We had an interesting summer...I can't believe its almost over :( All retail stores have their back to school signs up and it gets me nervous. I'm feeling anxious, scared, excited, happy and sad all at the same time! Our last day at the BI is Aug. 31. I try not to think about it because i get very emotional. I feel so lucky to be surrounded with such amazing people. I'm going to miss all of them so much.

quick update

It's been a while since my last entry and I've opened my eyes since then. On my last post I asked my readers to leave comments about their own positive experiences with the school board/system and much to my surprise...no comments were left. Naive...that is what I was. I was very excited about my meeting with the school board, Dimarco's new teacher and his aba providers from the BI. I was so happy thinking that we would not run into problems so commonly discussed on other Autism blog sites. Well the initial meeting went well. The board seem so willing to help and very optimistic. They even commented on the BI, saying that all students with autism should have such a supportive environment. Dimarco's next year teacher seems nice, no non sence, realistic type of educator...which for Dimarco I feel is a good thing. After about 3 weeks, I was told that the BI was not allowed to observe Dimarco in his new class enviroment in order to help with his transition..what a shame.. What a waste of such a valuable resource.. I don't understand why they would deny such a great offer to help Dimarco transition smoothy next year...???

Pleasantly surprised !!!

August 31 will be Dimarco's last day at the BI. He has come so far these past (nearly) 2 years thanks to the children's college. Come September he will be attending our home school in Kitchener. I was a bit worried after hearing many horror stories about the school board and special needs children, IPRC's, IEP's and the constant struggles between parents and the school system. My home school has agreed to come visit Dimarco at the BI. There will be 2 board staff members and 2 school staff members (EA and next years teacher). My home school has also welcomed the BI to come visit with DImarco as part of his transition process. What a great way to start off our journey! It's nice to see such co-operation..I'm feeling very optimistic and proud of my home school. I'm so blessed to have the Behaviour Institute guiding us. I feel like Dimarco has the best start possible with the BI, our home school and myself in his corner... :) The BI has also developed a series of classes designed for EA's, teachers and parents. Participants will be trained in ABA-based supported inclusion of students with autism in general education classrooms. You can visit www.behaviourinstitute.com to get more details if your interested. I'm hoping Dimarco's EA and teacher will take advantage of this great educational opportunity!
Here's to hoping all other parents of ASD children are also 'pleasantly surprised'....it's time to see some possitivity and co-operation between parents and the school system :) I would love to hear some more possitive experiences ;)

Wishing Sebastian a great 6th birthday :)

Final Exam

This past Tuesday was the final exam for the Geneva course I've been attending. It was quick, painless ;), and a pretty good summary of the course information. What was even better, was the hour or so spent afterwards enjoying a cup of apple cinnamine tea! These wonderfully kind and patient ladies really made my day. It is a rare occation to go out for tea and talk "grown up"! I feel a sense of ease now with regards to Dimarco starting grade 1 in the school board. Hopefully is will be lucky enough to be paired up with a great support person. If his supports are anything like the ladies I shared a cup of tea with...then let the good times roll:)

I'm Back :)

Well it was an interesting Tuesday night. I went to class and I had a mild breakdown..I didn't realize how difficult the class would be for me. I'm the only parent student and therefore am using my son in all of the assignments. I'm picking out the 'autism' in him. I hate that! The facilitator is an amazing woman. Her nephew has Aspergers, so she has been touched personally by it and it is very easy to see her passion about helping this population. Shes very intuitive! I try to block out stories about bad experiences when they are being shared in class. Some of the stories and issues many of the front line staff deal with, scares me. I'm not ready to hear them yet. I cover my ears and doodle on a piece of paper, trying desperatly not to activly listen to such stories. She noticed this and was so sweet to call me on my cell as I was driving home to make sure I was ok. Our kids are so lucky to have such a person on their side! Next week is the final exam, I feel pretty confident about the material being tested so I'm not to stresses out about it.
I spent the remainder of last night and the early part of today in the hospital with my dad. Mr. do it yourself, fell off a ladder stumbled to get his ballance, fell on his lower back and slammed the back of his head with full force on the garage door. It was frightening! I took him to the hospital immidiately. He was dizzy, nausous and felt extream pressure in the frontal part of his head. We still had to wait 5 hours in the ER. I thought head trauma would be looked after immidiately (I WAS WRONG)! He's feeling a lot better now. He had to be woken up during the night, so i called him at 4:00am, and he said he was feeling much better...thank God.
TO DO LIST>>>get dad a helmet for do it yourself projects around the house ;)

Dimarco and Supplements

With the help and guidance of Dr. Gannage(DAN) of Markham (300 Main St. N. 905-294-2335), we've come up with a good medium of vitamins and supplements for Dimarco. Currently he is on a GF diet. 10mg Zinc, 25mcg Selenium, 100mg Vit C, 100mg Taurine, 150mg TMG, 75mg/5ml B6 in Methocel 2x/day. 800mcg/ml Methylcobalamin in Emu oil, 300mg/ml Glutathione in VC Base, these are both topical creams that I apply once a day. He is also taking cod liver oil, colostrum, a digestive aid enzyme called M5+, probiotics, Calcium, Magnesium and Vit. D. We had urine analysis done and results showed high levels of Mercury, arsenic and lead. I have a couple different chelators but I'm still a bit hesitant to use them.
In my opinion ABA is the therapy responsible for the majority of Dimarcos success. I would not trade his ABA for any of the supplements I've mentioned above! I use them to support his health and well being and would never replace ABA for any biomedical intervention.