OT @ Sanjay

We changed the OT session to today instead of Saturday because Mama has to attend a concert on Saturday. So today we went to see Sanjay at 4PM like usual time.
Darren was happy & calm there. Playing just like any other normal kids you can find in this planet. Sanjay was quite surprised, as Darren is not really afraid to try all the equipments he used to be afraid of. He ran around the room playing catch me game with Sanjay, looked into his eyes, held his hand to bring him to the place he wants.
I told Sanjay about the 2 sessions at Kyoko, and told him that he will need 10 sessions to solve his problem. He is definitely happy to see the change in Darren, he kept saying "Is this the same Darren whom doesn't have eye contact last week?" hehe, needless to say, I am as happy as him.
But now his banging on door behaviour is getting out of hand, so he said instead of forbiding him to bang & tap at the door, we will used it as a media to engaged him. He suggested we paste a mahjong paper on the door that is designated for Darren & let him play with finger paint on it. Or just paste any other things that might interest him. I will try this out when Derrick is not home. He can be a terror sometimes. Give me headache more than Darren. hehe

Trip to changi airport

Today is a public holiday, our maid is off, so we need to find something to occupy the kids with. Uncle Ng called papa in the morning and asked if we would like to go to malaysia. Then off we go packing everything ready for a trip to kukup, but then uncle called again & cancelled the trip as he feels funny after he saw an accident on his way to meet us, so we ended up go to toa payoh to eat dim sum. It was a disaster, as i can't really eat because have to take care of the kids, haha. But it's okay, i can be on diet.... :-)

After lunch we set off to Changi airport, looking into T3 which has not opened yet, then went to T1 & T2. Finally settle down for some ice cream at Swensens at T2. It was a disaster too, as the kids spilled water 3 TIMES!! The service staff was quite fed up with us by looking at their body language. It was so embarassing as I know what is in thei mind, as I am in this line too......

Darren has fetish for doors now, whenever he sees doors, any kind of doors, he will run there and bang on it. I will highlight this to sanjay, I think his sensory "banging" & "knocking" behaviour is getting worst.......

Took some pics also on papa mobile. Check it out!

Warm Sunday

Today the weather is not that bad in the morning, warm & breezy. But we will never know, because it's usually raining cats & dogs in the afternoon. Darren's nose has stopped leaking, but his cough it's still there, with less phlegm from what I observed. So the medicine from the homeopath is working in him. I hope he can be healthy again fast. Because for him, he is not verbal, so whatever pain or discomfort he feels, we will never know. My heart feels the pain everytime he is sick. Unlike Derrick who can at least let us know what is happening to him.

I think he is up to it today. If Suan Lin never cancel today lesson, we will bring Darren for his ST at her place, she has cancelled 2 lessons, last week & the week before. Hope she can make it today.

If it's not raining, today will be hiking time like usual.......:-)

Homeopathic Clinic

When we were about to go out at 12.30 noon, Darren coughed badly & vomitted his lunch out. So, we were delayed because need to clean him up. So, I call up the clinic at city hall to fix another appointment as we are not going to make it for the noon afternoon. They told me there is one slot at 4 PM. So, we went back home & i surfed the net again. To my surprise I found out that there is one homeopath at Jurong East Ave 1, so off we go there. The rain was puring down like mad when we left the house, fortunately the clinic is located at the place that has enough shelter to make sure Darren is not exposed to the rain.

The doctor is a kind looking indian lady. She asked me a lot of question about Darren's background, his developmental milestone, his constant cold & cough when the weather changes, and his autism. She wrote a long list about what I told her, and from there she focused on the cough & cold; asking me questions like how long have the cold & cough occur? any thisck mucus or phlegm? cough usually during day or night time? any sneezing? any nose blocked? etc. I won't elaborate further on this as those questions are very common even at our normal GP.

She gave us 4 types of medicines, small pills & one bottle of cough syrup. To be taken as instructed on the bottle. Today journey cost us SGD56.00, which I think it's not that bad.

She wants us to go back there next saturday, because i was asking her if she has anything that can help Darren's autistic condition, and she said yes, but she wants to treat his cough and cold 1st then we will see what can be done next.

Darren is not going for OT today because I am worried that the cough & cold will affect his perfromance & conduct there. Just don't want to waste everybody time. No point if he can't comply and always cry. Tomorrow I am not sure if he is up for the ST at Suan Lin's place.

Homeopathic treatment

Darren is having bad cough & flu starting from last night. I can feel his discomfort as he whined & cried this morning. So, I decided since he can't take in chemicals into his body. We will try out "Homeopathy" treatment for his cough & cold.
I called up the clinic at city hall, and they have fixed the appt for us at 12.30 noon today. I hope it will not be too expensive........

Some people might be wondering what is homeopathy. I came across it during my scout for books on autism in the library. And to my surprise some people is using it to treat autism also, and it goes together with the supplements. Dr. John Yeo from autism clinic is using this method on his 18 years old autistic daughter, as I can read from his website. You can fidn it from the list of my favourite links at the left hand side of this blog, titled vanessa journey I, II & III.

What is homeopathy?

