My Autism Insights

  image by John Haslam/foxypar4 on Creative Commons

The clocks are ’springing forward’ tomorrow - brighter days ahead.  It’s a strange time right now: I hear birds signing outside, but the early mornings are still cold and uncomfortable.  All around the ground is a muddy quagmire topped with greenery.  We’re expecting temperatures near 60 today, but since there’s still snow on the ground, many of us parents are still dressing the kids in snowsuits so they don’t get soaked and chilled.  Even the geese have made a couple of cameos, but have decided against signing any contracts just yet; they’re gone again.  It’s the messy ‘in-between’ stage.

It has seemed lately that in some ways Gus has been going backwards; regressing.  In other ways, he has merely stagnated.  He’s still having difficulty with doing independent work in school.  And he’s been wandering the school halls or doing dangerous things like climbing on school furniture.  Why?

Nearly eight years of observation provides a hopeful answer - I try not to worry about these setbacks any more.  It seems that before he can jump forward, he’s got to take a few steps back.  The progress always outweighs the regressions.  I don’t know why exactly this happens. But when I look at nature, it seems that many transitions are less than pretty.  If you’ve ever seen a baby bird hatch, at first they’re all twisted, discombobulated, upside down…and quite unattractive (in a cute, my-mom-just-sat-on-my-head kind of way).

Baby Robin Hatching video by Youtube user JSitube

Gus woke up this morning (at a reasonable hour), dressed himself (in matching clothes even), went downstairs and set his Pokemon game up until everyone else got out of bed.  Clearly, he’s gaining independence.  He’s already gone through a physical growth spurt, and now his mind is following along with a developmental surge.  The regressive behaviors are already starting to fade along with the dark days.  He’s almost squelched through all the transitional muck.  I see sunnier skies in Gus’s near future.

Do you notice any regression in your child just before a developmental leap forward?

Kings Cross Clock image by Oxyman from Wikimedia Commons

Gus woke up at 4:40 this morning.  He’s been waking up very early, on and off, for over a week now.  Ironically, he’s been having better days when he’s been up early than he has on the days he’s slept until his usual 5:30-6 or later.  For some reason, this has seemed bizarre, and then I looked at the calendar.  The clocks are springing forward on Sunday.  Could it be that Gus’s body clock is adjusting itself?

We usually start getting the kids ready for a time change a couple of weeks early.  We adjust bedtimes/wake-up times in fifteen minute increments,  earlier or later depending on the season.  It’s saved us from a considerable amount of drama from an abrupt transition.  Maybe after almost 8 years of doing this, he’s finally able to make the switch himself. Maybe this is progress and some self-regulation skills are emerging.  Or maybe he just loves life so much he’s really eager to start the day!

How do you prepare for the seasonal clock changes?

It’s that fun time of year (at least in the northeastern U.S.) when the weather starts getting confused - does it want to be springlike or glacial? The fluctuations combined with the longing for spring can wreak havoc and sickness abounds.  It’s hard enough when any child comes down with what a local doctor has recently referred to as “the Crud,” but when a child on the autism spectrum falls sick, there can be extra challenges involved.

Not Appearing Sick…At Least At First

Parents can usually tell when their kids are not quite up to snuff, even their pre-or-non-verbal children, because there are usually signs in addition to the obvious things (i.e. runny noses).  For example, when a child has an ear infection, they will typically tug on the painful ear(s).  But what if the child tends to have an undersensitivity to certain sensations?  Gus used to get ear infections all the time, but often we wouldn’t know it until they were advanced because it took a long time for him to feel and show discomfort.  Even the absence of fever isn’t always foolproof.  In college, I was bordering on pneumonia and only had a temperature of 99 degrees.  While most people get concerned when temps hit 101 or 102, but 100 for me is the “serious” benchmark.  Luckily, my mom paid attention to my behavior got me to a doctor when necessary even when the numbers didn’t seem to warrant it.

So watch for other signs of sickness: changes in behavior or eating, lethargy, sleeplessness that seems out of the ordinary (which can be extra tough if you have a child who doesn’t sleep well to begin with).  Basically, be extra vigilant at the “cruddy” times of year.

Can’t or Won’t Take Medicine

A friend of ours has a daughter who’s been battling “the crud” for a week now.  Medicine is a problem because the child has oral sensory issues.  This means that certain tastes or textures are incredibly aversive to her.  When a child has this type of difficulty, getting her to take any type of fever reducer (which I know some people are opposed to anyway) or other necessary medicines can be a battle.

For coughs or runny noses, I’ve heard from several doctors that it might be better to just let your child’s body work without the interference of decongestants or cough syrups.  However, if your child is incredibly uncomfortable, you could try a cool-air humidifier or a warm air vaporizer.  Even being in a steamy bathroom for a while can help clear congestion.

