Re: new to group..have question Sorry long reply

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I wasn't implying GFCF meant " allergy " I merely stated that we had

our daughter tested and she turned up allergic to wheat, dairy, soy,

etc...After eliminating her food allergens many of her behaviors

resolved as well. Just as with myself when my allergies act up, I

do feel like crap...and you can't live the rest of your life on

Benadryl daily. We originally started down the biomedical

route...we had our daughter tested at Pfeiffer Treatment Center in

Chicago...of which all of her labs fell in the " normal range "

however they had an " ideal " normal range for autism and wanted us to

buy their megadose vitamins..Pfeiffer could also not guarantee me

that she would not regress or recoup as quickly as she could

potentially lose it once we started her on the doses. What an

incredible waste of $1500.oo looking back on it. We chose not to

chelate after I spoke with a woman who had had nerve damage

following her Hepatitis vaccine..she was around 20. She was

actively chelating and when I questioned her whether she felt any

different, had any symptom relief (she had noticeable difficulties

walking), she stated when she was actively chelating she felt like

crap. When she stopped her chelation cycle she returned to the way

she felt prior to chelating. None of her physical disabilities

resolved whatsoever and no symptomatic relief. This was the only

person who could actually articulate to me how it truly felt to

chelate herself. I just don't see the benefit, especially when a

young child cannot articulate to you how he/she feels. I've seen

and talked to too many people who after they've chelated (some for

years and faithfully) their child isn't any different. Especially

when the parent only chelates...no other intervention, while hoping

for that miracle cream that will help. I work in the medical field,

it worries me about the long term effects of chelating a young

child. Liver Ca, Kidney disease...maybe not now, but nobody can

state for certain what the long term effects of chelation are.

Nobody. If you truly believe the Mercury theory (which I feel is

plausible enough that I didn't vaccinate her younger siblings)

Mercury damage is irreversible. You can't get back what was already

lost, however you can train other portions of the brain in young

enough children to compensate for the damages. Not to mention that

mercury causes just as much damage coming out as it did going in.

And it is removed incredibly slowly (nature of the beast) That is

why I am such a big proponent of ABA.

We follow the GFCFSF diet. GFCFSF were also things she was allergic

to. The other items we eliminated as well. So I can't say it was

strictly the diet or the elimination of her allergens because they

are one and the same. Without the testing we would have continued

to give her nuts and soy...both of which were huge allergens for her

and I am assuming would have seen little difference in her

behaviors. To this day if she gets tree nuts she proceeds to

scratch the skin off her legs all night....no hives...just SIBs.

And an infraction especially with nuts will be problems for us for 3

weeks... You're right you don't need to do the testing but if there

are additional problem areas it will help pinpoint them. Besides as

anyone else following the diet...what else is more intimidating than

wheat and dairy free...that is almost everything we " normal " people

eat. Allergen testing was $150.00 Work up at Pfeiffer was

$1500.00...And the allergen testing was covered by insurance.

Patty

> Patty,

> We also went the allergist route and it turns out she was allergic

> to wheat, dairy, soy, tree nuts, etc... her stims and

nightwakenings

> and loose bowel movements decreased tremendously. I know some

> people have had great success with the biomedical route, however I

> also know many who have seen no success. I guess what I am saying

> is don't put all your eggs in one basket looking for the " cure " .

> Put your son in as much early intervention and one on one therapy

> that you can afford. There is a great school Middleburg Early

> Education Center that has great programs for preschoolers. Once

> your son turns three, you can utilize the autism scholarship to

pay

> for school, an ABA program, tutors, speech, pt ot. I truly think

> that was the key for our daughter vs any diet/supplements. ABA

has

> kind of gotten a rough name from a lot of local people who truly

> believe it to be just the " Lovaas " style of DTT. There are many

> subgroups of ABA such as Verbal Behavior, RDI, and of course DTT

all

> of which have their pros and cons depending on your child and

> his/her learning style/needs.And if you do decide to pursue the

ABA

> route, make sure you ask around to get a good consultant. There

are

> a lot of people without credentials who have hopped on the autism

> wagon to make a quick buck. I have heard positive things from

> families who use Monarch's home program, and I personally hired a

> consultant who drives up from Columbus. A lot of parents wait too

> long to start an intensive program and their is a window of

> opportunity prior to the age of six where the child will make the

> most gains that will benefit them lifelong.

> Patty

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