Pumpkin Decorating (the easy way)

Okay... so yes, we took the easy way out.  I can't help but love these little faces that were given to the girls by a friend of my daughters.  The girls loved picking out the faces and adding them to their pumpkins and the best part... NO MESS.  Now, I know it's not traditional but we do have one big one to carve tonight all together.

Anyhow,  I thought I would share some pictures.  The little boy is my friends son whom I watch periodically.

Jenny McCarthy... she makes me cringe

Can someone PLEASE explain why this woman rubs me the wrong way?  I know it isn't just me... but I am playing with fire trash talking her when it comes to those she has convinced she is an autism savor and saint.

Well... for the record... she has done nothing for me except stress me out about a CURE and RECOVERY. In the beginning it was to the point where I put everything else on the back burner with reading all her books, applying for her grant and even getting accepted for it. Turns out that grant is more of a marketing research study and required my daughter to be loaded up with tons of supplements without seeing a DAN.  Are they stupid?  Seriously?  Anyhow... needless to say, I declined the grant.  My daughter is not a a lab rat.

I will do anything for my daughter.  I will try supplements, GFCF, equine therapy, etc. if it means it will help with her progression.  BUT.... I will not jump on this self supplementing band-wagon because everyone else is doing it and it worked for someone else's kid... and because Jenny says it works.

It took 7 months of ABA and OT therapy before we started really seeing any progress with Katlynn.  Then like overnight she blossomed in more then one area.  Even without a speech therapist her speech just increased like crazy.  I have no clue why or how and to this day it is still a mystery.  I can toot my own horn and maybe say I work with her pretty much daily on little exercises with speech and social interaction.  I model play and I do social stories and games.  She still have a LONG way to go and she will never be recovered, or cured, but my goal is to make sure she is loved and treated as a child and as an individual.

People... it is not rocket science to know that if you start ABA and 2 weeks later you start the GFCF (which IMO can never really be bad and yet,  I still don't know why I don't do it) and then 2 weeks after that you start some crazy supplement craze... then you didn't really give the ABA or the GFCF time to work it magic without the other additives.  See what I am sayin here?  Maybe I am just lazy for not jumping on that band wagon I talked about above.  Maybe, just maybe I look like some careless mom who isn't doing all this "autism stuff" to help my daughter live at her full potential or whatever hogwash someone I out there is surely thinking about me.  Jenny pushes and pushes all this different stuff claiming she recovered/cure her son Evan.  Who determined it was called cured or recovered anyhow?  Jenny seems to take credit for it or at least that is what I am reading between the lines?  Her son still has autism.  He is not cured.  He has simply learned through many different tools how to maintain behaviors and control his social awkwardness through  lots of lots of great therapy and supplementing.  He is still living with autism just not to the severity he had when he was young. Many claim it isn't even autism that is his disability. That information I am not sure about. I really have no solid proof on that one.

Don 't get me wrong... I do respect her for initially trying to do something good  for the autism community ( not like boosting her career) with her son's disability. She did make the term autism much more widely known then it was. So thank you Jenny for that. Now this talk about her possibly doing playboy again and the proceeds will go to autism.  Um... Okay. Am I the only one who see this being totally wrong and more for herself then actually for the autism community.  I mean this can be totally factual too... who knows.  Speculation at it's finest.

I will say this,  I loved her Belly Laughs, Baby Laughs and Life Laughs books. I even recommend reading them if you are newly pregnant.  They were so hilarious and fun to read.  I really loved and respected her after reading those, but then to go onto read her autism books... I was like, "what the #&*^?"  Where the heck did the comedian go?  Where did the Jenny I laughed with go?
She really should have stuck to those kinds of books.

To hell with Jenny... what about the people who have lived it?  Temple Grandin is a prime example.  Why wouldn't one follow her advice over a playboy model/comedian?  I am just curious where the logic stands in that?  Is it because she is a celebrity?  Why?  I really want to know.

Anyhow, I am rambling...

I am just really getting tired of the autism community not banding together and realizing that EVERY child is special and that there is no wrong way to help your child.  You do what works for you and for your family.  For me... it is simply trying to let my daughter live the most typical life she can without expecting too much from her, but also without letting her disability be used as an excuse.  I will stand my ground when I say these kids are smart little suckers and they can manipulate like nobody business and can get away with it because they "have autism".  I call BS on them.  

So if you take anything from this... just know I don't judge those who follow a DAN protocol which is what this might sounds like.  Not true.  I just think it was pushed a little to aggressively on newly diagnosed families and Jenny books give some false hope.  I will still continue to support TACA which supports Jenny and Dr.  Kartzinel because I have met some really wonderful people. Without TACA, I am not sure how I would have made it trough the initial news of Katlynn's diagnosis.  They don't seem to judge and genuinely want to help families help their children.  

 TTFN~

Summer

Another great Quote!!

"Every child is gifted.  They just unwrap their packages at different times."  -- unknown

Speech Excercises 10.24.10 ( Pause the music at bottom of blog page so you can hear video)

Not autism BUT special needs related.

I wanted to share with everyone about a documentary I was given a chance to view and review.  I came across the trailer on Facebook from a friend of mine and decided I HAD to get my hands on this dvd and see it for myself..It is called DEEDAH.

First, I must say how incredibly moved I was by this film.  I laughed and teared up all at the same time.  My oldest daughter watched it with me, and  she didn't even have to ask questions because the documentary explained down syndrome to a "T" by a young girl who happens to be DEEDAH. She is the sister to Johnathan who has down syndrome.  I felt as though it would be a great addition to an elementary school setting for all young children to watch.  I am sure many children do not realize how special these children are and how bright and capable they also are.  This documentary sheds light on everything from bullying and name calling to the capability and successes of a young boy with down syndrome.  

I was very humbled to be given an opportunity to watch it and review and and I personally give it 2 thumbs up and I hope to encourage others in the education field as well and parents and loved ones watch this documentary. 

http://www.deedahandme.com/index.php/

Initiating social play....

So Katlynn was in the trampoline and She said to Audrie, "hold my hand, hold my hand".  Audrie did take her hand and it only lasted about a minute before Katlynn was done with the physical contact of hand holding, but it is still very sweet to see her initiating it.  I think the music and movement class is really helping with that.

This was really nice to see after a rough week with Katlynn.  Moody and somewhat irritable.  Nothing super bad but just not her typical self, which is normally more typical.  She was just cranky.  Hoping that it was short lived and she'll be back to herself this week.  I think she was having gas and constipation issues.  We still haven't really resolved them permanently as they come and go. Anyone with suggestions?  My Dr. suggests prune juice, but K doesn't like it.  I don't give her OTC stuff, because the kid versions don't do anything and I am not comfortable with her having adult versions for a 3 year old regardless of dosage.  If a Pharmacist is telling me it can be harmful because it is not designed for children under age 6, I am going to believe them.

Self initiated pretend play

We went to a Music and Movement class last night and the Kinder-music teacher passed out some of those rhythm sticks to the kids.  Well... Katlynn crossed hers over each other and made an airplane out of them.  She was flying them in the air saying, "It's an airplane zoom-zoom".

It's the little things.

She amazes me everyday.