Saturday, November 21, 2009
NO MORE ASPERGERS! Welcome- quick note!!
I'm really bad at computers. I told Ammon's story in stages. Start with my first post in November and move up to get it in order. Enjoy. Help me spread the word!
Friday, November 20, 2009
#5 AMMON- WHAT HE SAID ABOUT HOW IT FELT TO HAVE ASPERGERS:
You must understand, that although Ammon had Aspergers, and although he'd been through a lot of treatments, I never once mentioned in front of him that there was anything wrong with him. I ensured that others around him also did not mention it to him. One day about a year and a half after his NAET treatments began, (and he was light years improved) Ammon and I were in the car. Out of the blue, Ammon decided to tell me:
"Mom- I remember how it used to be... It used to be that there was a web around my brain. It was getting tighter and tighter and I couldn't get out!"
I just about drove off the road. He remembered! He was stuck in his head, and he wanted to "get out".
That is when I knew that these autistic children are IN THERE- knowing and understanding all that goes on around them, but not being able to show that they understand. When they try the wrong response comes out. How terribly frustrating that must be for them. I remember hearing the story of a non-verbal autistic teanager who at long last had learned how to communicate by typing. People asked her a lot of questions which she happily typed answers to. The question that grabbed me was "What was the hardest thing about not being able to communicate?" This girl's answer was, "When someone said they loved me, not being able to say, 'I love you too'".
Ammon expressing his memory to me about how he had felt was the beginning of my knowing I had to share his story. I don't want any child/person out there on the autism spectrum to be locked in their brain. What a terrible prison. Don't give up on them. Keep searching for their solution. Give NAET a try. It isn't an instant fix, and some treatments seem more effective than others, but it works. I absolutely recommend reading Devi Nambudripad's book, "Say Good-Bye to Autism". It is available on her web site, www.naet.com, and on Amazon. This book explains how she discovered her method is effective for autism, and what to expect and look for during treatments.
Devi does not know I'm telling this story, and I'm not "advertising for her", I'm just urging you to check it out because it has helped Ammon and our family so much.
"Mom- I remember how it used to be... It used to be that there was a web around my brain. It was getting tighter and tighter and I couldn't get out!"
I just about drove off the road. He remembered! He was stuck in his head, and he wanted to "get out".
That is when I knew that these autistic children are IN THERE- knowing and understanding all that goes on around them, but not being able to show that they understand. When they try the wrong response comes out. How terribly frustrating that must be for them. I remember hearing the story of a non-verbal autistic teanager who at long last had learned how to communicate by typing. People asked her a lot of questions which she happily typed answers to. The question that grabbed me was "What was the hardest thing about not being able to communicate?" This girl's answer was, "When someone said they loved me, not being able to say, 'I love you too'".
Ammon expressing his memory to me about how he had felt was the beginning of my knowing I had to share his story. I don't want any child/person out there on the autism spectrum to be locked in their brain. What a terrible prison. Don't give up on them. Keep searching for their solution. Give NAET a try. It isn't an instant fix, and some treatments seem more effective than others, but it works. I absolutely recommend reading Devi Nambudripad's book, "Say Good-Bye to Autism". It is available on her web site, www.naet.com, and on Amazon. This book explains how she discovered her method is effective for autism, and what to expect and look for during treatments.
Devi does not know I'm telling this story, and I'm not "advertising for her", I'm just urging you to check it out because it has helped Ammon and our family so much.
#4 AMMON- NAET TREAMENTS
Ammon hadn't eaten solid food for six weeks. I was worried. When I found the web site for the NAET treatments (www.naet.com), although it seemed to good to be true, I had the most overwhelming feeling it was the answer. It was!
I made an appointment with a local doctor that had several years of NAET training. After the first visit and treatment, Ammon came home and ate solid food. Because I was so very concerned for his health, I continued to take him for NAET treatments three times a week. During the first month of treatment, I noticed definite changes in Ammon and was really excited.
