Light at the end of the tunnel

Until my son reached 2 years old there was nothing in his manner to make us expect that we would shortly have to deal with the biggest challenge of our lives. A handsome boy who was beginning to speak single words and who loved music and dancing, Ben was an active crawler and demonstrated intelligence and wit. The first alarm bells rang when, having been a good sleeper, he would wake in the night and often not settle for several hours. He also developed a reaction to cow's milk, which he had happily drunk before.

Ben was very energetic; all he seemed to want to do was run around, almost hyperactively. We noticed that he was speaking less and seemed incapable of listening and following simple instructions. At playgroup, he had little interaction with other children or class activities, and when he began kindergarten at 3 the teachers advised us to seek professional help.

In October 2002 I took Ben to the Government Child Assessment Centre and was given an appointment for March 2003. For quicker results, we took him to a private doctor for a development assessment and were shocked to find that his development was delayed by more than a year. His language ability scored the lowest of all the tests.

We enrolled Ben in the private training programs run by the Heep Hong Society. We began one-on-one sessions with a therapist to get Ben to the stage that he would sit down and pay attention. At first Ben cried a lot, but he soon developed an excellent relationship with his therapist, who was extremely kind and supportive.

Finally the day of our appointment with the Child Assessment Centre came. Ben's abilities seemed to have improved, and we were hoping for good results. However in the waiting room Ben fixed his attention on a toy hippo and refused to co-operate. We were told he showed some features of autism spectrum disorders and may need to go to a special school.

It was a hard diagnosis to swallow and I confided in some of my close friends. A few days later I received an email from one of them who had taken the time and trouble to search the internet for information on autism. I was touched and felt the doorway to my journey to understanding the disorder had opened.

I learned one hard fact; autism is a disorder with no real cure. Research showed various intervention therapies may help to an extent, and one thing most of the experts agreed on was that if I could get help for my son before he was 5, then we had a better chance that he would be able to lead a relatively normal life.

A week after the diagnosis I visited another private doctor to discuss biological treatments. We eliminated dairy and wheat products, and began vitamin supplements and cod liver oil - in very high dosages. For Ben, the cod liver oil was highly effective and within just one week he seemed a lot calmer and he was able to sit and learn simple words through flashcards.

During SARS when the schools were closed, my son spent a lot of time with his caretaker (an English speaker), and he seemed to be learning new words and his concentration was improving. It was at this time that we realized he was an English speaker.

In May we took Ben for an assessment with a psychologist, who confirmed Ben's previous diagnosis but added he was emerging on the high-functioning side. Ben's vocabulary was judged to be at the low end of the normal range expected for his age, however his spoken and receptive language was only at the level of a child of 1 year 7 months - at this stage he was just over 3. The psychologist recommend we keep his language as English, as his Chinese was virtually zero and it would only serve to confuse him, so we moved from Heep Hong to Watchdog and joined the waiting list for the government subsidized program. In the meantime we began seeing a language therapist.

By now I had read up on lots of different treatments and cases of autistic children. One book was about a boy called Ryan and when I finished the book I reflected that I had just read the story of Ben's life to date. This was when I first began to hope that we could help him to live a 'normal' life as Ryan was now doing.

Another article I read talked about homeopathy as an alternative treatment. I found a practitioner and took Ben to see her. We left the appointment with a bottle of medicine and were told to administer 10 drops three times a day. The next day our helper was astounded at the change in Ben, and even the speech therapist questioned whether we had returned with the same child. Ben was a lot calmer, was starting to reach out and interact with other people and seemed to enjoy playing with other children. I was delighted when one day I took him to the park and he ran off after one of the older children.

In late August we started the ABA program at the Autism Partnership. Ben was signed up for 15 hours a week and the improvement was amazing. From a limited word vocabulary when he joined, he now speaks in sentences and answers questions. In December we had another language assessment and Ben was shown to have the receptive language of a child 2 years and 8 months and the spoken language of 2 years 3 months.

I don't know which element of all the treatments we tried has been the most effective, or whether they work together to produce these great results. Certainly, I believe that these treatments enabled Ben to reach a level where he was ready for learning and therefore able to adapt to the intensive ABA program. Nutrition and diet intervention are not recommended by behavioral therapists, and traditional doctors will tell you the dosage of vitamins and cod liver oil is harmful to children and that homeopathic treatment is a fairy tale. Speech therapists will tell you the ABA program is for training animals and good for making a kid sit down but it's not about language learning.

The Hong Kong Chinese are less accommodating of syndromes such as autism. They tend to believe that sufferers should be institutionalized, rather than given a chance at normal life. Many local parents don't want to talk about things like this - it is considered a loss of face. I want to and if I hadn't talked about it to my friends, I would have never got the original email and begun such a successful course of treatment for Ben.

We are delighted that Ben will start at an English pre-school this month. He will continue to spend half of each day at the Autism Partnership, as well as two half days at Watchdog. I now feel a lot of hope for my son. His progression over the past three months has been even faster than Ryan from the book. Looking ahead I want my son to be accepted to either ESF or another international school. I must admit there is still a big gap but it seems to be closing up.

