Snippets - Fever

"For fevers over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, treat with a tepid bath or dye free ibuprofen. Fevers, while nerve wracking for new parents, are the response of a healthy immune system reacting to kill off an invading virus through heat."

- "Avoiding Autism" by Anju Usman, MD and Beth C. Hynes, JD, MBA,

The Autism File, Issue 31, 2009.

I chose to share this snippet, since my little Iggy has been under the weather, as he is teething. I used to rush to the doctors when my elder two were babies, but now, I choose to be a little patient and try to turn to the medications, only when I should.

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Too Young For Compassion?

I would love to say that my sister and I are best of friends. We say that I am from the 70's and she is from the 80's. While I was experimenting with Cover Girl, she was playing with crayons. So, as much as we wanted to be in sync, our age brought different interest for each of us. We lead very separate lives, me married and settled down, while she having the time of her life. We only came to find common ground when she embraced motherhood. Finally, we were on the same page. Now, with my third boy, we are able to have play dates together and share a common interest.

She wrote this article to share with all of you out there, her experience with my Ivan. I hope you see yourself in her situation, and step up to help anyone you know, who needs it. She was young and wasn't informed, but you have a chance, learning from our experiences. Make that difference.

"Did becoming an aunt affect how you felt about having children? I was just "too young to care" when I first became an aunt at 16. I had my life ahead of me, and besides it seemed like my sister and my parents - who were first time grandfolks had everything under control.

Control however is an illusion, as I've come to learn after becoming a mother myself. That control slipped right out of my sister's grasp when her second child began displaying signs of regression. "Autism" they called it. I don't quite recall who told me about it, or when I discovered he had it. When I did, it hit me like a storm. How could such a thing happen to us? Barely, and adult, I was under the illusion that we were the 'perfect family' - everything always went according as planned.

He was after all, very special to me. The second child, the shadow of the first. I saw much of myself in him. The first infant who I was allowed to carry, nuzzle, and was old enough to fee and care for. Unknown to me at that time, I had developed a special place in my heart for him.

We didn't have Wikipedia, or much knowledge of Autism back then. All I knew was that my sister would occasionally invite me to follow along for his therapy sessions, or to mind him when she had errands to run. I knew he was changing. Gone were the cuddling days. The next couple of years brought along a typhoon that rip through my idealist image of motherhood.

To make matters worse, my mother's take on his condition aggravated me. Call it lack of education, or perhaps she was lost in a state of ignorance. I found her 'coping' tactics to be utterly inhumane. From rapping tables to get his attention, to stuffing him with food so he'd sit quietly - she, in my opinion, ripped him off his granted childhood everytime opportunity presented itself. We had plentiful of arguments over this where she'd end the conversation by telling me to mind my own business.

Then there are the expected stares, rude remarks, and frightened glances I watched my sister go through - on top of everything else that was bearing down on her. I didn't know how to help. We weren't the huggy sort of family, so enveloping them in a bear hug might not have worked that well.

I eventually moved on with life, and got too busy for family. With the exception of occasions and celebrations, I rarely spent much time with my nephew. He is very much a teenager now- in both size and behaviour. Looking back, there are many things I wish I had done. Why did I not try harder to socialize more with him? Autism, is after all a social disorder. Could I have put in a more conscious effort to shower him with love? Perhaps read up on Autism to learn what are ways I could have taught him essential skills?

The idealist in me thrives on love, while the logical me knows I can't go back and change things, neither can I baby the now-teenage nephew of mine. I still don't know how can I help him. What I do know is that he will always have my respect, love, and acceptance. I don't see him any different from  the rest of my family, despite the society carefully and di0plomaticaly labelling him as a person with 'special needs'. Perhaps the society is right. he is special. He is a human being who isn't afraid to hug someone when they're feeling down, or flash a wide grin when he catches you looking at him, or pat a crying child.

Indeed, in times such as these where stress, hate and anger dictates the media and our minds- my nephew is very very special."

Thanks Ann for your sharing with us.