The year previous, Ammon had been seeing a therapist on a weekly basis for his tactile sensitivities. During the first month of NAET, I had been too busy to take him to his regular therapist. At the end of the month, I took Ammon back to this therapist, but I did not tell him what had been happening. The therapist came out of the office at the end of the session SO EXCITED!!! "THIS IS NOT THE SAME KID! HE'S NOT AUTISTIC ANYMORE! NO WAY! FIRST HE DID THIS... THEN THIS....and THEN!!!! He did THIS!" The therapist was practically jumping off of the floor with excitement. As you can imagine, I left that office BURSTING with EXCITEMENT AND GRATITUDE.
We continued our 3 treatments a week for a number of months, and SLOWLY tapered off. After his first month of NAET treatments, I reviewed the neurologist's diagnosis papers that he'd sent and that I'd filled out and rated. 80% of the Asperger symptoms had completely resolved. What was new and different in those first few months that I can remember? I'll tell you:
Ammon looked people in the eye. He not only touched everything with an open hand, he seemed to relish it and really got into touching things with different textures. He cried when he watched a sad movie- no- SOBBED would be more accurate. Ammon was eating a little more each week, and his health was improving. His manner of communication straightened out, and he gave appropriate answers when questioned. His interests began to broaden. He stopped cowering and clinging. He discovered hand-eye coordination and was able to catch and throw. He began following directions. He started asking me "WHY?" questions, where he never had before.
It is impossible to quantify what changed. Today, four years later, Ammon has no trace of Aspergers. More in the next post.
I made an appointment with a local doctor that had several years of NAET training. After the first visit and treatment, Ammon came home and ate solid food. Because I was so very concerned for his health, I continued to take him for NAET treatments three times a week. During the first month of treatment, I noticed definite changes in Ammon and was really excited.
The year previous, Ammon had been seeing a therapist on a weekly basis for his tactile sensitivities. During the first month of NAET, I had been too busy to take him to his regular therapist. At the end of the month, I took Ammon back to this therapist, but I did not tell him what had been happening. The therapist came out of the office at the end of the session SO EXCITED!!! "THIS IS NOT THE SAME KID! HE'S NOT AUTISTIC ANYMORE! NO WAY! FIRST HE DID THIS... THEN THIS....and THEN!!!! He did THIS!" The therapist was practically jumping off of the floor with excitement. As you can imagine, I left that office BURSTING with EXCITEMENT AND GRATITUDE.
We continued our 3 treatments a week for a number of months, and SLOWLY tapered off. After his first month of NAET treatments, I reviewed the neurologist's diagnosis papers that he'd sent and that I'd filled out and rated. 80% of the Asperger symptoms had completely resolved. What was new and different in those first few months that I can remember? I'll tell you:
Ammon looked people in the eye. He not only touched everything with an open hand, he seemed to relish it and really got into touching things with different textures. He cried when he watched a sad movie- no- SOBBED would be more accurate. Ammon was eating a little more each week, and his health was improving. His manner of communication straightened out, and he gave appropriate answers when questioned. His interests began to broaden. He stopped cowering and clinging. He discovered hand-eye coordination and was able to catch and throw. He began following directions. He started asking me "WHY?" questions, where he never had before.
It is impossible to quantify what changed. Today, four years later, Ammon has no trace of Aspergers. More in the next post.
#3 AMMON 4 YEARS OLD-DIAGNOSIS
Ammon was now four years old. There came the day when I realized he was NOT going to "grow out of" his odd behaviors, and would not survive come kindergarten time in a classroom. I knew I must do something. His pediatrician said he was fine, but I didn't believe him. In fairness to the pediatrician, I really didn't know what to tell him that was not normal about Ammon.
With a prayer in my heart, I could only rely on what I call the Holy Spirit. You might call it intuition.
A word kept popping into my mind, "Autism". I Googled autism, but decided that although there clearly was some connection there with Ammon's behaviour, "autism" was far more severe than Ammon's situation. I kept searching.
One day, I decided to Google "autism head circumference". BINGO! There were abstracts from doctors in Great Brittain that have found a correlation between rapid head circumference growth in the first year of life and something called "ASPERGERS"!!! As I found a description of Aspergers, the symptoms jumped off the page at me- There was a description of my son- in PRINT! This had to be it!