Sore throats can be soothed with lemon and honey, but if that isn’t happening, try warm fluids flavored to your child’s liking.  Cold foods can also be soothing, but you might want to avoid the ice cream as dairy tends to be a bad idea when mucus is involved.  Frozen fruit or fruit juice, even plain ice, can be helpful.

For fever, if Tylenol or Ibuprofin are not options, you can try cool baths or cool compresses at the wrists, armpits or groin.  If the fever spikes and you need to get it down quickly, or if the other methods aren’t working, you could also try Feverall, which is acetaminophen in suppository form (unless your child can’t take acetaminophen). We’ve always been told that for a fever 101 or higher, to call the pediatrician.

I’ve heard of other methods of fever reduction, like egg whites on the feet, but I can’t vouch for them.

The main point is, at these times of the year when germs seem to be extra active, be vigilant and pay a little closer attention to your child’s cues that may be indicating illness.

I’m no doctor, and these are just my observations as a mother.  If your child appears ill, it should go without saying that you should contact your pediatrician.  But if you have any tricks up your sleeve for when your special needs child is sick, by all means, please share.

A conversation with my yoga client, a licensed dietitian, brought up this question.  She specializes in working with children with special needs, particularly those on the autism spectrum, and recommended to one parent to try melatonin for her daughter.  The daughter is sleep deprived and suffering quite a bit because of it.  Yet, Mom’s pediatrician warned her against using melatonin , saying it is addictive.  So I decided to do some looking into the subject…again.

A search for the long term side effects of melatonin mostly produced results that said the same thing: no one really knows the long-term effects because sufficient studies have not been done.  There was one study that seemed to indicate that the levels of melatonin produced by the brain over an extended time could be reduced with the use of the supplement.  Again, no one knows for sure, as it is also thought that melatonin levels decrease in the body naturally with age (also not studied extensively).

Gus has been taking .5 mg every night since mid-November, so for a little over 2 months.  I did a little experiment to see if he’d sleep without it now, since many people use it to regulate the sleep cycle and then stop using it.  Last night he had none and slept just fine.  No dependency! I wasn’t really concerned.

I generally err on the side of “use as little as possible for the least amount of time possible.”   Since the jury is still out on long-term use, perhaps that should be a consideration when trying it with children.  Certainly think twice if your child is on any kind of medication, as the two may react poorly together.  But a very low dosage for a while just to try to get your child’s sleep cycle regulated will probably not do any harm.  That being said, I’m not a doctor, so you may want to check with a medical professional first.

Further reading:

Mayo Clinic

University of Maryland Medical Center

Long-term study (full article only available via purchase - this links to the abstract)

If you’ve got any further information about the long range safety of melatonin that I haven’t uncovered, by all means, please share!

image by Erik Drooker

This time of year, with snowstorms and vacations and being cooped up together, kids are bound to get under each other’s skin.  Gus and MM are no different.  We’ve been home together since last Friday and I’ve lost count already of all the petty arguments that are so inane and incoherent I can’t even tell what they’re about.  Last night was yet another of those lovely shouting matches, this one brought on by MM playing some repetitive made up game (loudly) and Gus being tired and belligerent.

Usually, I’d just separate them and get Gus to bed as quickly as possible because I know exactly what is bothering him - the constant sound of MM’s high pitched talking/singing.  But last night - it must have been the extra dose of St. John’s Wort - I was calm enough to push Gus a little further.

I separated them as usual, but then I went to Gus, sat him down (once he stopped tossing around insults about his sister being a ’shampoo mouth’ and a ‘pine toe’) and asked him what was upsetting him.  I got the typical, irrelevant, incoherent, off-topic response.  I persisted and insisted that he stop the jabbering because he is better than that.  He thought for a moment and, with some help, explained that he wanted her to play a different game and that he wanted quiet.  This was a HUGE step for him.  We were even able to talk a little about a better way he could have handled the situation - asking nicely that she play a different game.

Since the situation had 2 sides, I then talked with MM and reminded her that her brother often gets upset when he’s tired and that at night he needs a little more quiet.  We spoke about having consideration for people at different times of the day - early morning and evening when they are likely to want to sleep.  Then we discussed how she could have handled the situation differently: play a quieter game or close the door to her room.

Unprompted, they apologized to each other before bed and everyone is friendly again.  So it just goes to show me that I can’t always fall back on what I know Gus is trying to communicate, sometimes I have to push him a step further and make him use the pragmatic language skills that has developed.  It was a good lesson.

Everyone, have a wonderful holiday whatever you celebrate, and if you don’t celebrate anything, just have a great week!  I may or may not post over the next couple of days.  If I don’t, I’m still sending good wishes!  Thanks so much for  visiting and/or following!

image borrowed from Sheppard Software

So we were doing this vegetarian experiment for a week to see what the effect would be on the family: Would Gus focus better or would he start having sleep issues again?  Would MM start eating more?  Would I have more energy?  DH was just going along for the ride and wasn’t looking for any changes to occur.  Last night, after dinner, we took a vote.

