Last night we had parent-teacher conferences for Cade. I have to say I was cautiously optimistic, but was also trying to prepare myself for the possibility that Cade could really be struggling in several areas - after all, he is in a regular classroom for the first time this year.
What I first heard from the teacher was this: "Oh, my sweet Cade! You have to tell me more about this diet of yours because I've never seen anything like this!". Well, that certainly was an encouraging start to things!
The summary is: He's doing awesome!
The details are:
Attention to task - He's sitting at the table and completing his work just as well (or better) than the other kids in his class. He remembers to raise his hand. His teacher sometimes needs to direct his attention to her and make sure he's looking at her, but once she has his attention, he can follow directions well.
Social Skills - Cade is making friends and interacting well with his peers. Just recently a friend was sitting very close to Cade at the table. The teacher asked Cade's friend to move over some and give Cade some personal space. The friend's response was, "But I love him!".
Sensory Issues - Cade's teacher reported she's seen hardly any sensory issues in the classroom. No hand flapping or tip toe walking at all. Just in the last couple of days as the weather has changed and has been wet and cold, he's been a bit more sensitive and needing personal space a bit more. When friends crowd him, his response has been minimal, but enough to let the teacher know he needs some help getting some space. Once she helps his friends back up a little, he's fine and can carry on with whatever it is they're doing.
Academics - Cade is doing great academically. He's understanding all the concepts well and completing his work. One day the class was talking about bikes. His teacher had showed the class the words "My bike" at one point in the day. Later, the class was drawing pictures of their bikes. Across the top of the paper, Cade had very clearly written "My bike" from memory and without assistance. He then drew a pretty convincing picture of a bike. Recently the kids were all tested for pre-reading skills. This is a timed test looking at letter and sound recognition (called the Dibble for you teacher-types out there). When the test was administered orally for auditory comprehension and response, Cade didn't do so well. This is pretty typical - he still takes a couple of extra seconds to process information auditorally. Since it's a timed test, he wasn't given a couple extra seconds and didn't do as well. The teacher assured me that when she's worked with Cade on the same test, but given him that little bit of extra time, he gets just about everything right. When the same test was administered visually, Cade scored the second highest in the whole class. No doubt, visual is still (and may always be) his strong suit.
Mom and Dad - It was such a treat to hear how well Cade is doing. At times, we've wondered if our own observations were too optimistic and if this diet really is working for him. It felt great to have some observation and concrete measures from a professional that validated what we've been seeing at home. I felt almost giddy as I walked away from the conference. It was an even better report than I'd expected. We are so encouraged, and I think that maybe our "cautiously optimistic" is slowing becoming just "optimistic" about Cade's future successes.
We are so proud of him and all the progress he's made. Way to go, Cade!!!
Looking ahead,
Becky
Friday, October 21, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Camping, School, and so much more!
It's been a busy month! I'm going to try to hit the high points....
Camping - Cade had a blast! He tried some new things, like going tubing down a small river and swimming in the waves of Lake Michigan. The most notable experience for Cade, in regards to our purposes here, was at night around the camp fire. One of our family "traditions" is to go on a "lion hunt" at night around the camp fire. This involved a story teller taking everyone through obstacles (with motions) while looking for a pretend lion. This year, the kids wanted to do their own versions of the lion hunt, which then turned into telling "spooky stories". Cade fully participated in the "lion hunts", which was a first for him. He then also participated in making up both his own lion hunt and spooky story. His stories were relatively well-sequenced and if he got stuck, we would simply ask a question that seemed to fit his story, and he answered the question to get back on track with his story. All of this felt almost amazing to us. It was such a big step in terms of independent thinking and social participation.
School - Cade has started kindergarten and is really loving it. We usually are able to ask some "who, what, where, when, why, how" questions, and get pretty good information about his day. Often, he is volunteering information about his day because he's actually enjoying telling us about it. The papers that he's bringing home are also showing progress. He is completely coloring pictures, using multiple colors, and staying in the lines. He's following directions to complete his "assignments", like "circle the pictures of the words that start with the letter R". Both his fine motor skills and time on task are definitely improving. Of course, Cade's favorite class is gym - which he has twice a week. We always hear fun stories about the games he gets to play there.
Church - Cade has moved up at church to the elementary class. Since we go to a small church, the kids in his class are K-5th grade. We weren't sure how he'd do with such a wide age range, but he's been doing great. He's able to tell me about the "big idea" each week, and usually can relate the important parts of his story. He's getting into singing the songs from Seed Family Worship. The other night he helped me tuck in his sisters at bedtime. He insisted the he sing "Take Heart" to them in place of the usual bedtime song. It was cute and heart warming :)
Swimming - Cade started swimming lessons last Tuesday. He did very well in going into an entirely new environment and adapting quickly. He listened to his teacher, waited his turn to jump into the water each time, and tried some more new things. He even jumped off the diving board! And while all of this was so wonderful, it was even better to hear him talk about it later and how proud he was of himself for trying new things even though, he said, "I was just a little bit scared." It's exciting to see him step up to new challenges and move forward, even while being a little scared.
