As I was looking for information on the “different” brain movement among some adults with autism, I came across yet another opinion about autism…that it is a disease. This definition implies more of a possibility of “curing” it than if autism is labeled a disorder.

Of course there are those out there who believe that autism is only a difference. But as LuLu grows and is better able to express herself, I’m not buying that she believes that she’s only different. The physical... more

I’ve blogged about Amanda Baggs before. Her YouTube video is legendary, and well worth the viewing, if you know anyone who has autism (and who doesn’t know someone at this point?)

But this article in Wired, The Truth about Autism: Scientists Reconsider What They Think They Know, brings up a whole slew of points and counterpoints. One of the main ones is that there is a movement out there to... more

The hippocampus is part of the brain’s limbic system, the place where emotions are regulated. The hippocampus is believed to be involved in the formation of memories from experienced events…perhaps moving them from the emotionality of the rest of the limbic system into the temporal lobes (where supposedly memories are stored). Brain anatomy and function are much more complex than this, but since none of us have degrees in neurology…or at least I don’t…this oversimplification helps me understand.

Our brains have two hippocampuses (or hippocampi), which I found... more

I’m tickled at LuLu’s brightening and new-found independence. She’s excited about operating the microwave, learning how to heat water to prepare her lunch and answer the phone. But with each new independent step, I’m reminded that I need to watch her carefully, to make sure she understands exactly what she’s doing. For example: To avoid things like foil in the microwave, or the wrong burner being heated up.

And Marie’s blog about EMDR reminded me of the one incredibly successful... more

“The dog is driving me crazy!” LuLu exclaimed during her grammar test last week. I was puzzled what she meant, since the dog was all the way across the room, chewing on her bone. But the sound of the dog’s teeth scraping across the bone was distracting to LuLu.

I’ve noticed, since being so attuned to LuLu’s sensitivity to noise, and the way she’s unable to stop her emotional escalation when noise is a trigger, that I, too, am irritated by noise.

As life goes on here, and Mom lives with many more stressors than I had a decade ago, I realize that noisy... more

Kawasaki disease affects coronary, small, and medium sized arteries throughout the body causing inflammation in the artery walls. Because Kawasaki disease also affects lymph nodes, skin, and mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose, and throat, it is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. Children from two to five years, of Japanese or Korean descent, are usually affected although any child can get this disease. A Japanese doctor, Tomisaku Kawasaki, identified the disease in 1967. Some of the complications... more

In December 2001, we spent a week in Utah for a neurofeedback intensive with attachment therapist Larry VanBloem. During that week, Super Dad and I received training in how to operate the neurofeedback equipment we would be leasing for the next year (or more) and using at home.

Neurofeedback is like brain “training”, much like having a personal trainer for fitness. It literally trains your brain to hold the brain waves to a more “normal” range.

The first, and by far the most amazing, result LuLu had from neurofeedback was her ability to sleep. At this point LuLu had been home with us 3 ½ years. Her nightly sleeping patterns were to sleep about 3-4 hours (awakening at... more

For as long as I can remember there has been mention in LuLu’s IEP about her doing certain activities with fading prompts or without needing an adult to sit right by her side. When she came home to do school, after February 2006, I realized exactly what was going on…that LuLu required one-on-one adult interaction for everything. Without this constant adult interaction (actually needing the adult right there by her side), several of LuLu’s disabilities would/could come into play, making it impossible for her to learn.

Without an adult to redirect her, LuLu would easily... more

I ran across two articles today, both addressing some “alternative” approaches to autism. The first article, Diet change gives hyperactive kids new taste for life in Norway, is specifically about children diagnosed with ADHD. But the diet is the casein-free, gluten-free diet used by many families of children with autism. The article describes research following 23 children for the last decade who had been diagnosed with ADHD and had started casein-free, and in some cases, gluten-free diets.

All 23 of the children that were the part of this study were... more

I have blogged extensively on hyperbaric oxygen therapy before, but wanted to answer some of the recent questions. First a review of how HBOT works.

The air we breath is approximately 21% oxygen (depending on how polluted it is). Air in an HBOT chamber ranges from 92-100% oxygen, depending on how pressurized it is. “hard” chambers (the kind you see them using for the men they rescue out of mines) pressurize up to 2.5 ATAs and are 100% oxygen. Mild HBOT chambers (soft-sided) pressurize to 1.3 or 1.5 ATAs and deliver 92-95% oxygen.

When your body is... more