A wonderful day

Some days you are in fabulous form. I heard the patter of footsteps at around 6.15am and you came and climbed on our bed. You came and cuddled and we had quite an excellent morning. The eye contact was fabulous, and you were just really good. We asked you to get something so you did. You asked for things and played wonderfully.

The counting was there, the humming (I haven't mentioned too much about humming but you hum a lot) was still there. There was a bit of flapping but you were really as bright as a button. We called "Ben", you turned round. We told you not to do things, you didn't. You asked to play with "mummy phone", and I said "it's in the bedroom, on the table near the light". You ran into the bedroom and came back empty handed. I repeated it, you looked up at the light, you went to the dining table. It was shocking how much you clearly understood, so I asked Mummy to show you where it actually was. It was hidden under the quilt, so you couldn't see it originally.

Mummy got a call from the Baker Centre in Bar Ilan University about coming to help their research unit. You come along for an hour a week - as a family - and they don't accept one parent, and they film you with the child doing Floortime, and then the next week, the parents come back without the child and discuss the week before. I think it is about 150 shekels a session, and the therapist is an English speaker (she trained in the US). Let's hope that we can fix up a time - Mummy told them Thursday was bad, and she said she would get back to us with a time for Monday. But she didn't call back, so I am a bit stressed. We could have been going on Thursday, but Mummy tried to negotiate a better time and as it stands, Shai's need to do nothing on Thursday and work from home meant we were unable to just confirm Thursday at 11am.

I had the pleasure of going into town on my own today, though I have this feeling you would have been fine. But it was nice to have some time where I could just relax. It has been very very intensive lately. Not just the Floortime, but the pressure. There is always more to do, develop, learn. Even this blog is time sometimes I think I am wasting. It helps me keep a track though, and it is a chance for me to collect my ideas, talk to someone! It keeps me motivated too. I told Avi in the bank about your candida, and he sort of thought it wasn't that serious. I never said that it caused your autism, but the way he said "but you can treat it" makes me think that people don't understand the damage that it can cause, and also would be more upset if you broke your leg.

I wanted your mum to show the report to Safta, with the yeast going off the scale. I want her to understand that she has to be the opposite of herself, but I've struggled trying to get the point across to her about how to do the Floortime, about turning the TV off and lowing the noise levels and thinking about your sensory disorder, stuff like that. Like so many people, she thinks what she does it right, and she already does everything I advise (following being advised myself). But it is not normal to encourage a child to NOT complete a puzzle, and to spend 10 minutes trying to prevent him to get him to ask for help and demand your assistance. One of the ways I describe how to help an autistic child is by saying that with someone without ASD you are amazed and delighted if they can do a jigsaw alone without help. With an autistic child, you want them to not be able to complete the jigsaw and you jump for joy when they give up trying on their own and ask you to help.

Mummy said that she was terrified someone would underplay the yeast point, send it to someone like "Dr" Yair Melamed who is nothing like an expert and he'd dismiss what we have found out. She's decided to not tell Safta we are seeing a DAN! nutritionist, DAN! is seen as quackery and doctors are apparently better than nutritionists. Even with nutrition. So we are going to see a 'doctor' Sunday. I think by the time you read this then people might have a better idea of what is going on.

You were great in the lift when we went to Safta's, and she agreed that you were a pleasure to be with. I can't really put my finger on why. No need to press every button, and when you couldn't go to all the floors at Safta's you were fine. You've also not rubbed the back of your head on the right side since the diet and intervention started. Very interesting.

I spent a lot of time researching Candida, and looking into diets. It looks horrific, I have to say. This article scared me, if you are on an anti-candida diet it means that you will not be able to eat anything virtually. I hope there is another way of treating it. Maybe just with drugs/herbs (there was something on the report about what would be most successful), Roni will advise us best I'm sure. One thing I got really confused about when I was reading the report and making notes for questions to ask Roni, it says on your report "Candida, not albicans". Now everything I read is about candida albicans. What is the difference? Do you have untypical yeast problems?

There was also something about high oxalates, and I guess that means you will need to be on a diet for that. The problem is that with being a veggie on a GFCFSF diet, no aspartame, anti-candida diet and low oxalate diet, I believe you are left cauliflower and cabbage. I hope Roni comes up with a plan. Presumably, GFCF stays, and we deal with the yeast first. We'll see.

I found some very interesting articles while rummaging around, one on supplements - how complicated it is, how they aren't all the same, how 1000mg of calcium citrate is only 200mg of calcium, and only 10% is absorbed if you are lucky. It discussed how toxins cause autism. Well worth a read. It also says that you cannot get everything you need from food now, you have to take supplements.

When I came and picked you up around 7pm, you just ran to me. I had to stop the car in the middle of the road and open the door. "Cross the road" was what you said as you stepped off the kerb. Then you jumped on my lap and said "want to beep". I helped you press the horn, three times, on Shabbat! Oivavoy! But we all had a great time before you went to bed at 7.45pm.

Today's Food

Breakfast: Banana & Date Smoothie with Calcium, two bowls of Cornflakes with Rice Milk

Snack: a dozen gummy bears

Lunch: White Rice, one potato (chipped)

Snacks: Apple, Strawberry & Banana Nectar, Chocolate Cake, half a chocolate ball