** Original article published in February 2004 issue of Playtimes magazine.

To read more about Ben's treatment journal, pls click here


See also related posts :
Autism: A gift of hope, courage and inspiration
Autism - Checking for Symptons
Light at the end of the tunnel
Autism : Brief List of Where to Begin
Autism (part 2): Signs of Autism
Raising a Child with ADHD
Autism Resources for English speakers in Hong Kong
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I signed up for PPP !

Most of my friends have their own blog sites created and with their urging, I have likewise created this site sometime in late 2007. I must admit that initially, I really don't know of what topics I should write about. Then came the idea that since those who are accessing the internet are mostly searching for information, then the idea of references came into my mind, Thus this site Reference Notes was created. In the first few months of blogging, I am not sure whether there are visitors to my site, until my friends told me to add site statistics to track the performance of my site. Last March, I did try to revise the site layout and add some sites tools which made me realized that there are really visitors.

Then last month my friend advice me to apply to PayPerPost blogging as he himself had benefited from it. I have been hearing a lot of good things about PayPerPost, howver, I am not sure how it works. So with a bit of curiosity, I did try to go to PayPerPost website, read the FAQs and signed up on May 2. I waited and been eager to see whether my site would be approved. 3 days have past and my blogsite was still pending for approval. On 6 May 2008, I have received a notification email from PayPerPost that says :

"we cannot approve your blog because your blog isn’t loading. Please submit your blog as soon as it’s loading properly once again."

My site Isn't loading ??? I wonder what was wrong then with my site. So I did try to check the information I have provided to PayPerPost and there was the problem, I have mistyped my own blog's URL. So I did try to update it, and waited for it to be approved again. Just this morning, PayPerPost had send a notification that this site has been approved. I am quite excited and this article will be my first to PayPerPost. I still don't know what to do for earnings from PayPerPost blogging. Probably, I'll donate it later to my favorite charity institution (Tahanang Walang Hagdan) back in my own country (Philippines).

And for those who might be interested to signed up for PayPerPost. Please click this link to know more about blog advertising.

Sa Aking Pagtanda

I've just receive this email from a friend...

Here's something to touch our hearts...

      Sa aking pagtanda, unawain mo sana ako at pagpasensyahan. Kapag dala ng kalabuan ng mata ay nakabasag ako ng pinggan o nakatapon ng sabaw sa hapag kainan, huwag mo sana akong kagagalitan. Maramdamin ang isang matanda. Nagse-self-pity ako sa tuwing sisigawan mo ako.

     Kapag mahina na ang tenga ko at hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi mo, huwag mo naman sana akong sabihan ng "binge!" paki-ulit nalang ang sinabi mo o pakisulat nalang. Pasensya ka na, anak. Matanda na talaga ako.

     Kapag mahina na tuhod ko, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong tulungang tumayo, katulad ng pag-aalalay ko sa iyo noong nag-aaral ka pa lamang lumakad.

     Pagpasensyahan mo sana ako kung ako man ay nagiging makulit at paulit ulit na parang sirang plaka. Basta pakinggan mo nalang ako. Huwag mo sana akong pagtatawanan o pagsasawaang pakinggan. Natatandaan mo anak noong bata ka pa? kapag gusto mo ng lobo,paulit-ulit mo 'yong sasabihin, maghapon kang mangungulit hangga't hindi mo nakukuha ang gusto mo. Pinagtyagaan ko ang kakulitan mo.

     Pagpasensyahan mo na rin sana ang aking amoy. Amoy matanda, amoy lupa. Huwag mo sana akong piliting maligo. Mahina na ang katawan ko. Madaling magkasakit kapag nalamigan, huwag mo sana akong pandirihan. Natatandaan mo noong bata ka pa? Pinatyagaan kitang habulin sa ilalim ng kama kapag ayaw mong maligo.

     Pagpasensyahan mo sana kung madalas, ako'y masungit, dala na marahil ito ng katandaan. Pagtanda mo, maiintindihan mo rin.

     Kapag may konti kang panahon, magkwentuhan naman tayo, kahit sandali lang. inip na ako sa bahay, maghapong nag-iisa. Walang kausap. Alam kong busy ka sa trabaho, subalit nais kong malaman mo na sabik na sabik na akong makakwentuhan ka, kahit alam kong hindi ka interesado sa mga kwento ko. Natatandaan mo anak, noong bata ka pa? Pinagtyagaan kong pakinggan at intindihin ang pautal-utal mong kwento tungkol sa iyong teddy bear.

     At kapag dumating ang sandali na ako'y magkakasakit at maratay sa banig ng karamdaman, huwag mo sana akong pagsawaan alagaan. Pagpasensyahan mo na sana kung ako man ay maihi o madumi sa higaan, pagtyagaan mo sana akong alagaan sa mga huling sandali ng aking buhay. Tutal hindi na naman ako magtatagal.

