While in the waiting room for our 15th Session of Neurofeedback, I met another mommy warrior. She has one child on the Autism Spectrum and a pre-teen daughter with severe ADHD on 4 medicines. She too is a single mom due to her recent divorce. She looked tired, weathered, beat down and ready for a nice vacation that'll probably never come. She looked like she needed a friend, soooo I said, "Hey Mama, how ya holding up?" She said, "fine". Then I smiled and said, "how are you REALLY holding up?". She could tell I was on #TeamTiredMommy, and the floodgates opened.
Suffice to say, she told me the story of how her 12 yr old was responding so well to the Neurofeedback that they now had a new relationship as mother-daughter. They were at the half-way mark of their sessions, and she noticed her daughter could now better understand consequences of her actions so much so that she actually could better control her wild impulses. She wasn't a bottled up angry, speechless little girl and had blossomed into a young lady who could articulate her feelings -- even if they were angry feelings (from the recent divorce, etc). Her teachers & peers noticed the positive difference in her personality "disorder" she had been diagnosed with previously. In conclusion, the mother said, "we drive over an hour in traffic 3 days per week for our sessions. it cost me a fortune and is worth every penny and minute in the car because I have a daughter I can now relate to and share 'moments' with". She went on to say, "I told the Dr. if he ever needs anybody to be a spokesperson, he can certainly call on me".
I was relieved to hear her story because at ALL points, I question Neurofeedback and any "gimmicks" associated with high priced alternative therapy. But I also certainly see differences in my own child, and it's good to hear about other success stories...
Share yours here!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Adventures of King Khalil in Autismland: Who is this new child? Neurofeedback Continues...
The Adventures of King Khalil in Autismland: Who is this new child? Neurofeedback Continues...: So after a busy New Year and 2.5 of 3 full weeks off from school and ALL routines, I'm happy to report all is good in Autismland with King K...
Who is this new child? Neurofeedback Continues...
So after a busy New Year and 2.5 of 3 full weeks off from school and ALL routines, I'm happy to report all is good in Autismland with King Khalil and MommyWarrior. We went to Las Vegas for the New Year which couldn't have been more overstimulating with all the flashing, beeping, clinking lights of the casinos. Not to mention the most amazing NYE fireworks show on the west coast. King took it all in stride... no meltdowns, no fussiness (except for 1 day in particular) and his speech was amazingly clear.
We are now on Neurofeedback Session #14 of 42. Not too many changes to report since our last blog, but I must say, we're definitely having more -- shall we say -- "neurotypical (NT) behavior". In short, King Khalil has been feeling his Royal oats talking back to Mom, being sarcastic and even committing mischievious acts typically expected of his sister Ava (Princess of the Castle). Alas, while I'm THRILLED this new, confidant persona has been unleashed, I did remind both King and Princess that there is only one Queen of the Castle... Mommy.
Again, adding Neurofeedback is the only changes we have made in King Khalil's very strict Gluten/Casein Free Diet plus B & Omega supplements. I did this deliberately to see what, if any, affect Neurofeedback would have on Khalil. I can assess this new butterfly that has blossomed to Neurofeedback. Khalil is more confidant in his speech and articulating more complex thoughts.
He is still stuttering a bit, but has truly reduced his repetitive behaviors of pacing back & forth as well as has been sleeping a bit more sound WITHOUT Melatonin (NOTE: I attribute the sleep to our being on vacation and him being more at ease at night without homework, school routines). But who knows?
Teeth brushing and bathtime are still not fun, and I'm hoping to see positive behavior change or increased tolerance for these non-preferred activities soon. In so far as concentration, his short term memory recall seems to be sharper, as we routinely went over his LETTER SOUNDS & learned more spelling/sight words for first grade during this holiday break on his Ipad. He didn't get easily frustrated and actually was enjoying the fact that the work was coming easier to him. Yes!!! Even he noticed it's becoming easier. Woohoo.
Perhaps it's God, perhaps it's good luck, perhaps its Neurofeedback, perhaps it's sheer coincidence. Either way, I'm happy to report these results. If you are considering Neurofeedback, please research The Drake Institute in California. Again, not all symptoms are the same for any two ASD kids, nor are the treatments. Decide what's best for your family and stick with it. I hope opening up my world will benefit more families.
Sincerely,
Mommy Warrior
Queen of the Castle
AutismLand
We are now on Neurofeedback Session #14 of 42. Not too many changes to report since our last blog, but I must say, we're definitely having more -- shall we say -- "neurotypical (NT) behavior". In short, King Khalil has been feeling his Royal oats talking back to Mom, being sarcastic and even committing mischievious acts typically expected of his sister Ava (Princess of the Castle). Alas, while I'm THRILLED this new, confidant persona has been unleashed, I did remind both King and Princess that there is only one Queen of the Castle... Mommy.
Again, adding Neurofeedback is the only changes we have made in King Khalil's very strict Gluten/Casein Free Diet plus B & Omega supplements. I did this deliberately to see what, if any, affect Neurofeedback would have on Khalil. I can assess this new butterfly that has blossomed to Neurofeedback. Khalil is more confidant in his speech and articulating more complex thoughts.
He is still stuttering a bit, but has truly reduced his repetitive behaviors of pacing back & forth as well as has been sleeping a bit more sound WITHOUT Melatonin (NOTE: I attribute the sleep to our being on vacation and him being more at ease at night without homework, school routines). But who knows?
Teeth brushing and bathtime are still not fun, and I'm hoping to see positive behavior change or increased tolerance for these non-preferred activities soon. In so far as concentration, his short term memory recall seems to be sharper, as we routinely went over his LETTER SOUNDS & learned more spelling/sight words for first grade during this holiday break on his Ipad. He didn't get easily frustrated and actually was enjoying the fact that the work was coming easier to him. Yes!!! Even he noticed it's becoming easier. Woohoo.
Perhaps it's God, perhaps it's good luck, perhaps its Neurofeedback, perhaps it's sheer coincidence. Either way, I'm happy to report these results. If you are considering Neurofeedback, please research The Drake Institute in California. Again, not all symptoms are the same for any two ASD kids, nor are the treatments. Decide what's best for your family and stick with it. I hope opening up my world will benefit more families.
Sincerely,
Mommy Warrior
Queen of the Castle
AutismLand
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