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My Persistent Boy

Holidays can be tough on kids who need a constant routine. Parents like me, are always stressed out when the holidays begin, as we need to occupy our kids, and deal with the fuss on the change of routine. And if your child is as persistent as mine, trust me you need a holiday. Here, a snap shot at how the June holidays began for me.

It's a Wednesday morning, into the wee hours of the morning. I had just finished feeding Little Iggy and have started to prepare breakfast for the boys to go off to school. For Ivan, it would be the last day of school.

Upon waking him up, I realized that he seem to be in a bad mood. He had proceeded to brush his teeth, but kept walking in a daze. I told him that he had to wash his face, but he kept walking back to the bedroom ignoring me. He never does that. That's when I realized that he was looking too sleepy for anything.

I had sent him to bed early but, I don't really know what time he had settled down. I used to check on him regularly before, but now with baby, I am exhausted. Looking at him, I knew he was in no condition to go anywhere.

I sent him off to bed, and my heart sank. This would mean that for Ivan the school holidays had begun. His school was having a camp the next two days, which Ivan was not attending, so here we go!

El off to school and Ivan back in bed, I decided to crawl back under the sheets again. But just then, Ivan gets up and says that he wants to go to school.

I told him the bus had left and he could go back to school. But he was not listening, now he was insisting on going to school. I hate days like these. They never go well for me and they seem to go on forever.

I send Ivan back to bed again, turned on the aircon to make it cozy for him, but no, he comes out again asking to go to school.

Finally, I told him that I did not want to be disturbed. And that I would talk to him at 9am. The good thing is, with Ivan once you give him a time to get back to him, he will wait and come back to you later. But he will come back and you have to follow through with the "appointment".

Sometimes, it's the little things like this that drain you...

Snippets - Gluten Free Diet

"Changing your child's diet is one or perhaps the most significant thing you can do to impact your child's health. The Gluten-Free/ Casein Free (GF/CF) diet is the most popular, we suggest removal  of soy as soy has similar properties to casein. Beyond this, the specific carbohydrate (SCD) Diet has been effective for those children who did not respond sufficiently to the GF/CF."

- Ken Siri author of 1001 Tips For The Parents Of Autistic Boys

There are many recipes you can find nowadays on a gluten free diet. Your child does not have to necessarily miss out on traditional snacks. C is for cookie, and cookie is one of my favourites. Your kids can enjoy cookies too, even with a gluten free diet, try these. 

click here for the recipe

Gluten Free Diet

We asked for you to share on gluten free diets, and here's what our dear friend shares...

click here for recipe

One thing I noticed about children with gluten free diet, their diet is quite strict, and also includes no artificial sugars, and for those children who have ADHD, and attention related problems, I did notice a difference in them, they are more focused, have better memory retention, and more importantly, are less tendency to keep running around.

However it depends per child cos sometimes parents opt for other therapies together with gluten free diet, and some of the therapies include changing cleansing and detoxing the body also.There are good effects but also not so good effects.Good affects are observed when at certain phases, the child is quite calm and focused, happy and attentive and less hyperactivity, but the not so good effects are the child at certain phases may get easily upset and frustrated and resort to throwing things or hitting others to vent frustrations.This seems to happen particular when other therapies are used with gluten free diet.I did also observe over a long period of time, generally the gluten free diet does seem to help the child with skin problems, less skin reactions and skin appears more healthy.These are my two cent worth of thoughts.Hope others can share their observations and others who have used with their child don't mind sharing successful diets they use with their children to help other kids. Have a blessed Tuesday all!

That big thank you to Olivia who shared her thoughts with us. 

Should you have something to share, do drop us an email ripplezblue@gmail.com.

Have a great day all.

 

Snippets - News of Diagnosis

Snippets of this week - News of Diagnosis

"There are certain historical events that greatly impact the world, and all people grieve and acknowledge together the feelings they share. Events such as the terrorist attacks on 9/11, or the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, or the day that Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris; you never forget where you were when you found out about these events. The day you receive the news of your child's diagnosis is just as traumatic; the only difference is, no one else is sharing your pain. The people you pass on the street have the same life they had an hour ago, but yours has changed forever."

