Back on Track?

A question mark follows that title for a reason! I'm desperately trying to get back on track w/ my blogging, but life keeps throwing itself in my way - in a very dramatic fashion, too. (Imagine a teenager throwing themselves across their bed in complete disbelief of a parent's lack of understanding of their need for a certain new pair of shoes!) I've had a series of events that have left me w/ a dry well of creativity, but I'm hoping that if I just make a step in the right direction my brain function will start to return - maybe! One can only hope!!

JG has been experiencing a lot more bad days than good lately, but I'm still fighting the fight. I know that the diet has helped get us this far w/out the need of medication, so I'm determined to stick w/ it. Most of his issues at this time are due to some sensory overload problems that are occurring at school. I received an email from his teacher yesterday describing the horrible day that he had and describing the inappropriate behavior that was occurring w/in the classroom. This was my email response:

"Yes, it sounds like he had a horrible day, and I wish that I could have prevented whatever it was that triggered his unusual behavior. Anything that was at all out of the ordinary could have sent him in to a sensory overload, and his brain went in to "fight or flight" mode. The inappropriate behavior is all part of it. I wish I had a magic wand to make it so that he could deal w/ outside stimuli the way that neuro-typical children do, but I unfortunately do not. (In fact, I wish that there was no such thing as autism or Asperger's.) The only thing that I can possibly do is to try to look at the world the way that it must be for him - to try to walk a day in his shoes. Everything that you described is textbook Asperger's, and unless I was there I wouldn't know what triggered the problems. It may have been something outside of the classroom, for all I know. He was obviously upset when he returned home, as it took an hour or so to get him calmed down. I'm glad you thought to send him to Angel for some extra time beyond his scheduled 2 trips a day. He needs all of the help he can get, right now, b/c he is really struggling. He will soon be returning to OT, and that will make a marked difference in his processing. He will begin to actually hear you when you say something to him! The ILS did wonders for him when I was homeschooling him!"

It was good that I waited and cooled off for a while before I responded. It's hard to remember that most others DO NOT get it - they just don't! A teacher can be as sweet & loving as they come, but if you don't try to see the world through the eyes of a child w/ Asperger's, you're NEVER going to understand. I live w/ JG every day, and I have lots of moments that I just don't understand. Often times it's about choosing battles! That's something that I'm trying to get through the head of my 11 year old. He's so determined to be right all of the time and determined to make sure that JG has the correct information that we have lots of unnecessary explosions!! I guess I can't expect a pre-teen to get it when the majority of adults don't.
As far as food goes, we've been having some "normal" lunchboxes lately. I finally gave in and started buying some gluten free bread (Udi's), and JG has been taking ham sandwiches, chips, and fruit for lunch for the past couple of weeks. It's been nice for me, and he seems to like taking a lunch that looks like everyone else's. I also bit the bullet and payed $8 for a bag of gluten free oatmeal from Bob's Red Mill, and that's been a pleasant change for breakfast. Although, I think JG has hit his limit on the oatmeal, as he asked for the old stand by of Chex cereal w/ Rice Dream this morning. I've been doing more big meals w/ leftovers to stretch lately, too, as I need all of the breaks that I can get these days, but the family is starting to buck the system on this, as well. They are sick of ham! I'm thinking chicken tonight!!