Owen's Journey

Owen Graduates!

2009-10-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

On October 13th, 2009, it is official, Owen has completed his NAET treatments.

We are so thankful to have been introduced to NAET. The process takes alot of committment and it definitely has its up and downs, but the benefits have superceded any doubts we may have had.

Our son has grown into an amazing boy. He has changed in so many ways that you wouldn't believe it if you didn't know him before our journey began.

A special thanks to our family and friends who suported us on this journey and to Dr. Linsk and Dr. Boggess who helped us realize that anything is possible.

Sick and Tired

2009-10-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

The prior emotional treatment was definitely a draining one. Owen was very tired that evening and then the next morning he was sick. As much as no one likes to see their child sick, I knew it was for a very good reason. I have found it very interesting through this whole NAET process to see which allergen treatments have caused Owen to become physically sick.

Owen did pass the 3 last emotional treatments and so we moved on to the last of the sensory nerve allergens.

On October 7, 2009 Owen was treated for body fluids, inflamation and lymph glands.

The morning after this treatment, again Owen was sick. Poor little guy!

At least we are in the home stretch.

Surprise, Surprise!

2009-09-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Owen didn't pass impatience on the first go around, SURPRISE! That one must be embedded deep in the genes.

Today, we will treat for impatience once again in addition to criticism and depression.

Owen is highly sensitive to criticism, so I believe this treatment will be very valuable for him.

Emotional Baggage

2009-09-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

I know some people keep their emotions all bottled up inside, but I didn't know you could actually bottle emotions in a vial. Go figure!

Anyways, Owen passed 3 out of the 5 emotional allergens that we treated for last week, so we will retreat for restlessness and stress in addition to impatience and inability.

I will be curious to see the effect if any these treatments have on Owen. He is definitely impatient, but that could also just be something he inherited from his parents. He also gets extremely frustrated when he can't do something right. So, now we just wait and see how it goes.

Rounding the Corner

2009-09-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

As we are nearing the end of Owen's NAET treatments Dr. Boggess suggested that I review the emotional allergen kit to see if I felt any strong desire to test Owen for them.

The emotional allergens is a nice way to wrap up the NAET process.

After going through the kit, we decided to test Owen for the following emotional allergens:
criticism, confusion, anxiety, frustration, fear, inability, impatience, poor concentration, restlessness, worry, stress, panic, phobia, stubborn, depression and resentment. As you can see from the list many of these emotions are interrelated. Owen tested positive for 9.

We decided to take a slight detour with today's treatment and treat 5 of the emotional allergens, with the intent of treating the remaining sensory allergens at a future time.

Owen was treated for anxiety, frustration, restlessness, stress and panic. It was aggressive to treat 5 allergens at once but his system said he could handle it at that particular time.

Kindergarten Begins

2009-09-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

We decided not to see Dr. Boggess for our weekly appointment on September 9th, since it was Owen's first week of school.

It's hard to believe he is in Kindergarten already. He made so much progess last year in preschool that he will be in a mainstream class full-time this year. He will not be at his home school of Commerce Elementary though because they wanted to still have the AI staff available for him as support if needed, which they have at Oakley Park Elementary.

It was a very difficult decision but I think it was the right one. Going from 1/2 days of preschool to full days of Kindergarten is a big enough adjustment. So, it makes me feel a little more at ease that if he needs a safe haven the AI classroom is available to him.

So, we'll see how it goes!

The Nervous System

2009-09-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

Owen cleared the dust allergen, so we're moving on!

Owen still has many sensory issues, particularly those pertaining to sound. He becomes easily overwhelmed in group settings. Whether this is due to the chaos and confusion that can naturally occur in a group setting , or the acoustics in certain environments, or his general discomfort of having a conversation with one person, much less a group of people, it's something that he has to cope with on a daily basis.

Dr. Boggess suggested that we test some of the allergens dealing with the Nervous System, to see if Owen has any reactions to them, since these could be related to some of the sensory issues he experiences.

We tested the following allergens: cortisal, Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), adrenal glands, body fluids, lymph glands, Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), adrenalin and inflamation.

Of these Owen had positive responses to five of them: SNS, adrenal glands, body fluids, lymph glands and inflamation.

The Sympathetic Nervous System is the part of the Autonomic Nevous System that is concerned with preparing the body to react to situations of stress or emergency. Similarly, the adrenal glands are responsible for regulating the stress response with the release of certain hormones.

Owen was treated for SNS and adrenal glands on September 2, 2009. After this treatment, Owen was extremely tired.

Hopefully this a sign of good things to come!

More Environmentals

2009-08-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Owen was treated for dust, smoke and mosquitos on August 12, 2009. I know it sounds like a strange combination, but they were compatible to be treated together.