-Chantal Sicile-Kira, www.chantalsicile-kira.com

The world seems to go on, but your life is forever changed. The only thing you can do is to embrace it and live life. Keep moving forward for your kids sake and because you deserve any amount of happiness you can find along the way.

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Introducing Snippets

Hello all!

We are so happy that you are following us as we move along, this journey. We are very glad that as of late, we have a couple of new followers on our page.

In line with adding new things on our blog, Snippets is one of them. We will be adding a new section called Snippets, it will be short captions that are from different resources, for you to ponder on. So we hope you like it.

Parfaits To Enjoy

So, after sharing on Parfaits, I just could not help myself. I found these awesome recipes from these ladies' wonderful blogs. You must try this one, your kitchen will be smelling wonderful after a fresh batch of baked granola. 

click here for Jessica's recipe

click here for Joana's recipe

click here for recipe

This one is a little more work but it so perfect for parties, won't you say?

In the end for parfaits actually anything goes. What ever you fancy can be the ingredients. When whenever you fancy, you can enjoy one. So I hope you enjoy making a the parfaits as much as I did.

Parfaits To Start Your Day With

What's a Parfait you ask? - It's filled with a things yummy.

Here are a few recipes and links that tell you how to assemble them. Do try them and enjoy!

check out this parfaits recipe

check out Marla's recipe

Beautiful Berries

Berries have wonderful nutritional value, they have "high levels of phytochemicals — those naturally occurring nutrients that help protect cells from damage". Here are just some of the reasons why you should have berries in your diet.

• Berries keep you mentally sharp
• Berries help manage diabetes
• Berries might prevent Parkinson's
• Berries could boost heart health
• Berries for weight control
• Berries for low blood pressure
• Fight Cancer with berries
• Berries to help prevent Alzheimer's
• Berries help with urinary tract infections  

To read more on these, check out the link below.

Today, I introduced little Iggy to the world of berries. I pureed a batch of frozen blueberries for him. Nervous about the outcome, I fed him his first mouthful of pureed blueberries and watched.... he loved it, yeah! Do note that berries should not be introduced to babies too early. Iggy is now eight months and is ready for new types of food and fruits. 

Mamas, berries are great for you too. They have a high fiber and liquid content and helps us feel full for a while. This means you can stay slim by adding berries into your diet. Parfaits are a great way to add berries and nuts into your diet, as you start your day with a healthy breakfast.

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credits for pictures
Resources:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/amazing-health-benefits-of-berries.aspx#/slide-1

Quick Check: Autism

When a baby is born, parents feel like they are in a place that is magical. We wrap our arms around them and hold them close to. We look down onto their adorable faces and dream into their beautiful eyes. 

But sometimes, things go wrong, sometimes those beautiful eyes, are slow to make eye contact. That is an alarm that should get your guard up.

Sometimes, you just don't have hours to read through pages and pages for a check list. Here's a quick list to look at if you are in a hurry. Flags that go up to check for signs of the presence of autism.

• child has little or no eye-contact
• child does not respond to his name by 12 months
• child does not babble or coo by 12 months
• child does not gesture or point by 12 months
• child does not say a single word by 16 months
• child had a loss of language or loss of social skills at any age
• also should the child have a sibling who is on the spectrum, do watch them closely 

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 Book:1001 Tips For The Parenting Of Autistic Boys by Ken Siri

Speech Language Disorder- Part 3

So in continuation with the Speech Language Disorders here is DLD.

Do you find that your child's peers are already chattering away and your little darling is still struggling to speak his mind? Should you be concerned? Talk to your child's teacher to check about his communication skills in
school. You may also want to do a checklist against the milestones for your child's age. So what is DLD?

"DLD (developmental language disorder)- when a child's language skills do not appropriately relate to his or her age, the child is regarded as being language disordered or delayed. This can be caused by numerous factors including environmental ones, being hearing impaired, cognitive disabilities caused by physical injuries or malfunctions, and suffering from syndromes such as PDD (pervasive developmental disorder). Because of the nature of language and what is expected at different stages of childhood, a child can lose one type of delay or disorder and in a few years develop a new one. Children with delayed language can even, and often, end up meeting the milestones of their peers, but others with more serious disorders often continue to fall behind. Early intervention is the key."

