Organic, WHOLE foods!

This post has been copied from our "Care Page"
Posted Jan 8, 2013 9:28pm


Thanks everyone for all the support! It has been exactly one week today since going gluten free. Here are a few things I have learned and more importantly here is how I feel...I FEEL AWESOME! I have a ton more energy...sure it is still hard to get out of bed in the morning...but once I am up I do not feel like going back to bed. I have tons of energy to do more stuff around the house. Good thing cuz I am going to have to cook a lot more from scratch! We are trying to buy almost everything organic to get away from all the GMO food! We have not tried Rice milk yet...I have some in the pantry...but we choose coconut milk for the nutritional value. Rice milk has very little nutritional goodness. I have not tried almond milk either, but I have heard that it is good so I may try that! I have some friends who have expressed their concerns about coconut oil due to the saturated fat content, and here is how I feel about that: does coconut milk and oil have more saturated fat...YES, but it is a medium chain fat which actually boosts metabolism, it has a low glycemic index, and actually helps you lose weight due to the increase in metabolism. Because it is a MCFA instead of a LCFA (long chain fatty acid)it is actually better for you than any other "fat" or oil out there because of the way your body uses it. It has a ton medicinal qualities that aid in healing almost every body system. I suspect anyone who had a "negative" health issue from coconut products did not change other aspects of their diet as well. Such as eating other junk foods...fast foods...etc. It probably had nothing to do with the coconut products. If you are curious about coconut oil it...Google it or PM me and I will give you more info. There is a ton of research out there that also supports giving it to children with autism as a supplement for brain health. It also helps keep candida at bay which often plagues kiddos with autism. Think about it...when your kids are born, and when they move on from either formula or breast milk...what does the pediatrician recommend for milk? FULL FAT milk!! It is the best for growing developing brains!! From now on we will use only coconut oil and olive oil. Lesa, one of my "Ausome" Mom friends, suggested we try Daiya vegan cheese. I have tried Daiya and eeewwww, we did not like it. I just ordered another vegan cheese called Teese...so we will see! I will find a cheese substitute!! Oh, and I am down 6 pounds!!! :-) PLUS, and this should probably be at the top of this post...but Brady's teachers report he is less hyper active and more verbal. When I say verbal...I mean he is making more "attempts" at verbalizations. He is also making more eye contact with teachers and his peers then he did a week ago. Coincidence? Maybe...only time will tell! I will keep you posted!!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed healthcare provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.

Going Gluten FREE!

This post has been copied from our "Care Page"

Posted Jan 4, 2013 11:18pm


Hi all, have you missed me?
I have been so wrapped up in the holidays…and then on January 1st Brady and I went gluten free, soy free and for the most part we will try to eat almost completely organic! The rest of the family will be joining us as soon as the gluten products are gone from our pantry. We want to go casein free too…but for now, we love cheese too much! I can use unsweetened coconut milk for cooking…but I will miss having a big glass of ice cold milk. Brady doesn't like milk so he will be OK there. Coconut milk is good…and healthy, but I just can't even imagine drinking a huge glass of it. Adding it to my coffee in the place of cream…yes, but drinking it plain…not so much! Oh…yeah…coffee, well that is one of the things I am just not willing to give up!
I made this really yummy gluten free mac and cheese. The noodles were from Trader Joe's and they are a brown rice pasta. To tell you the truth if I did not know better…I would not have been able to taste the difference!! I fought going gluten free cuz I LOVE breads and pasta! But looks like I found an awesome substitute for the pasta!! Now, I need to find a good bread recipe! The Udi stuff leaves A LOT to be desired and missed about "real" bread! So as you can probably guess…I have been consumed and immersed in trying to make healthier food choices for our whole family!
This is a short post…have to get more recipe hunting done…we are going to Trader Joe's tomorrow…and I need to find a few good things to try and pick up all the ingredients!!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed healthcare provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.