With natural health care so popular, an area that has shown incredible growth is that of homeopathic medicine. But, although you can find homeopathic remedies on health food store shelves, are you really clear on what a homeopathic specialist is and what these medicines can do? This article will address five things to know before you choose a homeopathic specialist or buy those homeopathic medicines off the shelf.
What are they?
Homeopathic remedies are medicines made by homeopathic pharmacies in accordance with the processes described in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States and are regulated by the FDA. These are not considered supplements. The remedies could be made from plants, minerals, animals or even from chemical drugs, such as penicillin or streptomycin. These substances are then carefully diluted, called potentization, until very little of the original substance remains. Because these are very dilute, small doses of medications, and they are available over the counter, many people feel they are safe. However, for serious health problems, a person should seek the advice of a knowledgeable healthcare professional. If they choose, it could be from one familiar with homeopathic medicine.
Are they effective?
The fact that very little of the original substance remains, the question comes up how can they even be effective. According to homeopaths, this is based on similarities. When a similarity exists, a person is thought to have a hypersensitivity to that substance. Thus, while the remedy contains very little, in the practical sense, of the original material, it still contains the essence of the substance, or its energy. It’s thought to work by creating a resonance within the body that catalyzes it to begin a healing process.
How this works and if it’s effective is very controversial among traditional medical practitioners. To determine if a particular homeopathic drug is effective, experiments, called drug provings, are conducted. In these experiments, researchers administer continual doses of the substance to a healthy individual until a reaction to the substance is achieved. Once it is known what symptoms a substance causes, then it’s known what symptoms and illnesses it will cure. There have been several systematic reviews of placebo-controlled trails on homeopathy that have reported that its effects seem to be more than just placebo. One observational study found that patients were very satisfied with homeopathic treatments and that both they and their physicians noticed significant improvement. There is also evidence from randomized, controlled trials that homeopathy may be effective for treatment of otitis media in children, muscle soreness after running, and attention deficit hyperactivit!
y disorder. Again, though, I would like to emphasize that it would be wise to consult with a specialist before self-medicating, especially when it comes to children.
Who practices homeopathy?
The practice of homeopathy is incorporated into medical care by a broad range of healthcare practitioners. Medical doctors (MD’s) and doctors of osteopathy (DO’s) may elect to study homeopathy as a post-graduate specialty. Naturopathic doctors (ND’s) study homeopathy as part of their naturopathic school training. Naturopathic medicine is a distinct profession of primary healthcare that emphasizes prevention and the promotion of optimal health. The scope of practice includes all aspects of family and primary care, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and all natural medicine modalities, including homeopathic medicine.
Where did it come from?
Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician who earned his doctorate of medicine degree in 1779 is recognized as the founder of homeopathy. Through experiments on himself, and later with his patients, he developed a system of rules and laws of medicine that he codified into a treatise called the “Organon of rational therapeutics”, first published in 1810. The sixth edition, published in 1921, is still used today as a basic homeopathy text. It was brought to the US in 1825 by several doctors who had studied in Europe. Although at one time there were 22 homeopathic medical colleges in the US, and one out of five doctors used homeopathy, by the 1940’s there were no homeopathic schools in the US.
Do your homework!
Naturopathic physicians are licensed as healthcare providers in 13 states with legal provisions allowing the practice of naturopathic medicine in several other states. To qualify for a license, the applicant must pass the licensing exam and satisfy all licensing requirements, such as have attended a resident course of 4 years and 4,100 hours of study from a college or university recognized by the state examining board. There are special certifications for various healthcare professionals. For MD’s and DO’s, there is the Diplomat in Homeotherapeutics (DHt). For ND’s, the certification is the DHANP (Diplomat of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians), and for homeopaths of all professions, there is the CCH (Certified in Classical Homeopathy). What is important to know is that in states without licensure requirements for homeopathy, anyone can claim to be practicing ‘homeopathic medicine’.
Homeopathic medicine could be a great alternative to traditional medicine. It’s important to look into the background and training of anyone practicing homeopathic medicine, however, as many people promote themselves as an expert without the proper education. The National Center for Homoeopathy (http:///www.homeopathy.org) serves as a resource and training center for the practice of homeopathy. The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (http://www.naturopathic.org) provides information on licensing and education requirements for those promoting themselves as a doctor of naturopathy. For a good overview of the art and science of homeopathy and its basic tenets, suggested reading is The Emerging Science of Homeopathy: Complexity, Biodynamics and Nanopharmacology, 2nd edition, by Bellavite P. Signorini.

I found some write up on this over the net also by a Dr. Vikas Sharma on Homeopathic treatment of autism;

Homeopathy for treating autism in kids is gaining quite a popularity all over the world. Clinical experience shows that results are much better when the treatment is started at an earlier age ,even though at higher ages like six or seven some kids do show remarkable improvements; but homoeopathic intervention at an early age(before much behavioral and emotional issues come up) has distinct advantages. One important aspect that I would clearly like to mention is the fact that results with homeopathy in treating autism are selective. This means that where one segment of kids may respond extremely favorable to the treatment others may fail to yield any relief. Even while treating with homeopathy the child needs to be rated on an autism rating scale. Periodical assessments on the autism rating scale are must to gauge the improvements in the child. Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine; it takes into consideration the constitutional picture (complete physical and mental make up of the child) along with the necessary details of the disease while prescribing.
Medicines that are very effective in treating autism are Carcinocin, Thuja, and Secretin. The role of carcinocin in treating autism requires a special mention. This also does not mean that every child who has autism should be put on it; even for carcinocin to be prescribed the child has to fall within the drug?s constitutional picture.

And he even posted this cured case of autism, check it out!

