So, imagine my surprise when this Sunday morning, on Mother’s Day, I was greeted with a sweet wake-up kiss and snuggle from my son, quietly wishing me “the best Mother’s Day ever”.  And then I was given the playful directive to “stay in bed because I’m making your breakfast today”.

I snuggled back down under the covers for about ten dreamy seconds when it hit me.  Wait a minute, I thought.  He’s fixing me breakfast???   The thought of a kitchen disaster had me bolting out of bed quickly to follow the pitter-patter and giggles into the other room.  My head was filled with visions including spills, broken dishes, smoke and burned toast.  But, as I rounded the corner at warp speed, I was hardly prepared for the sight in front of me.

 The lovely smell of bacon filled the air, colorful glasses of orange juice were sitting on the counter, and golden pancakes were on the griddle, waiting to be flipped.  I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, because in all of my years of motherhood, I never thought I would be given a gift like this.   (Thankfully, my husband was in the kitchen too, standing guard and gently overseeing everything, making sure it all turned out perfectly.)

Now, for a lot of people, this could be any Sunday of the month.  But, in our house, this was the first time my son wanted to do something this personal for me.  He actually wanted me to relax and let him take care of me.  He wanted to treat me for a change.  He’d thought it up on his own – right down to the exact menu that I should have on my special day.  And it was, by far, the best Mother’s Day ever!

Last year, he ordered flowers for me on my credit card.  That was pretty special.  Funny, expensive, but very special.  This year, he made me breakfast all on his own (well, almost).  That was an actual dream come true.  It leaves me anxious with anticipation to see what will happen next year!  

I sincerely hope all of your Mother’s Day dreams came true too……and if they didn’t, just remember, there’s always next year.

Hope you are all enjoying the spring season so far.  Summer is almost here! 

This edition of the newsletter is all about honoring all of the mothers out there – especially those with a special child.  I’ve recounted a rather funny story about what my son did for me last year, along with an interview of Julie Clark, author of one of my favorite autism books called Aspergers in Pink.

Hope you enjoy it!  Mother Cub Magic May 2012

We are all creatures of habit.  There’s no denying it.  We get into routines in our jobs, our marriage, our friendships, and in our families – especially when we have a child with autism or other special needs.  In fact, our special kids often flat-out demand those routines, don’t they?

The routines they demand seem to give them a sense of security and predictability in their otherwise cluttered, chaotic lives.  But those same routines can also become a limiting factor in their worlds too.  Those routines can limit our kids to always needing the same exact variables day in and day out, and that is never going to be possible to maintain in the long-run. 

As much as we parents want to try and provide the exact structure and controlled environment that our kids crave, there’s this one little thing called “Life” that will always get in our way.

So I want to propose to you that instead of trying to control every aspect of the world around our kids, maybe we should be teaching them that change is actually a good thing.  It’s inevitable, so they might as well learn from the ones they love and trust the most – US!

I know you may be thinking “easier said than done”, and I’m not trying to suggest this will be an easy concept to implement.  However, once your kids start learning that change is okay and that they can handle it and should actually embrace it – life will get much easier and more enjoyable for everyone in the family.

I’ve found the best way to handle this situation with my son is to always have a few new inexpensive toys or books hidden in my closet.  About once or twice a month, I will instigate something not going as planned – on purpose – just so I can teach him about change.  I might do something like, “I know you want to watch that one movie of yours over again, but tonight I’m going to pick a movie instead.”  And when he starts to protest, I say, “but if you can accept that without getting upset, then you might get a little surprise.”

Well, he always wants to know what the surprise is, so he usually accepts the change without an issue.  I don’t always have to give him a prize either.  I might allow him to do something else that he wants to do if he accepts the change I’m throwing his way.  The point is that I always put a positive spin on it so that he can understand that change is not that big a deal and his world won’t come crashing down if things don’t go exactly as planned.

Most of the time, this works great, because I’ve helped my son to change the way he thinks about things.  And as the great Norman Peale alluded to at the beginning of this article, that small change in my son’s thoughts is allowing a big change in his world, overall.

(This article was reprinted from my monthly newsletter, Mother Cub Magic..  If you’re not currently subscribed, sign up today for FREE so you never miss an issue!)

I like to keep fresh muffins, cakes and breads around for easy breakfasts and snacks.  And, since I had several apples that needed to be used up – I decided to create a brand new breakfast treat for my son this morning, which I dubbed “Applesauce Breakfast Cake”.  He and I gobbled up half a loaf as soon as it came out of the oven, and I would be willing to bet money on us finishing it off by the end of the day!

I think this light and tasty cake would be just as good with pears, raisins, carrots or zucchini – in place of the apples.  Experiment with whatever extra fruits and mild veggies you have in your fridge, and feel free to add some nuts or nut flours as well.