A Lesson in Tolerance

This video is from November, 10 2012

It is funny, before "autism" I remember seeing a child maybe 3 or 4 years old in Walmart. He still had a pacifier. I thought to myself...what kind of parent lets their child still have a pacifier at that age?? MY BAD!

You never know what kind of situation that family may be facing, and why that child is still allowed a pacifier. Not that autism is an excuse to keep a pacifier past a certain age...but still it is a lesson in tolerance, acceptance and above all not to judge the actions or in-action of others until you have walked a mile in their shoes!

This reminds me of another incident...ha ha ha, also happened to be at Walmart...

This was when Brady was 7 and still in diapers. In MN, if you have a disabled child, and they are on the TEFRA program (medical assistance for children) the TEFRA will cover the cost of things the child needs, that a typical child his or her age would not need. Such as diapers. 

Any hoo...as I am waiting at the pharmacy counter to pick up our monthly allotment of diapers, some B*&%H in the line behind me whispers to the guy behind her..."What kind of insurance pays for diapers"??

OH NO SHE DIDN'T!!

I whipped around, shot her a look and said...

"I have a 7 year old disabled child at home who is still in diapers, if you would like to trade places with me and get "free" diapers...BE MY GUEST"!

As you can guess...she had NOTHING to say after that!

Just goes to show...no one has the right to judge anyone, just one of the MANY things Brady has taught me. 😀

Someday I will tell you the story about WHY we have to pay for TEFRA in addition to paying for the the insurance provided by our employer. We both work for Mayo Clinic by the way...you would think they would have the best insurance in the world, since they are known all over the world as one of the best clinics/hospitals in the world...right? WRONG! A story for another day.

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed health care provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.

A new school year!