CURED CASE OF AUTISM
HOMEOPATHY is much more of a choice than people often think it to be. One of its philosophy’s greatest breakthroughs is the realization that the body is not an object but a process with no pre-ordained limits. The scorching, cruel heat of summer was just setting in the first year of the new century when Mr and Mrs Puri (not their real names) approached us with their only child Ravi (not his real name) who was then four. Two years earlier, at the age of two, he was diagnosed as being autistic. We tested him on the ATEC (Autism Testing and Evaluation Checklist) and his rating was in the moderate to high category. His problem was more in speech/communication and sensory/cognitive areas.
Besides the classical symptoms of autism, the symptoms that actually led us to prescribe Carcinocin were the history of an early eruption of teeth and hairiness. A leading characteristic of Carcinocin is the desire for milk. There are many symptoms ? a sweaty head, when sleeping, and physical heat in general; difficulty in falling asleep; the desire for things salty and for chocolate-like energetic foods. Than there are internal restlessness and fidgetiness and love for dancing. Strong passion, sexuality and a very strong family history of cancer in the family are also noticed. The remedy was the boy?s similimum if there ever was one! Fitting him like a glove, the treatment has worked. Ravi has suffered no aggravation in the two years he has been on and off this remedy.
The dosage chosen for him was similarly fitting ? the LM dose. Positive results were obvious within the first month. Babbling turned into more formative words, hyperactive behaviour became rare and he started obeying simple commands. His self-stimulatory behaviour, too, was nearly gone.
Very soon a big achievement came when Ravi started interacting with children and started playing with them. He is now five and is attending a normal school. There are still vestigial signs of his former autism though these are not really apparent to teachers or anyone else besides us (parents and the physicians). For example, his language is occasionally awkward. In moments of stress (e.g. if he is sick), he retreats into himself and utilizes echolalia as a speech strategy. To sum it up, none but the very discerning can make out that Ravi had this serious problem
I would now like to enlighten the readers about the intricacies and the sensitive approach necessary for the homeopathic intervention. Autism poses a challenge to homeopaths. It needs a hardcore-Hahnemannian approach. Valuable symptoms including reaction to vaccines, family medical history, thermal sensitivities and sleep postures form a part of the very detailed information that a physician would need.
For the parents whose kids are undergoing such intervention, the stimulus/reaction model of symptoms and its significance to the homeopath need to be clearly understood.
As the autistic child experiences stress, he respond with a reaction. This reaction becomes a symptom or a sign of characteristic importance. The real challenge is to understand what the child is expressing both verbally (if he is articulate) and nonverbally. By fully perceiving the patient, one may learn to understand the individual?s cycle of stress and response. It is only through such a deep understanding that a homeopath is able to prescribe effectively. The improvement following such intervention also needs to be evaluated regularly on the autism-rating scale. The extent to which the cure can occur has a great degree of variability associated with it.
Two medicines require a special mention for their effectiveness in the treatment of autism ? Carcinocin and Secretin (Secretin as a homeopathic medicine is highly diluted and potentised). Secretin is supposed to neutralise the excess levels of peptides. This medicine has been found useful in cases of autism where loose stools are often an important symptom along with the classical symptoms of the autism spectrum. Another important aspect of the homeopathic treatment of autism is the usage of LM potencies… Homoeopathic medicines in this scale are faster acting and at the same time gentler. It is able to hold the “slipping back” of the old symptoms and can be used for a longer period with frequent repetitions.
Homeopathy is undergoing a very strong resurgence in the modern medical world, and one of the main reasons for it is its recent role in treating such illnesses. Homeopathic philosophy is a constant reminder that the greatest healing power lies within the body itself.

Rainy month

December is always a wet wet month like usual. Darren & Derrick will be having cough, flu & fever on and off like usual. I am prepared this time, stock up lots of medicine from the chinese medical hall. And as I expected both of them are down with cough, flu & fever. Darren is having fever today, but he is better after some paracetamol.

Mrs. Mohan from PCS JW invited me to her class at the training centre, where she is having her course. I was sharing about my experience with Darren this one whole year since he was diagnosed as moderately autistic. We have not been through a lot, like other parents, who has older children, but I hope my sharing will be of some help for the teachers on training, for them to help other special needs kids in Singapore. I feel happy & satisfied just by knowing that my little sharing will benefit other kids as well.

Mrs. Mohan was asking me about my delivery process during Darren's birth, and I was remided of the difficult labour. They have to practically pushed him down, by pushing my stomach as his head is a bit too big for the contractions to flush him down. And they tried to use forcep also.It was a 15 hrs labour. So, with regards to this, I went to the internet and found this article;

Birth Trauma.
The nature of your birth can be one of the most crucial factors in determining your whole future - whether for better or for worse, whether as a positive influence or a negative influence - not just your babyhood or your childhood, but the very nature of your whole life.
On the positive side, a fluent and easy birth may contribute to a healthy, happy baby, who subsequently enjoys a contented and comfortable childhood and consequently develops the skills and confidence which lead to a happy and successful life.
On the other hand, birth can be very traumatic. It can result in severe physical disabilities which significantly limit development and capability. It can result in psychological and emotional trauma which determines the whole psycho-emotional development of the individual.
There are of course many stages in between these two extremes, but ultimately each and every one of us is significantly affected by the nature of our birth to a greater or lesser extent.
In its most severe manifestations, a difficult birth may lead to brain damage, cerebral palsy (spasticity) or autism, or may contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (cot death). In less severe cases, it may lead to dyslexia, dyspraxia, learning difficulties, hyperactivity, epilepsy, obsessional behaviour, personality disorders, and a wide range of developmental difficulties.
But in each and every one of us (supposedly "normal" individuals) the nature of our birth, in some form or other, may play an important fundamental role in determining every aspect of our nature - our physical constitution, our underlying level of health and strength, our mental ability, our emotional stability, our muscular co-ordination and consequently our sporting and other motor skills. Compression, tension and restriction around the base of the cranium may significantly restrict blood supply to the brain, with profound consequences on brain development, affecting our intelligence, our memory, our academic ability, or determining whether our left brain or right brain develops more fully - and consequently whether we are more artistic or mathematically minded.
Birth trauma may contribute to a susceptibility to allergies, asthma, migraine, squint, ear infections and a whole multitude of other disorders as well as influencing the development of all our body systems - the nervous system, the digestive system, the immune system, and consequently in so many ways may determine our very nature.

Kudos to all the special ed teachers, I admire your passion, love & patience in dealing with our"very special kids". Thank you from the bottom of my heart, especially to those people involved in Darren's interventions & therapies. Mrs. Mohan, Sanjay, Vivian, Kyoko, Suan Lin, Teacher Fadi, Jane & others whom i might forget.

Session at healing garden

Yesterday Darren was having his 1st cranio at healing garden. The place is tug inside Tanglin place & seems comvenient because next to it is the taxi stand for tanglin mall. We went inside & they require me to fill up a form for Darren. But Darren kept sitting on my lap & touched my pen, so it was a long process. haha.

The therapist is Kyoko, a very nice & pretty Japanese lady. Ahboy seems to be okay when we went into the room. But he refused to sit down or lay down. When Kyoko put her palms on his back & stomach. He screamed like there is no tomorrow, so I have to practically pinned him down. He screamed for that 1/2 an hour session. Before i get to say anything, Kyoko talked to me & asked these questions after her palms are on his body:
* He always gets flu & cough?
* He likes to lick & bite non-food objects?
* He doesn't speak?
* He likes to bang on things?
* He bangs his head to the floor or wall?
And the answer to those questions is YES.

She told me that Darren's head is indeed very tight. His thoughts are all collected at the part near his forehead, thus we can see it looks like swollen. And his head feels so hard, unlike Derrick's head. After the 1st session, we can feel that his head has soften a bit. She told me that Darren needs weekly therapy. And that she will be seeing us again next tuesday @ 3 PM.

