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May 4
Lot of different thoughts, so I hope I remember everything:

I forgot to mention that I spoke with the naturopath and they are fine with me advertising who they are. It is Dr. Anita Bratt in North Vancouver. She is currently on maternity leave, but her stand-in, Dr. Trevorrow is taking care of current and new patients (they are accepting new patients!). Dr. Bratt's website is www.drbratt.com and it's extremely informative.

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Thursday morning was Luke's group meeting which means the 5 women (2 Behavioural Consultants and 3 Behavioural Interventionists) involved in his program come over and we talk about Luke's progress and where he will be going. Luke is whizzing through a lot of the stuff. They usually do a "program" 6 times, but it was noted that Luke "gets it" the first 4 times, but by the 5th and 6th time he's totally bored with it; so they've shortened the testing to 4 times. Also, Luke is age-appropriate for his knowledge of animals (he knows 20+) as well as shapes. This was very good news because he was diagnosed as being at an 18-month-old level just 6 months ago, and so he's advanced almost 2.5 years in the last 4 months in regards to the animals and shapes knowledge. Yay. He's also quick to understand "sorting" which means they show him 3 different images each of blueberries, bikes, and shirts, and he can "sort" them into their categories. Next they move on to "sorting" larger categories like food, vehicles, and clothes. It's so fascinating. Anyways, he sat on one of the BI's laps pretty much the whole time (2+ hours) and signed when he wanted anything (water, etc). He was very well-behaved and I had to mention that when we had his very first group meeting 4 months ago he was babbling and running around in a somewhat distracting way.

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Eating: Last week Sunday morning we had a noteworthy moment. I sat Luke down at the breakfast table in the dining room with a fork and a plateful of cut-up pears. Luke's dad and I were in the kitchen and we peeked in to see that he was feeding himself with the fork and he finished the entire plate all by himself. We did a little jig because this was honestly the first meal he fed himself with a utensil ever. He's done this quite often since, but seems to have a few issues with "slippery" strawberries, so he comes off his chair to find me to "help" him (signs help). We still have to help him with other foods, but we're pleased with his progress.

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Bloodwork and urine sample. We finally got the frozen urine sample that we took last week, to the lab. And Dave took Luke early Wednesday morning before breakfast for the bloodwork as he was supposed to fast for 5-6 hours prior. Both of these were for the doctor of Biochemical Diseases at Children's Hospital. I wonder when we'll get the results?

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Hearing test: Luke had a hearing test on Friday afternoon. He was unbelievable. We walked in and sat down in the hearing booth (he sat on my lap). He was asked to find the airplane on a huge pictureboard of about 16 photos and he selected the airplane right away. He did not know very many of the other images, so she switched to body parts. She asked Luke to point to his nose, ears, mouth, tummy, and knees; and he pointed to them all correctly right away. She tried to put things in his ears and he had no problem with her doing it (last time he totally freaked out), however she could not get them in because his ear canals are very tiny (nothing to worry about). So we tried head phones, but he did not like these (we've since bought some so he can get used to them before the next test). She sat in a booth in a separate room with darkened glass between her and Luke. She waved to him and he waved back (I don't think she realized how HUGE this is... he's just started to wave more consistently – I was so proud!). He did not hear everything, nor did he cooperate with the conditioned game that he was supposed to play, and in the end the results were once again inconclusive. He does hear some things which is great, but hearing loss cannot be ruled out... so we will test again in 3 months time. She did another test where she had to put things in his ears and they were hooked up to a computer. One test was to see if the pressure in his ear was okay, and it was not quite perfect but because he was still getting over a cold this affected the results. The other test was for echoing and his results seemed fine, but were also a little skewed due to the cold. At one point quite a loud noise was part of the test and she was nervous about his reaction because most children with autism would have a hypersensitive reaction to it. Luke did not seem to mind it. I asked her if she'd read the book "Sound of a Miracle" and if she'd ever heard of Auditory Integration Therapy. She had not, but she was very interested. She then said that she did not think Luke's hearing was hypersensitive because of his calm reaction to the loud sounds. This was nice to hear. She mentioned a few times that she was amazed by his cooperative and patient demeanor, so I explained about the naturopathic treatment and how we were going to recover him from autism. During this session, as we were talking, I asked Luke to bring me my purse from across the room. He did right away and I gave him a couple cookies. We signed together and she was impressed with his response time and his communication. It was such a wonderful moment because the last couple times were very stressful and Luke did not behave very well. She was shocked and very pleased with him. Yay.