This post has been copied from our "Care Page"
Posted Sep 19, 2012 7:05pm


Well, the new school year is under way. The kids, Steve, and I already have one illness under our belts for the year!
Hayden started pre school!! He was assessed by our favorite pre school teacher…"Ruthie" and we found out he qualifies for early intervention too. Don't worry…it is not a bad thing, we are really excited about it. He qualifies because he is extremely shy, and although he can speak in full sentences…his enunciation needs a little help. Hayden had to need help in at least 2 areas of development in order to get into the early intervention program and into Ruthie's room. She feels that with just a little help he will be right on track!! He likely would have been just fine anyway…even without any help…but we are so excited he gets to "play" with Ruthie, and have a little socialization with peers because he has never had that since we do not use daycare. She said that if we assessed him again after a few months he probably would not even qualify, because he is so darn smart…but since he qualifies initially…he can be in the program until he starts kindergarten! He already loves it and had very little to no separation anxiety due to the fact that Ruthie's room if filled with toys!! She has tons of tractors and trucks!! He was in heaven!! Plus it helped that he was already so familiar and comfortable with Ruthie since she has been coming to our house all summer to work with Brady in his therapy room. Hayden even likes pre school so much that on Monday and Tuesday when we told him he could not go to Ruthie's because he was sick, he hung his poor little head and started to cry…poor little guy!
Piper is doing great too, and getting TALL, and her hair is still beautiful and down to her bottom. She loves playing in our neighborhood with all of her friends, and riding her bike and scooter! Piper loves art, and recess! Math and spelling…not so much!! Big surprise! Well at least we know she is completely normal!! ;o)
Brady has been working very hard in his new therapy room in our basement all summer. We have had some people come in from a respite group that I have trained to do the son rise program. Working with them has been helpful as it frees Steve and I up for a couple hours 2-3 times a week to get some stuff done around the house, and spend some quality time with Hayden and Piper. I am not sure how we will proceed with that into the next year because they are very expensive and to this point have not been as consistent as far as "regular" staff. It seems like every time they come it is a different person. Ideally I had requested it be only like 2 or maybe 3 different people so it would allow for some sort of routine for Brady. They do have 2-3 people but they rotate on a daily basis that he just seems more irritated by the inconsistency then anything. I understand that part of trying to overcome the rigidness of the autistic tendencies would be to allow this…but in my opinion if something is not broke…don't fix it. Right now what is working is the program we are running…and part of that still allows for some of his "routine". The words are coming and that is what is important. We need him to be able to first communicate. We will deal with all the other stuff later…when he can UNDERSTAND what we are telling him. I have considered putting an ad out there trying to find a college student who is interested in special ed or maybe social work to come in a few nights a week and do the son rise program with Brady. I would love to do it myself and would if not for the other two kids. I can't very well spend 2-3 hours in the therapy room with Brady and leave the other two on their own. The way the program works, is you need to be able to give undivided attention to Brady in order to bring him out of autism.
UUUUGH!! Every time I get down or discouraged I have to remind myself that things could always be worse. Brady is a cuddly loving happy little guy who everyone who knows him, loves him…and we need to be patient, and help him through this. We will get there and he IS making progress…I am just so anxious to be a normal family who does normal stuff…like go camping…or family vacations…like dare to dream…Disney World. I SOOO want to take my kids there someday. I want Brady to understand that we ride, we get off…and we move on. Instead of meltdowns and him hitting himself when it is time to get off a ride. Trust me we have tried…not Disney…but we took him to the Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe…it was not ideal…and we had plenty of people staring and wondering what was wrong with our lil man. I will say this though…after the very first ride, when I had to explain to the gal running the ride why my son had a death grip on the bars of the car he had just had the ride of his life in…and was screaming so loud I am sure the whole city of Bloomington heard him, that I was sorry for the delay, and that my son was autistic, to her credit, she immediately called a manager over who brought with her a booklet that she signed for us that would allow Brady be able to enter through the handicapped entrance to each ride and to not have to wait in line…AND he could go twice on each ride without having to get off!! For once his disability was less of a curse, and more of a bonus for miss Piper!! She got to reap the benefit too!! She was his riding buddy!! She loved it!! It was hard between walking to each ride, because he would get really upset about leaving the previous ride, and he just never did quite "get" the fact that we were going on a different ride next. ***sigh*** But, I guess we have to start somewhere right?? Better to try that then to try to go to Disney and have either Steve or I take turns with Brady in the hotel because he just gets too overwhelmed…right? WOW…that went off in a whole other direction from back to school…huh? Well, these are just some of the things we face everyday. People with 2-3 or even one neuro typical child have no idea how blessed they are to be "normal". I love Brady, he is a very special child, but would I change things if I could…you bet! Would I trade him for another child…not our Brady, to make the autism go away?…not for a million dollars! When Brady was younger…maybe like 18 months or so, we would be riding in the car and Brady would BURST out in a giggle…for no reason at all. Steve and I would look at each other puzzled like what the heck did he find so funny?? Steve would tease and say "That's my "special" boy" at that time we had no idea how true those words would be. Brady IS special…and it is our job as his parents to help him be all he can be…no matter how hard, and bumpy the road may be.
Any hoo...Keep us in your thoughts, and even though we may be a little wrapped up in "our own world" here, we most definitely wish we could keep in touch better, spend more time with all of our friends and family, and we appreciate and love all of you dearly!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed healthcare provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.

Progress!