Now is Darren's school holiday, a long one. Lessons @ Fei Yue will start only on 2 January 2008 & Lessons @ PCS JW will start only on the 8 January 2008. Have to think of some activities for him to occupies his time theses 1/2 a month.

Craniosacral therapy

Cranial osteopathy itself was developed in the early 1900s by Dr William Garner Sutherland, one of the chief disciples of Dr Andrew Taylor Still, the man who founded osteopathy in 1872.
Dr Sutherland was the first to propose the idea (although Dr Still alluded to it) that the body's entire nervous system – including the skull – was in “constant rhythmic motion” and that this motion was crucial to health. When the movements were restricted, adverse symptoms would arise.
Dr Sutherland even tested the theories on his own head. When he deliberately created restrictions, he experienced symptoms such as depression, severe headaches or jaw pain. When he released those restrictions, the symptoms went away.
At that time, few believed him because the movements were very subtle and could only be felt by a person with highly sensitive hands.
Dr Sutherland was called a “heretic” and a “quack”.
It was only in the 1940s - some 40 years after he first proposed his theories – that Dr Sutherland's work began to gain wider acceptance among medical practitioners.
Today, highly sensitive computerised medical diagnostic equipment confirm that Dr Sutherland had been right all along. Dr Sutherland's theories are now accepted as medical fact.
Cranial treatment is effective for the treatment of all the conditions that benefit from regular osteopathic manipulation.
Because of the gentle nature of the treatment, however, it is especially beneficial for pregnant mothers and newborn infants after a difficult delivery. It is found to be very calming for infants and children with developmental disorders and learning difficulties, such as those suffering from autism.
CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY has been successful in the treatment of:
• Autism• ADD: attention deficit disorder• ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder• Delayed physical and mental development• Learning & behavioural disabilities• Birth trauma – ventouse / forceps delivery / caesarian delivery• Colic
• Scoliosis and other postural problems• Cerebral palsy or plasticityBells palsy• Sudden onset squint• Head / whiplash injuries• Coccyx pain• Headache / migraine• Menstrual pain and irregularity• Problems associated with pregnancy• Recurrent infection• Asthma & other respiratory disorders• Stress / depression• Chronic fatigue
Cranial osteopathy is also helpful for those who do not 'click' during regular osteopathic manipulation.

We went to see Sanjay today as usual. He was very happy to see that sound therapy has helped Darren a lot. He didn't cry when Sanjay brought him to the room, so he asked me to go in as well. He enjoys being swing up & down real fast. But he hated it when Sanjay put him on the Metal stairs for him to climb up. He seemed composed & calm throughout the session.

But he suggested that we bring Darren to Cranio therapy as he can feel that Darren's head is a bit tight, and he is concern about his speech. Because he is not talking at all all these while. We tried every theaphies & supplements but nothing helps him so far. So, we have no choice, we have to follow what the expert say. I will book the cranio therapy next week....

Rainy season

It was raining the whole day today. Darren is not feeling too well, he is down with cough & flu. I brought him for his lesson at PCS JW today. He was a bit cranky, maybe because of his condition. We took cabs thru and flow, as the rain was damn heavy. He wanted to play with the rain water when we were waiting for cab at the road side, but i never allow him, as i know he will get very sick. He is not a kampong boy whom can play under the rain. haha. I was at a loss of word, as I was carrying him using my right arm, then carry umbrella using my left hand, and carrying my bag and his bag on my shoulder. Yet, he kept struggle wanna break free. I look like an idiot mom who doesn't know how to manage a boy, hahahaha. But it's okay. He was just too excited because of the rain.

He is biting a lot of his shirts nowadays. All need to discard, because all with holes, he is practically chewing on his shirts while he is wearing them. I asked Sanjay about this also. He said maybe it's because now he is more aware, and yet he can't do lots of gross & fine motor skills, that's why he resulted to chewing his shirts. God knows why.....

I am planning to change his soya base milk to potato base milk, but must wait till papa's salary come in 1st..... No choice, we are not as rich as it looks.

Derrick "monkeying" around at playground

PICS of the "Jingle bells" event

End of the school term for 2007

Darren participated in a small section of his school performance like I said before. It was on 30th Nov'07, his last day of school for this year. The pics are attached.

He practically stunned standing in front of the class with so many pairs of eyes looking at him, so he just stood there with eyes blinking & not ringing the bells in his hand. think he got stage fright. wahaha
A lot of Papa's students & Mr. Ng's family lent him their support. I am really grateful for this. Thank you all for believeing in Darren, it's a great deal to us with your small gesture just for being there :-). And we would like to express our gratitude to all the teachers at Fei Yue, You have been a GREAT help to Darren. Thank you.

Darren behaves really well with the music therapy & supplements. Eventough still has temper tantrum once in a while but it's not as bad as the last time. He is drooling & blinking his eyes still, Sanjay assured me he will overgrown it as it might be an effect of sound therapy, because he is more focus now, just like a pc registering information inside him. That explains the blinking. I will do oral motor on him, it's just putting our finger inside his mouth & massaging his inner mouth and gum. It will help with the drooling.

Derrick has started going to childcare for 1/2 day since monday(3/12/07). He is doing very well. Imitating whatever the teachers are doing, and he actually knows how to use a scissor! that's what the teacher told me. They like him, because he seldom cry, unlike other newbies in the centre. Hehe. I am happy, at least he will learn things there from his peers & teachers.

PICS of the celebration

I have been good

Yeah, Can say so, Darren has been very good this week, that's why I have nothing to write since the last time I wrote something on Sunday until now. He throws less tantrum now, and he can focus more. He can sit down and do his tasks for 30 mins at least now. Eventough still no speech, but I belive it will come soon, just have to be patient.

He will have his performace on Friday for Christmas, at Fei Yue. Eventough just a small role, but just like Uncle Ng said, u need small roles to do big roles. So, this is a good start for Darren. He will be able to do something bigger the next time, I believe this.

Today is Jie Jie Jing Jing's b'day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIE JIE! Eventough Darren & Derrick were not there to celebrate with you, because we sleep early. But we wish you here :-)

Drooling & blinking of eyes

It has been a week, Darren keeps blinking his eyes & lets his saliva go down to his chin. I asked Sanjay abt this when we met him just now. He said maybe it's because his focusing level is higher now and he always forget to swallow his saliva. As, for the blinking, he has no definite answer, it's a mystery of the autism world.