Bon appetit!

Applesauce Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup GFCF carrot cake or spice cake boxed mix

2 cups GFCF flour

½ cup sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

*******

1 large apple, diced

¼ cup applesauce

2 eggs, whisked

1 cup almond milk

1 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Use coconut oil to grease two loaf pans.  Line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Mix first six (dry) ingredients in large bowl.  Set aside.  Mix the next six (wet) ingredients in large mixing bowl until blended.  Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix well.  Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pans and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes until top is golden brown.  Enjoy for breakfast, snack-time, or even for dessert!

And then, this past weekend, while I was waiting for the man, himself, to speak at the Austin Autism Fest in downtown Austin, I had the chance to introduce myself and shake his hand.  I only had a short time to be at the conference, so I made sure to make it in time for his keynote speech.  And I’m so glad I did.

Not only did he give a wonderful presentation, claiming that without a shadow of a doubt “degrees of autism recovery are most certainly possible”, but he made sure to point out that he’s an unlikely hero of this autism saga that so many of us live every day.  He never asked to be the hero.  He never wanted to be the hero.  He simply wanted to help our sick children get better.

Though much of the media has painted a gloomy picture of Dr. Wakefield as a manipulative, greedy so-and-so who deserves to be made an example of….in my humble opinion, nothing could be further from the truth.  This highly-credentialed, kind, generous, soft-spoken man has already given up so much for our community that no one could blame him if he decided to throw in the towel and leave us parents to fight our own battles. 

But, in the words of a true hero, he stated at the conference, “I will not give up.  I will never give up.  I will continue in this battle.”  And I, for one, am forever grateful.

To hear my interview with Dr. Wakefield, click here:  perry011211

But I don’t like the plain Jane version.  Anyone can do that.  I perfer to spice things up a bit with fruit or veggie purees, sometimes peanut butter or chocolate chips.  It depends on what I have in the fruit bowl or what I can find at the market.

And this weekend, it’s all about the fresh, organic cherries I bought at Whole Foods a few days ago.  So after washing and pitting them yesterday morning, I created this new recipe for me and my son that I hope you like as much as we do.  I made extras and found that they refrigerate and re-heat just fine.  And that makes me one happy Momma!

Funky Monkey Pancakes (with bananas & cherries)

Ingredients:

1 small banana

1 TBS coconut oil

1/3 cup organic cherry puree

1 egg, whisked

1 cup almond or rice milk

1 tsp organic honey

1 tsp organic vanilla

2 TBS walnut oil

2 TBS flax meal

1 cup GFCF flour blend (I use GF Bisquick)

First, cut up and mash one banana in medium size bowl.  Set aside.  Add 1 TBS coconut oil to large skillet or griddle and warm on medium heat.  Next, take 1 cup pitted organic cherries and blend in blender or food processor with 2 TBS water to make the cherry puree.  (I use 1/3 cup in this recipe and save the rest of the puree to add to lemonade, muffins or waffles. )

Add all ingredients to the mashed-up banana and mix until there are no lumps.  Spoon 1/4 cup of mixture at a time to make small pancakes.  When the mixture bubbles on top, it’s time to flip.  Watch carefully to make sure they do not overcook.  They should be a nice golden brown and are delicious with butter, jelly, honey or nothing at all!  Enjoy!

If you are considering enrolling your child in the program, it would be best to find a practitioner in your local area who can evaluate your child and guide you through an individualized program specific to your child’s needs.  You can find an iLs practitioner by checking out their website: www.integratedlistening.com. 

If, however, you decide to purchase a unit and follow the program at home, I’ve listed below three simple tips I’ve discovered for making your weekly home iLs sessions more successful:

1.  Decide on your weekly activities before each session begins.  Put a little planning into each day’s activities for the week and you will reap much better results.  If you try to do it on the fly each time, you are bound to frustrate yourself and your child too.
2. Make sure your child is involved (within reason) in choosing the activities.  Give your child a few choices within a limited framework and let him/her choose some of the activities for each day.  It’s even more fun if you have a blackboard where you and your child can write down the daily schedule.
3. Make each session fun, fun, fun (so your child will want to do it again and again.)

Try these simple tips, and you, too, can reap some of the substantial benefits available through Integrated Listening Systems.  For more information, case studies, current research, and FAQ, visit the iLs website: www.integratedlistening.com.

The mesencephalon, also known as the midbrain, is associated with vision, hearing, motor control, and arousal, among other things.  It’s located near the center part of the brain, considered to be part of the brain stem, and helps to relay information for vision and hearing, according to Wikipedia.