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Saturday morning was ARCS playgroup and Luke is doing very well with his scribbling and his turn-taking. Everyone had a turn dancing to the Sodeo-Song, and then it was Luke's turn so the lady said, "Hmmm I wonder who's turn it is?" and Luke put his hand on his chest to say "It's my turn". Here's a couple photographs of Luke having fun in the ARCS playroom: Click here.

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Just want to mention a few quirks yet that we hope will resolve themselves with time:
> Luke is fascinated with the "chips" in the plates of our dishware; sometimes he's adamant about turning the plate so the "chip" can be close to him and he can touch it. If there isn't one on his plate, he'll pull daddy's or mommy's plate with a chip, closer to him.
> Luke is still uncertain about the garage door. We're trying to show him all kinds of garage doors using toys to help him over this fear.
> Luke still will not pee on the toilet.
> Luke occasionally likes to drop things behind his bed or a chair.
> Luke can still get quite upset and bang his head on the table "hard" when he's frustrated.
> Luke still, on occasion, opens cupboard doors (kitchen and bathroom).
> Luke still loves tabs off pop and beer cans.
> Luke is still enamoured with lids of all kinds.
> Luke is very unsure of his own body (for example: when he tries to blow his nose, he dabs at his chin). He is not comfortable looking at himself in a mirror; we will be working with a mirror to help him recognize and learn more about his body awareness.
> Luke still will not bite into things. They need to be small enough to put into his mouth. He is learning to "break" chips and cookies into smaller bite-size pieces.
> Luke still will not hold a cup. He insisted on the tallest glass cup which is too heavy for him to hold, so we purchased a tall clear plastic one and it does not seem to bother him that it's different. We will be trying to get him to hold the cup himself.

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Speech and signs: Luke continues to pick up signs (faster than his father). His new ones are: zebra, tiger, duck, peach, mommy, pancake, muffin, out, puzzle, bath, sheep, block, coat, break, apart, sit, on, off (and I'm sure there's more). In the tub the other night I sang "Old McDonald" and E-I-E-I- and stopped so Luke could "sing" the last "O" and he would every time... some kind of sound or note or even EIEIEIEIEI. It was hilarious. I came up with a million animals on the farm so that I could hear him try to sing-along. The best part is he thought it was quite fun, laughing and giggling as we sang.

May 6

Yestserday morning we went swimming with the PT and one of the BIs and Luke was quite anxious, although after a while he relaxed especially when we held him securely on his back or on his stomach (he'd rest forwards on a noodle and have his legs wrapped around our waist). He actually started kicking a little and enjoyed sitting on the edge of the pool and kicking his feet in the water (in the "big" pool). We ended in the "tiny tot" pool where he could get his bearings again and walk around on the jets through the bubbles and sit on the edge and kick. It was tough to read his emotions as he was quite stone-faced, but after gentle coaxing and trust, he started to enjoy himself. We will try to go once every 3 weeks.

In the afternooon the SLP came over and enjoyed watching Luke sign up to 20 words. He listened and obeyed her requests very patiently and in a timely manner. She was teaching him to read the words "red" and "blue" by having him choose cookies to feed the dog (a toy dog with holes for the cookies); and she even taught him to pretend "eat" the fake cookies. It was adorable to watch. She brought out a mirror to get Luke to stick out his tongue, and make facial expressions. He wasn't too keen on it, so I mentioned that the whole team is working on getting Luke more familiar with himself in the mirror. He seemed to have a preference for the pig when they played a matching game with farm animals and she gently teased him to "speak up" about wanting "more" and signing "pig".

