This one is pretty obvious, tons and I mean a ton of information on the site. I love how it is organized into 3 simple sections on their homepage. One for parents, one for kids and one for teens. You could spends days on end reading great articles from this site.

2. AboutKidsHealth.ca

Another great website with tons and tons of information on it. You can honestly spend and find so much information on this site you might leave it for hours!

3. Jamie Oliver Food Revolution

Jaime Oliver is one of the leaders in changing the culture with food and especially for children. He has some really eye opening talks all across the internet. I really like his Milk Fact Sheet for schools, read it and pass it along!

4. Robb Wolf

This site might not be just for your kids but also for you. This site evolves around the Paleo diet, which I am big into right now. With that being said there is just a ton of information on it regarding food. He has a science background so it is not just all smoke he is blowing!

5. Super Healthy Kids

Amy has been posting since 2007, giving recipes and tips for how to keep your kid healthy with eating. An amazing blog that has a lot of great tips!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwc909/

We have 3 great contributors to our HEALTHATHON on the topic of Autism.

Spotlights

Dr. Kari Miller from Miller Educational Excellence

Amy Hummel from Autism Speaks

Abigail Twyman, M.Ed., BCBA

Question and Answer

Question 1: What Are 3 Myths You Hear People Say About Autism?

Question 2: Vaccines, what are your thoughts on them, and what if anything should we be doing?

Question 3: What are some of the signs of Autism you should be looking for with children?

Question 4: Describe to me an average kid with autism

Question 5: What can a family do to help an autistic child?

Question 6: Do you think there will ever be a cure for autism and if so when?

Question 7:  Is there any notable research going on as of right now that you are excited about?

Question 8:  Do certain types of daily schedules help with kids on the spectrum?  If so, what kind?

Question 9: Talk about your thoughts on the diet aspect of helping your child with autism. Do you believe it helps? If so what diet helps?

Thanks again to Dr. Miller, Amy Hummel and Abigail Twyman!!

Dr. Kari Miller:

Many anecdotal reports attest to the positive effects of dietary changes in the behavior of individuals on the spectrum.   Some diets that have helped people include:

• eliminating gluten, the protein in wheat,
• eliminating casein, the protein in dairy products,
• limiting sugar
• limiting refined and highly processed foods
• increasing Omega 3 fatty acids
• increasing Vitamin B6, taken with magnesium (which makes the vitamin effective)

But there is no support for the claim that any dietary change can ease symptoms of autism for ALL people.  Therefore, only try dietary changes with caution, under the supervision of a registered dietician and/or physician, and keep careful records of the changes in your child’s behavior and learning.

Amy Hummel:

Many families try a gluten-free, casein-free diet, but only approximately 30% stick with it. That is because those items are typically more expensive, and the diet simply doesn’t work for some. When the diet works, we see individuals with autism feel better leading to better therapy sessions and overall behavior.

Abby Twyman:

There are a variety of dietary interventions which are utilized by families of individuals with autism. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support the efficacy of these dietary interventions. When families ask me about whether or not they should put their child on any sort of diet, my advice to them is always to consult their pediatrician and an allergist. Their child may have a specific allergy, intolerance or sensitivity to certain foods. This can only be determined, however, by an allergist who will be able to conduct all the test necessary to make this determination. If the child does have an allergy, sensitivity or intolerance then these food items should obviously be restricted. If the child does not have any of these issues, there would be no medical reason to restrict the child’s diet like the dietary interventions suggest.

The other advice I give to parents is to make sure the child is eating a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet which is low in unhealthy fats and excessive sugar. This is great advice for any parent. Sometimes parents report their child is a picky eater or refuses to eat specific foods. If this is the case, they need to consult with a nutritionist and a behavior analyst to help them develop an effective feeding intervention.

Dr. Kari Miller:

All kids need structure and routine to feel safe and to thrive.  Therefore, setting up supportive structures for meals, sleeping, self-care, social interaction, learning, and recreation are necessary for children to feel comfortable enough to engage in the exploration of their environments that is essential to their growth and development.

I’d like to answer this question by talking about areas that are rarely discussed— how your child’s learning is affected by movement and the body’s natural rhythms.

Movement

Movement stimulates the growth of brain cells which are necessary for learning.  It gives children the opportunity to explore the world and gather information that develops their intelligence.  The brain requires feedback in order to learn and grow, feedback that comes from interaction with the environment.  Movements allow children to express their knowledge and begin to tackle the next stage of their learning.

In particular, children who have learning issues benefit from regular movement.  Try these activities before beginning homework, and at regular intervals while working.

