Autism Recovery, Coming out on the other side

"Her readings now are basically showing more like a typical kid with allergies" -MC

That was the moment t I lost it. We have been fighting now for almost five years , sacrificing everything literally, in order to help my daughter recover and heal. The past 3 years we have seen Mary Coyle of The Real Child Center utilizing homotoxicology as part of her protocol of non-invasive detoxification in conjunction with biomedical/dietary treatments. My daughter's Health has done a 360! We have been fighting for 3 years to regulate her thyroid which at the very beginning was very extremely sluggish. Yesterday, being told by Mary that she's never seen a thyroid reading so good and have such a remarkable comeback and then telling me that her readings are looking more like a typical kid with allergies..... I CANNOT even express my thought process at that very moment. I just started crying happy tears. Thinking about how far she had come, about a recent conversation I had with my husband about  "whats next" or IF there is "anything else we can do or is that it?" then becoming so sad because of the reality that we simply might not have any more options left. Going from feeling helpless to OMG WTF did she just say?!Biologically she is just about HEALED?! So many thoughts ran through my head and I was just overjoyed to hear that at least her body and her health just might make a full comeback. She will always have autoimmune/mitochondrial disorders and food/ environmental allergies but in the best health that she can reach for her personal conditions. She was SO SICK for SO LONG because NO treatments were ever tried nor done due to the FAILURE of our pediatricians and so called specialists. Just about 9 years she suffered, but I KNEW something was wrong and had to push forward despite what they said (Autism was a social/brain disorder) and found a whole new world of doctors and practitioners whom COULD help me heal my child because they UNDERSTAND that Autism is MEDICAL and these people who help do exist. MAPS ( Medical Academy Pediatrics Special Needs) , Holistic, homeopathic practitioners ,chiropractors and wellness centers are who you see and where you go to find the people who can help. GET TO THEM , they can help guide you! 

Although Bella's health has recovered tremendously, she will always have to follow a certain diet, take her supplements and do other daily treatments to KEEP her health. Its Still going to remain a challenge but its so GOOD to hear that all that we sacrificed and all that we have done WORKED and EFFECTIVELY. KNOWING she will now be OK and STABLE IS Recovery in my eyes. Its HER Recovery. Sabrina still has very prevalent brain damage. She has prevalent learning disabilities, although she understands everything thats going on around her, and conversations she hears and is very "present" now, she is still vulnerable and could easily be taken advantage of. She can be easily manipulated, she has NO common sense but she has shown remarkable improvement to being more aware of her surroundings. She will not elope anymore, she may start to walk ahead or wander alillte but nothing like the scary situations we had gone through when she was little, blocked and lost. She can read 3rd grade level and academically 2-3rd grade which has been steady past 4 years. We work on retention of the skills shes already learned as well as strive and try to acquire new ones. Homeschooling has definitely helped in that area as to what can work on, whatever, whenever, on HER time, at her pace, in the style that best fits her learning abilities (Which is HANDS ON). She understands basic concepts and pick them up quick but more complicated thinking you can find her frustrated. WH questions, Who ,what ,when ,where and why have always been challenging especially "why" but she has even shown great improvement with them. In the recent months, she has been recently starting to ASK questions!!! That is AMAZING in itself and then she asked 3 WHY questions! The most complicated "thinking" of them all. Sabrina has even answered a few other Wh questions as well! Something that just didn't happen BEFORE the journey began. I still SEE the difficulty and right now, although so many tremendous improvements throughout her recovery journey, the reality is her brain damage is prevalent where I sadly do not see the possibility for a FULL recovery for her. (FULL recovery = Loss of autism diagnosis) Although extremely independent, she will always need some type of support and protection. Perhaps IF she received the medical help at age 2 when she received her diagnosis, things could of been different. The SOONER you implement treatment the BETTER chance for a full recovery. We had a late start and even so, I am BEYOND thankful for the leaps and bounds she has improved! I do keep HOPE that things will continue to improve as she is NOT fully detoxed just yet. That is going to be a slow on going process which will take time. I am keeping the faith and I do have hope left for more improvement overall cognitively , expressive / receptive language, and auditory processing. Once her health was back on track then I wanted to turn all my energy and focus on her "outside" therapy. Anything to help build her brain connections like what we have been doing the past year utilizing Neurofeedback which has been a huge help in developing those skills. Also get her more involved with the community. Put her social skills more to work, continue on building her self esteem and self confidence so when she is presented in a social setting with typical peers she feels good and comfortable to where she will not "bug out" but instead interact and be her funny, silly self. She has made a friend in which she calls her "my best friend Casadee" and has continued to develop her relationship with her typical 10 year old peer. Developmentally she continue to slowly mature and seams most comfortable and interacts best with the "tweens". She will also be returning to ballet class next week which is SUPER exciting for her. She misses the classes and cannot wait to get back in class with other typical peers (tweens). She has evolved so much its been amazing to watch her continue to grow. She is a HAPPIER, HEALTHIER kid and because of that we are FINALLY able to SEE WHO Sabrina is. She has Finally BROKE through that barrier. Autism cannot have my child anymore! She is a FIGHTER and she is WINNING! 

