, who has done so much for his own son and many other children (through Generation Rescue and elsewhere) -- recently launched a new MB12 lollipop: RevitaPop. I could not resist trying them. They are made with natural ingredients and are even GFCF. It remains to be seen if Henry will use them -- he is not a big sweets eater at all -- but I can attest to the fact that these pops work -- I get a nice energy and focus burst from them. They were very nice to have around during all our appendix trials and tribulations, when I needed a little pick up. I also think they are delish -- and would imagine that most kids will love them (and we will keep trying with Henry!) In the meantime -- I am keeping them for myself (and will definitely reorder!!!).

The Tale Of a Ruptured Appendix and Burst Vacation Plans

2009-06-28T17:22:00.005-04:00

Alas, right now I should be poolside in Provence. Instead, I am in my living room. Not a bad place, just not where I planned to be. A few weeks ago, our annual vacation plans went awry.

Actually, my DH's appendix went awry and everything cascaded from there. I was enjoying the annual cocktail party for Henry's school -- chatting with old friends and meeting many parents who would be coming to the school in September. Because I am a nervous Nelly and Cliff had not been feeling well, I was checking my phone pretty regularly and even had suggested to him that Henry's nanny stay until bedtime to help him. I did not check from about 8:40 and 9:10 and then I discovered I missed 11 -- yup 11 -- calls in that time -- starting with "call as soon as you can" and ending with "at Mt. Sinai, get here ASAP"! I did not even know who was at the hospital...or why. I ran out of the party and jumped in a cab. In the cab, I got through to our nanny who was in the ER with Cliff. Her 14 and 12 year old daughters were with Henry (thank goodness they were there and he did not have to go to the ER too!). Everyone seemed pretty sure that it was Cliff's appendix and I was so impressed with the ER at Mt. Sinai, they were really attentive. Cliff's internist was contacted and identified the surgeon he wanted -- and he showed up in the ER at about midnight to see Cliff. Cliff had a CT scan at 4am and was then moved to a room. He went into surgery that morning and was there for about 3.5 hours -- apparently one of the messiest ruptures his experienced surgeon has seen. Long story short... after a week in the hospital (with Henry visiting and asking hysterical questions about who the surgeon was, what medications were administered etc.), Cliff was released, and it was only after about two weeks at home that there is any semblance of normalcy returning (and he is still far from being himself).

Many thanks to all our friends who really stepped up to help us out and offer support and assistance -- I could not have done it without you guys!!!

Oh, and somewhere in there, Henry caught the flu (regular type A not the swine flu) and missed almost the entire last week of school (made it to the end of year party the last day). He improved and then relapsed this Thurs.

The internist told us there was no way we were leaving for France on June 19 as planned nor could we leave a few days later (my pipe dream). So on June 18 I had the sad task of unwinding all our plans. The folks at FlyOpenSkies -- our carrier over the Atlantic -- could not have been nicer, I had emailed vouchers for our full fares within literally 10 minutes (and a personal email telling me how sorry they were that Cliff was sick and hoped our next trip was great -- way to build customer loyalty guys!!!). Our flights down to Marseilles were not refundable and not even a credit was offered but I will still fight that battle (different airline).

Henry had plans of his own -- first he said, "Why can't we just leave him here." Good question, but I behaved like an adult and explained that we were a family and we take care of each other. His Plan B -- "Why can't his own mom come and take care of him." (Ummm . . . because she is in France waiting for us, but Henry did not want to hear that!). In the end, Henry has been pretty good about it -- though he suddenly has shown a hitherto unseen interest in speaking French. He has had lots of playdates the past week and hopefully will this coming week as well if he shakes his flu bug (cough and fever only).

Camp starts on July 6 --and Henry is really excited about it (we went to pick up his t-shirt and other gear because he was sick on the welcome to camp night so he could check it out). This is an exciting and nerve-wracking adventure for me -- Henry is going to a typical camp without an aide, all day every day! Fingers crossed...

Henry Loves The Bubbly

2009-06-28T17:03:00.005-04:00

One of Henry's OTs -- the fabulous Jodi Jennings -- shared this photo a few weeks ago of Henry after an OT exercise.

