There have been some thoughts in my head lately about this, and I've been afraid to speak them aloud. I have noticed such huge changes in DS (9) in the last six months or so, and I don't know what to make of it. He was diagnosed with PDD-NOS last May, and was said to be "just on" the spectrum. It was sort of a surprise to me...I mean, he was always very spirited and had intense interests in certain things, but I never really saw it as an issue. Frustrating, yes! He is an only child so I never really had anyone to compare him with. Anyway, we asked for him to be seen by the psychologist with the school division because of some emotional issues that concerned us, and blah, blah, blah, eventually he was diagnosed with ASD. I'll try to get to the point, if there is one...maybe I just need to say all of this "out loud"!
We moved to a new town in June. Since we've come here, we've gradually noticed a new maturity level. He's much easier to talk to and reason with. I can't remember when he last had a meltdown. Things are going very well for him at school. He's taking responsiblity for his work more than he ever has before, and is enjoying school (big breakthough)! I don't know...it's hard to articulate some of the changes that have taken place...he's just "easier" somehow. He still has SPD-type issues with food and clothing, which are easy enough to deal with. Again, frustrating to me, but manageable. He'd still be a bit on the quirky side, maybe, but he's got friends and seems to be getting along well with all the kids in his class.
This is the first school year with the diagnosis, and I couldn't be happier with the way things are going. He has an EA in the mornings, but from what I understand, she divides her time between him and another child, and both really don't require much. His teacher has given him things to help keep him still...like a band to push on with his feet and a thing to keep his hands busy. Nothing major...just little accommodations, that really should be available to all kids who need them, in my opinion, diagnosis or not.
A year ago, when ASD was first alluded to, I took DS to our ND, who did a hair analysis and found some wonky nutritional issues. She prescibed digestive enzymes (which elevated his behaviors for a couple of weeks before he settled into a new, more focussed self) and some other supplements. I'm wondering if that is what is making the difference now...his body is now more able to absorb the correct nutrients in the correct amounts, and is catching up on the deficiencies? We are due to go back and have a follow-up hair analysis done, but just haven't got there yet. I'm really interested to find how things look now!
He has been on Feingold since he was six, and we definitely noticed a difference when we started that, and have stuck to it pretty close, but even that seems like it's becoming less important to his behavior. I used to be able to tell if a teacher had given him candy at school, but now he seems to not be affected if he only has a little bit here and there. We still mostly stick to FG at home because it's just better for all of us, but I don't have to be so vigilant when we're out anymore. Is he just growing out of those sensitivities?
And then the really crazy idea. Is it the water? Up until now, we lived in a town or on an acreage with horrible drinking water, and have always had bottled water. Number 7 plastic. I remember reading something a few years ago about studies done that found a possible correlation between BPA and Autism, ADHD, etc. in children...can't seem to find anything now, though. Anyone know where I could look at that? Our new town has better tasting water, so we ditched the bottles and now drink tap (filtered through the fridge). Could it be the change in the water?
I'm sorry this got so long, and thanks for hanging in there if you made it this far! Could any (or a combination) of those things have made such a difference? Could it be just maturity? Can I just leave the diagnosis as is, because of the more understanding and gentler way he's dealt with at school? Should I seek to have him re-evaluated at this point? Am I just crazy to think that such a thing could be? We don't have him in any special programs or anything...looked into a social skills class, but it wasn't right for him. The only thing that might change would be the way the school "sees" him, and quite frankly, I like the way things are going now! They try to see things from his perspective and come up with a plan that works for everyone. Maybe that's the way this school does things anyway, but that's not the experience we had at the previous school, so I'm a little leery. Anyway, I'm rambling. Has anyone been in this situation?
We moved to a new town in June. Since we've come here, we've gradually noticed a new maturity level. He's much easier to talk to and reason with. I can't remember when he last had a meltdown. Things are going very well for him at school. He's taking responsiblity for his work more than he ever has before, and is enjoying school (big breakthough)! I don't know...it's hard to articulate some of the changes that have taken place...he's just "easier" somehow. He still has SPD-type issues with food and clothing, which are easy enough to deal with. Again, frustrating to me, but manageable. He'd still be a bit on the quirky side, maybe, but he's got friends and seems to be getting along well with all the kids in his class.
This is the first school year with the diagnosis, and I couldn't be happier with the way things are going. He has an EA in the mornings, but from what I understand, she divides her time between him and another child, and both really don't require much. His teacher has given him things to help keep him still...like a band to push on with his feet and a thing to keep his hands busy. Nothing major...just little accommodations, that really should be available to all kids who need them, in my opinion, diagnosis or not.
A year ago, when ASD was first alluded to, I took DS to our ND, who did a hair analysis and found some wonky nutritional issues. She prescibed digestive enzymes (which elevated his behaviors for a couple of weeks before he settled into a new, more focussed self) and some other supplements. I'm wondering if that is what is making the difference now...his body is now more able to absorb the correct nutrients in the correct amounts, and is catching up on the deficiencies? We are due to go back and have a follow-up hair analysis done, but just haven't got there yet. I'm really interested to find how things look now!
He has been on Feingold since he was six, and we definitely noticed a difference when we started that, and have stuck to it pretty close, but even that seems like it's becoming less important to his behavior. I used to be able to tell if a teacher had given him candy at school, but now he seems to not be affected if he only has a little bit here and there. We still mostly stick to FG at home because it's just better for all of us, but I don't have to be so vigilant when we're out anymore. Is he just growing out of those sensitivities?
And then the really crazy idea. Is it the water? Up until now, we lived in a town or on an acreage with horrible drinking water, and have always had bottled water. Number 7 plastic. I remember reading something a few years ago about studies done that found a possible correlation between BPA and Autism, ADHD, etc. in children...can't seem to find anything now, though. Anyone know where I could look at that? Our new town has better tasting water, so we ditched the bottles and now drink tap (filtered through the fridge). Could it be the change in the water?
I'm sorry this got so long, and thanks for hanging in there if you made it this far! Could any (or a combination) of those things have made such a difference? Could it be just maturity? Can I just leave the diagnosis as is, because of the more understanding and gentler way he's dealt with at school? Should I seek to have him re-evaluated at this point? Am I just crazy to think that such a thing could be? We don't have him in any special programs or anything...looked into a social skills class, but it wasn't right for him. The only thing that might change would be the way the school "sees" him, and quite frankly, I like the way things are going now! They try to see things from his perspective and come up with a plan that works for everyone. Maybe that's the way this school does things anyway, but that's not the experience we had at the previous school, so I'm a little leery. Anyway, I'm rambling. Has anyone been in this situation?