So, that's where we're at. We are thinking that in the next few weeks to a month, we may be adding full fat dairy back into Cade's diet. We'll keep updated with whether or not we do, and how it all goes!
Proud mom,
Becky
Camping - Cade had a blast! He tried some new things, like going tubing down a small river and swimming in the waves of Lake Michigan. The most notable experience for Cade, in regards to our purposes here, was at night around the camp fire. One of our family "traditions" is to go on a "lion hunt" at night around the camp fire. This involved a story teller taking everyone through obstacles (with motions) while looking for a pretend lion. This year, the kids wanted to do their own versions of the lion hunt, which then turned into telling "spooky stories". Cade fully participated in the "lion hunts", which was a first for him. He then also participated in making up both his own lion hunt and spooky story. His stories were relatively well-sequenced and if he got stuck, we would simply ask a question that seemed to fit his story, and he answered the question to get back on track with his story. All of this felt almost amazing to us. It was such a big step in terms of independent thinking and social participation.
School - Cade has started kindergarten and is really loving it. We usually are able to ask some "who, what, where, when, why, how" questions, and get pretty good information about his day. Often, he is volunteering information about his day because he's actually enjoying telling us about it. The papers that he's bringing home are also showing progress. He is completely coloring pictures, using multiple colors, and staying in the lines. He's following directions to complete his "assignments", like "circle the pictures of the words that start with the letter R". Both his fine motor skills and time on task are definitely improving. Of course, Cade's favorite class is gym - which he has twice a week. We always hear fun stories about the games he gets to play there.
Church - Cade has moved up at church to the elementary class. Since we go to a small church, the kids in his class are K-5th grade. We weren't sure how he'd do with such a wide age range, but he's been doing great. He's able to tell me about the "big idea" each week, and usually can relate the important parts of his story. He's getting into singing the songs from Seed Family Worship. The other night he helped me tuck in his sisters at bedtime. He insisted the he sing "Take Heart" to them in place of the usual bedtime song. It was cute and heart warming :)
Swimming - Cade started swimming lessons last Tuesday. He did very well in going into an entirely new environment and adapting quickly. He listened to his teacher, waited his turn to jump into the water each time, and tried some more new things. He even jumped off the diving board! And while all of this was so wonderful, it was even better to hear him talk about it later and how proud he was of himself for trying new things even though, he said, "I was just a little bit scared." It's exciting to see him step up to new challenges and move forward, even while being a little scared.
So, that's where we're at. We are thinking that in the next few weeks to a month, we may be adding full fat dairy back into Cade's diet. We'll keep updated with whether or not we do, and how it all goes!
Proud mom,
Becky
Monday, August 29, 2011
Some Objectivity
Today Cade had an initial meeting with his Kindergarten teacher. I stayed in the room for a few minutes and then Cade and his teacher had some time to themselves to get to know each other a little. At the end of the meeting, I talked to the teacher briefly about the paleo diet and some of the accommodations we'll need to make for snack time, birthdays, and holiday parties. I explained the reason we're doing the diet is because we'd read about a high rate of stomach irritation and other food-based symptoms in kids with Autism. Her response was "So, he actually does have Autism? It must be very mild because I would never have guessed based our interactions just now". Granted, it was only about 15 minutes, but she asked lots of questions and Cade had appropriate answers. He attended to their conversation well and followed directions. I was so proud of him and it's good to hear someone else give us feedback that points to Cade's progress.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Camping, Part 1
Earlier this week, Cade went camping with his grandma, aunt, and cousins. He's done this before and had a good time, and this time we noticed a few steps forward.
A couple days before leaving, he was going to bed and being very clingy to me. I asked him what was wrong (not a question he can always answer well). Cade said that he was scared about camping because it would get dark and because he'd miss me. We were able to talk about having a light on at night so it wouldn't be too dark, about talking to his grandma if he was scared, and that he could call us and come home if he was really scared. This calmed him down and he started getting excited to go. I was impressed by his ability to tell me how he was feeling and why, as well as engage with me in some problem solving.
While camping, he had a great time with his cousins. He tried new things (swimming under water in a lake and going down a 20 ft. water slide) and shared his beloved ipad with his cousins very well. He got nervous one night, but grandma stayed with him until he fell asleep and he was fine. The next night, he came out of the camper and said "It's 8:00. Time for me to eat my nuts, watch a video, and relax." Communicating his routine and being able to follow it helped his anxiety a lot that night. When he came home he said, "Mom, I just ate my nuts and watched a video, and I wasn't scared!".