     Kapag dumating ang sandali ng aking pagpanaw, hawakan mo sana ang aking kamay at bigyan mo ako ng lakas ng loob na harapin ang kamatayan.

     At huwag kang mag-alala, kapag kaharap ko na ang Diyos na lumikha, ibubulong ko sa kanya na pagpalain ka sana … dahil naging mapagmahal ka sa iyong ama't ina…

Written by
Rev. Fr. Ariel F. Robles
CWL Spiritual Director
St. Augustine Parish
Baliuag, Bulacan

Autism Resources for English speakers in Hong Kong

Autism Resources for English speakers in Hong Kong:

Support Group for Parents:

Autism Parents Network                 www.autismpnhk.org

Rainbow Project (HK)                 www.rainbowproject.org

Education:

Rainbow Project (HK)                 www.rainbowproject.org

Anfield International Kindergarten        www.anfield.com.hk

Woodland Pre-School                 www.woodlandschool.com

The Child Institute                         www.tcihk.org

Koala International Kindergarten         www.koalakinder.com.hk

Assessment & Training:

Pang's Music Therapy Centre         www.musictherapy.com.hk

Step Centre for Child Development         www.step-hk.com (Chinese website content) Tel: (852) 28-992-993

Potential Development Association Ltd. www.pdachild.com.hk 

Autism Partnership                         www.autismpartnership.com

Hong Kong Vocational Centre         www.hkvc.org.hk


See also related posts :
Autism: A gift of hope, courage and inspiration
Autism - Checking for Symptons
Light at the end of the tunnel
Autism : Brief List of Where to Begin
Autism (part 2): Signs of Autism
Raising a Child with ADHD
Autism Resources for English speakers in Hong Kong

Autism : Brief List of Where to Begin

Yes, children can recover from autism. And to varying degrees, and depending on the individual child, there can be a lessening of autistic symptoms. Most often this process will require extraordinary effort by the parents to turn over every stone in the quest to help their child. What follows is a brief list of where to begin.

1.         Begin the education process.

2.        Find an autism doctor.

3.         Read these books:

• Lewis, Lisa, PhD.   Special Diets for Special Kids. Future Horizons, 1998.
• Lewis, Lisa.   Special Diets for Special Kids Two. Future Horizons, 2001.
• Maurice, Catherine.   Let Me Hear Your Voice. Ballantine Books, 1994.
• Seroussi, Karyn.   Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Broadway Books, 2002.

4.         Educate yourself about the GF/CF diet.

5.         Become a good GF/CF cook.

6.         Educate your spouse.

7.         Attend a conference on autism.

8.         Look into biomedical treatments.

9.         Supplement, supplement, supplement.

10.         Start a behavior-therapy program.

In summary, you are about to begin an odyssey that will change your life in ways you never dreamed of. There will be days when you cry in frustration over the setbacks, and days when you dance for joy on the successes. Especially in the beginning stages, expect to take one step back for every two steps forward. This is still progress, however slow.

None of these therapies comes with a predictable rate of improvement. Many believe that you need three months to a year before you can accurately monitor the success of your efforts. You might feel that real progress has been made when, one day, your child passes some important developmental milestone―or simply when you have the overall feeling that your daily family life now has an element of normalcy.

―M.R.

For the unabridged version of this article, please see www.mothering.com/10-0-0/html/10-8-0/diagnosis-autism.shtml


See also related posts :
Autism: A gift of hope, courage and inspiration
Autism - Checking for Symptons
Light at the end of the tunnel
Autism : Brief List of Where to Begin
Autism (part 2): Signs of Autism
Raising a Child with ADHD
Autism Resources for English speakers in Hong Kong

Laughter

***Laughter dissolves tension, stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, grief, and depression. Like crying, laughter lowers inhibitions, allowing the release of pent-up emotions. After a hearty bout of laughter, you will experience a sense of well-being. Simply put, he who laughs, lasts. After all, if you can laugh at it, you can live with it. Remember, a person without a sense of humor is like a car without shock absorbers

***Medical researches have found that laughter boosts the immune system. The study of how behavior and the brain affect the immune system is called psychoneuroimmunology. Though still in its infancy, this science is rapidly gaining much attention as mankind strives to understand the mind-body relationship.

***Laughter reduces pain by releasing endorphins that are more potent than equivalent amounts of morphine.
***Humor helps integrate both hemispheres of our brain, for the left hemisphere is used to decipher the verbal content of a joke while the right hemisphere interprets whether it is funny or not.

***Laughter adds spice to life; it is to life what salt is to a hard-boiled egg.

***Develop your sense of humor and you will find you are more productive, a better communicator, and a superior team player.

***Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh. The more you share your sense of humor, the more friends you will have.

***Humor brings the balance we need to get through the turbulence of life comfortably.

***Laughter is even equivalent to a small amount of exercise. It massages all the organs of the body, according to Dr. James Walsh.

***A sense of humor can help you accept the inevitable, rise to any challenge, handle the unexpected with ease, and come out of any difficulty smiling.

**"Humor isn't about merely telling jokes; it's the way we view the world."