 I am definitely optimistic about her future but I'm also a realist. I am taking everything day by day. I keep reminding myself that we haven't crossed the "finish line" just yet. We still have our last mountain to get over (detox) but we are half way there and will make it through fighting, kicking and screaming if need be! I am just so grateful to God for guidance and thankful to our angels here on earth that have helped to make some of these therapies possible for her to participate in. (Thank you for your donations!)       

My girl definitely has a troop of Guardian Angels watching over her! 

Don't let anyone fool you, AUTISM RECOVERY IS REAL! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

 So I'm Sitting in my kitchen at the kitchen table scrolling through my Facebook like I do every morning so I could reply to anyone who has sent me messages or ask questions or responded on my pages.... Sabrina comes walking in....

"Mom what are you doing?"

"I am on Facebook checking out my pages and responding to people. What are you doing?"

"Oh I see, that's okay Mom. I hope you have a good morning"

"If you give me a big hug I know my morning will be better."

So I stand up and open up my robe and get a big snuggle hug from my girl.

"Come with me Mom, to mom's bathroom"

"Okay, why are we going to Mom's bathroom?"
We walk over to my bathroom she opens the door puts me in there and closes the door.

"Go ahead mom now you can go pee!"

"Oh gee thanks, LOL, but I don't have to pee what am I to do now?"

She ran away laughing....
No clue what all that was about I thought it was cute and had to share. Lol‪ #‎FUA‬

Braincore Neurofeedback therapy and Autism

So, what exactly IS Neurofeedback therapy and what can it do for my child with Autism? 

Brain Core Neurofeedback Therapy 
Brain Core Therapy provides a unique drugless approach to addressing Neurological Dysregulation Syndrome (NDS), a condition resulting from tension on the nervous system caused by a subluxated spine, poor nutrition, stress, drugs or trauma. NDS may be associated with the symptoms of many neurologically-based conditions including: ADD/ ADHD /Autism /ASD /Headaches /Migraines /Learning Disorders and Memory Loss Associated with Aging /Overeating, Binge Eating / Fibromyalgia Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Panic /Anxiety Disorders and Insomnia to name a few.The BrainCore technology and science is based on a training procedure that effectively regulates the nervous system, providing proven relief of a wide range of conditions 
associated with NDS. 

BRAIN CORE THERAPY / NEURO FEEDBACK
 To Re-balance the imbalances and make new connections within her brain... to Optimize the brain waves.. that is what this therapy is providing. Like What we do BIOMEDICALY with there little bodies, remember its finding the imbalances within, treating those imbalances to make new connections. Best way to describe Brain Core is doing just that.. recognizing the mis-connections utilizing the Q and then develpoing a protocol from that Q , individualized , in hopes of helping the brain to find and make new connections or create them. Its like going to the gym. You go to work out your muscles to get stronger, well thats the neurofeedback therapy.. a work out for your brain to become stronger. 

HOW IT WORKS: 
Visual , auditory , or tactile feedback is used to reward your brain when it is producing a regulated brain wave pattern. Over the course of time, your brain learns to do that on its own- therefore alleviating various symptoms and improving overall performance.  
Neurofeedback training is a training modality used to reorganize your brain wave patterns for optional functioning. It is extremely helpful in alleviating various symptoms, but it is also crucial for peak performance in everyday life. You eat healthy and go to the gym to make sure your body is in tip top shape, but what about your brain? The brain is one of the most complex and still developing organs in the human body. It needs constant stimulation and input in order to maintain plasticity and adapt to the world around us. Neurofeedback is often used as an alternative option to medication because it is completely drug free with absolutely no side effects. Many individuals also use Neurofeedback as a preventative option for anti aging , self-awareness, and mind/body regulation. It is a cognitive and executive functioning , fine and gross motor abilities , emotional balance , and social skills in all ages from all walks of life.  

