About Me

I am the proud mother of 6 children. 5 of our children have autism. We do not feel our world has ended, but just begun. We do not chelate, intervene biochemically, give shots of any kind, practice ABA, etc. We treat them as we treat any humanbeing. We treat them with kindness and respect and expect the same from them. They are exceptional children.

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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The Road To Recovery....

I would not be myself if I did not blog on this subject. It has eaten away at me for many years and now I must respond MY OPINIONS on MY BLOG.
I have asked many people, ie: doctors, mother's, therapist's, etc. to please show me a child "recovered" from autism. I get many responses and many sites to view.
All I end up seeing are autistic children. They may have alleviated some symptoms, and the children may have become verbal, but they are still AUTISTIC.
These children still have trouble with vocus, speech, and sensory issues. Some of these children still scream and tantrum beyond the ordinary.
In our house, there are much improvements from when our children were first diagnosed. All of them can sit in a classroom and not be distruptive, with the exception of one. All of them have regained their speech, with the exception of one. All of them go to bed at or before 10pm and sleep through the night. All of them have sensory issues. All of them still require speech therapy. All of them are still AUTISTIC.
Two of our children might require long-term care. I hope not, but that is a possibility. Three of them will go on in life and go far.
Our "normal" little red-headed Meaghan will continue to be just that--

All of this was done without biomedical intervention, diet changes, needles, chambers, creams, lotions, etc. All of this was done through the bodies natural capababity to "recover" itself. All of this was done with very dedicated speech therapists, occupational therapist, and teachers. All of this was done by 5 very hornery and determined children.

My husband and I feel peace knowing this. We have not had to witness regressions in their behaviors when introducing new chemicals into their systems. We did not have to drain our already low bank account, or borrow money from family and friends to pay a doctor whose driving a very nice Lexus. We did not have to be careful not to wake up a child to sneak a shot into their butts, I believe they would thank us for this if they knew that was possible.

I have come to the conclusion in my life, I do not find it necessary to bash anyone. If you believe a certain way, vote a certain way, love a certain way, that is your preogative. I do not wish ill upon anyone. I do not dislike parent's who choose biomedical means to help their children. I do not dislike parent's who chelate their children. I do not dislike parent's who HBOT their children.
I only hope that the bad does not outway the good with these interventions. How do all these additives given to the children leave the body? What about liver, kidney, heart damage? What about the fact these children have to endure all of these procedures for the sake of "RECOVERY".
I invite anyone who questions me about my children to please come and meet them. See for yourself. People that have known my children for years are aware of the progress. They have had the same doctors since they were born and since their diagnosis.
I was asked that maybe they were misdiagnosed. Maybe they have ADHD. With the exception of our youngest, our children are not hyperactive at all. We have been examined by some of the finest pediatric neurologists in the country. We have been examined by the University of Washington, the University of Pittsburgh, and the fine doctors from AGRE. All came to the same conclusion....Autism. Erin and Patrick were diagnosed with severe autism at their first diagnosis. Now they are PDD-NOS. Still autistic.

I read all I can on autism. I read all the blogs I can find. Pro or Con with what I believe. I read where people write about how much this is costing them, how far they have to drive, how horrific the procedure was, etc.
After reading, I have found the peace of mind to know we went the right road. I am reassured every time I look at my children they are happy, smart, self-assured, friendly, and well-liked. And that to me is what is "RECOVERY"....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I question the whole "recovery" thing too. If you look at the website www.hiddenrecovery.com the mother who writes it pretty much advertises Bioset (whatever that is), special diets and Theory Of Mind techniques as being responsible for recovering her son. I definately got the feeling (after reading this website and her blog)that this woman (who uses a pseudo name of Ashley Morgan) would have never accepted this child and been happy with him if he had not "recovered." I am quite tired of parents sending the message to all of us, recovery is the only way that you'll be able to accept your child. That website is for the birds!

Anonymous said...

Hi Anonymous and Mom26. Sorry I'm posting so late - I just googled my site, I do this occasionally.

I am happy to hear that your wonderful children are doing so well. Good for you!

Fortunately for us too, Leo is doing well. I'm pasting from my "About" page, how I feel about my son - autism and all, which I love madly. (because of my son's status being he no longer needs support or services of any kind and no longer meets the diagnostic criteria, the term used these days is Recovery). I'm sure there are many definitions. He's certainly not cured, nor do I see anything that needs curing!

Here's what my website About Page says:
"Does this mean I hate Autism? Does this mean I am a cure-bie? That I despise the
countless thousands of children and people out there?

NO. What I can't stand is this: ASD kids not getting the right therapy and supports. (whatever they may or may not be)

Autism is part of what made my son who he is. It is part of him, and I love him madly. I
do not want to change who he is, only help him. Chronic anxiety, unhappiness, and living in chaos
were some of the byproducts of my son’s Autism. These obstacles to my son’s well-
being was what needed changing, not the essence of who he is.

Whether you're a LF, HF, Recover-ie, Cur-bie, anti-therapy, pro-ABA, anti-ABA, Mercury
Mom, or one of the many other factions out there - let's unite! We are all equal and
deserve to be heard and have our children be supported. We all have the same
struggles. And honestly, we only have each other.

The way Leo sees the world will never change due to the way he is wired. I now find
enjoyment in the way he can memorize people’s last names and birth dates. I laugh
when he makes a pattern out of eating his breakfast. A bite of egg, one bite of potatoes,
a bite of egg, one bite of potatoes. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays he parts his
hair to the side. And hey, his interest in knowing what number each song is on the CDs
we listen to in the car comes in quite handy. His quirky interests and habits make him
who he is, and I love all of them. Trust me, it took a long time to get there. Acceptance
is key.

While our kids may function on different parts of the Autism spectrum, what unites us all
is the love we feel for them, and the deepest desire in every parent that their child can
enter to succeed in life. For those of us parents whose child may be progressing at a
quicker pace, and especially for those of us whose child has recovered, the journey
may seem easier to the outsider – even an ‘outsider’ within the Autism community – but
it’s not. Let that be an understanding that unites us, not divides us. We all need to be
supported."

Mom26, I'm happy to know your children have been blessed with a wonderful mom and life. Our ASD children deserve it!