Now keep in mind you are supposed to avoid the treated allergens for 25 hours. Smoke is not an issue, we are not smokers and we don't plan on having any bonfires in the next day. Mosquitos can be a challenge, but we will just have to limit our outdoor time. Dust on the other hand......how does someone avoid dust? If anyone has an answer to this, please let me know, I would love to be able to avoid dust. Or maybe that's dusting.......actually any cleaning to do with dust would be great!

After asking Dr. Boggess about the avoidance period he said when the allergen is difficult to avoid, it can be just as effective to reinforce the accupressure points as much as possible during that time. So that is what we did.

Owen cleared the smoke and mosquito allergens but unfortunately he did not clear the dust allergen on the first time, so we retreated it.

Guess I won't be able to give him any housecleaning chores just yet!

Stop and Smell the Roses

2009-08-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Owen successfully cleared the pollen and grass allergens!

Just 3 more environmental allergens to go!

In the Air We Breathe

2009-08-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's amazing that in the air we breathe there are so many pollens, toxins, gases and other pollutants that have an adverse effect on so many people.

The environmental allergens that Owen needs to be treated for are pollen & grass on August 4th and dust, smoke & mosquitos on August 12th.

I'm not quite sure how someone can avoid dust for 25 hours, but we'll give it our best shot.

A Brand NEW Kid

2009-07-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think that I have ever seen Owen so happy. His biggest decision these days is what he is going to eat next. It's so good to see him enjoy eating!

He has also been cruising right along with his NAET treatments. Within the past week he has been treated for heavy metals, P-Factor (pheromones) and Radiation (x-rays, cell phones, t.v.'s microwaves, etc.) He successfully cleared all of them on the first treatment.

We will be moving onto some environmental allergens next, but we probably only have a couple of treatments left.

A Sense of Normalcy

2009-07-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

HIP, HIP HOORAY!!!

Owen cleared the Gluten and Candidiasis treatment on the first try. Owen has not had grains in his diet for 1.5 years. He seems to be ready. He has been asking for the past month to eat breadsticks and cereal and pretzels and noodles.

I promised Owen that when he was able to eat grains again that he could get a happy meal from McDonald's. I know it's probably not the smartest thing to start with, but I just wanted him to have the feeling of being a "normal" little boy. Everywhere we went, I had to take special food for Owen to eat, so I just wanted to give him a chance to be like everyone else.

We went through the McDonald's drive thru on our way home from Dr. Boggess' office and ordered happy meals for both Owen and Aubrey. The first thing Owen said was "I want some of Aubrey's chicken" He called it that because he knew that prior to today he wasn't allowed to have "Aubrey's chicken". His face lit up when I told him that he could have "Aubrey's chicken"
I have never seen Owen eat so fast in his life. I think he was afraid that I was going to change my mind.

Happiness is..... seeing your child grin from ear to ear because they just ate a McDonald's happy meal.

The BIG One!

2009-07-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today Owen successfully cleared asbestos and parasites, so we are moving on to a critical treatment, Gluten and Candidiasis.

Grains is the last item remaining to be added back into Owen's diet. If he can successfully pass this treatment, we will be able to do just that. In the Basic 15 allergens, Owen had to be treated 3 times for grains and 2 times for yeast before he he cleared them, so we are a little intimidated by this treatment. We'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Back on Track

2009-07-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well Dr. Boggess is back from his trip to India, so we are moving ahead at full speed.

Before I get into the NAET treatment update, just wanted to give a quick Owen ancedote.

Every morning when Owen wakes up he always asks "who are we going to see today?" On this particular day I told him "no one." He didn't like that answer. so he proceeded to ask "How about Grandma and Grandpa B? "No" I told him. Thinking again, he said "How about Grandma and Grandpa W?" I said "no, not today." He thought he would try one more time. "How about Dr. Boggess?" After chuckling, I said "No, not even Dr. Boggess." I guess it's official, we see Dr. Boggess so often that he is thought of as part of the family.

We treated today for asbestos and parasites. It should be a fairly easy one to clear, especially since parasites is a retreat.

We'll be checked for this one next week, since we are staying out of Ann Arbor for the rest of this week due to the Ann Arbor Art Fair.

Dairy Here We Come!

2009-06-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Owen was successfully cleared for dairy today, so we will start reintroducing this type of food to him.

I know he will be happy to start eating some new things.

We treated for orange and yellow food coloring today and will go back on Wednesday, June 17th, to make sure it cleared.

After that we will be taking a 3 week hiatus from treatments as Dr. Boggess travels to India.

Upon his return, it is our intention to increase the frequency of our treatments to twice per week, so that we can hopefully finish sometime in August.

