Autism
We live in Northern CA and our son’s school doesn’t believe in the DANprotocol!!!! They think that EIBT is the only “cure” for autism. Iam going crazy. I have to hide the diet and supplements from them.They actually called me today and said they were going to exit himfrom the program b/c of the diet!!! I went crazy. Of course I liedto them and said I’d dtop. It drives me crazy that they think theirway is the only way. I am still continuing the diet without theirknowledge. It is none of their business. I’m going to up his enzymesto make sure they do not give him gluten or casein. I can’t believethat people deny these children an opportunity to get better!
This post tagged as: autism gluten, gluten diet, children with autism
Winfred Berno said,
Wrote on March 25, 2007 @ 6:55 am
I am having an acronym brain block… What is EIBT? Is it likeABA? “Cure” is such a curious word. What does it mean? It means torestore to health, make better or a course of treatment. In plaintruth, any intervention can be percieved as an ATTEMPT to cure. Butare we or our children really “cured”? As long we live in a toxicenvironment I say no, myself. “Prevention” is what I’d like to seeeveryone focus on myself (which is why I’m an environmentaladvocate), but that is a discussion for another time ; )
Don’t you just love how difficult it is to educate educatedpeople? ; ) The psychiatric field is it’s own worst enemy and willeventually have to recognize the same ineffeciencies of their methodsas traditional medicine will. Thank God ther are doctors out threethat are willing to step outside the box. I think it’s strangehow “scientists” can be so limited in their thinking. Isn’t sciencesupposed to be th egreat exploration? And isn’t having an open mindthe first thing we are taught? I don’t know HOW this happens, but inAmerica, it is the worst. We are so far behind in many areas ofresearch versus other nations, it’s embarrassing. Sigh… They simplyaren’t being taught this stuff that we as parents, through our ownpersonal vested interests, come to know inside and out. It isn’t inthe psychiatric ciriculum, let alone the medical one. They are taughtto test and determine a label for a set of symptoms. In thepsychiatric field they are stuck in “behavior mod” mode. Everythingis behavior mod to them and if behavior mod doesn’t work, then theyperscribe pills. It’s a sham and it’s a shame… But here we are toenlighten them and isn’t that a wonderful idea? Don’t you just getjazzed when people “get it”? Sure these folks are a challenge but youcan do it. You have all you need, all the research and you child asliving proof. All is working in your favor, really.
Regardless, if that is their “best” then you just need to find a newangle. But don’t exclude them. You DO need them. You need them tolearn this stuff, so don’t give up on them, ok? I encourage you tolook at this as an opportunity to enlighten them and realize yourefforts are so vital to changing these limited ways of thinking.These people are the portals through which nearly every parent willgo through and look to for guidance in how to treat their child. Ithink about every parent who passes though the doors I did anencounter the same thing and cannot life with myself knowing I havean opportunity to create change. We are all teachers at the end ofthe day and even if you cannot convince them right away, or aren’t upfor the “fight”, PROVIDE the information. The more provacative youcan present it, the more likely they will pick it up and educatethemselves.
Does he have an IEP? If so, get a hearing and have it written intoit. Get a doc to write a diet perscription letter, that’s the easiestway. Another angle is to hire a private social worker, have him orher attend the IEP review and have it introduced. Hubris oftendictates who people will listen to, so try not to take it personallyand don’t get discouraged. I run into it all the time. Weare “credibility junkies” in our society and some people just needthe source of new ideas to have letters after their names beforegiving them any consideration. I don’t know about northernCalifornia, but there are people who do IEP advocacy as a professionwho are not attornies. If you can’t find one email me and I can getyou a contact. (rjsnailmail@…)
Also, communicate with the teachers, staff and other parentseffectively. Verbal communication is not sufficient. “Get it inwriting” is the rule here. Letters are absolutely necessary. Write aone page letter with the district psychologist and teaching staff asthe intended audience. State the problem, the hazzards, and offersolutions that all can handle. Don’t feel the pressure to write alengthy doctrine. Simply state that certain foods are opiate-mimicking neurotoxins and allergens to your son and they affect hisneurology. State that it is in the best interest of his eduationalprocess that these neuro-hazzards are avoided completely. Withoutremoving them, they are taching a child who is in a constant state ofbrain fog. Be direct. Let them know you have the research to supportyour request and leave it at that. Send a “CC” to the school boardpresident, superintendent and all who have contact wiht your son. Becourteous and offer an open line of communication to dealing with andresolving any potential hazzards your son may face.
I happen to be fortunate enough by simple geography to be in one ofthe most proactive school districts in the state of Illinois in termsof special needs services, but we area also the most overburdened.People are intentionally moving into our district to receive servicesand people like my son got edged out of OT prematurely. Regardless,my son’s teacher and I worked out a system. She gave me a list ofbirthdays, parent contact information, and offered to keep specialtreats in a cabinet in her classroom for my son. In my case, shedistributed my letter to all of the people who come into contact withmy son in the school on her own, which was so sweet. Myresponsability is to take care of providing the treats andcommunicating with other parents. Of course it would be nice if allcould accomodate me, but that isn’t going to be realistic until widespead awareness is acheived. So, I call a parent and educate them.Mom’s get it. They are SO accomodating. Parents can work together asa team often more effectively than we can with a school. That’s whyPTAs are so important.
So, if you can create a solution that levels the field ofresponsability for all, most people will agree to your terms. It’s adelicate balance to navigate this problem, but I know you can do it.Take deep breaths and keep going… Good Luck!
Jake Fetter said,
Wrote on March 26, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
out of curiosity–which school district are you in in Illinois? I’min the western suburbs of Chicago, so I’m interested.