I called a neurologist and got an appointment. It was not for three months out. The neurologist spoke with me personally and said that he was sending a diagnosis packet in the mail for me to fill out. He said Ammon would not behave normally for him, and I knew him best. The papers came and were EXTENSIVE. I filled them out, rating and scoring Ammon in the various categories according to described severity.
Ammon scored in the "Severe" category in 3 of the 4 diagnostic criteria. He did show some impairment in the fourth, but I don't remember how much.
Although we had an appointment with the neurologist, I kept searching for help. Ammon's health was rapidly deteriorating for some reason, and I was very worried. Ammon had begun refusing ALL FOOD, and only would drink some milk. He was listless, skin and bones and had dark circles under his eyes. He mostly would lay on the floor, line up his toys and stare at them. After six weeks of this, I found a treatment I felt was going to work... and it DID! More next post.
With a prayer in my heart, I could only rely on what I call the Holy Spirit. You might call it intuition.
A word kept popping into my mind, "Autism". I Googled autism, but decided that although there clearly was some connection there with Ammon's behaviour, "autism" was far more severe than Ammon's situation. I kept searching.
One day, I decided to Google "autism head circumference". BINGO! There were abstracts from doctors in Great Brittain that have found a correlation between rapid head circumference growth in the first year of life and something called "ASPERGERS"!!! As I found a description of Aspergers, the symptoms jumped off the page at me- There was a description of my son- in PRINT! This had to be it!
I called a neurologist and got an appointment. It was not for three months out. The neurologist spoke with me personally and said that he was sending a diagnosis packet in the mail for me to fill out. He said Ammon would not behave normally for him, and I knew him best. The papers came and were EXTENSIVE. I filled them out, rating and scoring Ammon in the various categories according to described severity.
Ammon scored in the "Severe" category in 3 of the 4 diagnostic criteria. He did show some impairment in the fourth, but I don't remember how much.
Although we had an appointment with the neurologist, I kept searching for help. Ammon's health was rapidly deteriorating for some reason, and I was very worried. Ammon had begun refusing ALL FOOD, and only would drink some milk. He was listless, skin and bones and had dark circles under his eyes. He mostly would lay on the floor, line up his toys and stare at them. After six weeks of this, I found a treatment I felt was going to work... and it DID! More next post.
#2 AMMON FROM BIRTH TO 4 YEARS OLD:
The first day Ammon was born, I noticed he was extremely sensitive to sound. He cried every time I'd cough or sneeze. I didn't think a lot of it.
In his first year, Ammon's head circumference grew from a normal size to an adult size. It stopped growing about the time he turned one. The doctor had his head scanned, but it showed no abnormalities, other than it was HUGE.
As Ammon grew, he was slow to speak and walk, but not super slow. Still- I didn't think much of it. He was odd in his communication, but I always knew what he wanted and still didn't think much of it. I didn't know better.
Ammon was very very shy. He cowered and clung in public places, or even at Grandma and Grandpa's house when there were other people there. Always, when he entered the house he covered his head and hoped no one would notice him. He avoided social situations even at Grandma's house. Mostly, he prefered to watch TV in the back room where no one else was.
If I were to ask Ammon, "Ammon, do you want a cracker?", he responded, "NO! It's a square!" -or- "Ammon- Look at the dinosaur." His response was, "NO! It's yellow!" I remember watching a train go by the side of the road, and I wanted to point it out to him, but I knew he would not be able to follow my directions, and would only get frustrated. I never realized it, but Ammon never cried due to emotion. He cried if hurt, but never because he was sad. At night, there were occasional signs that he had been awake in the night, but he never called us. More than once, we found him asleep by our bedroom door in the morning. I didn't realize that although he spoke well, he didn't know how to tell us he couldn't sleep.
Ammon didn't like to touch things, so he fisted up his hands and interacted with most things with clenched fingers. He became increasingly selective about his food choices until he'd only eat spaghetti noodles, McDonalds french-fries, Tang, and milk.
Ammon was obsessed with DINOSAURS, WHEELS, SHAPES and COLORS. He had a long, red dinosaur spiky tail he insisted on wearing at all times. He claimed he was a T-Rex.
At church, he curled up into a little ball on his chair and did not interact.