Reintroduction Going Well

2009-06-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

After reintroducing potatoes to Owen's diet, all is well.

There have been no negative reactions other than Owen's realization that just because he can now eat french fries that doesn't mean that that's the only thing he's going to eat.

We treated Owen with the influenza and thymerosal allergens on June 3rd. He cleared these with no problems which was good to hear.

Our plan was to start reintroducing Owen to dairy next. Before we could do this though we needed to make sure his body was ready to handle it.

In the Basic 15, Owen was treated for and cleared the calcium allergen. However, we still needed to test for casein, milk proteins and milk mix allergens before reintroducing dairy back into his diet.

After testing these allergens, Owen had a negative response, so we had to treat these before proceeding.

Absolutely AMAZING!!!!

2009-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

This NAET process continues to amaze me and so does Owen!

Owen successfully cleared all six vaccine allergens that we treated for last week. HOORAY!

He is making such great strides to being fully recovered. He wants to play with other kids now, his communication skills have improved by leaps and bounds and he is toileting completely on his own, with no prompting from us.

Owen has been bugging us for the past two weeks, to try all kinds of food that are not on his diet.

Dr. Boggess says this a good sign. It means that his gut is healing and therefore he is craving new foods that he previously wasn't allowed to have.

Our original plan for food reintroduction was to wait sixty days from the date Owen successfully completed the Basic 15 allergens (April 15th). However, since Owen's bowels seem to be relatively normal and he's constantly requesting new foods, we have decided to proceed with caution.

Prior to Owen being on a special diet two of his favorite foods were potato chips and french fries. I know, not the healthiest thing in the world but what do you expect from a five year old. Anyways, we decided that potatoes would be a good food to start with.

I gave Owen a couple of french fries to eat. Instead of immediately gobbling them up he looked at me first for approval. He couldn't believe I was telling him that he could eat french fries. Talk about a priceless moment, it was as if I had just given him a million dollars. He was grinning from ear to ear.

He requested a few more, so I said he could have a couple. We were driving in the car at the time and I looked back to see him just holding the french fries in his hand. I asked him why he was just holding them and he replied "I want to take them home to show them to dad". I almost cried! He was so excited to be eating french fries that he wanted to go home and share the moment with his dad. I told him to go ahead and eat them because dad was at work and we could just tell him about it when he got home. So, he ate them.

Of course he asked for more, but I explained to him that this was a special "treat" and he could have some more french fries another time.

For the rest of that day he asked me again, again and again if he could have a "treat"

He is definitely persistent.

3 out of 4, ain't bad...

2009-05-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Last week Owen was treated for insects, bacteria, viruses and parasites. Owen passed all but one of the allergens. Apparently the parasites are leeching on for another round of treatments.
So, they will be retreated at a later date.

We decided to go back to treating allergens from the autism kit.

The vaccine allergens were what we decided to tackle next. We were hopeful that we would be able to treat Owen for multiple vacinations in the same treatment. After testing whether or not Owen's body was up for the challenge, we got the go ahead to proceed.

So he was treated for six, yes SIX vaccination allergens including: DPT, Pertussis, Measles, Tetanus, Rubella - German and Diotheria.

We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Environmental Allergens

2009-05-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Owen cleared the Hepatitis B,C & D that we treated him for last week.

We moved on to testing the environmental allergen kit to see which ones Owen has a reaction to.
There were 8 total with a negative response.

The strongest reaction was to Dust, with Grass and Pollen tying for a close second. The remaining allergens are Radiation, Insects, Parasites, Bacteria and Viruses.

We were able to treat him for insects, parasites, bacteria and viruses simultaneously this past treatment.

We should have 3 more environmental allergen treatments and approximately 5 more autism allergen treatments.

Cruising Along

2009-05-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

It took Owen three treatments to get through all of the brain related allergens, which isn't bad considering there were 11 of them.

Today we treated for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis D.

So far everything seems to be moving along nicely with all of these additional treatments.

If all goes well we should have about 5 more treatments related to the autism allergen kit.

Unfortunately this is a bad time of year for Owen because he has bad seasonal allergies. He wakes up in the morning with his eyes pasted shut. He isn't very fond of me coming at him with a warm washcloth to try to soothe his eyes, but I can see that he is miserable and just want to help him. He does however appreciate the end result.

Anyways, while most kids are out enjoying the nice spring weather, I feel like I need to keep Owen inside because if I don't, he will pay for it later.

Many of you are probably thinking what does this have to do with NAET????

Well next week when we go to see Dr. Boggess we are going to test the allergens in the environmental kit on Owen, so we can see which allergens he is specifically affected by. Then we will put a treatment plan together to rid him of these allergies too.