This post has been copied from our "Care Page"
Posted Mar 7, 2012 11:13pm


Well Ruthie and her son Michael have been working with Brady after school for about 2 months now. He spends about 10 hours a week, one on one with one of them in his room, without anyone else interrupting. We let them go into his room and then lock the door so Piper and Hayden can not interrupt. I am excited to report we have gone from only a few words (Mom, nigh nigh, and pop…pop as in soda pop) to about 20 word approximations.
Mom, pop, Cut, Key, Up, Down, Hide, Chase, tttt for tickle, sisses for glasses, eye for ice (as in ice cream), go, you, nigh nigh, da for dad, he is making the "w" sound for water, ball, ssss for cereal, and a few more. Steve and I do not get to hear the words as often as Michael and Ruthie get to, but I think it is because he has US so trained! We are also hearing a lot more babbling, like you would hear from a baby as they learn to talk. The other teachers at Brady's pre school can not believe the progress he is making in such a short time, and it is ALL because of the Son Rise principals we are using with Brady. I also think that due to this "joining" principal Brady's eye contact has increased a ton!! This is what is working for Brady. In fact he loves his "therapy" time so much that when he gets home from pre school he can not wait to set up his room with the therapy toys! Until the basement room is done we are using Brady's bedroom for his therapy. Each night we bring out all the toys, the little work table and chairs, and his small little trampoline so he can go to bed at night…but first thing he does when he gets home is bring it all back into his room!! Then when Ruthie arrives he knows it is time to "play", after all he doesn't realize it is therapy! It was so cute tonight when Ruthie got here…we usually talk a little about how his day at school went…or other little bits of info…and tonight when Ruthie got to his room, I was still talking to her…he pulled her into his room and shut the door on me!! He knew it was HIS play time!!
I still sometimes wonder if he "gets" what I am saying to him…but then there are other times when I insist that "I know you know what I am saying!" and he gives me this sly little grin!! Then I tell him he is a stinker!! and he giggles. Not sure if it is the playful tone…or if he really does understand and is just playing possum!!
We still have issues with tantrums…especially if Hayden touches ANYTHING Brady is playing with. Many times he will not allow Hayden to play with him. It hurts to see Hayden wanting to play with his brother and Brady getting so mad at him. I HOPE that gets better! He will allow Piper to play with him and his toys…but NOT Hayden. The only time Brady will play with Hayden is when toys are not involved. Even that has gotten better. He used to only play with Hayden on HIS terms…like he would play chase with Hayden…but ONLY if Hayden chases him. Well now he ALSO chases Hayden back!! That is exciting because it shows he is more aware of the people around him….he is learning it is FUN to be with his family…and with PEOPLE!!! I can NOT wait to see how much progress he makes in the months before his 5th Birthday!!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed healthcare provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.

Meeting with our volunteers.