Went to J. & M.'s last night; their son is in Luke's ARCS playgroup. They have a trampoline so we tested Luke on it and he LOVED it... so we went out and bought one which was priced right at Walmart. We'll set it up as soon as we can and see how Luke's balance and body-cotnrol improves. Luke also enjoyed the swing and the slide (after a while he climbed up without assistance, but would still need a little encouragement to slide down).

May 16
Quick update. Luke has been amazing, although he has regressed in a very few areas, which we've been overlooking because he's been awesome. I just, however, discovered that there is soy in his waffles that we had reintroduced into his diet two weeks ago; and now I'm convinced this is why he's been regressing. By regressing I mean he's been flapping his hands, become a bit more fascinated by his fingers again, been opening and closing cupboard doors and banging his head on the floor when upset. To us, these are very minor issues, but I hope they go away now that I think I know the cause.

Anyways, have to update on the naturopath visit:
We met with Dr. Trevorrow, Dr. Bratt's temporary replacement. Luke's second urine tests were back and showed a remarkable improvement in his yeast, bacteria and fatty acid levels. The doctor was first of all shocked about his original tests (done in November) because they were some of the highest levels of yeast and bacteria that she had ever seen; and second of all because Luke's new test results were the most improved results she had ever seen. Yay. Luke's yeast is in complete control so we can ease up on his diet somewhat (as far as sugars and fruits). Luke's bacteria which was 1459 (reference range is 0-150); is now 63!!!!!! And his fatty acid levels were normal, which means they're going to the right places instead of him peeing them out. Dr. Trevorrow also had to admit that when she watched Luke and how he acted, she was amazed at how typically he behaved. Having reviewed all his papers (their thickest file!) she was expecting a highly behaviourally challenged child, and yet Luke had amazing eye contact and patient behaviour during the entire two hours we were there. Yay.

The other interesting thing to note is that Luke's dad had an allergy test done as he's always had allergy issues but was never sure what foods were the cause. Turns out he's highly intolerant to all the same things as Luke: all wheats, all dairies, and eggs. Additionally he is intolerant to quite a few different nuts and beans (his family is prone to nut allergies). Luke's dad will try to avoid these foods and see if his sinus problems clear up.

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Two other great achievements: Luke is now holding his own cup and drinking by himself. He's had a couple anxious spills (just water), but he gets over it quickly. He also has been using a spoon with very little assistance; and has mastered the fork when eating fruit. We are still working on using the fork for other meals.

The BC was here yesterday and she was impressed with how quickly Luke is advancing in the ABA program. She made a few changes/updates. At one point they were discussing what to teach him next: touching his head? and he touched his head; they laughed, and then suggested something else, which he did right away without asking; so they laughed again and I guess they must have come up with something eventually. He seems quick to learn; seems very "with-it"; and makes it very obvious when he's totally bored with the lessons.

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Our sign language class is finished and 3 of us (me and two of the BIs that work with Luke) went out for a drink afterwards. It was nice to visit socially just for an hour and get to know these incredible women a little better. According to me, we have the best team in town; and I'm thrilled that they are all very fond of our son.

May 25
We really enjoyed a long weekend reunion with friends at a fishing resort just 2 hours away, and Luke was very well-behaved, despite all the changes. In retrospect, I do think he withdrew into himself a little, which is totally understandable. He slept in the strange bed with no problems, and played and ate well. It was exactly what we needed as a family, and as a bonus got to enjoy seeing a lot of "old" friends and their children. I must admit a bit of sadness as I realize Luke "outside of our house" has obvious social issues, but it was also comforting to know that a lot of other people with neurotypical children have their own challenges. We live in quite the cocoon here, so it was good to step away and gain a bit of perspective. While Luke may have his delays, he certainly had no issue with being in a stange place with strange people; he was quite adaptable which is unusual for children with autism. He also went for long walks with us and when he was tired, I would look back and he would be signing "up"... for me to pick him up :). He also went on a swing for the first time in a very long time, and was a little anxious but we gently rocked him, and he was quite curious to watch the other children and see how high they would swing. He maintained his obsession with beer/pop can tabs, and there were plenty to keep him happy; and everyone generously obliged.