I hope that this passage gives you a better idea on what to look out for in your child, and as mentioned early intervention is key to helping your child.

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Book: Alphabet Kids: From ADD to Zellweger Syndrome by Robbie Woliver  

I Am So Tired

The alarm goes off, and a new day begins. I know I have to get up to settle the boys, but I am just so tired. Tired from the million things that I have to do from dawn to dusk, and then redo it all over again. There are aches and pains that once meant something, now they seem to be a daily occurrence, that I don't have time to entertain.

There is a reason why they used to say, it takes a village to bring up a child. Trying to be that village, will only wear you out. Life can be very unpredictably challenging at times, I do get so angry but then I realize that it's just no use. Even being angry drains my energy.

And so my morning begins with, breastfeeding, the little one. Then eating, as that makes you hungry. Followed by getting up the boys for school. Ensuring that Ivan follows the schedule that is prepared for him. Oh, and then there are another thousand other things. Anyone who says that being a homemaker, is having a good life, obviously haven't tried it. 

I know writing, amongst a few other things, helps me relax and take a breather, thus, this entry. So now I must return to forever-work-land, where I am needed.

Good morning all, wish the day is a good one for all.

Do You Want To Make A Difference?

Every now and then, I have my sister and nephew over for tea. This time we had a rather interesting conversation. I was concerned that I was not reaching out to the number of people I had planned to, and discussed it with her. She had a few valid points that I would look into. In conclusion, I told her something that I wish to share with you all too.

Say you are a young, first-time mum and you have certain concerns about your child's development. Sure you can Google it and fine lots of information and resources on the internet. But would you not rather, have a local site that you can check. One that is not trying to sell you something, or make you sign a package for? Would you not rather, like to read up on what other mothers have gone through, to see where you stand, and decide should your child need help? Say, your child doesn't have any major concerns but hasn't talked yet at the age you feel he should be? Would you not want to know, how the procedure would go? How much these tests would costs? That's what we are providing here at Ripplezblue. We are creating awareness and trying to help families that need them.

Information and experiences shared on our blog, can remain anonymous, should you choose to be. We are all helping each other along this journey. Some of us new comers, while others have been on the journey long enough, to help us look out for nooks and cracks along the way. As we come together to cheer each other along, lend a helping hand and to comfort each tear, we are building a better environment for our children. Our children need us to make the difference. Be their advocate, speak for them. I am very passionate about it, as I am a mother on a mission. What about you?

Plans For The Future

It's time to edit, cut and paste. We started Ripplezblue to reach out and to help raise awareness for special needs within the public.

Things have been going great so far. We have reached out to many mothers and teachers, (must try to reach a couple of dad's at least). Many wonderful people have shared their stories with us too. Some shared openly, others choose to remain anonymous, regardless, the fact remains their experience shared, is to help others.
 

We have started out a promotion, where the best story written in will be given a gift, you can check that out, under the Events.

Also, we have adopted a project at St. Andrew's Autism School, and are eager to see it fulfill its potential.

In order to reach out to more people, we will be adding regular blog articles, weekly. We ask that if you like what you read, please help us share on facebook to reach out to more people.

We have lots of things planned out for the future, to mention one would be a parent's support group.

In line with new things, we have sought out a new place to move by year's end. The Gomez's will be moving to a bigger place to accommodate more meetings, and gathering for parents to meet for tea and draw strength from one other. In the mean time, my study is a big mess with all the boxes and bubble wrap due to all the packing. But I wish it would look as neat as this. With a house full of boys and a new baby, I can only dream that my study would be this neat.

Am off to do more research...

Childhood Apraxia And It's Myths

There are many myths and old wife's tales when it comes to bringing up children. I am  pretty sure that you must have heard your fair share of tales too. It just gets a little harder when you are challenged with a child having special needs.

Here are some of their wisdom, that they may wish to share with you:

• Einstein was a late-taker.
• Some very bright children won't talk because they are bored with "baby talk".
• He'll talk when he has it all perfected in his mind.
• He just doesn't have anything to say.
• You (or big sister) do all of the talking for him.
• He has all of his needs met and doesn't "need" to communicate.
• He'll talk when something really interests him, or he really wants something.