Jodi described it like this:

"Henry created a huge tub of bubbles by blowing through a long strip of tubing. Henry called the tubing his elephant trunk. What began as dishsoap and water in a large bin turned into bubbles overflowing like a volcano. Henry was very motivated to keep steady synchronized breathing and had great breath support to endure this activity for several minutes at a time. He was very goal oriented and would only stop if the bubbles reached the top. This activity strengthens not only our facial muscles but also requires core activation. This was a great activity to share with a peer [he was doing this with another child at the OT gym] because of the nice regulation created by breathing. And then, it turned into a great pallet for expansion of his imagination and pretend play!!"

One of the most amazing things about Jodi is that she really combines so many modalities in a treatment session. She is always changing theses up and building social goals into her OT sessions, often using Floortime principles. The best thing is that Henry loves to go to see her -- who wouldn't if you got to do stuff like this! BTW, She is also a terrific cranio-sacral therapist. Is there anything she can't do (oh yeah, she took these photos too)???

Another Belt

2009-06-07T21:47:00.009-04:00

Henry earned his purple belt in tae kwon do on May 30 . . . and received his belt during his class on June 5, 2009. He was so proud of his accomplishment -- as you can see in the picture to the right. He worked very hard to learn the new forms needed to earn his purple belt, and learned them more quickly than we had anticipated.

The morning of Henry's test, we hopped in the car and drove up to Muscoot Farm in Katonah, NY for the National Autism Association - NY Metro Chapter's Family picnic. We saw (and petted) lots of animal babies, took a hayride, and hung out with friends old and new. We had beautiful weather and many families in our chapter came out to enjoy a beautiful Spring day on the farm. We had to leave right after our picnic lunch to get back to NYC in time for Henry's purple belt test -- but would have loved to have stayed longer. On the left is a picture of Henry and Cliff meeting a friendly goat.

AutismOne - Legal and Advocacy Training

2009-05-17T21:22:00.004-04:00

I leave bright and early Thursday morning for Chicago with my dear friend Susan. I am so excited to be attending, for at least a few days, the AutismOne Conference. For those unfamiliar with AutismOne, it is a great event, held annually, and is one of the most comprehensive conferences out there.

On Thursday and Friday, we will be in sessions with the newly-established Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy. This training should further my knowledge of legal and advocacy issues relevant to ASD and help me to help our community. I serve on the Advocacy Committee of NAA-NY Metro and expanding our knowledge base will help us further our mission. I also recently did a full day continuing legal education seminar on school law, which focused largely on NYS issues, so I am hoping that I can expand on what I learned there. Thanks so much to Mary Holland for helping to make this opportunity happen!

I also am looking forward to the chance to catch up, however briefly, with friends from around the country. Unfortunately, I cannot stay for the whole conference and will head home on Saturday morning.

I will report more upon my return.

Let the Blogging (Re)Commence!

2009-05-17T20:02:00.009-04:00

Okay, okay… after being gently hounded by several friends for not blogging in almost two months, I’m back! (Hopefully not in Poltergeist/“They’re baaaack” sort of way!) I have pulled out my calendar to see what I have been up to and I have to admit, I have been a busy girl – my DH would say too busy, but not me. Rather than one boring long post that will put all of you asleep, I wanted to do a quick recap and you can click on my specific posts about:

A quick update on Henry . . . In a nutshell – Henry seems to be doing well. He is incredibly chatty these days, much more outgoing, and school work seems to be more readily clicking (though still a challenge!). On Friday, Henry sang in his school spring concert and he proudly displayed his really cool artwork in the art show that preceded the concert. His class sang a reworked (age appropriate!) version of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Spamalot. It was really cute and all the classes performed with such gusto and talent it was a joy to watch all of them.

Henry also gave a great science presentation at school recently. He had the choice of doing a poster or actually demonstrating an experiment and, to my surprise, chose to demonstrate for the entire class. His experiment involved using a lemon, two forks, some zinc plates and wire to activate a small digital clock – pretty cool stuff. He impressed all of us with his knowledge and understanding of the experiment and he was so proud when he successfully demonstrated it!

In the category of “Hey, you never know…” Henry asked to take his NintendoDS to school recently to play while we wait for the lobby doors to open at 8:15am. I held off letting him do this because I feared he would isolate himself from the other kids and just play his game in a corner. Was I wrong!!! The darned thing has turned into a great tool for socializing. Every morning, Henry is surrounded by other children and they are all talking about the games and sharing thoughts and ideas. Who knew??? And Henry has been great about leaving it in his backpack during the day (a condition of being allowed to bring it). A great, and surprising, result (or maybe I am too old to realize that these games actually can be social?)