Back home I became quite aware of how safe and happy he is here in his comfort zone. He is very relaxed and continues to increase his eye contact to the point of trying to get our attention by looking at us intently, or even turning our heads to look at him. His receptive understanding of what we are saying daily amazes us and his BIs, as he continues to excel at his programs. Today I gave him a bath, (and he said "ath" again, and signs without prompting); and I asked him to put his toy on the counter before getting into the tub... and he did this with no hesitation. Also, I was talking with one of the BIs the other day in the livingroom and the TV was still on, so I asked Luke offhandedly to find the remote, as I continued talking. After talking for a few minutes more, I finally realized Luke was behind the loveseat, trying hard to dig out the remote from behind a little table and under some cushions.

The BIs also stated that lately Luke has been pointing to (on the picture schedule) and insisting on snack time way before it's proper time. He grudgingly endures the programs but has already realized that "snack" time is a break from all the lessons. Sounds like a typical kid to me :).

Eating has become a bit of a chore again, but I swear it's a combination of his sore molars coming in (he constantly grabs my finger and shoves it in his mouth to rub his tooth); and him starting to act like a typical 3.5-year-old to see what he can get away with. We use the method of "first a bite of dinner" and "then a bite of fruit". Luke LOVES fruit — all fruit. We have also stuck to the discipline of 3 bites of dinner in your chair, and then you can sit on my or daddy's lap; and a 3 bite minimum if he's not keen on eating at all. He constantly tries us, but we don't back down and he is learning his place at the dining table. He has been drinking from a cup by himself, but still tries to get us to help if we're easily sucked in (and unfortunately we often are). He's been attempting to "spoon" his food, with our hand-over-hand help, but he gets confused and tries to "poke" the food like when he's using a fork; and he needs a little training on keeping the spoon straight so the food goes into his mouth and doesn't roll off onto the floor.

On a personal note, I have to admit that something does not seem right. He still flaps his hands once in a while when frustrated (which he hasn't done since last October); and he seems to space out a little every once in a while. Luke's dad feels it to, that something's going on. We hope it was just a relapse with the soy in his diet from the waffles that he's been eating for a few weeks, but time will only tell how soon he will recover from the infraction. We've decided to go back to before the waffles with his food choices. He does seem a bit crazy about Lay's Potato Chips; often asking for them way before snack time and at dinner times. We pray that he does not now have an issue with potatoes, as some children are put on an even more restricted "Specific Carbohydate Diet (SCD)". We will continue to watch his mannerisms and see if we can figure out what's causing them.

Luke has learned more signs: Joel, coffee, elephant, strawberry, berry, love, toast, sing, daddy, mouse, and more. He will almost always imitate you when you show him a new sign. One of the BIs was already teaching him the signs for some of the colours (blue, yellow, green, pink, red, and orange). Whenevery he wants to distract us, or he wants us to sing, he will do the motions of a "slippery fish". He LOVES this song and we can sing it over, and over, and over again. The best part of all is when we exaggerate and say "Oh No!" with our hands on our face (like Home Alone), he does this with gusto. It's very cute. Antoher BI has taught him to sign "GO" after she says "READY... SET..." He sticks his two little fingers out like guns — it is SO adorable. This is how we get our kicks :).

I have to say I was quite touched the other day when he was finished brushing his teeth and he was looking at himself in the mirror. I said, "Is that Luke?" and he pointed to himself in the mirror and said "Roof!".

Naturopathically, last week we added Vitamin C to Luke's supplements, this week we've upped the Taurine (anti-anxiety) to 2x a day, next week we introduce CoQ10 Enzyme (energy); and the following week we get to increase his fish oil (brain-food).