“So, what do we say?  Vegetarian or cAAAARRGHnivore?” I said in my best squinty-eyed pirate voice.

I looked at Gus and he didn’t answer, so I figured he was just going to ignore the question, but then he said, “Omnivore.”  Sounds right.

MM: “Omnivore.”

I didn’t even have to ask DH who was trying his best not to laugh.  He admitted he’d already abandoned the experiment earlier that day.  “Omnivore.”  My vote was unnecessary because I’d have been outvoted anyway, but it would have been unanimous.  We all want our meat back.

The Details

The week started off well with individual veggie pizzas.  That was the night Gus wokeup in the middle of the night, but I think if I’d made a whole grain crust (very easy to do with a bread machine as long as you plan ahead) that might not have happened.  For day 2, we had a 3-bean chili, which I’ve made before.   That went over well.  Monday was bad.  That was the meatless loaf day and I can’t even write about it again.  Just.  Bad.

We recovered on day 4 with pasta served with a portobello & black olive marinara, and thankfully I redeemed myself in my family’s eyes.  But then we hit a snag.  Thursday turned out to be a really crazy day that included lots of manual labor.  By the afternoon I was exhausted, I  didn’t feel like cooking, and I was in a very blah mood.  Normally, that would be a hot dog night - no thought or effort involved.  It would have been safer.  We had agreed to have salmon cakes one night during the week, but I didn’t have the energy to make them, so I improvised.  The result was a sort of weird fisherman’s pie (like a shepherd’s pie with salmon and potatoes instead of lamb).  We will never speak of it again after this post.

The salmon debacle signaled the beginning of the end.  I think we were all starting to crave a burger, but we carried on into Friday for a whole wheat spinach and cheese lasagna.  Epic win on that one!  And if I had known how easy it would have been to make, I would have done it on Thursday.  Hindsight and all that.  We wrapped up the week with a whole wheat baked macaroni and cheese served with a huge helping of broccoli.  MM demanded leftover lasagna, but it really wasn’t bad.  She wanted orange cheese and I used white.

Changes?

MM ate spinach and she started requesting lettuce in her salads.  Otherwise, she’s not eating any easier and will manage to find something wrong with whatever I make.  No big change there.

Gus did better than expected in the sleep department, but as far as school, his week was so-so.  He did break out of his passive mode on Monday to berate me (deservedly) for the meatless loaf monstrosity, so it was good to see him stand up for himself.  Otherwise, no change.

One problem I had was that our diet suddenly included a lot more cheese than usual.  My stomach was not too pleased.  Beyond that, I didn’t feel too different.  My energy level seemed more effected by the weather than by our diet.  However, a week is probably not long enough to really feel a difference, and since I have tried this before I know that after a time, I would have had more energy.

DH wants a burger.  Or at least some chicken.

Conclusions

We can handle a few vegetarian meals a week, but ultimately, at this point in our lives, we still need some meat in there as well.    For a long time, I’ve avoided vegetarian cooking altogether because I thought it wouldn’t work for Gus, but some simple adjustments in the types of carbs we give him made it work.  So it’s straight to the middle of the road for us.  Perhaps less red meat, better carbs and more willingness to eat some veggies.  I’d say the experiment went pretty well, all things considered.

Amazing how I’ve been up since 4:30, got up at 5 to make this post, and it’s almost 6 and I’m just starting.  I blame my new toy, Twitter.  Anyway, on to thankfulness:

I am thankful that Gus got dressed this morning without me having to ask more than three times.  No fuss, no drama - that’s the way I like to start the day!  Of course, now he’s pretending to be a rock star, Reggie Rockout, complete with green shades, blue striped hat, my clogs and acoustic guitar (he’s in disguise).  His first song will be entitled Rock it Out, and the first album will be The Best Rock Tunes Ever!  I may have to get some t-shirts and hats printed.  Is it possible I can get him out of his disguise before school time?  Can I at least get my shoes back?

I am thankful that my kids love music so much.  Even if one of them doesn’t have the most melodic voice in the world, she makes up for it with enthusiasm and incredible creativity.  Some of MM’s lyrics are pretty cool!  So at any given time, one of them is always bursting into song as long as they think no one is paying attention.  Yesterday, Gus’s song was What a Day for a Daydream. There’s a voice and acting school somewhere nearby, I think.  If things pick up economically, I may just sign these guys up.

Finally, I am thankful that I have an extremely patient husband because I think the vegetarian experiment is really wearing on him.  I won’t even discuss last night’s meal right now except to say that I did cave in and we had salmon.   It was maybe a step above the veggie meat(less) loaf.

Oh, and one of the reasons I joined Twitter was to take part in Autism Twitter Day on Tuesday, December 16th organized by Bonnie Sayer of Autism Family Adventures .  So if you’re on Twitter and connected to the autism community in some way, check it out!  And thank you, Bonnie, for such a great idea!!

Comment with your gratitude, please!

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!