This post has been copied from our "Care Page"
Posted Dec 20, 2011 10:09pm


Tomorrow night we will meet with or first choice for a volunteer in Brady's Son Rise program! Ruthie!!! Ruthie is Brady's pre school teacher for the early childhood education program, and both Steve and I just adore her!! She is the epitome of Energy, Enthusiasm, and Excitement!! Or "the 3 E's" like the program teaches!! The very first time I met Ruthie, I stopped by her pre school room and introduced myself as the mother of "Brady" a 2 and 3/4 year old (at that time) boy who had just been diagnosed with autism. I proceeded to tell her that he would soon be joining her class. Ruthie, unlike most people who you meet for the first time, GRABBED me and gave me a huge hug!!! I remember thinking….uuuh, ohhh,…OK….and "kind of" hugged her back…."awkward" most people when they meet for the first time shake hands….not Ruthie!! That is not her style, and BOY are we glad she is the way she is!!!… WE JUST LOVE HER!!! AND SHE LOVES BRADY!! Anyway, The night before the volunteer talk/lecture at the Son Rise conference I attended Dec 5th through the 9th, I had made a list of potential people I could talk to about being a volunteer in our Son Rise program. I was thinking how in the world am I going to find people who would be willing to do this for FREE??? The "lecture" was so great!! They told us all about how to go about "selecting" volunteers, that after that lecture I found myself crossing people off that list, and narrowing it down to a select few that I really wanted to give the "gift" to!! I say gift, because the way they (the Son Rise teachers) talked about being a Son Rise volunteer…it really is a gift to be part of something so incredible and special!! You are "allowing" the special people in your child's life to be a part of something EXTREMELY amazing!! They read a letter from a MD who had volunteered in a child's program that he never knew before he choose to volunteer. He had responded to a flyer he had seen posted at his local health food store. He said the principals he learned in the program (that the parents of this child taught him) carried over into EVERY aspect of his life! He said he was so grateful to be a part of this special program that the "payment" of the experience and self growth he got from being a volunteer, was priceless, and worth WAY more then any salary he could have earned! He felt more fulfilled in his own life by becoming a special part of the child's life he helped recover from autism!! They also talk about picking people who you would pick, if you COULD pick your family members. Essentially they will be members of your "Son Rise" family by choice. When your child no longer "needs" the program…the volunteers will be like surrogate parents to your child. They will marvel at all of the "normal" milestones Brady will reach…knowing how unlikely it would have been for him to achieve with out them!! They taught me that our volunteers will commit to Brady, they will surround him, and love him, and help guide him into our world, and out of the exclusiveness of the world he has created for himself. If you don't already know...Autistic kids get very easily overstimulated, so in defense they shut out the rest of the world, and all of it's stimulus, because when they shut everything out, the world they create inside themselves is a safe happy place. We need to help convince them that our world is fun safe and happy, and WE want them to join us there! So in order to do that….we have to FIRST join them in their world so we can lovingly guide them into ours!! SO, because of ALL of that I found myself carefully re-considering who I would give our Son Rise "gift" to!! Ruthie still tops that list!! If we can teach her the Son Rise principals, and she helps us guide Brady lovingly into our world…just think after we recover Brady…how many other families she can help!! It is what she does!! She teaches special needs kids! Wouldn't it be awesome if after a couple years in Rutihies class those "special" kids would no longer be "special" in a need extra help way?? They would be especially "typical"!!! It will be like a ripple in a pond! I feel so excited at the thought that!! Maybe one day, because of Brady, our family, and volunteers like Ruthie….many more kids could potentially reach their FULL potential!! and be "typical" children!!
OH, and by the way the people who taught the the Son Rise lectures, at the conference I went to have all personally helped MANY children…starting with their OWN family!! Bryn…who together with her parents helped her baby brother Raun, THE VERY FIRST Son Rise participant FULLY recover from his SEVERE autism!! He was WAY worse and way more "in his own world" then Brady is!! So we are already 5 steps ahead!! THEN, Bryn along with her husband William, who is also one of the Son Rise teachers, FULLY recovered their own adopted daughter Jade!!
So it is not "too good to be true" It is REAL!! If you read about my own VERY FIRST session working with Brady in this manner, you have to get the chills!! If you have not read about it yet…go back an update in this care page and you can read of mine and Brady's successes already in using this principal!
The SECRET they teach?? SIMPLE!!
Love, and REALLY, REALLY play with your child! ONE ON ONE…just you and your child…NO TV, NO electronic gadgets…just you and him…anyone remember imagination?? Back in the day when we all had less, and played just fine, using our imaginations!!
Accept him for who he is, and love him unconditionally!!
Who wouldn't LOVE BRADY? RIGHT??
And another FYI: Raun, the very 1st Son Rise child is now a graduate from Brown University, with a degree in Biomedical Ethics!! AND He is the CEO of the Autism Treatment Center of America!! How is THAT for irony…to all the professionals who told his parents Barry and Samaria Kaufman to forget about him, to institutionalize him…that he would never be more then a mute, helpless, mentally retarded child with an IQ of less then 30!! :oP
We are going to build an official Son Rise playroom in the basement, since our basement is partially unfinished. Our goal is to be doing at least 25 hours of in home one on one time with Brady in the "playroom" each week! And since we don't want the other kiddos to feel left out of the playtime, we have a plan to do the Son Rise principal with the other 2 too! Piper will get 7 hours one on one "therapy" hours a week in the playroom, and Hayden will get 12 hours a week of one on one time with either Steve or I. During the week, we will have helpers/volunteers come in and do the therapy with Brady from 3-5:30, so we can do homework with Piper, cook dinner, etc. We are also hoping to have family come spend time with Piper and Hayden on the weekends so Steve and I can spend a lot of one on one time with Brady in the playroom on the weekends.
Our goal is to be doing a full time therapy routine starting after the first of the year!
That means Brady will be one very busy little boy!! BUSY at play!!
M-F from 9am until 11:45 he will continue to go to the Rochester Center for Autism, then from 12noon until 2:30 he will be with Ruthie at school in the Byron public school early childhood program, and then from 3pm to 5:30 he will be one on one at home in therapy with either Steve, myself, or one of Brady's volunteers! TOGETHER we WILL "find" him!!
I BELIEVE!!!!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed healthcare provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.