May 31
On Monday May 26, Luke actually peed in the toilet! Woo Hoo! He wanted to come out of the bathtub, and I saw that he was peeing... I said are you peeing and he stopped, and then he pointed to the toilet, so I picked him up and put him on the toilet, and he finished peeing! There was a lot of happy dancing and much praise as he finally got his "balloon" reward. He had a proud smirk on his face. Unfortunately he has not done this since, so we will see what happens next. The kid has a bladder of a camel... he'll totally hold it until naptime or bedtime. Ayiyiyiyiyiyi.

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We had a team meeting on Thursday and Luke is still doing well in all his programs. There was talk of starting the PECS communication program, but it was nixed because the BCs were not aware how amazing Luke's signing is. Luke is signing spontaneously (no one is signing first for him to "copy") and he is also signing more than one word at a time (ie, "help" "open"). I taught him the sign for "please" and together we were signing a sentence (he copied me) "more blue berries please mom". At another time daddy was telling Luke that the door was stuck, and Luke signed "stuck" with no prompting... Luke's dad did not know that Luke knew that sign, so it was a pleasant surprise. On Friday morning, the BI was teaching Luke a brand new lesson on "big" and "little": first they show two cards, one with a big dog and the same dog on the other one, but little. Then they grab his hand and guide his index finger to point to big and little. The second time she showed him a completely different big and little animal and Luke pointed immediately to big or little when asked. This is amazing that Luke is learning that fast. A day later, I was telling friends this story and I look at Luke and he's doing the sign for "big". I didn't even know he knew this sign, but he must have just learned it the day before, retained it and used it appropriately! Wow.

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Wednesday we drove 2.5 hours to Kelowna for Luke's appointment with the pediatric opthamologist. Luke was so well behaved... he let the doctor so whatever was necessary to check his eyes. The only time he was a bit upset was when daddy had to lean him back to let the doctor put drops in his eyes. Luke hates leaning backwards. After 45 minutes his eyes were totally dilated and the doctor performed a number of tests specifically for children who can't talk. In the end, the diagnosis was once again: Luke is nearsighted with a stigmatism on one eye (exactly like his mom). This time, however he said the nearsightedness was so borderline that it was entirely up to us whether or not we wanted to get Luke some glasses. He said, it may make things easier because of the extra hurdle of autism, but it was not totally necessary. We will think on this. The good news is that was it. There was no issue with depth perception or any other abnormality. A lot of children with autism can benefit from prism glasses if they have depth issues (which we thought Luke has). It was quite a relief and I must say the office was so nice and clean and professional and there was an awesome kid's play area. It was calm and we were taken care of immediately... much, much different than our extended waits at the BC Children's Hospital eye clinic. The opthamologist also said that Luke would not need to come back to him, but could go to any optometrist in Kamlooops that caters to children. I don't think people realize what a gift it is to hear that your son no longer needs to go to a "specialist".

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Since Luke's dad is now attempting a GFCF diet I had to do some more research into breads. I found "Pamela's Pizza, Bagel and Pie Crust Dough" and made the bagels and they're so delicious. They are dense and moist and if you don't put the holes in them, they can be used as buns. This is a great find, as Luke's dad is going to be working full-time for the next few months and we were trying to figure out some lunch ideas. These bagels are the perfect answer, with meat/mustard or a hamburger patty on them.

Luke has started using a spoon all by himself. Most times we still have to help him scoop and guide it into his mouth, but he's really working on it.

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On a brotherly, social note... Luke has been showing some real jealousy when mommy pays attention to baby brother Joel. If Joel cries or hurts himself, Luke will bang his head and do some dramatic fake-crying scene to get take my attention away from Joel. It's nice to see some normalcy of feelings. He's also willing to kiss Joel when asked. He will get the BIs' attention when he hears Joel crying somewhere in the house... he gets upset and signs "Joel" and points toward the sound, indicating someone should "go help him!"

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