What a beautiful thing NAET is !!!!

Cleared Basic 15 in NAET

2009-04-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, April 15th was a big day for us. Most of you are probably thinking income tax day, but for us it will be known as the day Owen finally cleared the Basic 15 allergens of his NAET treatments. HOORAY!!!!!

It was then time for our experiment. Depending upon the intolerances or allergies your child has, NAET has developed allergen kits to address the specific needs of that person. So yesterday it was time for us to test the allergens in the Autism kit on Owen.

The autism allergen kit has 78 allergens in it, with things like: vaccinnes, parts of the brain that control specific functions, food coloring, heavy metals, milk proteins, neurotransmitters, etc...

The process worked in the following way: I would randomly select one of the allergen vials for Owen to hold and then Dr. Boggess would perform the muscle response test to see if it was a positive or negative reaction to Owen's system.

It was extremely interesting!!! One allergen had such a strong reaction that Dr. Boggess let me do the muscle response test on Owen, just so I could see it. That was really neat.

Anyways, out of the 78 allergens Owen had reactions to 26 of them. Some were minor and some were very strong.

I will try to break them down, so that they are easier to understand.

Many of them were brain related. The names are not in my every day vocabulary so I had to look them up in the internet. When I discovered what the particular function of each part was, it made alot of sense, because these are areas that Owen has difficulty with.

1. ) Basal Ganglia
2.) Hippocampus
3.) Corpus Callosum
4.) Transverse Cerebral Fissure
5.) Calcarine Sulcus
6.) Pons
7.) Dopamine
8.) Substatia Nigra
9.) Brain 1
10.) Brain 6

These parts control the functions of emotions, spatial orientation, navigation, movement coordination, sensory information and communication between the right and left side of the brain.

The next big group for Owen was vaccinations. DPT, Rubella - German and Tetanus were huge reactors with Owen's system. The complete list is as follows:
1.) DPT
2.) Diptheria
3.) Hepatitis B
4.) Hepatitis C
5.) Hepatitis D
6.) Influenza
7.) Measles
8.) Purtussis
9.) Rubella - German
10.) Tetanus toxoid
11.) Thymerosal

The remaining allergens that Owen had issues with were: Asbestos, Orange and Yellow food coloring, Heavy metal mix and Candidiasis (yeast)

Several of the allergens can be treated in groups. Based on all of this information, Owen will have approximately 8-9 more treatments to clear these new allergens, provided that they clear the 1st time.

In order to allow Owen's gut to completely heal and maintain consistent bowel function, we will remain status quo for now with a plan to begin reintroduction of previously avoided food in about 60 days.

We are so thankful for the progress Owen has made with the NAET treatments and he has been such a trooper throughout!

For those of you that haven't seen him in awhile, you truly would not recognize the boy he has become. We are so proud of him!

Treating Again.....

2009-04-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

On April 1st, Owen received his treatment for the 15th allergen in the Basic 15.

The past couple of months have been up and down, but it's nice to know the end is near.

Owen cleared the hormone allergen (#15) with no problem, so it was time to retest each allergen to make sure they were still clear in his system.

This is done simply by having Owen hold each of the allergen vials while Dr. Boggess does an MRT (muscle response test).

Upon doing this, we discovered that Owen was still having a slight reaction to yeast and a significant reaction to sugar. Just when we thought we were done with the Basic 15 and could move onto aditional allergen testing, we had to take another step back and retreat for yeast and sugar.

Apparently this is a common occurance, since the allergens build on each other. As you complete each one, they have the potential to stir up residuals in your system from a prior treated allergen which needs to be resolved at the end of the Basic 15.

Unfortunately, treating Owen for both yeast and sugar at the same time was a doozy! The poor kid could only eat nuts, plain grilled chicken and water. He wasn't very thrilled with those choices.

It was a rough night and Owen ended up getting sick at about 5:00 a.m.

From our past experience, I guess that means the treatment worked, but we'll know for sure next week.

The 3rd time is the charm!

2009-04-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

After treating Owen for base (digestive juices and enzymes from the intestinal tract), we discovered he did not clear it. The theory is that once you treat the allergen a first time, if it does not clear you can retreat multiple allergens at once.

So, since he did not completely clear base or grains, Dr. Boggess suggested we retreat both of these allergens instead of moving onto #15.

The following week on March 25, 2009, Owen cleared the base but still not the grains. So he was treated again for grains.

On April 1, 2009, Owen finally cleared grains and that's no fooling!

Critical Treatments

2009-03-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Owen has completed and passed both the 12th and 13th treatment in the NAET Basic 15.