WE did step one, which Identified the imbalances QEEG creating a "Brain map" which will show her unique protocol. Then step 2 is the therapies which to start, we will be going to 2 times a week about 30/40 sessions. There IS "homework" we will be receiving a pair of glasses ,ear phones and a mini  "brain Wave" machine to take home. Home therapies are to help sustain the Feed back therapies done in the office. It also can work as a tool ion helping at home with other symptoms such as calming for sleep, concentration before homework etc. Our "homework" is about 20 min twice a week in-between therapies. Like anything else..the more u do..the faster you can see results. So we will hope for the best! Like I always say..sometimes you have to go through that Storm to get to that Rainbow! We are ready to fight our way through! We have thus far! And I WILL continue to keep everyone posted as we go! There was just so much MORE to explain and info but My own brain waves are going NUTS lol so to learn MORE about brain core what it is and how it works go to there MAIN website. 

Here are some pictures taken from the beginning of her Neurofeedback Journey. It was alittle tough for her to sit still back then, but she always managed to get through it. She also seamed to like going and always love to bring her weighted blanket along with a few of her plush special "friends" for comfort. 

 

                                                                                                                                           


UPDATE: Since Bella has completed and done the 45 sessions of Neurofeedback (2012) 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      This was our ending result. I did see a few improvements. Her receptive language got better. Verbal communication improved alittle. Her reading at school went up one level, her reading comprehension did improve as well. I can't say it was OMG I saw results right away over night and in your face. No, for her it little by little and some gains weren't starting to show until towards the end. I Had decided to stop not because we weren't seeing anything at all, but because at that time I felt we needed to focus more on her insides. Her obvious but unfounded medical/heath issues. I knew she had them and I had finally found a MAPS doc to bring her to see and perhaps get some answers. My focus went to figuring out her heath period. So thats what we did and I am SO glad we did because we did indeed find out ALOT more we needed to know in-order to help my girl. So thats what we have been focusing on. Balancing the insides.. Medical is the "cake" of autism ( immune , metabolic, gut , neurological ) and outside therapies are the "icing" Speech ABA neurofeedback etc. because until the insides are addressed nothing else will be-able to work to its FULL potential. 
I feel that once her body is in the right direction, detoxed and stronger clearer it will be way more receptive to this therapy. That is MY own personal belief from what I have learned and experienced. So when she is in a better place, and I feel it might be more beneficial, then I do plan on re-visiting Braincore . 

Biomedical Update 
More about her Medical journey 
Until then I hope this has helped.


UPDATE : September 2015 we have started back with Neurofeedback therapy. 

Bella has been doing well biologically/medically, that I decided she was ready to go back and revisit this option. I had asked her about it, and she was excited to start back. Like I have stated previously, I believe that this a "icing" therapy, so now that we had "the go" about her medical stability I felt that this was going to be a good time to try again to see if this is going to really help her even more so this time around. Since Bella had come such along way since last time, she was able to communicate and have a conversation (simplicity but conversing ) about Braincore and possibly going back. She had responded that "Oh yes, I love Braincore! Lets go mom!" and I would ask her if she thinks it is helpful and she would respond "It makes my brain feel good" so with that said we started her back up. WE had to revisit the Q map and I was extremely curious as to what the results would be compared to the last time she had one done. Our doc was pleasantly surprised with her readings, he said he saw a an overall improvement in her brain, he says it has changed and all for the better. That just solidified to me that all that hard work we did to treat her medical issues indeed made a huge difference and impact on not only her health, but her brain as well! I mean I can 'see" how well she has been doing and how she progresses but sometimes its nice to get a test back that SHOWS it in Black and white. That made me feel great and even more so optimistic that this time around maybe a game changer, and that perhaps now that her brain has had sometime to heal that perhaps it will be more receptive to these brain games will build and strengthen her brain even more. Building more connections to help her in the areas she needed help with most. It was cool to see alot of red was now green and yellow. The goal is green and coming from a sheet of primarily red to a sheet of primarily green always feels good. The new protocols seem to be concentrating and based around the areas of emotional and self awareness, Cognitive areas and language as well. After the first 10 sessions I had asked her again 
" How to you like Braincore? Do you think its helping your brain?"
Her answer 
" Oh yes mom! I LOVE braincore, it helps me think and makes my brain feel good. Can we go again?"

