Sunday, September 25, 2005

Yummy Yummy - about food, vaccines, etc.


Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy!!!

I love to eat my food!. My favorite things to eat right now are: hamburgers without the bun, white rice, white rice and beans (red, pink, white and black), chicken - especially the Rotisserie chicken and Honey Rice Cereal. I also enjoy eating millet bread and hot rice cereal. Of course I absolutely love to eat chips (tortilla chips and potato chips) and french fries but they are not allowed foods in the list of things that I can eat. I vary my favorites often and I get tired of some things after a while.

As many kids with Autism, I follow a Special Diet.

Researchers believe that children with Autism have problems digesting some foods because they can't break down certain proteins which can lead to the creation of toxins in their bodies. These can evolve into bacteria overgrowth (the bad one, the good bacteria is as a matter of fact, less than what it needs to be due to the bad bacteria overtaking its place) and yeast overgrowth. Notice the word "overgrowth" - the presence is significantly higher than what we all have.

Excess yeast and bad bacteria can produce damage to the gut and then the toxins have a way in to go into the bloodstream and eventually to all your body (including the brain).

Yeast is VERY hard to get rid off and it keeps on producing toxins on its own, permeatting them through the gut to the body constantly. Some researchers have identified these toxins as similar to opioids. That makes a lot of sense when you see the behavior of some kids with Autism as being in another world, with their own hallucinations and the mood swings (laughing and then crying). Sounds similar to drug effects, doesn't it?

Why does this happen is believed to be as the result of a weak digestive immune system. The digestive immune system is the most important immune system we have, but for an unknown reason, it can be weak in some kids and unable to perform its function appropiately. This is also why it is believed that kids with a weak digestive system are unable to get rid of chemicals like those found in the vaccines.

Not all the kids who get vaccinated develop Autism, but if they are prone to it by having a weak immune system, then, they will be unable to get rid of the tremendous load of heavy metals, toxins and chemicals that enter their body and it will be like poison for them.

Excess antibiotics can also be very dangerous to kids with weak digestive immune systems. If many antibiotics are prescribed to a small child due to for example, recurrent ear infections (which are believed to be yeast overgrowth and not necesarily need to be treated with an antibiotic), the antibiotics will kill the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria in the gut and it will only contribute to more bad bacteria and yeast overtaking the place of the good bacteria, thus creating more problems in an already compromised gut who doesn't know how to break down certain proteins.

There is no way right now to diagnose or identify a weak digestive immune system to distinguish what kids can be harmed by vaccines and what kids will be ok, or really, less harmed.

That is why it is such a personal decision to decide if a child should be vaccinated in the typical way or if a different approach should be taken. One approach could be skip the vaccines completely. Another can be to have a more relaxed schedule for vaccinations over a longer period of time and to have them one by one. Even to decide if they are all really necessary or if only a few would be enough. If we had to do it all over again, we would definetely go with a different approach than the typical.

The sad part is that most pediatricians dismiss this so easily that parents are left to their own to find the information they need to make a responsible decision.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

I am 6 years old



Today is my 6th birthday. I started the day very happy and my mom brushed my hair like a big boy. Mama and Papa are very excited because FINALLY, I'm smiling at the camera when they want to take my picture. In school, I gave goody bags to my friends and they sang Happy Birthday to me. After school, we went to Chuck E. Cheese, which is one of my favorite places and then we went to Target where I selected a DVD as my gift. I was so tired when we got home that I went straight to bed! What a great day!

Monday, September 19, 2005

The Many Faces of Autism



Autism is really a mysterious and overwhelming disease. It can try to take over your life and show the world many different faces. If you see a child with the face of an angel, laughing the sweetest and most contagious laugh while having "far-away-eyes", is hard to imagine that the same child can be screaming and crying for "no apparent reason" two minutes later.
That is what Autism can do. It can disturb your body so much that the sensations and interpretation of what goes in the body plus what goes out in the environment can cause a great gamma of feelings.
In the "Autism World" you can find the term "stims" coming from "stimulating behaviors" that an individual with autism can engage into an that can really make evident that person has autism (let's stop using the term autistic, please - not politically correct).
Stimming can include:
- flapping hands/fingers
- closing eyes
- spinning in circles
- covering ears
- loud vocalizations
and many other behaviors that can be extremely dangerous when they involve self-injurious aggressions.
What can you do?
If you ever are in the presence of a child engaging in behaviors that can be misunderstood as "tantrums" or "spoiled", please be sympathetic. Don't stare, don't judge and don't try to give simple solutions. The parents of a child with autism having a bad episode, probably feel bad as it is. Share a positive thought, a silent prayer, a heartfelt smile: good energies can really help!

Sunday, August 28, 2005

All that Jazz!!



Today, I am starting Music Therapy. This is a new and exciting therapy that has the purpose of regulating frequencies in the ear and the brain that need to be balanced to understand sounds better.

We hope this therapy will help me to improve my verbal communication. We have done AIT in the past, which is another form of Audio Therapy but at this moment my doctor thinks it will be good to do this therapy and expect better results.

In Music Therapy, I listen to different CD's with special music using special earphones, for 30 mins, two times a day. I enjoy listening to the music and find some parts of it, very funny.

I want to say THANK YOU to Ms. Jennifer, Adam's mom who sent me the CD's and also GRACIAS to Abuita who gave me the earphones for my birthday!!!