We weren't sure what to expect from these two treatments, other than we knew that they would be huge for Owen, since they are both linked to his digestive difficulties. (Yeast and Stomach Acids)

The morning after the yeast treatment, Owen was not feeling well and had some minor vomitting. We actually thought it was the flu, but then when the same thing happened after the stomach acid treatment, we knew it must be from the treatment itself.

After discussing this with Owen's doctor, we were reassured that this is actually a good thing. It simply means that Owen's system is detoxifying by getting rid of the things that are problematic for his system.

We are hopeful with this news that Owen's body is actually responding positively to the treatments he has been receiving. We will know more definitively after the Basic 15 are complete.

Underpants Here We Come!

2009-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

(WARNING: Explicit information)

It is said that potty training a child with autism is one of the most challenging things you will ever face. We can testify first hand that that is definitely the case.

Adam and I were desperate for answers after so many failed attempts in the potty training arena. So, in mid-January, we attended a potty training seminar for kids with Autism. The woman who taught the class is Judith Coucouvanis and she is excellent. She also wrote a book called "The Potty Journey" which I highly recommend.

Our official "potty journey" with Owen began on January 17th and we were armed and ready for battle.

The training is very structured and based on visual prompts and rewards. It actually went better than we expected initially. After about two weeks into the process however, the novelty with Owen wore off and we started to encounter resistance. Adam and I were determined to stay the course though and we perservered.

On February 24th we decided to switch Owen from wearing a pull-up to wearing "big boy" underpants. We felt that he was using the pull-up as a crutch and his teacher at school agreed.
We had many discussions with Owen about keeping Thomas, Mater or Scooby-Doo (whatever character was on his underwear that day) dry. We had two minor mishaps within the first two days and then something must have clicked. From that point forward, not only was Owen keeping his pants dry, but he was going potty totally independent of any help from us. We were amazed, thrilled and thinking it was too good to be true. One battle down, but the war is not over.

For those of you that know Owen's history, you are aware that he has issues with his bowels, which is a common thing with autistic kids. He quite often would have more than one bowel movement per day and they were extremely loose. Since we have started his NAET treatments, the bowel issues have definitely improved. In fact now we are facing a different issue. Since Owen has been wearing underpants, he has been holding his bowel movements and then having traumatic meltdowns when he has a bowel accident in his pants.

We are convinced that once Owen has a bowel movement in the toilet, he will feel relieved and realize that it is not that scary. We just have to remain calm, give positive reinforcement and provide the proper incentive as bribery.

Stay tuned!

In the Home Stretch

2009-02-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that we just completed the 12th NAET treatment (yeast) out of 15.

Unfortunately, Owen did not pass the 11th allergen which was grains. However, there has been new NAET protocol established stating that instead of retreating for that same allergen right away, you wait until the Basic 15 is completed and then retreat. The theory behind this is that each allergen builds off of the previous one, and so even if you don't clear it when first treated it may still clear as you move on to additional treatments.

Many of Owen's issues are digestive related which causes him to have frequent and loose bowel movements. In NAET the 11th allergen through the 15th allergen are all related to the digestion process, so these are huge treatments for him. We are anxious to get through the Basic 15 allergens, but we still have work ahead of us. Depending on what doesn't clear at the end of the Basic 15, we will then have to retreat for those allergens in addition to breaking down each individual allergen that may be a problem for him and test those individually.

An example of this is the grain allergen. Included in this allergen is wheat, corn, ice, oats, rye millet and barley. So we can test each of those individually to see which Owen has problems with. If it happens to be rice, then it needs to broken down even further into brown rice, white rice and wild rice.

I never knew how complex this process would be, but it will be so worth it, if Owen can be reintroduced to regular food again.

NAET Treatment #9

2009-02-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well here it is one week after Owen's 9th NAET treatment, and I am amazed we both survived.

I knew this one was going to be tough because this allergen was the mineral/metal mix. You probably don't realize, but metal is EVERYWHERE. Owen had to wear gloves for the 25 hour elimination period and so the fun began.

I loaded the kids in the car and we were on our way home from the doctor's office. We weren't even out of the parking lot when Owen says "I'll just take my gloves off" I screamed "NO!" and immediately pulled the car over, panicking that he's going to touch his zipper or the seatbelt. Keep in mind that putting gloves on a five year old is challenging enough, getting every finger in its proper slot, try doing it when your stressed and that makes for a bad scene. Success at last and we were off again towards home.