And me? I continue to work with Dr. Kellman to get my thyroid in order and we seem to be making good progress (Henry seems to be in a really good place with his thyroid right now). Henry and I also continue our sequential homeopathy and Heilkunst work with Rudi Verspoor and we both continue to see benefits from this treatment. Henry seems to be the somewhat more unusual patient who reacts almost immediately to homeopathic remedies, if he reacts at all. In a way, I like this because it shows me that something is going on.

I love being involved at school, and in addition to serving as the co-chair of the Parents Association Communications Committee, I have done a number of projects this spring at school. I worked with Henry's fabulous music teacher, Sarah, to develop and make cute, simple costumes for Henry and his classmates for the spring concert that evoked the “Spamalot” medieval spirit. I also have been working on the school yearbook with Henry's amazing art teacher, Peter, and a dedicated group of other parents. I took on the parent dedication pages – so many of our families supported the yearbook by purchasing dedication pages -- I was amazed and a bit overwhelmed by the response but the extra work was worth it -- I am hoping our final product looks fabulous -- we all put in lots of time and effort and -- more than once -- the great parents with design training on our committee saved me with technical assistance. We are producing the book through Entourage Yearbooks. This is the school's first year using a professional yearbook company and Entourage has been very patient with all of our newbie questions. The one great unanswered question is my husband’s: “What are you doing up at 1 a.m. working on the yearbook???” Sorry honey.

Allergies Be Gone - Thanks Geri!

2009-05-17T19:56:00.005-04:00

I had to give a quick shout out to nutritionist Geri Brewster, Henry's NAET practitioner. Geri treated Henry for spring allergies, grasses in particular, a little more than a month ago -- right before allergy season hit its stride. I know so many kids (and adults) suffering from horrible spring allergies this year, and in past years Henry was frequently among the sufferers, but Geri's treatment (knock wood) has allowed Henry to avoid spring allergies this year. Henry even told Geri last week that he does not have allergies (and his behavior, sleeping through the night, and lack of horrible allergic shiners bear him out). Yeah Geri -- you ROCK!!!

Flexing our Reflexes

2009-05-17T19:30:00.007-04:00

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of doing a few one-on-one consults with Patricia Lemer, the Executive Director of Developmental Delay Resources and the editor and an author of the wonderfully comprehensive book on therapies for ASD, Envisioning A Bright Future: Interventions that Work for Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. One of the things Patty suggested we look into was reflex integration to address areas about which she was concerned after reviewing Henry’s many reports and meeting with me. So I began to explore and learn. Reading Patty’s book and googling led me to information about neurodevelopmental delay (NDD). My understanding (albeit quite limited) is that NDD is the continued presence of primitive reflexes that should have integrated during the first year or so of life and/or the failure of postural reflexes to develop. You can read more about NDD here and here. Sally Goddard Blythe, of the Institute For Neuro-Physiological Psychology in the UK (the INPP), which has done some of the most groundbreaking research in this area, has written several excellent books on the subject and I have just ordered her latest, Attention, Balance and Coordination: The A.B.C. of Learning Success.

Anna Buck, who was trained by the INPP, has established a center in Colorado where she provides assessments and NDD remediation along with a listening program (Listening Fitness) and tutoring. She has also written a book called Miracle Children: Behavior and Learning Disabilities Uprooted. When I read this book, I saw so much of Henry in the children she featured in her case studies, that I knew this was something we needed to explore for Henry.

In early March, Henry began to see a new occupational therapist (in addition to the team in place) to assess his reflexes and, if needed, to work on them. Henry’s new OT, Mari, has been working over the past few months to integrate a number of reflexes and we are seeing nice progress. The two primative reflexes that are most apparent and in need of integration for Henry seem to be the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) and Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR). Among other things, both these reflexes can impact language -- as Mari explained to me, ATNR can affect information synthesis and STNR can affect the organization of speech.