Encourage your child to engage in cross lateral physical activity for five minutes every hour.  Cross lateral movements engage hand and foot on opposite sides of the body.  Most of these movements are more effective when done standing.  The addition of rhythmic music provides a boost.  Some cross lateral movements students enjoy are:

• Karate Cross Crawl:  Kick while punching or chopping with alternate hand and foot (right hand chops while left foot kicks).
• Double Doodle.  Draw a design with both hands simultaneously.  Be sure the designs are mirror images of each other, rather than facing the same direction.
• Brain Gym has a great book, Brain Gym, Teacher’s Revised edition available at their website:  braingym.com

Most students remember new information better when they talk, write or draw. For those students who remember information best by writing, provide them with a white board and erasable markers or encourage them to write on paper.  Allow your child to act out what has been read, build a model, draw a diagram or chart, sing or dance. Encourage your child to “teach” new information to others in the household.

Movement breaks that help your child focus include:  jumping on a trampoline, rolling, pushing against the wall, playing tug of war, standing on a balance board, tossing a bean bag back and forth between hands, squeezing or pulling at soft plastic hand toys.

Some other tips for helping a child be focused for learning include blowing to focus for tasks at a distance such as copying from the board and sucking on something to help near tasks such as reading.  Using long, crazy straws to drink think liquids is great.

Body’s Natural Rhythms and Preferences

These areas are important to your child’s learning:

• Sleep effects
• Learning naturally occurs during sleep
• Short bursts of focuses attention
• Novelty

Sleep is essential to survival and to sanity and to improved skills.  Interestingly, when a person sleeps, the brain is far from idle!  In fact, for only about 20% of the time is the brain actually using less energy than during periods of wakefulness.

Actually, it’s hard to determine a generalization for how much sleep is optimal.  The best way to determine how much sleep is generally good for your child is to observe and keep careful logs of the amount of sleep, any unusual circumstances, and your child’s functioning the next day.

Too much sleep can be just as devastating to your child’s academic success as too little sleep.  Both cause the brain to be less efficient, mood to be effected, processing of the environment to be inefficient, and produces less control of anxiety and frustration.  Naturally, you want to figure out how much sleep your child needs on average, and set up routines that allow for this much sleep each night.

Don’t be concerned if your child seems to need more or less sleep than others, as long as he or she is doing well.  The amount of sleep a person needs fluctuates depending upon circumstances such as their age—they need more sleep when younger, less as they mature, and more as they enter older age.  There are differences due to entering puberty, a person’s gender, a person’s nutrition, and a host of factors unique to each individual.  Some people function better if they have a nap during the day, others do not.  There is research and theory to suggest that many people respond best to a long sleep at night and a nap in the middle of the day.

Each person has a unique internal clock of sleep and wakefulness.  Help your child learn his rhythms and do his best to tackle the most challenging subjects during his most alert time of day.

During sleep, the brain engages in rhythmical activity and mountains of research have documented that individuals who “sleep on it”, in other words, who are taught something and then are asked to perform it after an interval of sleep, perform better than they did at the end of the training session.  This is even truer of learning motor sequences and performing procedures.

How can parents use this interval of sleep to help their child learn? If your child has noticeably more learning after “sleeping on it”, ask her teacher to let you preview the next day’s material one or two days before.  Ask to have the reading material and comprehension questions in advance.  Ask for the social studies assignment so it can be read before class discussions.  In the areas in which your child has the greatest learning challenges, try to get advance notice of the material and give your child the opportunity to work with it before hand and to “sleep on it.”  Naturally, this can also help to allay any anxiety your child may have about the next day.  Children who are feel inadequate in a particular class or with a particular subject will have some of that tension eased when they can work with the material beforehand, and the principle of “sleeping on it” will give an added boost to their learning.  And also, a child who is less tense will sleep better, and that will boost his performance as well!

The human mind is made for short bursts of focused attention.  Therefore, frequent changes of pace are crucial to learning.  The mind needs to reorganize and consolidate new information during non-learning periods.

The brain responds to novelty in order to learn, so let your child change aspects of his study environment when they no longer stimulate him.  Naturally, you need to be sensitive to your child’s need of comfort and security.  But the brain learns best in response to new, different and interesting stimuli, so find ways to help your child make small modifications that increase alertness.  These modifications will actually work to your child’s advantage in many ways.  For example, his brain will take greater note of the changes and become more available for other stimuli, such as concepts and skills.

Small, manageable changes that your child finds pleasing and interesting form a great platform for building a sense of safety, security and control in the environment, because they are chosen by the child and expand his awareness and knowledge. For example, use different colored paper or pens, put up a poster or picture in the work area, and change it every month or so, or change the screen saver on her computer.