I played the CD that Sanjay lent to me last week, but he didn'y like it and always cry. So, we are changing to "Samonas" CD - Guitar & flute. Let him listen to it a while a go before his bedtime. He seems to like it a lot, keeps laughing and flipping his hands. I hope this has to be the right CD to help him to improve. We are still waiting anxiously for the day when he can talk to come, so far nothing with meaning yet.

Tomorrow supposed to have a session of ST with suan lin, but not sure if she will can cancel it again or not. Darren likes to go to that place, maybe it's because suan lin usually will let him do whatever he wanna do. No forcing... so he adores her, haha.

Tomorrow it's hiking time again, hope it will not be raining............Rain rain go away, come again some other day.......little children want to play..........

WHEAT!!

I was looking at the bottle of Brown rice powder Darren always drink with his soya milk, and to my horror, it contains 5% of wheat! GF/CF diet Darren is on is avoiding, Casein (animal milk, dairy products), gluten (baker products), yeast, wheat, soya, sugar. So, I have to stop his "kids chelat" for 2 weeks at least, to heal his leaky gut caused by yeast overgrowth, to make sure it's okay before starting the chelation process again. So, that it will not backfire.

Summary from "Children with starving brains" book:

What parents can administer themselves (All can be purchased from www.kirkmanlabs.com) :

* GF/CF Diet, info can be found all over the internet. (NO animal milk, dairy products, baker products, sugar, sugar from apple & grapes, chocolate, etc)

* Enzyme; to balance the impurity caused by eating non GF/CF food by mistakes.

Given in every meal. Kirkman Labs sell 2 types DPP-IV Forte or Enzyme complete with DPP- IV.

* Probiotics, to heal leaky gut.

* Multivitamin & mineral without copper. For overall well being.

* B6 & Magnesium

* Calcium

* Vitamin C

* Vitamin E

* Vitamin A or Cod Liver Oil

* Essential fatty acids; EPA, DHA & GLA

* DMG/TMG & folic acid

* Folate

* Vitamin B12

* Grapefruit extract. For immune system.

Darren is doing better & beter each day. Today he went to Fei Yue. The teacher doesn't have to drag him to his seat now, he walked there & sit down all by himself. And teacher reported that he is very excited today, over everything. Means his attention level is higher now. He is aware of his surrounding.

Potato milk

Today is Fei Yue for Darren, he is happy, laughing & giggling away. That's what the teacher told me. And she reported that his concentration is higher nowadays & able to sit for 30 mins to do his tasks, which is a good sign.

Sanjay suggested that we started him on sound therapy. He lent me his CD & I play it everyday at around 7 or 8 PM for 10 mins. Since we have difficulty asking him to put on his headphone. I decided to foget about it and just play the music from our cd player inside his bedroom. I will put on headphone & listen to my own song while i accompany him during the sound therapy session. He has the therapy for 3 days already, so far he is very happy with the music, but i can't really see big leap in his performance yet.

This afternoon was at the library reading a book called "Children with starving brains", it's about biomedical treatment for autism kids. They mentioned about GFCF diet (Darren is in it), Vitamin B6 & magnesium (Darren is in it), Calcium (Darren is in it), Probiotics (Darren is in it), Milk thistle (Darren is in it), Vitamin C (Darren is in it), Multivitamin (Darren is in it). I think Darren need to add some other supplements in his diet; to maintain the minerals & vitamins lost during his chealtion process, they are selenium, zinc, cod liver oil (Omega-3), vitamin E & multi amino acids. The book also mention that GFCF diet need to avoid soy also, but now Darren is drinking soya milk, so I am a bit worried. Because they believe soya is feeding the yeast inside his body, which is not good, it will caused yeast overgrowth & causing gut leaking, which will make the chelation process backfire. I think no choice, we have to buy the potato milk from kirkman labs also. sigh... I can't believe how other autistic parents think that drinking goat milk is okay for their children, when i know that goat milk also contains casein, which is not good for autistic kids. But, well everyone has their own beliefs.

The holiday is coming very soon......... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.....

Kirkman rocks!

Finally the shipment from Kirkman Labs is here! I am so grateful for the speedy shipment. I mean they are doing autistic kids business, so they know what is speedy shipment is.
I gave him his B12 injection today, hope he will not have difficulty sleeping tonight, as always happen after he got the jab.

He took his nap for 15 mins only today. Nowadays he seldom take his nap, and after school usually he will feel very sleepy and throw a big tantrum. And he must go into his room by 8 PM. But he will only sleep at around 9.30 PM to 10 PM.

Today is going to Fei Yue, his favourite place. But holiday is coming.... for a month. from 1 Dec'07 till 1 Jan'08. I was thinking wanna let him learn swimming for the holiday, but the instructor told me that this month is a rainy season, so usually they don't advise us to take any lessons as it will be a lot of cancellations because of the rain. So got to be next year then.
I found the swimming instructors' contacts from the forum, they have some experiences working with children with special needs. U see, that's one of the advantage of peeping into autism forum. Parents of another autistic kids know best of everything.

Since he can't take his swimming lesson, I am thinking of letting him go to piano lesson instead, because he likes piano a lot. But until now have not found any instructor who has experience working with children with special needs.

The teacher at Fei Yue said he can sit for longer period & very focus today. Maybe it's due to the B12 jab. And because he took in his calcium & probiotics before go to school. So, you see, you can't deny that supplements help him a lot :-)

Darren will be involved in a performance on 30th nov'07 @ 4.30PM at his school. haha. Papa was wondering yesterday what kind of role can he play? he can't even be a tree who doesn't need to act, because he can't stand still at a place. So, I asked his teacher this afternoon. She said he will be just ringing a bell with the jingle bells song. wahahaha. Even that task is maybe too difficult for him, as he will run away. We shall see ;-p

Darren..Na..na...na

Yeah, that's what Darren is able to utter after more than a month on "kids chelat". He is a lot more aware of his surrounding now. Able to turn when being called, and will turn to see if he heard someone screaming behind 0r near to him. This is one great improvement!
I believe he will be able to talk in a while, which will make me less worried, as he will be able to say what he want and need, so temper tantrum will be less.

