My guys! Cam's fairly computer literate for being just 4. Cuyler loves to watch him. And there is a plethora of safe, fun kid sites out there to occupy them for the time it takes to prep a meal.
I'm posting early today and it's weird. Usually the boys are in bed when I do this. However, the Emmy's are on and anyone who knows me well, knows I'm a tv whore and loves award night.
I hear Sean struggling to get dinner ready. Cuy just threw something and now he's screaming. For me.
I'll let Sean deal with it - I do it 5 nights a week.

We took the kids to the fall fair yesterday and had a great day! Sean returned to the beer tent last night and was feeling a bit delicate this morning.

I started reading the book "Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder" by Karyn Seroussi. I can't put it down. She is the mother of a boy recovered (I HATE that word) from autism. She talks alot about the diet and the unconventional approach to autism. The approach your dr won't tell you about, but the one that seems to work.
It's like an underground society of families affected by autism who are using the biomed/diet treatments. We have all met with success on some level. Some have even recovered their children from the disorder...
I think it's alot easier in the States. They have the DAN! protocol (Defeat Autism Now!) and there are actual DAN! dr's who do this full time. But not here. Not yet.
And even still, in the States, it's pretty unconventional.

Most of the time, I just go about our life, his diet/supplements, his therapies and don't worry about anything else (like informing people). And other times, I'm simply infuriated that there are SOOOOOO many families finding success with this approach and still, we are told by the dr's "Don't bother" "Just reintroduce dairy and wheat"
And we are the ones who have to say "NO. This is working for us. We will continue with or without your support" We are the ones researching and networking and finding out the info that no one will give us, but rather we have to get. We are the data. Our children are the results. WHY WON'T ANYONE LOOK???
LISTEN TO US!!!!
Please.

And it's funny. There is a part in the book where she says she even wondered "Is he even really autistic?"
Sean and I do that alot. And - please - it's not denial. Hope perhaps...even confusion, maybe.
We are not denying anything about our situation with Cuy. But he has so many strong skills. And he is not the classic regressive autism. He did not develop normally, then start to regress and lose skills. He did not change after his vaccines. He was always a tad behind. His gap just kept increasing. Until it became significant.
And for Gods sakes!! I want somebody to delve a little deeper into his birth. Sean and I will never dismiss that as a potential reason for where we are. We just cannot.

It's like a conveyer belt when your dealing with the medical profession.
"Hi there...you've got autism, please turn to the left for ABA."
"Thank you for joining us, please stand over with the others for ABA."
"Autism? Right over there for ABA."

Yes, our children are all very alike. But they are all so VERY different from one another. Perhaps the unconventional will be the norm one day and parents won't have to sift and search for more info like we do. That everything that's out there will be an option.
I'm just grateful that we came across it when we did. Nice and early.

I just read and re-read this (as I hate spelling errors) and as I was reading it...it hit me. This is our life. I never EVER would have imagined my life like it is. I hate it and I love it all at the same time. I hate because everything we do is difficult and different from our friends and family. And they will never really "get it" or understand our life.
I love it because we see things that others don't. We see life through different eyes and with a different perspective. For that I am grateful.