A child’s storehouse of background knowledge is the support system for new learning.  Bolster your child’s supply of knowledge by taking trips, answering the relentless “why” questions, and having meaningful discussions about the nature of the world!

Amy Hummel:

Yes – there is a sense of comfort with a routine for children and adults who have autism. The thing to remember is a routine that works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. The standard form of therapy is ABA or Applied Behavioral Analysis where the child is evaluated and a plan is created based upon the therapies that are believed to work best for that individual.

Abby Twyman:

Schedules can be extremely helpful for individuals with autism, as they are for all of us. The best type of daily schedules are those which are clear and consistently used. The schedule format needs to be based on the current language and ability level of the child. If they are unable to read, then a picture schedule is likely to be the most effective. If the child is able to read, then a written schedule would probably work. For some kids who are able to read and write, I’ve found great success in them being involved in writing their own schedules. If they are unable to write, they could still participate in the schedule-making process by putting the pictures in the correct or desired order.

The number of items and specifics of the schedule is going to depend on the ability level of the child. Some kids need simple 2-part schedules with the first item being a work task or other demand and the second item being a reinforcing item or activity. For example: (1) Art; (2) Computer. For other individuals, the schedule might be more complex and include 10 or more activities. The thing to remember when developing schedules is to make sure there are reinforcing items or activities interspersed throughout the schedule so there is embedded motivation to complete the items on the schedule. Schedules are also extremely useful because some individuals have difficulty with unexpected change or alterations to routines. The schedule can be used as a way to prime them for an upcoming change in routine.

Dr. Kari Miller:

The term cure is problematic.  Some people on the spectrum do not desire a “cure” and do not view autism as a “disease”, but instead, see it as part of who they are. However, some individuals with autism do experience troubling symptoms, such as extreme sensitivity to environmental stimuli, and may value improvement in the symptoms.  Clearly, research will continue and more will be learned about the risk factors, treatment and educational approaches that benefit people with autism—that is certain.  If history is any guide, then a great deal will be discovered that we can not even speculate about at this point, and our perspectives and beliefs about autism will undergo significant reorganization through time.

Amy Hummel:

We certainly hope so. Scientific research is moving fast and it seems there are constantly new developments. The science page on the Autism Speaks website helps keep the information filed and up to date. http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/index.php

Abby Twyman:

No, I don’t. Autism is a genetically-based, neurobiological disorder for which I do not believe there is a cure. Right now there is a lot of research being dedicated to understanding the genetics and neurobiology of autism. This is the first step to identifying what genetic abnormalities are implicated in the brain connectivity abnormalities seen in individuals with autism. Will this research lead us to a “cure”? I think this is highly unlikely. What it will do, however, is help us identify specific abnormalities and potentially help us develop interventions to address the issues these abnormalities in brain function cause.

Dr. Kari Miller:

Each individual is unique and there is no way to present a “typical” picture.  However, there are three core areas that are affected by autism:  social skills, language and communication, and repetitive and/or restricted behaviors.  Each child with autism will show some degree of challenge in these areas, but need not show a marked difficulty in all areas.  Kids may also have sensory and/or motor problems, to varying degrees.

There are other conditions that may coexist with autism, such as mental retardation, sensory processing disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, ADHD/ADD, learning disorders, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, Tourette syndrome, and gastrointestinal problems.

Amy Hummel:

You really can’t because autism is a spectrum disorder. They say you meet one child with autism and you have met one child with autism.

Abby Twyman:

There is no “average kid with autism”. Every individual on the spectrum is just that: an individual. There is a huge variety on the presentation of symptoms which makes this an impossible question to answer.

In the area of communication, some individuals with autism can’t speak, some can speak a few words, and some are highly verbal. Even if an individual can’t speak, that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of communicating. Some individuals with autism who can’t speak are able to use single pictures to communicate, some use pictures in a sequence to create sentences and some can type out what they want to say. On the other side of the communication spectrum, some individuals who are highly verbal are unable to use their language communicatively and some are able to use their language to communicate their wants and needs.

In the area of socialization, some individuals with autism are aloof and seemingly uninterested in interacting social and some are interested in interacting but lack the skills to do so appropriately or effectively. Some individuals understand how to play with a variety of toys independently and with others, and some find this extremely difficult.

In the area of restrictive and repetitive behaviors, some individuals engage in high levels of self-stimulatory behavior and some do not. Some individuals have very intense and restricted interests in specific objects, toys, characters, or subjects. Some individuals engage in extremely aggressive behaviors towards themselves or others. Some are highly dependent on structure and routine.