Mari also uses Brain Gym techniques in working with Henry and we have learned several easy to do exercises that help calm and focus and make him more ready for attentive listening and learning. We are working to incorporate more of these into our daily routine. In addition, Brain Gym exercises are great to use in school to help kids get ready to learn during the school day.

Having begun this work with Henry and seeing nice changes, I also am interested in learning more about the integrative work done at centers such as the National Association for Child Development and the Crossroads Institute.

April 22, 2009 Autism Awareness Month Candlelighting Ceremony

2009-05-17T18:09:00.006-04:00

I blogged about The April 22, 2009 Autism Awareness Month Candlelighting Ceremony sponsored by NAA-NY Metro in detail here, but wanted to share the information with my Embracing Wellness readers as well. I had the privilege to come together with other parents, grandparents, and advocates to mark Autism Awareness Month with a special candlelighting ceremony on the steps of City Hall in NYC - what an inspiring location (we even got a glimpse of the Mayor). Even though the weather was not cooperative, the rain could not dampen our spirit! Our NAA-NY Metro Advocacy Committee worked hard to pull together an event that honored our children, our families and all those who work to improve our children’s lives. Thanks to all who attended and participated!

NAA - NY Metro Update - LOTS going on

2009-05-17T17:58:00.010-04:00

I am so proud of the work we are doing at the National Autism Association – New York Metro Chapter. I am an active member – treasurer, and a member of the parent mentoring and advocacy committees -- and I have the honor of working with an amazing group of dedicated, talented and brilliant people. We have had many informative and sometimes provocative presentations in the past months and have many upcoming events worth checking out. In the next few weeks we are welcoming speakers on vaccine issues (May 20th), Tomatis (May 27th), Relationship Development Intervention (June 3rd), and Floortime (June 16th). Plus we are having an amazing Family Picnic Day in Westchester on May 30! Information about all of these events can be found here.

We are also beginning to plan for our fall conference that we are sponsoring with Autism Conferences of America. The Conference will take place on October 3-4, 2009 and promises to have an exciting lineup of speakers on many topics relevant to ASD. Save the Date!!!

Since I last blogged here, we have had the following great presentations:

On March 25, 2009, Louise Levy, a prominent audiologist, presented on Hearing and Auditory Processing. She explained the difference between hearing and auditory processing (and the interplay between the two), she discussed how processing issues can impact children and gave parents many take home tips to help improve processing.
On April 1, 2009, Dr. Mark Freilich, a well-known NYC developmental pediatrician, NAA-NY Metro’s own Tia Marie Smith, and Beth Kastner discussed with parents finding the right therapeutic program for your child, including exploration of both the Floortime and ABA approaches, among other things.
On April 28, 2009, Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh , who is, among other things, the founder and director of C.A.R.D. (Center for Autism and Related Disorders), and a Principal member of the Thoughtful House Center for Children, presented on the ways in which ABA and biomedical interventions can work together. She also discussed the need to go beyond the traditional diagnostic criteria for ASDs and to recognize the sensory issues, behaviors and many medical conditions common to many children on the spectrum, which will provide better treatment guidance.
Most recently, on May 14, 2009, Judy Chinitz, a nutritionist and parent of a child with autism, and Marc Dellerba, PhD, a researcher, presented on Helminthic Therapy. This is an innovative treatment that has helped many patients with gastrointestinal issues, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Judy has used this therapy with good results for her son. They explained the history of helminthes (certain types of worms) in our environment and how the western world’s emphasis on hygiene may have resulted in unintended immune responses that the reintroduction of certain helminthes might help modulate. We even learned that a researcher at the National Institutes of Health has suggested that the link between western hygiene practices and autism should be explored further. Parents in the audience who have tried helminthic therapy also shared their personal experiences.

Neurofeedback: "It's Making My Brain Smarter"

2009-05-17T17:45:00.004-04:00

Henry began neurofeedback a few months ago and we definitely think it is having a positive impact in many ways. Henry does a particular type of neurofeedback called LENS. LENS requires less active participation from the person receiving treatment and, in my opinion, that helps make it well-suited to children like Henry who might not be so cooperative during “traditional” neurofeedback, which requires the patient to participate in computer-based activities (if Henry liked the activities he would do well, but if he did not like them, he would likely not willingly participate). Treatment is individualized through a brain mapping procedure, which allows the treatment provider to create a plan of treatment to address a patient’s specific brainwave patterns.

