My Autism Insights

Happy Winter Solstice!  In keeping with our family tradition, we got up early this morning and went outside to greet the sun.  From now on the days will start to gradually lengthen - what’s not to celebrate?  As we trekked through calf-deep snow (knee deep for poor MM) I realized what a sensory wonderland it was for Gus!

I’ve read that kids with ADHD and many on the autism spectrum do particularly well when they can spend some time out in nature.  I’ve found this to be true for Gus (Asperger’s and borderline ADHD).  I did some videotaping and tried to experience the moment from his perspective.  I’m not expert at video-making yet, but here’s a brief glimpse of our trip to the lake this morning:

• Trudging through the snow allowed Gus to use his large muscles providing proprioceptive sensory input and also strengthening the weaker core muscles.
• Being bundled in several layers of warm clothing gave him some deep pressure (squeezing) which tends to be calming for him.
• At one point, Gus lay down in the snow which also provided deep pressure with the added bonus of a snow angel thrown in with the deal.
• Early morning, cold, snowy day - very quiet and heavenly for a child with noise sensitivity.
• The rushing wind created a white noise that added to the soothing feel, especially when listening to it through a jacket hood.

On the way back, we decided to take the long scenic route, and I noticed that Gus was exuberant and loving the morning, but not in the manic way we typically see when he’s racing through the house.  That was a gift in itself!

Speaking of gifts, the kids were allowed to open a couple of gifts last night and this morning.  Celebrating both Solstice/Yule and Christmas helps to mitigate some of the craziness of Christmas day.  They get less overwhelmed by too much ’stuff’ and can take the time to enjoy their presents a little at a time.  He loved the mini Hot Wheels set and the new Leapster game; the MP3 player didn’t go over as well as I thought.  Perhaps when he learns to use it, he’ll warm up a little to it.

So that was our morning.  How does your special sensory needs child do with outdoor/nature time?

Due to a weird confluence of factors, we decided to try eating vegetarian for a week.  We started on Saturday.  I got curious to see if a vegetarian diet might help my extra-low energy level (and seasonal depression), but I was concerned how Gus would handle it.  Usually when he doesn’t have the ‘heaviness’ of meat in his diet, he gets even more energetic than normal (often this manifests in the middle of the night).  But we figured he’d be all right for a week.  MM was the one who really cinched the deal - she said she wanted to “get used to eating vegetables.”  I couldn’t argue with that.  She’s also feeling the ethical effects of killing animals.  I can’t really argue with that either, although I’ve made peace with it.

I did some research on different nutritional requirements for kids - mostly protein and iron.   For school aged children, the number of grams of protein is almost the same as the number of kilograms of body weight.  A simple conversion tool online can get you the correct numbers.  I used to be very skeptical about vegetarianism for children, but it seems that their nutritional requirements can be met quite easily.  Good to know!

It was going better than expected.  I’ve figured out that as long as Gus’s carbs in the evening are whole grains (i.e. NOT white pasta) they seem a bit more stable in his system.  The only time he woke in the middle of the night was Saturday when we had an awesome veggie pizza for dinner.  I think if I had made a whole wheat crust instead of using the white Boboli crusts, he might have fared better.  Even MM is eating with less complaints, at least she was until last night.  Which leads to why I said it WAS going better than expected.

I decided to try making a veggie meat(less) loaf.  Holy cow!  Gus almost never complains about my cooking - he leaves that to his sister.  But after the first bite his comment was, “What did you make?!?!?!”  (You know it’s awful when I resort to multiple punctuation.)  It was so bad, I actually apologized to my kids and promised never to make it again.  Taste wasn’t the problem.  It just had the consistency and texture of a congealed Stage 3 baby food.  It was so bad that even MM, who never has a problem insulting my cooking, forced a smile and insisted, “I like it!”  She couldn’t keep a straight face though.  I appreciated the effort nonetheless.  Hubby was conspicuously quiet during the meal.

I haven’t noticed any change in my energy level yet, but from what I remember the last time I went vegetarian, it took a couple of months for me to really notice.

