Best Friends

After school, Conlan usually goes right outside and plays with the dogs, mainly with Dewi, our male.  Dewi is just a few months younger than Conlan.  We got him a few months after Romney passed.  Since we got the dogs back earlier this year, it's been interesting to watch the friendship form.  For a while, Conlan would just taunt the dogs, holding the ball and running around instead of throwing it for them to fetch it.  Recently, Dewi has started playing the same game.  He'll run away from Conlan with the ball and wait for Conlan to come to him.  They could spend hours with each other going back and forth, and they do!

"You Don't Have to be Normal"

There were so many good lines from this talk over at TED. Faith shares the story of her two autistic brothers and encourages us to be extraordinary like them.


I really liked that the older of the two brothers had never lied; he had no concept of lying. She ends her talk with, "Please, don't call me normal."  Let's all be as extraordinary as we can be!

Of Dogs and Kids

Is he awake? I want to play!

Ever since Conlan was a wee little bairn, he has loved dogs - and not just our Corgis.

Kisses



At the dog show

When he could barely hold up his head, he giggled with delight each time they ran in a circle around the couch. As soon as he could crawl, he chased them. As soon as he could walk (at 11 months), he tried sitting on them. in case you were wondering, sitting on Corgis doesn't work very well. Because of our housing situations, we had to give the dogs to a family about a year and a half ago. Conlan gets very excited whenever we see a dog whether we're out on a walk or somewhere else. So when we bought our house, I thought we might eventually get dogs. I missed the dogs too. So when his mom asked if we could take the dogs back from the family, I was grateful, excited, and nervous to have them back.

It's been almost two months since we got them back. And they feel right at home. When Conlan gets home from school, he goes straight to the back yard to play and usually with the dogs. The dogs love to play fetch. They could retrieve a tennis ball for hours. Conlan knows this. At school, he likes playing chase with the other kids. It's no different with the dogs. He walks around with a ball in his hand, taunting the dogs. They follow him until he finally throws it (usually because we tell him to). Adara doesn't like following him around as much, but Dewi is always there with him - if he has a ball anyway.

Bread v2 - With Oatmeal Flour

The recipe we've been using was giving us some very dense bread whether we used the bread maker or the oven. So after much googling and weeding through numerous gluten-free sites, I found a recipe and modified it.

1 1/2 C rolled oats flour
1 1/2 C rice flour (brown or white or both)
1/2 C potato starch flour
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 C warm water
1/4 C oil 1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp honey or agave nectar

I've made it both in the bread maker and in the oven. They both turned out fantastic. For the oven, prepare the yeast by combining the yeast, honey, and water. Then let it sit for 10 minutes. Whisk eggs, oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Mix dry ingredients in mixer. When the yeast is ready, mix the egg and oil into the dry ingredients and then the yeast. Put dough into a 9" greased pan. Let it rise for an hour (cover with saran wrap for first 20-30 minutes until bread touches covering). Then bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. When using the bread maker, use yeast that is made for bread machines. Because of the second cycle on most bread machines (including ours), the bread was more dense than with the oven method.

We finally have a recipe for moist, fluffy, delicious bread that the kids love! And it's gluten- and dairy-free. We made the oatmeal and rice flours using our Vitamix dry blender.  I think we bought the potato flour starch from Whole Foods. We'll have to find something else when it runs out, maybe just more rice flour. Next time I'm going to try it without the xanthan gum since a friend's mom is allergic to it and to guar gum. Rolled oats are naturally gluten-free but often get contaminated with wheat, so make sure the oats are certified gluten-free.

Update, January 19, 2016:
Since posting this recipe, I've changed it slightly.  Since most of the flours I use are heavier than conventional wheat flour, our bread was very dense and wasn't rising as much.  And since we don't have a scale to weigh the flour, reducing it to three total cups really helped.  And instead of using just the two types of flour and potato starch, I use whatever flour we have on hand.  For instance, the last time, I used 1 C rice flour, 1 C buckwheat flour, 1/2 C oatmeal flour, 1/4 C corn flour, and 1/4 C flax meal.  Sometimes I'll use some potato flour (dry shredded potatoes using a dehydrator and then the Vitamix to grind it into flour), almond meal (also made using our Vitamix).  Next I'd like to try some quinoa flour.