You can learn more about LENS here and in the wonderful book, The Healing Power of Neurofeedback: The Revolutionary LENS Technique for Restoring Optimal Brain Function, by Stephen Larsen, PhD, who runs The Stone Mountain Counseling Center in New Paltz, NY. Dr. Larsen’s book explains LENS and gives many case studies, which I love – case studies always help my understanding of a treatment. I also had the pleasure recently of meeting and chatting briefly with Dr. Larsen at the Women’s Health Expo in Kingston, NY. He is a really fascinating man with so much knowledge to share – I look forward to learning more from him and hope our paths cross again.

Henry goes to neurofeedback once or twice a week and we work with a great provider trained by Dr. Larsen. Henry actually LOVES going to neurofeedback and keeps telling EVERYONE that it is helping make his brain smarter! I tell him that he is smart and this just helps his brain to work more easily. He obviously is really proud of what he does through neurofeedback. We are targeting issues such as eye contact, attention, auditory processing, reading, and ability to sit still. We are seeing nice improvements session to session overall and will continue to tweak things as we go to target all the areas on which we are working. After his first treatment Henry said that his brain felt "weird" but later that day said that his brain felt better than before. With the first few treatments (and one time since), Henry also had a night of sleeplessness but that is really the only side effect we have seen, and it is has not occurred regularly at all. I will continue to update our thoughts on this therapy, but it seems to be a keeper!

Public Speaking - A "Taxing Experience" in a GOOD way

2009-03-22T22:01:00.003-04:00

I will be the first to admit that public speaking is not something I always relish. Actually, I don't mind it in my job but outside of that, a different story. So, somehow, I volunteered to speak to our National Autism Association chapter about tax deductions for families of children with special needs. Hmmm. How'd that happen??? Because my dear friend Dara asked. What's a girl to do? The format was our monthly Parent Network Exchange Meeting (the "PNEM") and Dara asked me to present along with her husband Mark, a CPA. I am so proud to say that it was a big success! Thank you to the more than 30 people who came and shared your questions and your own tips! I had a great time and hope those who attended took away practical information that they can use.

Buns!

2009-03-02T22:19:00.004-05:00

The hamburger kind.... Henry has a thing for bread in a bun form (I swear this is because of Spongebob and his "krabby patties"!). I used to make him sort of free-form buns using a mix from Chebe -- they have really wonderful products made from gluten-free manioc (tapioca) flour. Before we switched to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet ("SCD") in late 2007, Henry ate all kinds of Chebe products and loved them. But manioc is not "SCD-legal" so we gave it up... and Henry does miss it to this day. I have been making his sandwich bread from a wonderful recipe from a great cookbook entitled Cooking to Heal Little Tummies. So this weekend, I took one of the gazillion 2-cup pyrex round dishes I own (I make lots of bone broth from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions), lined it with parchment, and took some extra bread batter from his usual recipe and poured it in (about 1/2 full) and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes. The end result was a great, perfectly round bun that I sliced horizontally. Henry was beyond thrilled (sometimes it makes me feel guilty that a bun can make a person so happy!).

Interestingly, his willingness to try things is really opening up. I will write soon about the new energy medicine intervention we have started!

P.S. We are expanding Henry's diet -- after great success on SCD -- and moving toward either a more Weston Price model or Body Ecology Diet -- or some unique hybrid. So, don't tell Henry but he likely will be getting some of the beloved Chebe buns this summer or something similar that I develop from scratch -- his camp is nut free so his almond flour bread is out and it also is a Jewish day camp that is dairy/parve - so no meat (none of the great Applegate Farms Great Organic Hot Dogs, a back-up lunch option). I use pumpkin nut butter and apple butter on his sandwiches so it really was the bread portion that had me worried.

Meet Mr. Blue Belt

2009-02-28T21:00:00.007-05:00

Today was a big day for us... Henry took his blue belt test at tae kwon do. He has been practicing for a long time, learning the kicks, blocks, punches, and forms necessary to progress to the next level. He did a great job and definitely earned his belt. I was really proud of him and his perseverance. The test is LONG -- almost two and half hours. There were about 14 kids being tested at all levels from white belts up to a red belt. So a lot of the test time is spent sitting still and quietly, while others are being tested (in small groups and individually depending on skill levels), and he sat quietly with the group with much less fidgeting than I have ever seen (not even one reprimand from the instructor, and others were called out for fidgeting, talking, etc. -- and H certainly has been in the past). He never even had to be reminded to pay attention.