So I will listen to her and follow her lead. She is much more calm now, and is able to sit through all the testing and therapy so much easier then the first go. Its amazing how much of a difference. When we started back they couldn't believe how much she had grown and how much more she was able to talk and communicate in general and especially with them. So its interesting to watch how this maybe helping her. I know I definitely have seen a HUGE increase in self awareness. She has been displaying self control even in a meltdown, she has seemingly learned to self sooth and calm herself. I've noticed depth in conversation and meaningfulness. She had recently begun to ask questions! I was like who are you ?! LOL A child who was completely lost at one point in her life was coming up to me and saying " Hey mom. can i ask you a question?" 
"Sure honey , what is the question?"
"Can I go to the store and Tmobile for my new iphone?" 
" I told you we have to wait for Daddy Mike to get home"
"Ohhhh OK. I just can't wait, I am so excited cause I'm a teenage now and I can text message my Chuck e Cheese friends and me!"  
"Yes yes.. don't worry will set it all up soon enough." "Ohhhhh YEAHIE!"

Yes my daughter is going to be 15 this year and loves Chuck E Cheese. The characters and the band, NOT the food lol Thats autism for you, these kids are developmentally delayed. Great thing with have noticed with her though is that shes maturing. How much will she? I'm not sure where it will stop but shes showing signs of age appropriateness but mostly she relates best with ages 9-12. So thats why she mentioned Chuck E Cheese. Anyways, So far I have been seeing all kinds of progression with that kind of stuff. Communication, articulation , cognitive/ receptive language, self awareness , more confidence in social environments, emotional balance just to name a few things...  I'll take it. We will continue on and will see what happens from here. I am optimistic that this is helping her, after all she tells me it is. I cant deny what I have seen progress and improve and  I can't deny what she says and how she feels. All I can do is have faith , hope and follow her lead. 

My final thoughts...
I do think this therapy would be a beneficial option for many people with related issues to check out. However, I believe that for this therapy to really work to its full potential, the person in question should be medically on the right track so that the brain will be more receptive to this therapy. ESPECIALLY when its a child/adult with Autism, ADD , ADHD, Asperger's as they are all medical issues and very treatable bio-medically. Your going to put time, money and energy into something you mind as well do it when you will get the most out of it. Unless your rich, I guess then it wouldn't matter lol but thats my take and opinion about this therapy. Warrior approved!
 More info Neurofeedback 

Is Homeschooling children with Autism the Answer? For us, now it is.

Hello friends! Many things have been going on since this school year has started. From the very beginning, Bella had started in district. In 2006, she was placed in a autism class the district called an 8:1:2 . For those of you whom are new to this, it means 8 kids, 1 special ed teacher and 2 special ed teacher assistants. Her class was the first created in our district because lets face it, there were no need for these classes as autism was known but not as evident as it is today. Then it was 1 in 150 kids, and her generation I feel is really the beginning of the tsunami of which ALL schools are just now feeling the effects of. So since kindergarten she has remained in the typical schools, she had always had Speech and integrated with typical peers throughout her schooling career with them. We have had our ups and downs but overall it has never been at a point where I felt my child was in danger, or that the school staff was mistreating my child. We have actually quite a few great teachers throughout, and had a few that just quite frankly sucked. But overall ,if I wanted something or asked or needed anything it was usually given without problems, that was until 6th grade. Middle school has changed my opinions of not only the district we are in, but of the schooling community as a whole. My eyes are wide open to how much they are truly UNprepared for our children and how very clueless they have become when it come to helping them achieve not only academically, but socially and intellectually. 
I would like everyone to keep in mind that during those years, Bella had never had any medical treatments nor biomedical help. It wasn't until 2011 ,which was the beginning of her 4th grade year, that she started her healing and recovery road.  We did not know autism was in fact medical and that other issues even existed as we were told as most are "autism is a brain disorder", more about our story here.  Although we had ups and downs during those years we had a wonderful teacher who was very receptive to what I was learning  and what I was doing in order to help Bella's health. It was very challenging changing up the food and routines, but we got through it and I am VERY thankful to that teacher and her assistants whom have been so very patient and willing to help us get Sabrina though it all and stay on the right track in her schooling during this time. 5th grade was with a new teacher, she was receptive but less supportive and inquisitive. She seamed more concerned with her feelings then her job as a teacher. Regardless ,again we made it through another year. However, I knew 6th grade was going to be a whole new ball game as they were moving up into a new school , new kids, new teachers , principles and staff. A whole new world that would either make or break her. I was lucky that by the time 5th grade ended sabrina was so done with the "baby school" and she was SO excited to start in a new 'big kid" school. By that point we were 2 years into the biomeds and going in the right direction. She was doing well and I really didn't have too many concerns. The program was going to be created and extend into the middle school. 8:1:2 and she was going to continue getting her specials as well as the opportunity to integrate with typical peers. Everything sounded great. We went to the building, toured it a few times. Had her all excited to go, met the new teacher whom we really liked. She was also very receptive about our journey and continued to support us in anyway that she could. 6th grade didn't seam like it would turn out to be too bad. They had created a schedule that seamed appropriate and bottom line, my child was super excited to go.