Muffins

A friend from our Church family recently gave us a juicer. It's not top-of-the-line or anything but does a pretty good job. Ever since we got our Vitamix blender, we've wanted to add a nice juicer to our already-crowded counter, so this was great. We were surprised by how much pulp resulted from just a couple cups of juice. So just like anything else, we googled it and found a few recipes and other suggestions to use the pulp. The muffins have been a huge hit. Here's the recipe that I modified from one I found on justjuice.org:

• 2 C flour (we used rice flour)
• 1/4 C flax meal
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C applesauce
• 1 C pulp (or more)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp sweetener (we used agave nectar)

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes I'll add a little cinnamon, a banana, or whatever sounds good. We ran out of flax meal and liked them just the same without it.

Conlan loves the muffins so much that we have to hide them so he doesn't eat them all. And now we have a way to sneak even more vegetables and fruits into his diet.

 

I told Gavin he probably wouldn't like the muffin mix, but he still wanted it and liked it even.

"Not Even Wrong"

More than a month ago, I started reading Not Even Wrong, Adventures in Autism by Paul Collins. I picked it up from the library during Autism Awareness month and have slowly made my way through it. Slowly, only because I have so little time. I have really enjoyed it so far. The author tells about his and his son's journey as they learn about autism and get diagnosed. At the beginning, his son hasn't been diagnosed. The dad is a writer researching for a book he is writing. He comes across a "wild child" named Peter who lived in the forest all alone until he was found by local villagers in Germany. Eventually, the King of England (also from Germany) adopted him and brought him to London. Throughout history there have been similar children. Peter was nonverbal, lived in his own world and much preferred solitude to the company of friends. As the father continues his research, he and his wife discover that their son, Morgan is autistic. He then focuses his research on other autists and supposed autists from history. It's a very interesting read and describes well how a person with autism functions. As he learns more and more about autism, it becomes apparent that he himself is autistic and probably his parents as well. For a while, I've been planning an entry about movies. Disney movies, autism movies, and movies that Conlan likes. All three of which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. So look for that in the coming weeks.

Pancakes

Ever since Conlan was about 12 months old, he has loved pancakes. We were at a family reunion, known as "The Ranch". As is tradition, we have pancakes for breakfast on the Fourth of July. Pancakes, sausage, bacon, syrup, jam, orange juice, milk, and other delicious foods. Conlan loved the pancakes, then a couple days later at his great grandma's place more pancakes. From that point on, they were a staple in his diet. Pancakes and waffles, usually drenched with syrup.

So when we started cutting sugars and gluten, pancakes and especially syrup were the first things to go. We replaced his breakfast food with corn/quinoa flakes from Whole Foods and other gluten-free cereals. At first we used regular milk. Then we bought rice milk for a while. Then when we got our Vitamix blender, we started making our own rice milk. So much cheaper than both rice milk and regular milk. Sure, it tastes a little different but does the job. And he likes it.

Recently I made rice flour pancakes using milk that was in the fridge (we had friends and family staying with us and bought a half gallon for them). He ate the first one plain. For another pancake we added a limited amount of jam and for another, some pure maple syrup (no added sugar). So this past weekend, I used the same recipe but used rice milk instead. Same result: he ate them just as heartily as though they were "normal" pancakes.

Here's the recipe:

• 2 C rice flour
• 3? tbsp oil
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 eggs
• milk (rice, hemp, flax, almond, soy, cow - any type should do
• generous sprinkling of cinnamon
• baking powder
• rest later

Sorry, I will look it up later and correct/finish.

Bread

Since we've gone mostly gluten-free, we've started making our own bread. We found a bread maker for about $10 at the local Salvation Army store and have been using it. It's been difficult finding a good recipe to be gluten-, sugar-, and dairy-free.

Here's what we currently use as a recipe.
1 1/2 C warm water
2 eggs
1.5 tbsp apple vinegar
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp xanthan gum
1/3 C flax meal
3 C brown or white rice flour or a mix of the two
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp bread machine yeast

Sometimes I'll put in a little baking powder as well.

We tried making an extra loaf and freezing it, but it just crumbled upon thawing.

To make the rice flour, we use our Vitamix dry blender.  We also make the flax meal the same way. The flax isn't required but adds texture, fiber and nutrients.

Xanthan gum helps keep everything stuck together, what gluten also does. It's quite costly, at about $12 per 8 oz bag from Whole Foods. We got it once for $10 and should have grabbed a couple extra bags.  Wal-Mart sometimes has little packets costing 0.50 each. Xanthan gum is hard to find at grocery stores. After trying it out, I suggest finding it cheap online.  Bob's Red Mill sells a 5-lb bag for $111. I've seen other brands on Amazon and other places.