Because my DH was leaving on a trip tonight and had a plane to catch, the instructor actually planned to complete Henry's test early (and not make Henry break a board this time) so we could leave before the test was finished . So she tested Henry, quietly told him he had passed and that he could leave the mat, and we got ready to go. Henry then announced he wanted to stay (I stayed with him while my DH and my wonderful mother-in-law (who came for moral support) headed home) and finish the testing -- wow, a chance to leave deliberately not taken! He bowed back in appropriately and took his place again.

When it came time to break boards, his instructor told Henry which kick to do and I think auditory processing got the best of Henry and he did a different practice kick (a hook kick) (they do a couple of soft practice kicks at the board to get aim etc. right then the "real" one at full power (or more than one if needed)). The instructor asked if he was sure he wanted to do the hook kick -- it is more difficult and less powerful than the kick he was supposed to do and she reminded him of this. He assured her that he did, and then, on his second or third try broke the board with a beautiful, spot on kick! The instructor turned to all the parents and told them that they may not realize what a difficult task it was to break the board with that particular kick!!! I was beaming.

Tae kwon do has been great for him. He now takes class several times a week. When he started, he, frankly, stood out -- so fidgety, so uncoordinated, so unable to follow the oral instructions at all (he watched the other kids and tried to imitate). They really made a lot of accommodations for Henry when he started and now really not so much!!! Now, he is SOOOO much better -- even if it is really hard, he tries his best (he used to tell the instructor ALL the time he was too tired or it was too hard (not a hit in tae kwon do, let me tell you!). He actually led the class in warm up recently, instructing the other kids on warm up exercises! He chooses to count in Korean when given the choice of Korean and English. He sometimes chats with his classmates. He memorizes these complicated forms... It is so nice to see the change in him and the instructors have even told us how they cannot believe how far he has come.

Our behavioral optometrist, Melvin Kaplan, recommended this for Henry and we thank him every day for encouraging us to try this with Henry.

Planning For the Future

2009-02-25T22:49:00.010-05:00

See this picture – the ostrich with its head in the sand…that was me, but last night I pulled my head out! What happened?

Last night, I went to the NAA-NY Metro Chapter’s February Educational Presentation – three financial advisors from AXA’s special needs family planning unit and a lawyer specializing in this issue presented on special needs trusts and other planning issues for families of special needs children. While I am biased (full disclosure, I am an officer of NAA-NY Metro) and I think all our presentations are terrific – this one was really exceptional. I blogged about the event at the NAA-NY Metro Blog but wanted to share more of my personal feelings too. Please check out my NAA post for more general information about ther presentations but I also wanted to give a "shout out" to Stuart Flaum, Anthony Marchiagiano, and Travis Dauchy – from AXA’s Special Needs Family Planning Group -- and Wendy Sheinberg, a partner in the law firm Davidow, Davidow, Siegel & Stern, LLP, they all deserve kudos for helping our families.

In my NAA blog post, I said that parents of kids on the spectrum hope that, with everything we do for our children, they will recover and not need the protections of a special needs trust – at least that is what I have been telling myself. I have put off dealing with this issue, telling myself I just wasn’t “sure” that we needed to do this. I admit, I had visions of tying up whatever we could scrape together into an irrevocable special needs trust that a perfectly independent Henry was stuck with for the rest of his days, cursing me, his dearly departed mother, for not having faith in his recovery. Honestly. Listening to our fabulous speakers last night, I realized I am being an idiot (sshhhh don’t tell my DH, I would never admit to him that I am less than perfect). Nothing like being whacked over the head with a dose of reality. G*d willing, Henry will recover fully -- but the speakers really made me aware that I need a flexible plan in case he does need some assistance. I learned that there are ways that we can structure things so that, at least when we are alive, we have flexibility in whether a special needs trust needs to be funded and how and when that would occur. That is a huge relief to me. I feel like we can plan and protect Henry but still be able to adapt to Henry’s needs going forward.