The point in all of this is that there are many different presentations of autism and no individual with autism is the same as any other and therefore there is no “average” child with autism. They’re all unique, extraordinary and amazing.

QandA:

Question 1: 3 Myths of Autism

Question 2: Vaccines and Autism

Question 3: Signs of Autism

My roller coaster of a week wasn’t done.  A few days later, I went in to take my 3 hour glucose test, the test that is supposed to clear me of any concerns, and just act as the blessing of being a wake up call for my husband and I to live a more balanced life, a reminder to eat healthy, exercise, and cut back on work, as hard as that was for me.

I get to my test and text my husband as I’m in the waiting room at the lab, when he surprises me and tells me he’s coming to keep me company for those 3 hours.  What an amazing husband!  He has an incredibly family focused, supportive boss, who we are so thankful for!  So, we sit there for 3 hours counting down my 4 blood draws, waiting to get through this phase, and then wait for the results.  This was Wednesday.

Thursday morning I wake up, start getting ready for work, and then it hits, I can’t move.  I’m stuck.  I have shooting pains through my pelvis and both thighs and I can’t move.  I call to my husband from the closet and he carries me out to the bed.  I immediately call my dad in tears asking what to do and he tells me that while it’s probably some normal pregnancy pains, I do need to call my doctor.  So, after all is said and done, my doctor determined that my son’s head is low in my pelvis, hitting two nerves, and sending shooting pains through my body.  He confirms that I’m not in early labor, nothing is progressing, and sends me home for a day of rest.

Remember I said roller coaster?  Well, here’s the up!  Thursday was also the big day for my husband’s brother and his wife.  They are also expecting their first and are due 3 months after us.  They were having their big ultrasound, and finding out if our son was going to have a little boy cousin, or girl.  It’s a boy!  We’re so excited for them!  A healthy little boy!  Two little boy cousins growing up together in the same neighborhood, going to the same school, riding bikes together, playing sports together, we can’t wait!!!  What exciting news for the family!

Then, Friday afternoon, the news came.  I had failed my 3 hour test, and do in fact have gestational diabetes.  I am shocked!  My husband is shocked!  What does this mean?  Here’s all I know – I have to take a class next week to learn about my new diet, how to test my blood sugar throughout the day, and how to best manage this with diet and exercise in hopes of avoiding the need for any medication or insulin to manage this.  So until then, I’m to cut back on sugars, sweets, and carbs.  And keep exercising.

As I learn more, so will you.

Thanks for following me on this journey,

Ali

The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me.  Let me just start by saying that I’m not that crazy emotional pregnant woman!  I’m an emotional person by nature (my mother calls it compassionate) but pregnancy has made me much more mellow and calm than I was the 12 months of trying to conceive.  My husband will attest to that.

A week ago, I found out I failed my 1 hour glucose test, which quite honestly brought shock waves to my husband and I.  We’re relatively young (early thirties), pretty healthy and never expected this.  So, we did what any young, technology savvy couple does, scour the internet for information on gestational diabetes, scare ourselves silly, talk to friends and then talk to family.

We have a unique situation, my dad’s been an OBGYN for the past 25+ years of my life so both my husband and I call him, separately to get each of our questions answered in our own way.  Then, my husband and I sit down to talk, or rather my husband talks and I listen.  I’m a career driven woman, and have been working 50-60 hours a week lately managing a Finance and Accounting department for a growing pharmaceutical company.  I don’t exactly have the energy at the end of a week like that for things like walking or making a healthy dinner.  It’s more like couch time and fast food.

Well, as my husband told me, all of that was about to change.  I was going to walk into my boss’s office and tell her that I’d be cutting back at work, working 40-45 hours in the office, coming home to exercise and eat healthy, and then get back online and finish up any deliverables after that.  She and the rest of the senior management team were extremely supportive, and being parents themselves, showed a ton of compassion and support in my effort to get healthy, given my recent scare with the glucose test.  Taking care of my unborn son needs to be my first priority, period.  So, I started leaving the office by 5 or 6 each night, coming home to walk 1-2 miles a night and cooking dinner at home.

Things were going to be okay.  My scores on the first test weren’t that high.  As my dad put it, the chances were slim that I actually had gestational diabetes, but my scores were outside the normal range, so it was possible, and that’s why the next test. All my friends that had failed their 1 hour test ended up passing their 3 hour test, no problem. Granted, I had to go actually take the 3 hour test, but that was going to be more of a hassle than anything else, right?

Stay tuned to see if I actually have gestational diabetes….

The baby also benefits. One study found that when an expectant mother works out, her fetus reaps cardiac benefits in the form of lower fetal heart rates.