Today he is doing quite well at PCS JW, after the teacher followed some advices by Vivian. He is able to sit down on the chair and do his tasks. His teacher is really greatful that she made that trip to Fei Yue. haha.

He has not taken his probiotics & calcium powder for 3 days, and he keeps blinking his eyes nowadays. I am still waiting for the shipment from Kirkman labs to arrived. As I will stop buying from SIngapore source which is quite costly. Hope the shipment will be here tomorrow....

"Classic Autism"

"There is general agreement that, in its full-blown form, autism involves a triad of impairments—in social interaction, in communication and the use of language, and in limited imagination as reflected in restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour and activities. Those who combine all three impairments to a marked degree have the classic form of autism, so named by Leo Kanner, a psychistrist at Johns Hopkins University, in 1943. But much larger numbers have some of the traits of autism."

This is what I found from the internet about classic autism. Because today Vivian told me about Darren, and that he has classic form of autism. Because some autistic kids have only one or two of impairment/s described in "classic autism", but Darren has 3 of them, which is impairment in language, social skill & limited imagination. Which, sad to say is quite right.

Till today, he has not utter a single meaningful word, he doesn't really look at strangers and sometimes doesn't even realised that someone else is in the room. But this has improved a bit, at least he will look for a while when someone enter the room, & he still plays the same toys everyday, balls, musical toys, shakers & bubbles. He does play with toy cars, ride-on car or puzzles sometimes.

His teacher from PCS JW was visiting him at Fei Yue today, because she is still very puzzled by Darren's resistance of not seating on the chair during his task at her centre. She was surprised to see that Darren can sit for a good 25 to 30 mins at Fei Yue. So Vivian was sharing with her, that Darren needs to be "cornered" when doing tasks. As in have to put him in a very small place which he can't move around, no escape route. So, he will focus and concentrate on the tasks given to him. He is also not up to the level where he could move from one point to another point just to let him see the picture cards of doing the next task. But the teacher doesn't seems to agree, she said she will do it because she has one successful case, so we have nothing to say. And Vivian was also sharing with her that Darren can't be asked to do like set of 8 tasks then given break, because he is still a very young boy and his impairments makes him even harder to focus. So, she suggested on doing 2 tasks, then break, then move on to the next 2 tasks & so on. Which I think it's quite right.

PCS is an integrated cildcare, I am hoping he can do his N1 to K2 there & be ready for his NORMAL Primary 1 when he turns 7 yo. That's my short term goal.

Vivian told me Darren has got lots of improvement. He shows more eye contacts now, more focus, able to use picture card to ask for his snacks, less temper tantrum, & better social skill (he likes his friend Jarrick, and will follow him around during OT sessions :-), this sounds like heaven to me! Papa, we should feel happy that Darren has move on to this stage, I can't imagine if I am still working and leave him with the maid, what will happen to him. SO, papa, all your hard works to earn money to feed so many of us doesn't go down the drain, Darren will be better in no time. :-) we love you

More & more normal

Darren likes being cuddle nowadays. He will want me to hold him in my arms for long period of time, which i can't really take it anymore as he has grown up, 14 kgs! This is also a good sign, as i observe that Derrick also like being cuddle & hold in our arms.

When Darren is crying, I will imitate him, and usually he will stop in a while. But it's quite tiring for me. haha. The teacher at Fei Yue asked me about the bump on his head. Told her is self inflicted injury, as he likes to bang his head against the floor when he is upset for God knows reasons. Yesterday he cried and he said "nen..nen..nen" But he just finished his milk. So I kept asking him what he want, but didn't manage to force any words out from him. I will keep doing this, asking him what he want when he is upset, maybe miracle will happen and he will say what he want out of desperation, hehe.

The teacher at Fei Yue will consult their head psychologist and they will try to come out with a solution to stop him from his self injury behaviour. His tapping is less now, but he still tap, on cupboard, on glass, any surfaces that can make sound, according to Fei Yue this is one of bad habit, but according to Sanjay, this is just a way of coping, because he can't do a lot of things so he resulted to tapping, just to release himself. Just like when we can't do our exam questions and we will bite our nails. So, i am not sure who is telling the right thing. But his tapping is nothing compare with his biting & licking of non-food objects, that is one behaviour i categorised as bad behaviour, as it's not very hygienic. But until now, noone ever come out with good way to prevent him from biting & licking non-food objects. God knows when he will get over this.

Crying whole day long

Darren is crying the whole day today. I guess it's because we added the chelation liquid to 7 drops now. He was like that also the last time we added the dose from 3 drops to 5 drops. I think the body just need to get used to it. That's why he cries a lot and fidgets a lot.

I tried giving him big hug & squeeze him between my arms, he just loves it. I think I read before from a book, that autistic individual doesn't show affection such as hug, because some of them are sensitive to touch, that's why they invented a machine just to squeeze the person in between impersonating big hug. We are lucky because Darren is not sensitive to touch, only sometimes a little too much feeling ticklish. hehe. & he is still very obsessed with his bags.

Now I realised that the chelation liquid is so expensive, it's around SGD 70+ not inclusive of delivery charge (+ SGD 27.75 delivery charge), but if it can make Darren more normal, we are willing to do anything. I decided to purchased all of his supplements from kirkman labs now, as it will be a lot cheaper. Milk thistle, calcium, multivitamin, probiotics, DMG & Folic acid, Magnesium & Vitamin B6. It will set us back around SGD400+, but it will last for many months compares to buying it from Singapore, which will only lasts for a month.

Derrick can imitate a lot nowadays, from the adults & from TV shows. For example, usually when he did something wrong, i will reprimand him by saying.....hah hah hah hah...see see see...i told you so!, now whenever he sees us drop something he will say that also. wahahahaha. Papa says he is just like a "small adult". Smart but very naughty! sometimes can't take it!

West coast park

We went to west coast park for a while yesterday. Brought Darren & Derrick. But by 7+ PM Darren showed that he is distress with the "kum...kum...kum.." sound. I don't know how to describe it. haha.

Derrick ran around the park & seemed to be very happy. But he fell asleep after we reached home, and so was Darren.

They have lots of sand pit playgrounds at west coast park, but Darren & Derrick don't like the feeling of sands on their little feet, so we moved to grassy area. This is Darren's favourite. He likes the texture of trees & grass.

