Kevin's Watch

JazFusion wrote:Hi all. I haven't really read anything in this thread, but I hope to soon.

Anyway, long story short, I think my son might be autistic. He's 16 months old. If I may, I'll post my thoughts from my LJ:

It's been deep down inside my core for the last 14 months. I've tried to talk with people about this, but everyone brushes it off. "He's fine!" "Look how well he's doing!" I've even avoided talking with my pediatrician, because I am ashamed. I am ashamed because I am not well-informed. I am ashamed that I may be right.

I think David is autistic. I've felt this since he was 2 months old. There are just certain signs that I would see and I would feel in my gut. He's autistic. I talked about it with Mike once, and he told me he didn't think he was. So for a long time I passed it off as normal baby behavior. Every once in a while I would feel it in my gut, as I was laying in bed, praying that I'm just being neurotic.

I would scour the internet for any and all information, and as the months passed he would hit more and more of the symptoms described. I'd shut the window closed and shut my mind off with it. He's not. Can't be. He's fine. Look how well he's doing.

JazFusion wrote:But I can't deny it any longer. Call it mother's intuition, call me crazy, call it whatever you want, but I can't deny it.

JazFusion wrote:There are just too many symptoms he has that coincide with being autistic:

One, he doesn't like to cuddle. I can't hug him without him squirming away. I can't hold him without squirming away. I can't kiss him without him shying away. He rarely kisses back. The most cuddling I can do with him is have him sit in my lap.

JazFusion wrote:He has difficulty expressing his needs and wants. He doesn't point. He doesn't make gestures. He doesn't wave "hi" or "bye-bye". The only way I know he wants something is if he whines or screams. Example: I will ask him if he wants something, say a bottle, and he will whine or cry. He doesn't say "want ba-ba" or "ba-ba".

JazFusion wrote:He has repetitive body movements: one is his hand flapping, and the other is his rocking. The hand flapping he usually does when he's happy, or in his high chair. The rocking he does when he's about to go to sleep, and just about any time lately. Especially in front of his fan when it's on.

He also has a fascination with repetitive movements. Wheels, especially. He likes to watch them turn. Pretty much anything that is repetitive he likes to do. Switching lights on and off, etc.

JazFusion wrote:Monday I'm going to just call the pediatrician. I'm not going to discuss this with anyone.

I just want to know the truth.

Keep us informed. We're here for you.

By Colleen Wixon

Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

2:31 PM EDT, May 25, 2008

PORT ST. LUCIE

Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.

After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.

By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex -- who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism -- out of the class.

Melissa Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said.

Port St. Lucie Police no longer are investigating, but police officials are documenting the complaint, she said.

Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.

Portillo could not be reached for comment Friday.

Steele said the boy had been sent to the principal's office because of disciplinary issues. When he returned, Portillo made him go to the front of the room as a form of punishment, she said.

Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.

Children diagnosed with Asperger's often exhibit social isolation and eccentric behavior..

Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disability, Barton said. After the family moved into the area and Alex and his sibling arrived at the school in January, Alex spent much of the time in the principal's office, she said.

He also had problems at his last school, but he did not have issues during his two years of preschool, Barton said.

School and district officials have met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan to address his difficulties, she said. Portillo attended these meetings, Barton said.

Barton said after the vote, Portillo asked Alex how he felt.

"He said, 'I feel sad,' " Barton said.

Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said.

Barton said the nurse told her to talk with Portillo, who told her what happened.

Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special" over and over.

Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.

The other students said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.

Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside but said he could not elaborate.

New research published today will bring prenatal testing for autism significantly closer, prompting experts to call for a national debate about the consequences of screening for the disorder in the womb and allowing women to terminate babies with the condition.

Illume Eltanin (Menolly) is the 2,738th person to sign the petition Health Care “Reform” That Fails to Stop Autism Insurance Discrimination is Unacceptable.

Check it out: causes.com/p/226/16576301?m=29694f39&prs=01d

Chelation Therapy Drug Found Safe And Beneficial For Children With Autism

Two studies published by the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in the October issue of BMC Clinical Pharmacology investigated the use of oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), a prescription medicine approved by the FDA for treating lead poisoning, and used off-label in these studies for treating heavy metal toxicity in children with autism.

In the investigations, DMSA was given to 65 children with autism (ages 3 -8 years) to determine its effects. The researchers found that DMSA dramatically increased excretion of several toxic metals, including a 10-fold increase in excretion of lead. In terms of safety, the study found that there was no adverse effect on standard safety tests, including no effect on kidney or liver function.

Of greatest interest was a surprising finding that DMSA therapy had a dramatic effect on glutathione levels. Glutathione is the body's primary defense against toxic metals, and it was very abnormal in children with autism. Treatment with DMSA for only 3 days normalized glutathione levels for at least 1-2 months in almost all children.

DMSA therapy also had promising effects on possibly reducing some of the symptoms of autism, including improvements in language, cognition, and sociability. However, a formal randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study is needed to confirm those results.

The study was led by Matthew Baral, N.D., Chair of the Department of Pediatric Medicine and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) and James B. Adams, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor in the Division of Clinical Sciences at SCNM and Science Director for the Autism Research Institute.

"Toxic metals are a common problem in autism, and I have personally observed that many of my patients with autism have greatly benefited from DMSA therapy. I hope this data answers the question that many physicians have: whether chelation is safe and effective, and clearly it's both," says Dr. Matthew Baral. "This study shows that DMSA therapy is safe and effective, and should be considered as a possible treatment for children with autism who have significant body burden of toxic metals," says Prof. James Adams.

People with Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, dramatically improve their social learning skills and spend more time gazing at pictures of faces after inhaling a whiff of the social-bonding hormone oxytocin, researchers have found.

The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, is the first to show the effects of oxytocin, a hormone that promotes mother-infant bonding, socialization, trust and cooperation — in people diagnosed with Asperger's.

It led some experts to speculate that supplementing the normally low levels of oxytocin in people with autism spectrum disorders may help them to detect subtle social cues and engage in smoother social interactions.