We pull up to the house and I let Owen out of the car. Not thinking I go around the other side to get Aubrey out, while Owen is well on his way into the house. Once again I panic, because by the time I get in there Owen will have his coat, boot and GLOVES off not realizing that he has to leave the gloves on. Minutes seemed like an eternity as Aubrey takes her sweet 2 year old time getting out of the car. I can only imagine what things Owen is touching in the house without his gloves on. I race in there, once again put his gloves back on and reinforce his pressure points in case he touched things he wasn't supposed to.

Now it's time for Owen to eat. I remember to have paper plates and plastic utensils for him to use, but I didn't realize what a chore it would be for him to eat with gloves on. I serve Owen his pancake and his favorite thing to do is take a lick of the honey before his first bite. He sticks his gloved finger into the honey and proceeds to lick it as I shout "No" from across the room. He didn't seem to mind the fuzz in his mouth and proceeded to lick honey despite my attempts to discourage it. Time for a new pair of gloves and to wash Owen's hands in distilled water of course.

I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown because every hour or so Owen was asking to take his gloves off. I knew with patience and persistence we would both make it through the day.

We must have gone through about 5 pairs of gloves that day, but all of our efforts were rewarded because Owen successfully cleared the mineral/metal allergen.

HOORAY!!!!

Owen's 5th Birthday

2009-01-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Owen is already turning 5 years old.

Every year we pick a theme for our kids birthday party based on what they like at that particular moment. The past four years of Owen's birthday parties have been frogs, transportation, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and "Cars" the movie. You would think that one of those parties would have been a Thomas theme, based on Owen's obsession with all the Thomas trains. But mom and dad never chose that as a theme and Owen never had an opinion before. Adam decided that it was a no-brainer! Owen's 5th birthday party would have a Thomas theme. I thought we should ask Owen. So Adam said to him "Owen would you like to have a Thomas birthday party this year" and Owen's response to both our surprise was "No thanks dad, I would just like to have a Handy Manny birthday party" I was thrilled that he actually had an opinion, Adam was not beause he is not a big fan of Handy Manny. I had to gently remind him whose birthday it was.

Owen was so excited about this birthday and we couldn't be happier, since most of his birthdays in the past have resulted in total disinterest, sensory overload and sometimes complete meltdowns.

He was telling everyone he was going to be 5 years old. He was excited about opening presents, having a party and even taking treats into school.

The day of his party he was excited to see all the decorations, especially the balloons and he greeted all of his guests at the door when they arrived.

He opened all of his presents with great anticipation and no complaints.

We sang happy birthday at a normal level (no whispering) and he didn't plug his ears. He was smiling and even added his own cha, cha cha line at the appropriate spot in the song.

His cake was special ordered just for him from an SCD bakery in Massachusetts. Owen was so happy that he could take a lick of the frosting off his birthday cake and lick the candles after they were blown out. The moment was truly priceless.

What a great birthday Owen had. Definitely one we will all remember for a long time to come.

A Lesson in NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique)

2009-01-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I get so many puzzled looks and blank stares when I try to explain the NAET treatment to people.

I am certainly no expert, but I will try to summarize it so maybe you can try to gain some insight into the process.

Each week Owen receives a treatment for a different allergen which is part of a series called the Basic 15.

The Basic 15 includes the following allergens: Brain/Body Balance, Egg, Calcium, Vitamin C, B-Complex, Sugar, Iron, Vitamin A, Minerals/Metals, Salt, Grains, Yeast, Stomach Acids, Base (digestive juices and enzymes), Hormones.

The allergen is contained in a glass vial and placed in Owen's sock, so that it is contact with his skin. The doctor then uses chiropractic and accupressure techniques to bring the body's energies into a state of balance. It is said that by doing this, NAET is capable of erasing the previously encoded incorrect message about a specific allergen and replace it with a harmless message by reprogramming the brain.

Owen must then avoid that specific allergen for the next 25 hours. The reason behind the 25 hour restriction is the following:
There are 12 major energy pathways (meridians) in the body. Energy molecules take 2 hours to pass through one meridian when there is normal energy flow. During the NAET treatment, the normal energy flow of the particular molecule of the allergen is established through the energy pathways. If the energy molecule can complete its travel without interruption and return to the original starting point in 24-25 hours, the uninterrupted journey of that particular energy is imprinted in the brain as harmless or beneficial energy. The brain will then be friendlier to that energy in any future contact with it.

During that 25 hour restriction period, it is important that I reinforce the accupressure points on Owen to remind his body of the treatment he received.

We return the following week to the doctor, so that Owen can be checked if the allergen has cleared. This is done by conducting muscle response testing. Muscle Response Testing or MRT is a testing technique based on kinesiology to test allergies by comparing the strength of a muscle in the presence and absence of the allergen.

If the allergen clears we move on to the next allergen and start the process all over again.