As the year started she met a friend ,Sapphire who would become her very good friend that year. She seamed to adjust without a problem and seamed to love being in a new building having her own locker and feeling I'm sure much more independent. My girl was always very independent. Now throughout this time sabrina had some difficulties in school. Academically she was struggling and behaviors were becoming more frequent which is NOT like her. In 2013 we started homotoxicology to help her body continue to get healthy and heal with detoxing . You can read more here . So I know that going through that had played some parts of the ups and downs. And her main teacher was very aware of what we were doing and I had always kept her informed prior to any new protocol or changes that may effect her behavior. But towards the end of the year it seamed to have changed into something more. Also during that time, I had issues with her speech therapist as she was much older, obviously had little to no experience with our kids , I mean how could she if we are the first class? She acted as if she knew it all, but the sad part was that she was very closed minded ,not receptive and actually I feel manipulative when it came to truth telling to other staff members,especially her superiors. So as you could imagine I was not very happy with how she was running things, and when questioned and given my advice as to what I wanted to see happen she would lie and say  she'd do it, or check into it, and yet nothing would get done. It wasn't until I went over her head to her superiors that I started to get heard. I can get into all the details but really it doesn't matter at this point. I fought for what I believed in and ultimately after blood sweat and tears, got what I wanted by then end of 6th grade and not only for her. She got though 6th grade, and then summer session was definitely challenging. It was better then the prior year but getting phone calls and going up there alot was not my idea of retainment, but we got through it. Then came September and the second year of middle school. 7th grade, supposed to be easier so I thought, well boy oh boy was I wrong! 