When he came home, we asked lots of questions, and he answered them mostly with answers that were pertinent to the question asked. We heard all about swimming in the lake, playing with his cousins, and toasting marshmallows. Oh, and of course all about the giant water slide ("I went down six times!!")
We'll all be camping together over Labor Day, so it will be nice to see first hand how he does and be in a new environment where we can evaluate progress.
Going into the wilderness,
Becky
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Measuring Up
We mentioned earlier that we'd post about what measures we're using regarding Cade's progress. Here's what we've come up with so far....
1. Questions and answers- Although Cade's language skills have improved significantly over the last three years, he still struggles with answering questions without visual cues. He often gets who, what, where, when, why, and how mixed up. He either doesn't understand and answer the question, or may answer the wrong question. Like answering a "what" question with a "who" answer. So we are looking for more consistency with his understanding and answers. In order to do this, we are being more intentional about asking him questions about his day or about recent events. So far, he seems to be answering a little more appropriately, but it's still hit and miss.
2. Conversation give and take- Most of us take for granted that conversation has give and take, that words and statements are " volleyed " back and forth between people. This has been a challenge for Cade. He may be able to attend to a conversation for one or two "volleys" but then is back off in his own world. Or, he will talk for quite a while, but has little interest in others' responses and sometimes is unwilling to allow others to contribute to the conversation. We are looking for him to be able to stay with a conversation for several " volleys ", and to follow more of the normal give and take in a conversation.
3. Eye contact - Eye contact with Cade is often minimal, infrequent, and short-lived. We are looking for the frequency and duration to increase. He is still needing some prompting to initiate it, but it does seem that duration is increasing.
4. Fine motor skills - I said to Cade's teacher at the end of the school year that it feels like we will be working on fine motor skills forever. He struggle with gripping a crayon or pencil correctly, making letters, and muscle fatigue. We currently have him coloring and practicing his letters almost every day. We keep one sheet per week, write the date on the top, and compare them to see if there is improvement. Cade is now holding the crayon/marker with the correct grip without needing verbal or physical prompts from us. His accuracy has improved as well. He is generally more willing to stick with it for a longer period of time, which seems to be helping strengthen those small hand and finger muscles.
5. Time on task- If an activity doesn't involve jumping, crashing, running, climbing, or some type of computer or video game, Cade has little interest. He likes fast paced, exciting activities. That's great and we're glad he's an active boy. It's just that not all of life can be fast paced and exciting, and he still needs to pay attention to the other stuff, too. We're not talking sit still and pay attention for half an hour at a time- we're talking sit or stand still at the table long enough to eat your food, pay attention when using the bathroom so we're not mopping the floor ten times a day, and make sure you're fully clothed before leaving the house. There has been improvement in this area. Cade is more able to attend to and follow verbal directions, stay with less exciting tasks longer, and be somewhat less impulsive.
So there you have it. These are not exactly "scientific", but we hope that they will be helpful in evaluating the benefit of this diet for Cade.
Paleo mom,
Becky
1. Questions and answers- Although Cade's language skills have improved significantly over the last three years, he still struggles with answering questions without visual cues. He often gets who, what, where, when, why, and how mixed up. He either doesn't understand and answer the question, or may answer the wrong question. Like answering a "what" question with a "who" answer. So we are looking for more consistency with his understanding and answers. In order to do this, we are being more intentional about asking him questions about his day or about recent events. So far, he seems to be answering a little more appropriately, but it's still hit and miss.
2. Conversation give and take- Most of us take for granted that conversation has give and take, that words and statements are " volleyed " back and forth between people. This has been a challenge for Cade. He may be able to attend to a conversation for one or two "volleys" but then is back off in his own world. Or, he will talk for quite a while, but has little interest in others' responses and sometimes is unwilling to allow others to contribute to the conversation. We are looking for him to be able to stay with a conversation for several " volleys ", and to follow more of the normal give and take in a conversation.
3. Eye contact - Eye contact with Cade is often minimal, infrequent, and short-lived. We are looking for the frequency and duration to increase. He is still needing some prompting to initiate it, but it does seem that duration is increasing.
4. Fine motor skills - I said to Cade's teacher at the end of the school year that it feels like we will be working on fine motor skills forever. He struggle with gripping a crayon or pencil correctly, making letters, and muscle fatigue. We currently have him coloring and practicing his letters almost every day. We keep one sheet per week, write the date on the top, and compare them to see if there is improvement. Cade is now holding the crayon/marker with the correct grip without needing verbal or physical prompts from us. His accuracy has improved as well. He is generally more willing to stick with it for a longer period of time, which seems to be helping strengthen those small hand and finger muscles.