I have increased the chelation liquid to 7 drops by this week. He shows great improvement in speech. He talks & babbles a lot more nowadays. Hope his vocab will improve in no time.

His understanding of language & gestures are better also. The teacher at Fei Yue told me that he could bring his snack box & water bottle to the small cubicle on the wall where his bag is, with only verbal prompting & pointing.

But his temper tantrum is getting worse. He has blueblack on his forehead resulted from him banging his head against the floor. He needs attention all the time, whenever we step out to do some household chores or just to drink water at the kitchen, he will get very upset because he can't see us around him.

Darren & Derrick are asleep now. So it's my own time now.... TV & computer.

Derrick is still as rebellious. Nowadays, whenever he is angry, he will knock his head against the wall or floor just like Darren. So, usually I will let him be, to let him know that is not the way of trying to get our attention. Hope he will learn that it's a totally wrong way. He has the habit of throwing objects also, just to show his anger. Usually I will slap his hands for this. Real bad habit....... He has a nickname now "MAFIA BABY".....hahaha

Speech is coming up

Darren seems to take real good reaction to brushing. He make more speech now. He will experiment with his mouth & tounge to make different kind of sounds. I am happy for him, but I think I will forgo the vitamin B12 injections from next month onwards. It really pained me to see him have to endure all the injections. If he is okay with supplements, OT, ST & brusching, I think it's more than enough.

Finally the famous yahoo group for parents with autistic kids approved of my membership with them, so now i can look at all the posting by parents there. Yeah, we need all the support we can get. As some of the parents have been though a lot. More years of struggling, more years of experiences than us. I hope i will not say the wrong thing there. I usually dislike forums. Whatever u say, sure got ppl say something, so usually I will only read up the postings, but seldom post anything.

My maid is leaving end of this year. But papa said we will have to get another maid, as sometimes we need to go out for relaxing a bit or run errands. We will still need someone to look after the kids for us. But this time round, I will be looking for a christian maid, as it will be easier for her to blend into our family. She will be able to cook, & to eat together with us. We dislike it when maid has to be treated as a maid. All our previous maids have real good lives with us, but none of them appreciated it......

Darren has fetish for his school bag now. Keeps dragging it around the house, sleeps with it & plays with it. Just check out the pic, hahaha

All the hell broke loose!

Finally my maid confessed to me that she indeed has a bf here in Singapore! She said they have known each other since April 2007. So, we decided not to renew her work permit once it's expired. But papa said, she can go and find a new employer now, and just go when she can find one. We treated her not bad at all, that's what i feel. But she does this thing to us. We are a bit dissapointed. We still thought we have found a good maid who can maybe work for us for many many years. But, too bad....

It will be a hard period on us, but i belive we will go through this. Once the kids have grown up. I can do whatever I wanna do.

So temporarily, will be no exercises sessions for me. But still can exercise at home......

Darren is good today, nothing much to say.

Papa's power

Derrick is only afraid of papa now. When papa is out working, we are having a hard time trying to tell him to do the right things. He sleeps with papa every night now, so no more sleeping at 12 midnight or waking up in the middle of the night and walk around the room. He tends to throw things to show his anger, which is not an acceptable behaviour. His toys are all damaged because of this bad behaviour.

I am thinking of putting him at the child care for half a day, as he is not verbal because at home his koko is not talking also. He might pick up some languages mixing with other kids at the centre. For now, as the maid is still here. We are thinking of putting him from 7 am till 1pm, so that when i am sending Darren to school, she can't go anywhere as Derrick is around.

I started do brushing for Darren yesterday. Once in the morning & once at night before he retires to bed. Seem to be working well this time. He slept throughout the night & woke up at 7.30 am.And he keeps babbling to himself today.

I was doing a set of floor time activity with him yesterday & he likes it. But have to wait till Derrick is not around, then I can teach Darren properly. He is such a nuisance, trying to be in front when i am trying to teach Darren. Next month he will be at the childcare centre for sure.

Went to bukit timah hill for our sunday exercise again yesterday. I can cope better as this is not the 1st time already. I have to build up my stamina & keeps going. Wanted to go jogging this morning but it's raining. Maybe will go in the evening. I saw some interesting mushrooms at bukit timah hill yesterday. Check out the pics!

Listen to your mama!

Finally I managed to put song to this blog with help from Jin Jing. hehe. thanks girl! I think this song is more suitable, as Darren & Derrick always never listen to whatever i am trying to say. Especially Derrick! He is so rebellious now, when I ask him to do something, he will do the opposite of what he was being told to do. He has joined the opposition party!

Darren cried for more than 2 hours last night, according to the maid. Slept at 11 PM, woke up at 5 AM, slept again, woke up at 7 AM. That's why her face was so black last night when we reach home. This afternoon, Darren pointed to his stomach when papa asked him why he is crying, so papa guessed that he has stomach ache, so rubbed some oil on it. He smiled after that.

Went to his ST at Citris today. Everything was fine. He was happy. And he was very angry over Derrick this afternoon, because whatever he was trying to play with, Derrick will snatch it! He cried, ran around the house, & tried to bang his head to the floor. He also said di...di...di...di, so papa beat didi, and brought him to the room to take his nap. At least now Darren is able to show his emotion, which is a good sign.

Seminar on sensory integration & communication

I attended a seminar on sensory integration & communication at Sanjay's. I am amazed when i found out that in order for an individual to communicate, you will need a whole lot of stuffs to function together. For example, have to be able to stay compose/calm, be able to relate & read the facial expression of the person you wanna talk to, be able to organize yourself & have ideas on what you need to say, etc. Now i understand why communication & language don't come easy for those with developmental disorder, as a lot of their body function is not in order, it's not supporting each other well. Thus, resulting in jumble up of sensations & make them do or say something odd ot the rest of the world.

From there, i also learnt that Darren falls under "under aroused" category, as he is hyperactive, his anxiety is high whenever he sees something he doesn't like & he can't stay focus on one task.And i realised now why sometimes he runs from room to room for a good 25 mins without stopping, according to sanjay, it's because he is not given any task or activity to occupy himself with. So, I decided, maybe i will try out the brushing on him again starting from tomorrow. We have to try everything we can, as long as it will not do him any harm. I will try to implement floor time play activity with him 3 to 4 times per day, 30 mins each time. That's my resolution starting from Monday. I want to see result, We want to succeed in helping Darren, so I have to do this no matter how hard I find it to be, as he doesn't really wanna do anything for long with me. He likes to step on my legs and pulls my hair.........