I am also interested in the idea of microboards and I am going to explore that as well – they seem like a great complement to other planning tools and a way to help ensure that Henry’s very specific needs are met. There is a great article in Spectrum Magazine about this.

Today’s financial market and job market uncertainties make it more important than ever that we make sure our children have the protections they need growing up and in their adulthood. No one wants to think about this, but I realize we all need to act! I, for one, am pulling my head out of the sand.

Henry blows me away!

2009-02-25T21:11:00.004-05:00

Henry asked me a few days ago to set up a playdate next weekend (not this weekend when he knows he has other plans) with a classmate. Tonight, as we were doing homework, I mentioned that I needed to reach out to his friend's mom to set up the playdate. He looked at me and said, "No, forget it, it's ok, I don't need a playdate with 'X'" Hmmmm. I was suspicious. I asked if something had happened with 'X'. He said, "No, 'X' is still my friend, don't worry, I just don't want a playdate." A little while later, I raised the subject again and Henry admitted, "I don't think 'X' likes Bakugan so much anymore." Bakugan are (along with the PowerPuff Girls!) Henry's favorites. Wow, he realized that someone might not be interested in the same thing he is obsessed with. YOWZA!!! We had a talk about what he could do -- how he could ask his friend what he likes, how they could compromise, and Henry really seemed to get it. He later said that they could maybe play a board game together on a playdate. I am just sitting here, just blown away...

Open Forum -- Help Me Be A Better Blogger!

2009-02-15T16:11:00.004-05:00

I am new to all this blogging business and would like to not only share stories of my family's life and our various journeys (of all kinds) but also address stuff from our lives that is meaningful to others. Please jump in here and comment -- I need your help!

(BTW, the photo here is a closeup I took of a beautiful sculpture my in-laws bought this summer -- I love the girl's contemplative expression and my photography is something I really want to work on.)

Ice Skating

2009-02-15T15:28:00.006-05:00

Today Henry and Cliff went ice skating at Lasker Rink! I have been working this afternoon (and I stubbed my toe this morning and it still hurts like the dickens) so I bowed out. Cliff snapped this pic before they hit the ice. A good time was had by all.

Visiting our Defeat Autism Now! Doctor

2009-02-14T21:23:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I spent all day with my two boys (my DH and Henry) - my two sweeties! Today was our first visit in a long time to Henry's Defeat Autism Now! doctor in New Jersey. He is a great guy and we have been patients since 2004. His treatments are a huge reason Henry has made the progress he has. We had not been since last August, which in the world of biomedical is a lifetime! We were supposed to go in December but life conspired against us until today. It was amazing how we seemed to be on the same page today...we are exploring a very targeted form neurofeedback with Henry -- while it looks good, it is a big commitment so we need to work out whether it is feasible and explore it further. Even my DH thinks it sounds like a good thing for Henry, so that is a big first step. The doctor had no new supplements to add etc., and he thought Henry generally looked great! We also ran into one of his old IV nurses as we were leaving (we have not done IVs since the summer of '08) and she was thrilled to see him and also commented on how great he seems to be doing (but he got embarrassed by how effusive she was!)

So much for New Year's Resolutions

2009-02-07T10:16:00.004-05:00

Well, I started this blog with the best intentions and then life got in the way... but I really am going to start, I swear. In fact, no time like the present for a quick post. Today is a fun-filled day of driving around to the North of NYC. H has an appointment with his NAET practitioner, Geri Brewster, this afternoon. She is doing tremendous work clearing him of allergens. Since it was so cold two weeks ago she cleared him of mold (we will check today to see if it stuck) -- hopefully that will help make for a smoother Spring. A trip there almost always results in a trip to Target (more fun without dad, who is not a shopper like me and H and is staying home today!!!) Then a paint store to get a fanbook and/or sample cards of no-VOC Mythic paints for our upcoming home reno. Finally, if I can drag myself, Whole Foods in White Plains -- I love the attached covered parking and I feel so suburban loading my groceries into a car trunk (for a city gal this is a true change of pace).

Welcome to my blog

2008-12-26T11:14:00.003-05:00

I finally decided to join the 21st century and start a blog. I will be blogging here about my son Henry and myself and our journey toward better health and well-being. We do many different things and I soon will explain more about them... Now, since I am on vacation, I have to run and pick Henry up from his "vacation" (he begs to differ) reading program.