I doubt that we’ll ever be a completely vegetarian family, but if nothing else, if the rest of the week goes well, I’ll know that we can swap in some vegetarian meals a few times a week without a negative impact on Gus.  Actually, I wonder if this diet did change his energy level (just not in a way that he’d be up at night), if it might actually improve his focusing ability.  Who knows - just speculating there.  It would certainly force me to  get some of the simple carbs out of his diet, which in itself would be a good thing since he never has processed them all that well.

We’re going to try something safer tonight - pasta with a portabella and black olive marinara.  Later in the week I’m going to try a spinach and cheese lasagna made with whole wheat pasta - that’ll be interesting.

I’ll post again at the end of the week about the outcome of our experiment.  Wish us luck and let’s hope I don’t have any more disasters like last night!

It’s been a roller coaster of a weekend for us, and I’m even more convinced that there’s some level of SAD going on with Gus.  His mood swings are disconcerting and I’d be lying if I said they weren’t a little annoying as well.  He’ll be going along just fine and then out of the blue gets very contrary, defiant, and difficult.  He’s even been giving me a hard time about meals, and he’s always been an incredibly good eater.

We spent a very nice day with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, which included a mountain hike. I thought the outdoor time would do Gus good, and I think it did for a while, but he was also intent on giving me a heart attack.  He made a run toward a sharp drop-off on our way out of the park.  I guess it was a bad idea to have a talk with him about staying away from the cliffs - it seemed to make him curious about what would happen.  He had no fear about them, but before bed he had a meltdown because we’d all been joking about bears being in the park.  He fears the imaginary danger and the real danger is totally lost.  It can be impossible to know what to try to prepare him for and what not to say.

It was also interesting how much he slept yesterday - in the car going to the park, most of the way home, and straight through the night.  I fully expected a 3 am wakeup.

He had a pretty good day today, even though we had to stay in because it was a rainy, snowy mess outside.  He didn’t get grumpy until dinner because I made turkey pot pie, which he usually loves.

Hopefully, the comfort of his school routine will help settle his nerves at least for a couple of weeks, until our routine is shattered again with the holidays.

On a side note, NanoWrimo officially ends tonight, and I finished with an official word count of just over 52,ooo words.  So, now that I’m not obsessively cranking out a novel, hopefully my posts will get a little more interesting again!  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!  Back to the grind tomorrow!

image courtesy of Jannagraphics

‘Tis the season for Seasonal Affective Disorder!  Thanks to Mo of Manic Monday for the prompt, which made something click in my brain this morning that may explain some things about Gus’s recent behavior.

Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a type of depression that usually strikes during the winter months.  More younger people and women are affected, and it can have an impact on children as well as adults.  This condition is likely caused by the reduction in daylight hours, which alters the body’s circadian rhythms (sleep/wake cycles) and levels of melatonin and serotonin in the body - hormones that affect sleep and mood respectively.

Common symptoms in children may include: mood changes, changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, low energy, and trouble concentrating among others.

I bring up the symptoms for children because I think this could be the answer to some of the issues Gus has been having lately and tends to have every winter.  I always knew that he was affected in some way by the colder months, but I never related it to the light, I always thought it was a matter of cold.  However, it’s all making perfect sense - the sudden sleep problems, his waning ability to focus in school, his increasing irritability (especially this past weekend), his disinterest in going out….These could all be individual and unrelated problems, but they could also be related to SAD.  Unfortunately, I was unable to locate studies or statistics about how SAD in autistic individuals.

One of the most common treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder is light therapy.  If light boxes are too expensive, or if it’s not practical to think your child can sit in front of a light box for 30 minutes or so, there are also light visors (also pricey), or you could try full spectrum lighting.  While there is no evidence that this will cure SAD, they are closer to natural lights than standard light bulbs or CFLs.  And they do make full spectrum CFLs if you are energy and environmentally conscientious.

Other means of relief to try: melatonin to help with sleep disturbances (it’s been working pretty well for us so far), outdoor exercise, proper diet (cravings for sweets and carbs is also common), talk therapy, or antidepressants prescribed by a doctor.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to hide this bag of chips, and I’m going to find some full spectrum lights.  Gus may or may not be  seasonally effected, but I definitely am.  Funny how I’m only motivated to do something about it when it might be causing my son a problem.

Have a great day and Happy Monday!