I was a very naive mom. I managed to communicate just fine with him for the most part, and he had a cute laugh and sense of humor. I thought perhaps he'd grow out of it. -Nope! I'm sure there were other abnormal signs, but honestly- it's hard to remember as so much has changed in the last four years! (This is where, if you're a mom kicking yourself for not recognizing your child had issues before- DON'T! I didn't realize for a long time! You're not alone. I loved him so much, and I just loved him just how he was.)
That's pretty much where Ammon was... right up until I realized something was seriously wrong!
In his first year, Ammon's head circumference grew from a normal size to an adult size. It stopped growing about the time he turned one. The doctor had his head scanned, but it showed no abnormalities, other than it was HUGE.
As Ammon grew, he was slow to speak and walk, but not super slow. Still- I didn't think much of it. He was odd in his communication, but I always knew what he wanted and still didn't think much of it. I didn't know better.
Ammon was very very shy. He cowered and clung in public places, or even at Grandma and Grandpa's house when there were other people there. Always, when he entered the house he covered his head and hoped no one would notice him. He avoided social situations even at Grandma's house. Mostly, he prefered to watch TV in the back room where no one else was.
If I were to ask Ammon, "Ammon, do you want a cracker?", he responded, "NO! It's a square!" -or- "Ammon- Look at the dinosaur." His response was, "NO! It's yellow!" I remember watching a train go by the side of the road, and I wanted to point it out to him, but I knew he would not be able to follow my directions, and would only get frustrated. I never realized it, but Ammon never cried due to emotion. He cried if hurt, but never because he was sad. At night, there were occasional signs that he had been awake in the night, but he never called us. More than once, we found him asleep by our bedroom door in the morning. I didn't realize that although he spoke well, he didn't know how to tell us he couldn't sleep.
Ammon didn't like to touch things, so he fisted up his hands and interacted with most things with clenched fingers. He became increasingly selective about his food choices until he'd only eat spaghetti noodles, McDonalds french-fries, Tang, and milk.
Ammon was obsessed with DINOSAURS, WHEELS, SHAPES and COLORS. He had a long, red dinosaur spiky tail he insisted on wearing at all times. He claimed he was a T-Rex.
At church, he curled up into a little ball on his chair and did not interact.
I was a very naive mom. I managed to communicate just fine with him for the most part, and he had a cute laugh and sense of humor. I thought perhaps he'd grow out of it. -Nope! I'm sure there were other abnormal signs, but honestly- it's hard to remember as so much has changed in the last four years! (This is where, if you're a mom kicking yourself for not recognizing your child had issues before- DON'T! I didn't realize for a long time! You're not alone. I loved him so much, and I just loved him just how he was.)
That's pretty much where Ammon was... right up until I realized something was seriously wrong!
#1 WELCOME! HERE'S AN INTRO:
This is the story of our son, Ammon, who has recovered from Aspergers disorder. Ammon’s story has touched many and has inspired others to recovery and healing places. I have had numerous requests to share his story with people, and it takes a long time to do so. I have been thinking about posting a blog so I can refer people to it.
I was finally convinced to put a blog together after a conversation with Ammon the other day. We were watching a TV show about some people who were helping a family with 5 autistic children. I sat watching with tears in my eyes. I asked Ammon to pause the show. I reminded him that he used to have something like those children have, and how he is my hero for inspiring others to get cured, just like he did. That was when Ammon nodded, and asked, “But Mom! Who’s going to tell those children? (in the TV show)” That did it! I had to put his story online in hopes that Ammon’s story will reach more people.
I will try to be specific in Ammon’s journey in hopes there’s something in there to help more people. As a general over-view, we have chiefly relied on a technique known as N.A.E.T. to remove the physical obstacles Ammon had to living a normal life. More can be found on N.A.E.T. at http://www.naet.com and in a book called “Say Goodbye to Autism” by Devi Nambudripad. Although N.A.E.T. was the great catalyst to helping Ammon get better, his recovery is also very much in part to how we treated him at home, where we put him in school, lots of love and patience on the part of his doctors and teachers, as well as prayer-prayer... and more prayer.
Please be patient with me. I’m going to tell his story in stages. I’ve also set the blog up so that I have to approve your comments before they show up! That just means your posts will not show up right away.
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