I listen while I am in the car, and also in my house, preferably while using my swing.

This therapy is supposed to last several months so I am trying to enjoy every minute of it!!

Friday, August 26, 2005

Clear aaaalllllll blockages!!!



Since Autism is still a mystery for the doctors and they don't yet know the cause or the cure, since June 2004 (4.9 yrs old), we are following a biomedical treatment based on Oriental Medicine. It consists of rebalancing and fixing the frequencies in my body to replenish minerals and get rid of all the toxicity that my body can't fight by himself.

In this treatment I really live the life of a king: I get really nice massages two times a day with the purpose of clearing all blockages that are in my body.

Also, once a week, Papá gives me a very warm bath with detoxifying clays. What you see in the bathtub is the residue of the clay after I get my weekly baths.

I also take minerals and yeast fighters that support my body through all this process.


So far, this treatment has helped me to understand things a lot better and I have gotten very good at following instructions. Hopefully, it will continue helping me with not only my receptive but also my expressive language, and this way I fight the Autism that affects me.

My doctor, Theresa, is in this picture with me. She is very sweet and I have fun every time I visit her.

Home Therapy








Since a little before I turned 2 years old (August 2001), I have been receiving Verbal Behavior Therapy.

First, it was with Children Psychology Assoc. Mamá took me there every day for 2 hours and we practiced repeating sounds and playing while Mamá watched me through TV monitors in another room. I had two or three different therapists there and I remember Maggie with lots of love.

Then, Mamá thought it was better to have the therapists coming to our house and we started doing that. I really liked that better because we got to play with all the fun toys I had in my room. Marta was my therapist at that time and I loved her very much.

When we moved to our new house I continued with the therapies at home, everyday after school, for two hours. It is a lot of work but they really help me to learn new things like make puzzles, sort objects and pictures, follow different instructions and lately I have been learning how to write, even my name!. Trisha, Tamika, Sarah and Devoni have been my favorite therapists and they all have one thing in common: they were very nice and they love me very much.

Mamá is very happy that all these people have come into our lifes and we are all very thankful for how nice they have always been to us.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

This is Dash

This is Dash, our puppy. He is a black labrador retriever and is only 6 months old. Papa is training him to be my service dog when he grows up. He needs to have an intensive training to learn how to help me in situations of danger like crossing the streets or stopping me if I decide to start running away. He will also help me with my socialization skills since he is a very friendly dog.
He already has an instict to protect me and he comes running to see me everytime he hears me crying. He also loves to be around me and we play together a lot.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Classes start tomorrow!!




Classes start tomorrow and I am going to a new school. It is closer to where I live, so I was assigned to go there. It is a very nice school and I think I am going to love it. I am going to Kindergarten and the room is very beautiful. The 3 of Hearts Foundation http://3ofhearts.org/ even donated $1,000 for materials and supplies. I will post pictures of it later.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

BOWLING

Today I went for the first time to play Bowling. I had so much fun!!! I went with Mamita, JJ, Abuita and Abuito. Papito was at work, but he was very happy to know that I was bowling!!.
Here is a picture of me in action.

Saturday, July 23, 2005

MINI GOLF and RACE CARS


Today we went to play mini golf and race cars. Since I was too small I was not able to drive the gokart by myself, but I was able to do it with Papito. Take a Look!!

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The Abuitos are Here!


Since my abuitos are visiting us, I've been having lots of fun. This is a picture of me and Jay with my abuitos.
We have been to many places including the beach. We stayed at Siesta Key, Florida and I enjoyed every minute of it. Here I am playing in the sand with my brother and Abuita. I LOVE WATER!!!!

Monday, July 04, 2005

We have more visitors!

One day after my abus left, titi Doris came to stay with us for a week. She took care of me and my brother while mama was working. I love having company! Titi Doris took this picture of me and look how happy I am....

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Summer is starting!


This summer is having a very exciting start. My grandparents and my madrina came to visit us and I love having people over our house. We spent one week in an apartment close to the beach and we had a lot of fun. We even went to visit the #1 Beach in the U.S. which is the North Beach in the beautiful Fort De Soto, Florida. In this picture I am with my Abus that I love ssoooo much!!! ¡Te quiero mucho, Abu!

Thursday, June 02, 2005

HELLO!


Hi! My name is Diego and I am 5 years old. I have Autism and, as you can appreciate by looking at these pictures, I am a happy kid. I live with Mama, Papa, my brother Jay, my dog Dash, 2 birds and 2 fishes.
Autism is a very difficult condition because it doesn't let me speak. I try to say some words but it's really hard. I can understand many things and I am learning more each day. I work very hard for this going to school since I was 2 yrs old and having therapy at home every day.
Since there is no definite explanation as of what causes autism, it is very hard to treat. I have tried many different biomedical treatments and we are still trying to eliminate the toxins that we believe are in my body and are messing me up. The treatment that we are doing right now is a lot of fun because it involves accupressure and frequencies modulations and I really enjoy the massages.
This blog is to record everything that I am doing so my family and friends can keep track of all my activities. It is also a way to keep a connection with all of those who constantly pray for me, and this way we can all be together for a moment while you learn about the new things that are happening in my life.
For now, I understand mostly english, that is why Papa decided to make this blog in english, but soon, we'll have a version is spanish.
Keep on praying for me and I know only good things will come our way.
Love,
Diego