5. Time on task- If an activity doesn't involve jumping, crashing, running, climbing, or some type of computer or video game, Cade has little interest. He likes fast paced, exciting activities. That's great and we're glad he's an active boy. It's just that not all of life can be fast paced and exciting, and he still needs to pay attention to the other stuff, too. We're not talking sit still and pay attention for half an hour at a time- we're talking sit or stand still at the table long enough to eat your food, pay attention when using the bathroom so we're not mopping the floor ten times a day, and make sure you're fully clothed before leaving the house. There has been improvement in this area. Cade is more able to attend to and follow verbal directions, stay with less exciting tasks longer, and be somewhat less impulsive.
So there you have it. These are not exactly "scientific", but we hope that they will be helpful in evaluating the benefit of this diet for Cade.
Paleo mom,
Becky
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Week Three Updates
A word about normal
Over the last week Andy and I have been seeing some improvements in Cade. Here are some examples:
Fine motor skills and attention
We have started having him practice tracing letters and coloring a little bit every day to help with his fine motor skills (which have been a significant challenge for him). He usually hates these "projects" and in the past it's taken quite a bit of carrot-dangling to get him to do it. Yesterday, I pulled out his sheet to work on. He was actually excited about it because it's a new one his dad made using Pokemon characters. He completed two sheets without me asking him to, and then wanted to paint the characters on the sheets. He and his sisters then spent the next hour outside painting. Cade hardly ever attends to anything that long - let alone a fine motor skill activity. Today, he used crayons to color his Pokemon character (several different colors for different parts - not just one color for the whole thing), and after he was done coloring, he asked Andy how to spell the name of the character. Without Andy realizing what Cade was doing, Cade did his best to write each letter at the bottom of the page as Andy said it, so that the character's name was on the picture.
Social awareness leading to trying something new
While swimming at grandma's with his cousins this weekend, Cade saw one of his cousins do a handstand in the pool. He looked at his dad and said "I want to do that, too!". So he hopped back in the pool and began several attempts. He actually did pretty well, too. :)
We realize that these may not seem like huge accomplishments, and we don't really expect that Cade will be a different kid overnight. But, these are encouraging and we've had some "normal" moments with Cade that we haven't had before. It's got Andy and me asking "What will 'normal' look like for Cade, and how will we really know if he 's making progress?". We are working on identifying some concrete measures we can use, which we'll share later. But the point is, things are changing.
After having Cade, and then twin daughters (all three premature and under some "abnormal" circumstances), Andy and I have joked that we wouldn't know "normal" if it bit us on the nose when it comes to having kids. Now that Cade is making some steps in a more "normal" direction, I've realized that "normal" isn't normal for us at all. So while the progress Cade is making is wonderful and encouraging, it is a change that our family has to adjust to.
Although I've know this for a while, I am also now re-experiencing that with any change comes some fear. In this case, it's not necessarily fear of the change itself, but fear of trusting the change. Is this "real"? Is this permanent? Will Cade be able to sustain this type of progress as he grows up? I know that there is research out there to help me find some answers, but I think it's important to recognize the emotional part of this journey and that it often takes quite a bit of time for our emotions to catch up with the facts.
I also know that, no matter what may or may not change for Cade, that there is a Creator who made him and loves him and knows what every day of Cade's life will bring before it ever happens. This, more than any progress seen, or research read, is what gives me peace about whatever our "normal" turns out to be.
Becky
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Substitute treats
Hi there! This is Cade's mom (Becky). I haven't introduced myself yet and thought I'd take a quick opportunity to do that. We are excited to share our journey with Cade through this blog and hope that if others find it, it may be helpful to you.
Andy mentioned in his last post that Cade would be at camp again this week and we would hopefully be cupcake free. After talking again with the staff, they were very accomodating in letting me know that there would be a birthday this week (complete with cupcakes), so we made arrangements for Cade to bring a Paleo-approved popsicle with him instead. One thing we're learning is how important comminucating with those who interact with Cade can be. With good comminucation, we're able to stick to the diet and still give Cade options so that he's not left out.
Signing off,
Cade's dad's wife :)
Andy mentioned in his last post that Cade would be at camp again this week and we would hopefully be cupcake free. After talking again with the staff, they were very accomodating in letting me know that there would be a birthday this week (complete with cupcakes), so we made arrangements for Cade to bring a Paleo-approved popsicle with him instead. One thing we're learning is how important comminucating with those who interact with Cade can be. With good comminucation, we're able to stick to the diet and still give Cade options so that he's not left out.
Signing off,
Cade's dad's wife :)
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