So you can probably see why this area is so important to the proper development of a child.  When a child has autism or other developmental delays, however, chances are good that certain parts of the brain (including the mesencephalon) are not functioning at an optimal level.  This may leave the child out of touch, out of balance and sometimes, out of control.

After interviewing Dr. Robert Melillo in December, I decided to take my son back to a brilliant functional neurologist we had seen a few years before, named Dr. Michael Stelzer.  He had incorporated some of Dr. Melillo’s “brain balancing” techniques into our son’s therapy at that time and we had experienced tremendous results.  Given my son’s current level of functioning and how much progress he’s made over the last year, I thought now might be a good time to work on a few of the lingering issues that we’re still dealing with.

After a thorough re-evaluation, Dr. Stelzer collaborated with Dr. Melillo and a specific plan was created for my son.  And now, in case you’re wondering, that brings us right back to the mesencephalon.

After only a few weeks of a series of daily exercises specific to this part of the brain, we’re beginning to see some very interesting results.  My son’s been joking around a lot more, negotiating with me on various things, asking a lot more inquisitive questions about everything around him, and expressing himself on a much higher level.  In other words, he’s not only thinking a lot more, but voicing those thoughts in a totally different way than what we’ve seen or heard in the past.

I’m excited to see what’s going to happen in the coming weeks as we continue to stimulate this part of the brain.  As he progresses, we’ll move to higher levels, such as the frontal cortex.  His doctor explained to me that we have to make sure the foundation is strong before we move on to the higher functions.  Otherwise, it’s like trying to balance an elephant on a house of cards. 

Stay tuned for further reports as we continue this exciting work.  I expect significant gains in social interaction, gross motor function, digestion, elimination, and overall health.  And as we balance the entire brain, not only do I expect we’ll balance our child, but our entire family as well.

It can happen to the best of us. 

We read, we research, and we ask questions.  We try our very best to do everything we can to help our children succeed. 

But our kids can often seem unbalanced and disconnected with the world around them.   We may feel like we’ve tried everything, but what do we do when it’s just not enough? 

We go to the experts. 

This week’s episode of The Mother Cub Show will feature Dr. Robert Melillo, author of Disconnected Kids, Reconnected Kids, and cofounder of Brain Balance Centers. 

Dr. Melillo will offer his advice on how to help our kids reconnect with the world around them and, more importantly, how to empower our families to come together instead of falling apart.  Don’t miss this important episode of The Mother Cub Show on Wednesday, December 21^st, at 8am Pacific/ 10am Central.

On this week’s episode of The Mother Cub Show, host Susan Lynn Perry will interview a doctor who sympathizes with the current state of affairs for most families dealing with autism in today’s uncertain times.  As the mother of three children, two who used to be on the autism spectrum, she understands how important it is for these families to get help – whether they can afford it or not. 

Her name is Dr. Janet Lintala, founder of The Autism Recovery Resource Center in Beckley, West Virginia, and she’ll be here this Wednesday to share her story and her inspiration about why it’s important to pay it forward and do all we can to help our autism families in need.  Tune in Wednesday at 8am Pacific for an incredible interview that will hopefully leave you ready to pay it forward too!

Others believe it should be the gut first with dietary changes, nutritional supplements, and anti-fungal medications at the top of the treatment list. 

If you’re confused about the best way to begin helping your child to heal, tune in to The Mother Cub Show on Wednesday, November 16, to learn why it’s critical that you treat both the gut and the brain.  Dr. Woeller will answer questions to clear up some of the confusion and perhaps you will learn the keys to unlocking your child’s autism.

Most of these sources tend to say the window closes by the time your child reaches 5, 6, or 7, which leaves the parents rushing to treat their child with every possible therapy they run across.  The problem is that by their child’s eighth birthday, if that child is not completely recovered, the parents often lose hope.

I’m here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Early intervention is the key, and can often bring about astounding results more quickly, but older children and adults can make great progress and even recover much later in life, too.  The brain is an amazing thing and research shows that new neural connections can be formed at ANY stage of your life given the right stimulation! 

As Larry Polnicky, owner of The Brain Balance Center in Tampa, Florida, told me recently in an interview, “The brain can change at ANY age!” 

I hope this comes as a relief to any parents reading this who may have fallen victim to that sense of failure and hopelessness that their child is still on the spectrum, even after years and many thousands of dollars have come and gone.  If you are one of those parents, instead of beating yourself up, ask yourself the following question:

“Has my child improved from any of the efforts that have been made towards recovery?”

If the answer is a resounding “YES!”, then you should be very proud of yourself and proud of your child too.  But now is not the time to lose hope.  Keep educating yourself.  Keep researching all of the different alternatives that might help your child.  And most importantly, keep moving forward.

Because it IS possible to help our children get better.  You just have to take the first step, and then another, and another.  Don’t EVER give up!