I read this research paper some time ago and recently came across some of my notes which has prompted some further research on my part, and a consultation with a dietician I know (thanks Jenn Z).

What I found of interest in the article was that it was a synthesis of many different aspects of the biomedical nature, or current biomedical theories, of autism. Continue reading →

I have posted before about K’s seizures and what we have been through to rule out some of the potential causes of this aberrant brain activity. So we recently started K’s anti-seizure medication, Tegretol, to see if they can help alleviate his absence seizures as they have been continuing to occur despite our trying to manage them with more natural methods . I think the frequency of occurrence is not that great but after talking with K’s neurologist, and getting excellent feedback from K’s preschool about how frequently they see his episodes, we decided that it was a win-win situation for trying the medication. Continue reading →

The story can be found in the Toronto Star here . More information on the genetics of ASD and links can be found in the documents section on the main part of our site.

I have seen many references to this subject matter recently in some ASD blogs that I frequent. Some of those articles can be found here and here .

I have yet to digest all the latest information but it may have more of an impact on parents psyches then on much else. Continue reading →

We have a fairly lengthy article in our repository on the impact on siblings of having an ASD child in the family.

Some other articles I briefly read recently and are relevant can be found here , here , and also here.

As I have mentioned in other posts there is little doubt that K’s condition has an impact on his older sister. In an attempt to try to understand and ameliorate the situation I have been looking for information lately on sibling issues in ASD households. This is one article I came up with and as I get a chance to delve deeper into it I’m hoping to get some insight and we can develop some strategies to help K’s sister. Sometimes I think the neurotypical child, because they place relatively less demands on you as a parent, can fly under the radar. This is my attempt to help ensure this doesn’t happen but also to do that in an informed and helpful way.

I have been feeling lately that we are in a bit of a rut. Perhaps it comes from having tried to learn so much so fast, and immersing ourselves in this new world of ASD and all its ramifications. No doubt some of it comes from how busy we are as a family. I know that is derigeur for families these days, and likely it has always been that way except in the strange world of idealized TV families, but I would wager that ASD families are busier than most. Continue reading →