Since the first few days, between having a jerk for a bus driver and when Bella first went to class and learned her BFF sapphire was no longer at the school, it DEVASTATED her! They would eat lunch together everyday, now she was alone and felt very alone. You can imagine kids at this age are not very accepting, many bully and give nasty looks and name call. Bella fell subject to that, I know she has. She only would wear hello kitty at that time so that was an easy target for her to be made fun of. Some think I should of made her wear other clothes, but being a victim of bullying my whole childhood, I was NOT going to let my child back down. She was going to know that she is beautiful, and special and if she loved Hello Kitty clothes then thats what she is going to wear. These kids love Hollister..then good for them ,they can wear that. She will NEVER be told not to be who she is or do what she loves and especially how to dress to apease others,no matter what the age. That is wear teachers and parents have to step in and teach LOVE, acceptance and understanding of others. That no one is better then the next and that being a goof friend to those who can use one is what is needed. Not to change who we are or who she is just because someone else is a jerk. I feel that way with all children. I instill that it in BOTH my children. So I feel that this girl Sapphire was that friend, whom stuck up for her who was there for her and now with her gone it became catastrophic in her eyes. Bella started to shut down and closed off herself and started acting out behaviorally. She started eloping from lunch daily. It got to the point she didn't even want to sit in the cafeteria anymore. Her teacher and staff had made a unused room into a 'safe place" for her to go and eat by herself with a staff member. Its really quite sad. They did try to help her, but some things no one can fix. It was Bella's first lesson in feeling "loss" real loss. She was heartbroken as i was for her too. So that didn't help the start of this year. Then on top of that she was in mist of her physical change , puberty. Her period was going to be starting and that physical change and stress alone had her going in all directions. Plus at that time we had stopped the homeopathic treatments for a month or so since financially we were having difficulties so I know that didn't help matters too. By October I was up there almost everyday from the phone calls of her lack of compliance. It lead to a call I received to go up there in which this time her teacher didn't greet me but the assistant principal did. I was escorted into the principal's office in which I was sat down and told that Sabrina scratched her TA (teacher aide) and broke skin so now Bella was suspended from school and had to remain at home for 3 days. I was APPALLED at them! To make a long story short, I tried to explain about her friend, her devastation, the puberty and how her autism cannot get suspended. HOW did this TA get scratched? They tell me she went to pick Bella up during a meltdown...well HELLO... BINGO! WHY would you do that?! There is an informal behavior plan in which all know if she gets to melt down mode you step away and let her ride it out. SHE has to calm herself, and anyone getting close (including myself ) can get hurt. They felt they were justified and I was sent home with Bella. My mind was spinning and racing I KNEW they couldn't do that. I knew it was because ,like me, they were at wits end and did not know what to do or how to handle it. I had major phone calls to do, to head of special Ed and the Superintendent in schools , to lawyers and friends. I informed them of what happened and learned I was right. That "manifestation of her disability" is not justified for a suspension, its actually illegal! The next day I actually went up to the school again to speak to the principle about that, and I wanted to see the TA hand she scratched. I mean if blood was drawn you should still have a mark, no? Well after them trying to get out of bringing her down and my persistence they finally did and there was NOTHING! I went to take a picture even and was informed I could not. I called bullshit. Also I learned that not only did they try to grab her, but were instructed to hold her down by her wrists and ankles until she stopped!!! I wanted to SCREAM and PUNCH them all! Are you f**KIng for real?! The WORST thing to do during a melt down is to restrain a child, HOW can this happen?!! So Yes after a few calls to some lawyers and higher ups, Bella suspension was overturned and removed from her file. I still was not apologized to. I immediately removed Bella from school. I had brought her to see our MAPS doc and filled him in on what was going on and he was horrified to hear this. We also got back to our homotoxicologist which given the new protocol helped her tremendously!! Puberty was definitely kicking her ass in that sense. And our MAPS wrote me a letter that Bella should have home teaching until further notice due to medical reasons. Home teaching is when the school send a substitute to your home to do the school work instead of sending the child into school. The school gave me a hard time, but did so. They also tried to send her to Boces , with the more severe children, a placement that was not suitable for her. I did not have the time to check out neighboring districts about their programs and honestly most districts around me bus thier special ed kids to the district I am already in. So she had home teaching for about another month. I needed more time to figure things out. More time to see if homeschooling was an option. In that time, meeting after meeting, email after email and still no apology and to make it quite frank, I had the Head of Special education tell me that what her staff did was appropriate?!!! I am sorry but if ANY school thinks restraining a child in full meltdown is appropriate then we have a VERY serious problem. After a lengthy email saying so, I made the decision to homeschool her. On December 12, 2014 she was officially removed from school and her HIP ( Home individualized education plan)  submitted which was approved that following monday. I was unsure if I made the right decision, I was afraid if I could really be capable of teaching Bella what she needs to know. I prayed and asked God for a sign and to lead me. Since then I have gotten my answers, and my decision to keep her home became clear...that is was not only a good one, but the right one for her. So thats why we are now homeschooling. She mentions going back to "a new school' from time to time. If she ever returned into a district , I guarantee it will NOT be in this one. Right now homeschooling is working for her, for us. She is happier, less stressed as am I. I see first hand what she already knows, what she wants to learn and HOW she learns. We go see an outside speech therapist twice a week who has help her more then that other one ever did at 5 times a week! I have to say it has been quite a blessing in disguise. Now I know its not for everyone. If you have an awesome school, with a great program and its working for you like it did for us for many years  then Good for you! I am happy, but if you have had horror after horror stories and having difficulty I will highly recommend looking into homeschooling your special needs child. Lets face it, no one knows them better then we do. The schools do not have the correct support nor enough support to help our kids. Our children have gone through enough, they are unique and have different ways of learning. Funny thing, The head of special ed felt that by me homeschooling I was giving Bella the most restricted way to learn. As if it was a bad thing. i know the politics and i know the funding runs with who attends their schools so they can try to manipulate you the way doctors do when you make that decision they are opposed to or will be affected negatively by. SCREW THEM! What this person failed to realize and I was quite happy to inform her of is that actually Bella will now has the FREEDOM to learn. Freedom to learn the way she is capable of learning, freedom to learn on HER time, not by a strict schedule on their terms. Freedom to learn about life hands on. Freedom to socialize everywhere we go. And freedom to be in a stress free and SAFE environment, where she will never be restrained again! Freedom to continue to heal and recover her health without incident to others and without scrutiny. Homeschooling is actually the LEAST restrictive because what WE says Goes! You can imagine everyone at that table's mouth dropped. And I left that last CSE with my head held high. I know whats best for my child, and being at home and learning with Mom is whats best. 