Once we complete the Basic 15, Owen will be retested for each allergen using MRT and if everything is still clear, we should be able to start reintroducing restricted foods back into his diet.

Keep on Trucking!

2008-12-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

Adam and I both feel that the hyberbaric oxygen chamber was well worth it based on the improved verbal skills we witnessed with Owen.

This past summer Owen continued with his physical, occupational and speech therapies and also attended a 6 week summer school program at the Abilities Center.

On July 16th, 2008 we started Owen on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The SCD diet excludes and removes ALL starches and complex sugars. This removal helps kill major yeast and bacterial overgrowth. This helps to decrease malabsorption, which rebalances the gut flora and encourages healing. Eating SCD yogurt or probiotics helps to repopulate the gut with "good bugs" that keep yeast and bad bacteria in check. The ultimate goal is that digestion will normalize causing behavior, cognitive and language development to improve.

This diet is very challenging! In order to avoid the starches and sugars found in almost all foods, we essentially make everything ourselves now. We even make our own yogurt. It's time consuming and expensive but well worth it. Almond flour and honey are now staples in our house, since they are the key ingredients in what Owen will eat.

Owen started school in the ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) classroom this September. He goes to school 5 days a week in the afternoon. The school bus picks him up at our house, which Aubrey thinks is pretty cool. There are only 4 kids (all boys) in Owen's class, with a teacher and 3 para's, so the kids get alot of personalized attention. There is a regular preschool class with 17 kids across the hall from owen's class. Owen typicaly goes to the preschool class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The tracher said other than the noise level sometimes being overwhelming, he fits in great!

He definitely seems to be enjoying school this year. He even comes home and talks about his new friends.

At the end of October, Owen started a new treatment with Dr. Boggess in Ann Arbor. The treatment is called Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique or NAET. The NAET treatment is a non-invasive, drug-free, natural solution to eliminate allergies of all types. The treatment uses a blend of medical knowledge and practices from chiropractic, accupressure, kinesiology, allopathy and nutritional disciplines.

According to Dr. Devi Nambudripad, Autism is a nutritional deficiency disorder causing biological, neurological and developmental problems in children. The nutritional deficiency is caused by poor digestion, absorption, assimilation and utilization of essential nutrients due to allergies. Autistic children are not digesting what they consume and their bodies do not receive essential nutrients from food or supplements. Adequate amounts of nutrients are necessary for normal growth and development. Normal body functions cannot take place where there are insufficient nutrients available in the body. In a person with allergies, when the appropriate nutrients are not utilized adequately, the body will begin to substitute other available substances to run the regular functions. the substitutedsubstances will produce various health disorders and abnormal body functions as seen in Autistic children.

There are 15 basic essential nutrient treatments that each person must receive. We are currently on Owen's 4th treatment, so we still have a long road ahead of us. The ultimate goal is for us to be able to add food back into Owen's diet that has previously been eliminated and for him to be able to properly digest the essential nutrients his body needs.

NAET is definitely a difficult concept to understand since it does not involve traditional medical practices. I tried to provide a basic description of the treatment, without being too technical or giving information overload. If you are interested in learning more about this treatment, please refer to the website at www.naet.com

We want to thank everyone for their continued support as we continue on our journey to recovery.

Happy Holdays!

Seeing Results

2008-05-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Owen is definitely making progress!

Everyday we see changes in him and people that don't see him as often notice it even more.

He is a happier kid these days! He answers questions, follows directions and makes requests that he never did before. He has even started to use the potty. Hooray for progress!

We are still on the gluten free - casein free diet (GFCF), he takes 10+ supplements each day and gets a B-12 shot every other day.

His school is in the final stages of their testing for an official ASD (autism spectrum disorder) label. With this, he will go to a new school and be in a classroom specifically for kids with Autism.

We just started going to the Abilities Center in Walled Lake, where he receives Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy once a week.

We have rented a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for our home for the next month. The chamber supplies enriched oxygen to Owen at elevated pressures. The theory is that a higher concentration of oxygen gets into the body's tissues which helps to improve language, socialization, behavior and gastrointestinal issues with autistic kids.

The recommendation is that Owen get two 1-hour sessions per day in the chamber. The catch is that either Adam or I have to be in the chamber with him.

The chamber looks like a big hotdog. As most of you know, I am very claustrophobic, so getting in the chamber is a true test for me. It's amazing what we can do out of love for our children.

After our month in the oxygen chamber wo move on to chelation to remove the heavy metals and toxins in Owen's body. Celation is done with suppositories, so we can hardly wait!

Frustration Sets In

2008-01-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

By now, Adam and I are at our wits end. Yes, Owen is getting special help in school and we have seen a slight improvement in his language and social skills, but it hasn't helped at all with his excessive tantrums and meltdowns and his explosive bowels.