Went to Jin Jing's place today for spaghetti. Quite yummy "yum yum". Thanks Mr & Mrs Ng for the invite. And, I am not sure if the food was prepared by our god daughter? Too bad I had to go late, because the seminar ended at 9 PM. But the kids are really noisy in playing games, until neighbor comes to the door. So malu!

Woah! It's Sunday again. Ah Bee going to tumble tots in the morning, and in the afternoon is Ah boy's ST session at Citris (not sure if she will cancel the class again tomorrow? hehe). Because I am craving for "Kolo Mee" near Citris. Yum yum, it tastes like my hometown. Yeah, I miss my hometown foods always.

Mrs. Mohan from PCS JW was telling me that she wanna go to Fei Yue on Monday to see how Ah boy is doing over there. I consulted Vivian Lau, the head psychologist at Fei Yue, she said they would like Mrs. Mohan to write email or phone her, so they will see when it's convenient. Yeah, I think that's the way too. Will have to tell Mrs. Mohan on Monday morning.

Ah boy refuses to sit at all at PCS JW, but he can sit for 20 mins doing his table tasks at Fei Yue. That's why Mrs. Mohan is puzzled & wanna see how Fei Yue makes him sit. hehe

Another friend is getting married

Went to a friend's ROM dinner last night. Brought Derrick along, but it proofed me stupid. He made the whole lot of noise when he is denied access to anything that is dangerous (e.q china plates, bowls, etc). And he wanted to run around the restaurant, which design is not kids friendly, with lots of steps around. I swear, I will never bring him along on another outings.

Darren was already asleep when we reached home. He woke up at 5.30 AM this morning. Didn't make any noise but smiling instead. I made milk for him and he finished it swiftly. Crawled to the mattress when he saw me coming with the milk in hand. I am so happy to see that. At least he was not crying and beating his own head. He is becoming more and more "normal" now.

I am trying to set up an online business, selling bags and fashion jewelleries, because i think i can make use of my computers since i like to play with it so much. Another small income for this fulltime home maker. I really hope i can contribute something to the family, because Papa is very stressed up with big responsibility. But no matter how small a business is, sure still needs some capital. So can't do it that big yet as all suppliers has Minimum order quantity (MOQ).

uuuhhmmm

Yeah, I really don't know what to write today. But Darren was sleeping well last night. He woke up at 7 AM this morning, so it's not that bad.
He screamed the whole morning and woke Derrick up at 8 AM. Now they are having their breakfast at the living room.

Issue to ponder about:

Do you think that maid having boyfriends in Singapore is a social problem? Yes, I think so. Once they have bfs, they will not perform well. Those organisation for migrant worker always said that it's not wrong for maids to have bfs, yeah it's not wrong, but when their having bfs is affecting their work performance, that is serious, as we employers pay 500+ bucks for them every month.I will not like the idea of supporting my maid having bfs here in Singapore. Even those with husbands back home, are also having a bfs here in Singapore. I just can't stand the sight of seeing my maid with her mobile phone every min of the day I look at her. Well, just close one eye for now, till contract is finished in March next year.

I think next year can put Derrick in half day child care, so that i can do a bit of house work and bring Darren to school. Without maid is inconvenient, but I'd rather do all myself, than have to stand them with their bad behaviours.

Derrick refuses to eat home cooked soup + rice now, he wanna eat out everyday. But I don't let it, as the food from coffee shop has a lot of "ajinomoto" which is not good for baby like him. So, he losed a bit of weight because of this. He just refuses to eat rice or drink milk, but we are forcing him to eat, so he will gain back a bit of his baby fats.

Vampire

Yeah, that's Darren. He woke up at 3.35 am this morning and refused to sleep till now! He didn't take his nap too. He keeps opening room doors and playing with them. He keeps shouting thus woke Derrick up this morning. I am really hoping he will talk in no time. This is getting out of hand, haha.

His teacher at PCS JW yesterday complimented that he can focus more. And how she hopes that he will be like that everytime he goes there, but well, we never know, one bad behavior goes off will usually follows by another bad behavior resurface. Just cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Went to Fei Yue today for his intervention just like usual. Teacher said he was good, can do tasks for 20 mins without reinforcement. I think that is good sign. Oh, yeah, one more thing before i forget, his ex teacher at Ichiban called me this afternoon. She said she misses Darren, and would like to visit us this coming Saturday morning, and also to give him the present she promised to give the last time when Darren left Ichiban. Yeah, I feel warm inside, my little boy is still adorable in other ppl eyes. I feel like crying.....at the same time happy. He is my cute boy.... :-)

Cranky Day

Today Darren is cranky, he wants to play with the main door and room door which we will not let because he will hurt himself, but now he is a big boy, so he is able to open the doors eventough we are using magnetic stopper. I think I have to buy some hooks and install it, sigh....

Nowadays when he realised that we forbid him to do something, he will blow his top, screaming on top of his lungs and bang his head to the floor.... This is another bad habit!

The OT room Blue was solved, by covering the tiles area in the room. He didn't see the difference, all covered up, so he was okay. The OT at Fei Yue was so happy that we solved this riddle. haha. They had a hard time because he cried and cried and cried whenever going inside that room. But I think Sanjay is the experienced one, he was able to tackle this problem. I am glad that I decided to go back to him for Darren's OT.
This evening Papa just told me that during the school holidays, a couple of his students might be able to come to our place to be the "Volunteer play friends" for Darren. I am glad, because I have been looking forward to see him be able to speak up. So that he will not be so frustated whenever he wanted something. School holiday period is another big headache for me, as Fei Yue is having holiday also, Darren will be home the whole month. GOSH!



I increased the chelation liquid to 5 drops last Monday. He is even more hyperactive now. Has a bit of difficulty falling asleep and fidgeting a lot. Making a lot of noise. But I think I must go on with this therapy because beside the bad habits (e.q. hyperactivity, head banging & fidgeting), he shows some good behaviors too (e.q. can sit longer, can take public transport, better eye contact, make some sounds & spoke at least one meaningful word).