So I just recently dropped off her 3rd quarter report. She is doing well, and I think we are still finding our rhythm but overall she is doing great. Sorry that this is lengthy, imagine if I made it detailed lol , but I wanted everyone to know why and understand why we choose to go this route. And hopefully to empower other parents who might be dealing with and going through what we had. Here is some great information pertaining to homeschooling special needs children. And in the meantime, my advice to you is don't ever make any quick rash decisions. Gather as much information you can, speak to others that have gone through it and most importantly know your not alone and there are CHOICES for our kids. God Bless and Be well my friends!  ~ Heather 

Homeschooling Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Basics

Advantages of Homeschooling A Child With Autism

Autism Homeschooling Resources

Resources to assist families with homeschooling and autism awareness

Educating Autistic Children with an Online Curriculum

 

 

 

As you can see she has been experiencing all sorts of things since then. Socialization, dance and Karate lessons, doing her "paper" work having fun and exploring many places ,like any child should. :) 


Some books that have helped me .....

 

Here are some of our favorite programs we utilize. Click on the name to learn more about the program:

FastForward  

Hearbuilder

BrainBeat

ABCya!

JumpStart

ABCmouse

Update Biomedical Follow up, Today was a Good Day

Well... just want to say...
F * * K Y O U A U T I S M ! ! !
Dr. E was so happy with her progress. Everything looks good, there are a few tests to rerun and check levels now that she is officially a 'woman" now. 
Puberty and Autism is so much fun (note sarcasm) Good news is we got the RIGHT help for her JUST in time! I only learned about all the underlying medical conditions these kids have a few years back. We  started biomedical in 2011, right after her 10th birthday.right at the beginning of the pre pubecent stage.
Her slightly bumpy but overall smooth transition has been a HUGE blessing and a HUGE well deserved FUA!!! He praised me for what I had done for her before we met, then went over where she was from first visit to now, then from one year ago.I found and  started working with Dr. E Febuary of 2013. Her growth has caught up and thats phenomenal. shes a little under in weight for her age, on low side for height but on it. shes 4'9" and 71 lbs.A HUGE accomplishment for a child who did NOT grow for almost 7 years bein stuck at 48" 47lbs , and YES the pediatrican told me that she was just small for her age! Waste of time ,goes to show you they don't know WTF they are doing. Most really don't..anywho..
 I was that same height in 7th grade but a bit heavier haha. He believes she will continue to grow and prob be close to my height 5'3" , as long as she continues the path shes on. He has great hope for her future as her health has improved so much its insane! Its worth EVERY sacrifice we had to make and continue to make so that she can at least have the basics to live the most optimal healthy life regardless of her damage from vaccine injury. Shes HEALING and Recovered and CONTINUES to do so. Thats the BEST feeling... "she CONTINUES to do so "
I know how blessed she is and we are hearing everything I have today. Its close to a miracle , truly. I thank GOD Jesus all the ArchAngels and Saints I have prayed to in helping her heal. I dont care about anything but health PLEASE give her that. and God answers..he does..because they have answered my prayers, and i know they will continue to watch out for her as long as I do good work through them, I know anything is possible! Can I get an AMEN?!
Living a healthy happy pain free life is what ALL these kids deserve
and a chance for a real recovery. I pray more doctors will come around learn about MAPS ( Medical Academy pediatrics Special Needs ) and further their education and want to know and learn more about Autism ,the underlying conditions and most importantly how to test and TREAT them! Thanks Dr E for being such a doctor.
Today was a good day. 

Teens , Puberty Autism and what to Expect 


Autism and Puberty what to Expect presentation


Treating Autism , Dan and MAPS Doctors 

Educating the next Generation of Autism Doctors 

Medical Treatment on a Budget 

Medical Academy for Pediatrics for Special Needs MAPS

If you are a medical doctor that would like to be trained with the next generation of doctors who actually are going to be 
the ones to help heal and recover these kids, click on link for 
MAPS and register for the next upcoming seminar/conference.   
I thank you in advanced for taking that first step and initiative to WANT to be better and to WANT 
to really help our children. 
So , my personal Thanks. 
~ Heather