Our family’s healing journey began over nine years ago, when my husband and I connected the erratic behavior dots that encompassed our first son and requested a school evaluation. This testing began when our son was in kinder and led to an official diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and placement on an Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.), his ticket to special education.
Our son, currently in his last few days of his freshman year in high school, recently received another round of evaluations. Despite the fact that he completed the last two trimesters without any special education services, despite the fact that he is performing well in both classroom and out of classroom settings, despite the fact that he brilliantly advocated for himself in the 90 minute evaluation results meeting, the experts gave him the option to continue with his I.E.P. to work on communication and social skills. What no “all clear” or a definitive “he does not qualify for services anymore” like I was apparently seeking based on my disappointment? But I knew his need for special education services had ended, unlike the previous years where he benefitted greatly from services. Immense gratitude fills my heart as I recall the many amazing special education teachers that brought him to this point in his life. Of course, the experts acknowledged that our son would be very successful even without continuing with the I.E.P. I ultimately left the decision to continue or discontinue with special education services up to my son and he opted out.
With this concise email, “Kirby and I have both decided that it is in his best interest that he steps out from under the umbrella of his I.E.P.”, he now stands on his own with no safety net, his main motivation for abolishing the I.E.P. That and he no longer wanted to be lumped in with the behavior problem students. With better perspective, I realize how fitting and empowering it is that we ended what we started.
My advice to any parent with a child with ASD, or for that matter any child with health concerns, is to empower yourself. Don’t let the experts, including physicians, run the show. Over nine years ago, I researched online about Asperger’s Syndrome and found most websites proclaiming that there was nothing that could be done. Thankfully, a few parents were brave enough to post their children’s ASD recovery stories using dietary interventions. When the gut is healed by primarily removing grains and sugar, many mental and physical illnesses improve or disappear completely.
That’s a brief recap of just one out of seven family members that have benefitted from healthy eating. Nutrient dense healing foods helped me and my other children overcome and/or manage dyslexia, dyspraxia of speech, hypoglycemia, skin conditions, anxiety, and asthma. At one point in time, all of our children had I.E.P.’s. Now only three do.
NOURISHING HAPPINESS 