Awesome Non-Autistic week!

If you have a child with Autism, you know how much you look forward to just ONE day of non-autistic behavior. What if you could have not just one but three or four in a row??? Wow, amazing things are happening in the Burnham household!

After several much needed days of mostly non-autistic behavior (more good than bad) we finally hit the near mother-load of days! Nicholas requested his vitamins (omega, multivitamin and probiotic). He then proceeded to explain to me that he did not really love the "gluten-free" cheese (actually casien free rice cheese which is oddly tasty). He now would prefer that I buy gluten-free shredded cheese... LOL. Anyway, we homeschool and were in the midst of learning how to find numbers that are bigger or smaller than another number. (a worksheet with 50 numbers and we had to circle the numbers that were bigger than 40 and point out the numbers that were smaller than 40). After explaining the concept 9 different ways to my angel who was not complaining one bit, not getting it, but not complaining; I finally rested my head in my hands and sighed heavily. At this point, my child who never seems to be concerned on iota if you are upset, happy or even bleeding, proceeds to ask the question... get ready for this... "What's wrong mom?".... after I picked myself up off the floor, I explained to him that after 9 explanations, I was pretty much done with this particular subject. LOL, he wasn't ready to give up! So I explained a tenth time and he completed the entire page without a flaw!!! Then he giggled. Ugh, he had been messing with my head the entire time... I said, "you are such a goose!" I dismissed him from his lessons and he giggled all the way to his excercise equipment... the whole time chanting... "I'm a goose, I'm a goose!" Afterwhich he sounds off to his brother and I: "Look mom, I'm laughing and it's fun to laugh!"

There are so many reasons why this particular situation still has me floored... First he shared his desire to change something in his schedule in a calm well thought out way (No fit). He is studying and trying to learn and I am explaining something 9 times (No fit) He is concerned about someone other than himself (No fit) He is messing with my head, laughing, recognizing that he's laughing and that it fun, self depricating humor... and the list goes on... I AM IN HEAVEN...

Gluten and Cherry Pie. It's yummy and tasty mom!

Nick's Gluten and Cherry Pie... it's the first time he has ever played with playdough like a quote, unquote Normal kid. He usually mashes all of the playdough into one giant cookie (mess)... then her pretended if you can believe it to eat the pie. He was so excited that he actually posed for a photo!

WEEK 2 NIGHTMARE OR NEW BIRTH?

After going through week 1 with Nick on the gluten/casien free diet I was disheartened to learn that the DT's are worse than the disease itself... All out top of the richter scale screaming fits insisting on eating out somewhere at the top of his lungs. He was completely dissattisfied with any menu simply because he couldn't have exactly what he wanted, regardless of wether he would actually eat what he was asking for or not! LOL... NOT! He was unconsoleable and we were seriously rethinking our position on gluten free vs... good lord please let the child have what he wants... just make it stop! Or medication vs... happiness... lol. Anyway, we made it through week two only to discover that my child actually has real thoughts and feelings about how he feels about the diet... for the first time ever Nick said... "I feel better now mom."!!! Awesome! He's actually even mocking my dry sense of humor now! I am thrilled to know that there may actually be a real chance that I can have a REAL relationship with a piece of my heart that's been lost for so long. He is an amazing child and always has been, including every single piece of the autism puzzle that I have experienced. He has simply been lost. He asked me if he could have a certain snack, I replied "would you like to have that?" and he asked very simply "I don't know mom, is it gluten free?".... I fell on the floor!

Gluten free??? Are you kidding me!

If ever there was a time in my life that I needed to change my point of view... it's now... For years I have held the assumption that nutritionists, health food junkies and the gluten free craze were all a complete crock... I have held this opinion since I was a child. These food concepts were for beatnicks, hippies, tree huggers and PETA people... I stand corrected. No offense intended to the aforementioned. My twin autistic sons have been plagued by an inability to communicate their needs (especially my Nick). His fits have become notorious, no... legendary to my friends, my family, my co-workers, my neighborhood, and yes, my local Wal-Mart, Post Office and Gas Station. I have spent the last ten years in the endless pursuit of locating somewhere else to buy groceries, other routes to get there, other places to play, other places to pick up fast food, other jobs, other places to eat out and the list goes on, for fear of repeat offenses, cast aspersions, and limitless criticism from peers, family and even the fantasy characters that should be my dreamland retreat but instead often plague me with pent up guilt when I close my eyelids... Needless to say, I do believe that the Gluten/Soy/Dairy free diet is going to be my saving grace. The crux of the matter is that I have been dreaming of the day when communication ceased to be torture and instead was effortless for my Nikki... A day when he spent the better part of his waking hours with a smile instead of the weight of the world. Well people... that day is today! He has been gluten free for 4 days and counting and already I have seen countless changes... his fits have gone from 4 daily, to one in the four day period. He has gone from communicating his thoughts in grunts and growls, to sharing complete thoughts with careless abandon! I am elated... God is good.