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Myrryr -> RE: special needs kids-checking in (4/21/2010 5:20:12 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: sirsholly
This thread was my outlet for the nearly overwhelming frustration we felt when the LoudOne was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder last year.
Everyone was so encouraging and positive, sharing your experiences. You gave hope when at times i was too tired to see the positive. Now, it is my turn to perhaps give encouragement to someone. An update:
The LoudOne was diagnosed at three with Autism as well as Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The ODD diagnosis was due to the violent behavior he would display when he became frustrated. At three he is a big kid and was beginning to do harm.
One the many, many things the Ph.D suggested was the Feingold diet. http://www.feingold.org/
Loosly put, it is a method of eliminating dyes, additives and preservitives from the diet. It is highly recommended for children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD but also suggested for behavioral issues irregardless of the diagnosis. The most commonly mentioned culprit is Red Dye #40, so i focused on that to begin with (not as easy as you might think. Red Dye #40 is even found in white cake frosting). Within 2 days without this and most dyes, the change is the LO was noticeable. Within a week, i had a different child here.
I was able to pinpoint the allergy to dyes only. Additives and preservatives had no noticeable effect on his behavior. The main problem is the red dye, but green dyes also cause his behavior to be altered.
I waited a few months before going back to the diagnosing doctor. Truthfully, i was afraid he was going to think i was telling him i "cured" the LO's Autism, or, at the very least, was in denial. Neither happened. The Dr spend a great deal of time interacting with the LO, and kept referring back to his previous notes. After an hour he readily admitted there was a mis-diagnosis.
We are not out of the woods. The chances are very high that there will be a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD in a few years. That is expected and we will deal with it when/if it comes.
The reason i am writing this...there are entirely too many labels being tossed onto our kids. I am not blaming the Dr that diagnosed the LO...he worked with what he saw and the information we gave him and his diagnosis was correct for the behavior he witnessed. Thank God, the doctor and the contributors in this thread were encouraging about how detrimental additives in the diet can be.
I am not a nutrition expert, or an expert in anything, for that matter. What we did was by trial and plenty of errors.
When I received my own dx I did a lot of studying into the abnormal psychology.
There were a lot of studies a few years ago on relations between Autism and diet. There were a few that worked and did help a small proportion of children, but many had no more effect than anything else. The main antagonist that seemed to show up was gluten, mostly found in wheat and dairy (or a huge part of most peoples diets). Unfortunately it just wasn't common enough, so it's hit or miss if a specific diet helps a child. I'm glad you found one for yours, even though it appears it was a mis-dx. Luckily.
Unfortunately the most commonly accepted causes of autism spectrum disorders are genetic, though the markers seem to be on several chromosomes. Nurture however, plays a great deal in how much it can affect a child.
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ORIGINAL:kiwisub12
Holly - that is FABULOUS!!!!!!!! I am so happy for you!
My oldest was diagnosed with schizo-affect disorder and i was told (basically) to choose the bridge she would need to live under - today she is in her first year of college and making A's B's and C's -depending on how much she likes the teacher lol. She was the one who would throw up if she got too much red food dye . I would love to have thought to have tried her on a dye free diet.
A lot of what we are told about our children seems to be dependent on the disease of the day, so to speak.
I think we need to take seriously what doctors tell us, but I think the future isn't necessarily as bleak as they might say.
Not just Doctor's but patients too are commonly swayed by hyped diseases and will do everything they can to convince themselves they have it, even if a Doc tells them they don't. Happens more often with parents concerned about their children, but adults do it too. It's sad, but true.
And yes, a non NT brain doesn't automatically mean a bleak future, it just means you (or your children) have to go about it a different way than others. I'm sorry that your daughter has Schizo-affective though, emotion disorders are hard to deal with.
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