Son Rise Program

This post has been copied from our "Care Page"
Posted Dec 15, 2011 1:24am

On August 29th 2011 I made a call that would change my life, my entire families lives, and and most importantly BRADY'S life FOREVER!!
You all know that Brady is a happy, loving, playful, cuddly, handsome, 4 year old little boy who also has autism, and at this point is non verbal. When I made a call to the Autism Treatment Center Of America…I learned that he did not have to keep the last 2 labels on that list!!
Brady did not have to always be known as a non verbal, autistic boy!!
I had found a miracle!!
The solution??!!
SIMPLE!!
Love and PLAY with your child!
Accept him for who he is and love him unconditionally!!

In the days and weeks that followed that initial call, we began to apply the basic principals of the "Son Rise" program!!
During one of our very first sessions with Brady, and with in 1 hour and a half I had reached my son!! Brady loves to run in a circle around his room and jump on his bed. Brady's bed is on the floor…to prevent injuries from a bed frame. Any way…I "joined" him in this activity. At first he was a bit surprised…and really took note of me in "his world". He made lots of eye contact with me where before there had been essentially none. Now, in his previously exclusive game he was allowing ME to take a turn!! I would copy him and run around the room and jump on his bed…then he would go…then he would wait for me to take my turn!! It was soooo cool! After about an hour of that…I was exhausted!! So I laid flat on my back on his floor looking up at the ceiling, and what did my smart boy do?? He laid down just like me!! He looked over at me and smiled a cute little grin with a look as if to say: "Hey MOM!! Where you been all my life?? Glad you could come play with me!!" I had reached him!! I was accepted into "his world"!! We were only an hour in to this very first session, and I decided to give him a little snack! Brady LOVES green grapes, and I had a whole bowl full! I decided to press my luck and go for some speech sounds. Brady had been making some beginning word sounds lately…like "mmm", "buh", "puh" and "ssss". I wanted to see if I could build on that! So I tried with one of his highest motivators!! FOOD!! I held each grape in front of my mouth so he could see me form the word, and enunciated the word "MOM"…I kept getting "muh"…BUT….by the time we got to the last few grapes…he said the WHOLE WORD!! "MOM" I could NOT believe it!!! At that point I KNEW I had to get to the Start Up session for the "Son Rise" program…and I could not get there fast enough!!
I went to the 5 day program from December 5th through the 9th of 2011!!
It was the best thing I EVER did!!
Steve goes to the Start Up in February!!
We could not both go at the same time so someone could be here for the kiddos.
If you, or someone you know, has a child with Autism or ANY other learning disability…I HIGHLY recommend this program!! If you are interested AT ALL…you owe it to yourself and your child to at least check it out!! You WON'T be sorry! I promise!!
If you are interested I can even get you a discount on the program cost for referring you!

If you want to view the AMAZING information about the "Son Rise" program, please follow this link: http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/

By January 1st we plan on finishing our official "Son Rise" playroom and working 25 hours a week one on one with Brady in his playroom!! Don't worry though…Piper and Brady will get their one on one time in the playroom too!! It is going to be so good for all of us!!

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is NOT intended to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified licensed healthcare provider. Any recommendations are for educational purposes only and are believed to be effective. However, since USE of any information provided herein by others is beyond the control of Michelle Bacon, RN, no expressed or implied guarantee as to the effectiveness of this information can be given nor liability taken.