We needed to take further action, it was time to see a specialist. At this point Adam and I had not admitted to ourselves the possibility that he might be autistic. Autism is such a broad spectrum and while Owen had some characteristics their were other signs that convinced us otherwise.

My dad gave us an advertisment about a conference being held in mid-January at the Macomb County Chapter of the Autism Society of America. There was a doctor listed as the guest speaker who specialized in Autism, specifically biomedical treatments.

We decided it couldn't hurt to go and gain some new insight on this puzzling disease.

The conference started with a mother sharing her personal story about her son's experience with autism. It made me cry, but even more it's as if a lightbulb went off for both Adam and myself. She talked about how he just didn't understand common sense things, how when you talked to him it just didn't quite register, how almost every picture of him was with his hands over his ears because he couldn't handle the noise, how he liked to spin himself and objects, how he looked at things peripherally (out of the corners of his eyes) and how his bowels were just explosive. I thought "Oh my god, it's Owen"

We learned so much at this conference. Most importantly, we learned that we were not alone. Adam and I made the decision on the drive home that it was time to take action. If one little boy could be helped with diet, supplements, special education and therapy than so could Owen.

Do you hear what I hear?

2007-12-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

We learned very quickly that Owen loves music and likes to sing.

Part of the classroom activited is learning new songs to sing and act out. Mrs. Colucci told us that that music time is by far Owen's favorite activity.

He know all the words, sings the loudest and particpates in all the choreography of the song. We were definitely seeing a new side to Owen and it was alot of fun.

When I went to his class Christmas party, I got to witness it first hand.

His teacher then sent home a CD of all the songs they sang at school. Owen loved it and before too long we knew the words to all of the songs too!

Time for School

2007-09-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's September and time for Owen to start at his new school!

He would be attending Twin Beach Elementary in Mrs. Colucci's class. He would go in the mornings, five days a week. There are 7 kids in his class all with various speech and developmental delays.

I was so nervous, to be sending my 3 year old to school on a bus. But everyone assured me that he would be just fine and that most kids love to ride the school bus. Owen was not like most kids though.

He did great! Other than the noise from the air brakes being a little too loud. He got on the bus and away he went off to his first day of school.

The parents were invited to meet their kids at the school to greet them when they got off the bus and help them to get settled in their classroom. I was so proud of him! He did such a good job. I definitely think we made the right decision.

Summer Diagnostic

2007-07-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Upon calling the school, I was informed that my timing was perfect because they were just about to start a summer diagnostics program the 2nd week of June.

Essentially Owen would attend this diagnostic program for 4 weeks and then we would receive documentation from the school as to what special services Owen qualified for if any.

Owen and I both experienced seperation anxiety that first week, because he had never gone anywhere without me except for our relative's houses. Even though he cried when I left him, they assured me that as soon as I left he was happy to play with the toys and other activities.

When the session was complete we received an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for the Early Intervention Program through Walled Lake Schools which would start that fall.

A Second Opinion

2007-05-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

We weren't even sure where to turn from here, but we knew we needed some answers.

I made an appointment with a Family Social Worker/Psychologist who specialized in treating kids with Autism/ADD/ADHD and other developmental disorders.

I completed a lengthy questionnaire on my pregnancy as well as Owen's health and development from birth until present and we were scheduled to see the Doctor in May, 2007.

During our visit, the doctor went over the paperwork I completed and tried to engage Owen with different toys to see how he responded. Based on his observations, he gave Owen a PDD (pervasive developmental disorder) diagnosis and suggested that I contact the school system for an early intervention.

We were determined to do whatever we could to help Owen and even though we didn't have a concrete diagnosis of Autism we would continue to push forward.

How it all began

2007-01-31T16:23:00.000-08:00

Some people say that their child was developing at a normal rate and than once they received their 18 month immunizations, they stopped talking. It wasn't like that with Owen.

Owen is our first child so it was a learning process for us as to what we should expect from him. He definitely hit most of his developmental milestones later than the average child, but our pediatrician never seemed overly concerned with that. I would have to say that it was members in my family that pointed out some of his unusual behaviors first. Finally after doing some research on my own , I took Owen to his 3 year well-visit with our pediatrician and explained my concerns to her. Things like, preoccupation with spinning wheels or other objects, doesn't point at things, sensitivity to heat and sound, easily overwhelmed in new situations or large groups, repetitive speech and looking at objects out of the corner of his eyes. She gave me a form with 10 questions on it and asked me to complete it. After I did, she looked at and said "he's not autistic". It really bothered me that she felt she could give a proper diagnosis based on 10 questions. So from there our journey began......