So do you think that your chis is a"Late-Taker?"

According to Becca Jarzynski, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and blogger of Child Talk (www.talkingkids.org), "If a child reaches 24 months and isn't yet using 50 words and/or isn't yet putting two words together into short phrases (e.g., "more juice," "bye mama"), we typically recommend that (parents) talk to their pediatrician about an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist."

• What does the child understand?
• Can he follow a wide variety of directions?
• Find objects when Mom and Dad ask him to do so?
• Point to pictures in a book?
• Show off some body parts when they are named?
• Follow silly directions like "put a cup on your head?"

• How he is communicating with gestures and facial expressions? 
• Is he nodding and shaking his head no?
• Pointing at things that he wants or that interest him?
• Waving "hi" and "goodbye?"
• Clapping with delight? 

• How he is using the words he does have? 
• Is he using them appropriately?
• Does he have inflection in the right places?
• Can he articulate well?

• What kinds of sounds is he using?
• Does he uses his voice to get attention?
• Does he vocalize often throughout the day?
• Did he babble often as a baby?
• Does he use his voice in a way that sounds like he having a conversation, even if there are no real words involved in that conversation? (At 24 months, for example, a child should be using a variety of sounds such as p, b, m, n, t, d, h, and w- and using them in a variety of words.)

• How is he playing?
• Does he use pretend play in some very simple ways?
• For example, does he give a bottle to a baby, or feed a stuffed bear with a spoon? 
• Is he able to play simple rolling or fetching ball games with others, and starting to imitate housework?

• How does he imitate actions? 
• Will he clap when an adult does?
• Does he imitate stacking blocks?
• Will he imitate you if you do something silly and unexpected, like place a block on top of your head? 

•  How is he hearing?
• Any concerns with hearing should be evaluated to rule out a hearing loss. 
• Some kids can hear some sounds but not others.

What's a Parent to do?

If you are faced by ignorant loved-ones, or insensitive people, here are a few ways to go around it graciously, so you spare misunderstandings:

• He's takes a while to warm up
• Not all our kids develop the same, right?
• I am grateful, that he is quiet and manageable, at this age.
• He's quiet, just like his dad, men of a few words.
• Gosh, really, you think I should be concerned? What do you recommend?

I am sure you can find your own way of brushing them aside. Try not to offend them if you possibility can, you will need a good support system as your child grows and you may need to depend on them. Their ignorance is what's making them misunderstand. If you have the patience, try to fill them in, on what's going on in your child's life. Having more loved ones, is only going to be beneficial to your child.

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Book: Speaking of Apraxia by Leslie A. Lindsay, R.N., B.S.N.

Childhood Apraxia Also Known As...

So far I share shared a bit on childhood Apraxia. Here's a list of other names, it is known by.

• Developmental Dyspraxia
• Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia
• Developmental Aphasia
• Developmental Apraxia of Speech
• Dyspraxic Dysarthria
• Verbal Apraxia
• Oral Verbal Apraxia
• Development Verbal Apraxia
• Childhood Aphasia
• Executive Aphasia
• Congenital Articulatory Aphasia
• Dilapidated Speech
• Articulatory Apraxia
• Articulatory Dyspraxia
• Phonetic Disintegration
• Afferent Motor Aphasia
• Efferent Motor Aphasia
• Little Broca's Aphasia
• Ataxic Aphasia
• Sensorimotor Impairment
• Minimal Brain Dysfunction/ Disorder
• Pure Motor Aphasia
• Speech Sound Muteness

Book: Speaking of Apraxia by Leslie A. Lindsay, R.N., B.S.N.

Black Pepper Prawns

This recipe is a winner, I must share it with you. Each time I make this, they are whipped up while they are hot and saucy. My boys love it.