We're still modifying the recipe, but this works pretty well in our machine. It comes out a nice golden brown color but is very dense.

Spinning

Conlan's latest thing has been spinning objects. Objects range from pennies and other coins to lids, toys, foam letters. I think he even tried to spin a shoe once. He's good too. His favorite item seems to be lids from water and soda bottles. A couple weeks ago, Heather gave him a couple pennies and a plate to occupy him in the car. He loved it! Now we try to keep a plate or other flat-surfaced object in the car and a few coins handy. While we were still in Arizona, we got him one of those toys that spin when you push the handle down. He loved that toy even then - I wonder where it is now.

Hi, My Name is Emily

At the park the other day, a girl the same age as Conlan came up to him. She introduced herself and asked his name. I don't think he even noticed her as he continued spinning rocks and babbled, possibly in response to her query.  Not receiving a response, she continued on her way a little perplexed that he didn't want to play with her. Talking with her mom later, I found out they are both in first grade at the same elementary. I'm surprised Emily didn't already recognize him. Supposedly Conlan's class does interact with the neurotypical kids his age on a regular basis. Maybe we should push for more integration.

Snow days

School was closed on Tuesday because the forecast said it was supposed to snow a lot. It did snow quite a bit, but nowhere near what would have canceled school where I grew up. Then, of course, the next day was also canceled so that the roads could get cleared. The school district canceled for a third day, for reasons undisclosed. I think the temperature was too low, about 5 degrees at 6 AM. Thankfully, work was also closed on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, I could telecommute or take leave. Thursday, I wasn't feeling well so took a sick day. Three days off of school for just 4-6 inches of snow! It's ridiculous to me. Conlan hasn't had a full week of school since before Christmas break. And now, instead of getting President's Day off of school, they have to make it up and go to school that day. I hope they don't cancel any more days since more will have to be made up after school gets out in June.

Anyway, Tuesday evening, we finally ventured out into the snow. I'm so glad we got Conlan those snow boots a couple months ago. At first he protested the extra layer of clothing. We even had to hold his hands while we got suited up so he wouldn't strip down. Finally outside, we had lots of fun making snow angels, throwing snow at each other, and making fresh tracks. Hardly anyone had ventured out all day. We made our way over to the park. It's fun sliding down a slide full of snow! Shortly after getting to the park, a girl, her mom, and their dog came to join in the fun. We made some more snow angels, got to know them and had more fun. Conlan squealed at the sight of the dog. He kept putting himself between the owner and the dog so that he'd get all tangled up, squealing and laughing the whole time. This kid needs a dog!

All I Want for Christmas is an EEG?

About a month ago, Conlan lost his first tooth. Well, not exactly, he lost his first tooth without hitting his head on the bathtub. A couple weeks later he lost another. Both times he was very calm and "asked" us to take out his tooth. And just in time for Christmas!

Christmas for Conlan has always been a little different. He doesn't quite get that there are presents for him beneath the wrapping paper. Or maybe he doesn't understand gifts and possession. He is so used to playing with whatever is available. He doesn't seem to have any wishes. He's content to bounce around, watch a little of "Signing Time", or play with things as simple as a cardboard box. Much to our annoyance, he could throw an empty 2-liter bottle onto the hardwood floor for hours squealing with glee the whole time.

So what do you get an autistic 6 year old? His two front teeth! We got some stuff mainly from the dollar store. We also got him an alphabet puzzle floor mat and a tactile spiky ball. He loves puzzles and always plays with the floor mats at other people's houses. I think his favorite toy is the helicopter blade thingy that is spun off of a helical-shaped stick. The blades quickly ascend to the ceiling when purged off of the stick and even glow in the dark. He loved unrolling the Chinese yo-yo's too.

His brother had a blast opening most of the toys, even Conlan's. The video below shows his reaction at first seeing what Santa had brought.





Sadly, all the fun and games quickly came to an end the next morning. He had an appointment with the neurologist to get a portable EEG attached to his head. It was quite an experience for all of us. The technician did an amazing job attaching all the electrodes and wrapping his head so he wouldn't tear it off. A few weeks from now, we get to visit the neurologist again to look at the data and see if they find out anything. I sure hope it was worth the sleepless night as we monitored him both to make sure it stayed attached and to record any mini seizures (none noticed) or other anomalous activity. He was very happy to get it off the next morning and even more excited to be treated with pancakes from Denny's for tolerating the bandage for almost 24 hours. Good for you Conlan!