 

Ingredients:

10-12 pcs of large prawns, shelled and deveined
1 spring curry leaves
2 tbsps oil
fresh coriander for garnish

The Sauce:
3 tbsps oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped (cos I love garlic!)
1 stalk of spring onions
1 tsp chilli paste (store bought or homemade)
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
1 tbsp ketchup manis or sweet sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsps feshly cracked black pepper (spiciness to your taste)
1 cup seafood stock (store bought or homemade)
50g butter
1 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsps water

Steps:

In a saucepan, heat up some oil. 

Fry half the chopped garlic, curry leaves and prawns. This will be rather quick as the prawn cooks fast, and you don't want to burn the garlic. Remove the prawns when they change colour. Set aside.

Add in a little more oil, and fry the rest of the garlic and spring onions.
Add in the chilli paste, miso paste and ginger, stir a little.
Add in the ketchup, oyster sauce and black pepper to your taste preference.
Add in the stock and butter, for extra flavour.

Add in the cornstach as a thickening agent, and stir well.
Add in the prawns and stir well to mix the sauce evenly.
Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Hope you try this recipe. Enjoy!

Childhood Apraxia

It is difficult to narrow down the specifics of Apraxia. You may be unsure as to whether or not your child has it. I did a lot of observation on Ivan, in the early stages, to help me to help him. These observations helped me a lot when we went to professionals for help.

Some books tell us that childhood apraxia are often inherited from the family. But yet others say, that it could be a unique case for any particular child. Nothing is carved in stone, to each its own. Here are a few pointers based on the age of a child, that I think will be helpful to you.

Warning Signs in Infancy (Birth to Age 1)

• There is decreased cooing or babbling. Others comment on what a "quiet baby" you have.
• May have feeding difficulties.
• Your baby's first words appear late (after 14 months) or not at all.
• If first words do appear, they are often "easy," sounds (phonemes) replaced with even easier ones. For example, "hi" might sound like "I," but is used in a greeting context.

Warning Signs in Early Childhood (Age 1 to 3)

• Understands most of what is said, but cannot verbalize well. Large gap between receptive and expressive language.
• Cannot correctly use sounds.
• Difficulty imitating words and phrases
• Messy and distracting eating. Requires prompts to take a bite, chew, swallow, and drink; may overstuff or "pocket" food in the cheeks.
• Hyper-or hyposensitivty to oral activities such as eating different textures of foods or brushing teeth; difficulty identifying an object in the mouth through touch.
• Prosody (melody) of speech is affected. Also may only be able to repeat a word/sound/phrase in the context of a practical routine; may "lose" words, and may have inability to repeat words when asked.
• May have developed elaborate nonverbal or gestural communication.
• Struggles with speech; "searching" (groping) for the right word.
• Leaves sounds out of words (e.g., "cookie" becomes "coo-ie").
• The longer the phrase attempted, the less understandable the child becomes.

Warning Signs at Any Age

Neurological problems (problems that affect cognition, body mechanics, or the sensory system) may occur with a variety of childhood conditions. Those that may accompany CAS include:

• The child often gestures and grunts in lieu of oral communication.
• Gross motor skills (running, jumping, climbing) may also be slow in developing.
• The child appears clumsy or uncoordinated , has poor body awareness (proprioception), or difficulty with fine motor skills (holding a pencil, using scissors)
• IQ testing shows high performance IQ (doing tasks) and low verbal IQ (taking tasks).
• Poor sequencing (the child has difficulties putting a series of movements in order-e.g., figuring out how to get on an unfamiliar piece of playground equipment, or sequencing events to relate to others).
• The child has poor auditory processing (listening and reacting appropriately) and others must repeat themselves often.
• Greater difficulties in learning to read, spell, and write.
• Difficulty with a variety of components of speech (pitch, quality, rate, etc).
• Correctly saying "difficult" words is well...difficult (e.g., "butterfly," "rocking chair," "exercise"). 
• The child can make the sound(s) of many letters when the letter is alone, but when combined in a sentence, will not be able to say it.
• Limited (correct) use of vowels and consonants
• May have developed elaborate nonverbal and gestural communication.
• Family history of delayed language development, as well as family propensity to have other learning problems.

Book: Speaking of Apraxia by Leslie A. Lindsay, R.N., B.S.N.

I really hope that the information we share with you, are useful to you and your family.