Calling all Blogger's!

Calling all blogger's!

We could use your opinions and ideas as far as autism and being on a tight budget.
Times are rough. I recently spoke with a young mother of two children, one of which is three years old and has autism. Making matters even more complicated is a recent diagnosis of epilepsy with the boy.
The mother is newly married and her husband doesn’t understand the outbursts of the three year old. Her husband was just laid off of work, so their cash flow is weak. She had her child on the GFCF diet but can no longer afford the high prices of organic foods. “She did see positive results when using the GFCF diet.”
This little guy doesn’t sleep through the night, so the mother is never fully rested and this is taken a toll on her physically and emotionally.
She had him in the hospital for a 48 hour EEG. The doctor wants him to have another. She almost couldn’t make it through the first test and prefers not to put her child through testing again because it caused the child tremendous stress.
This boy is non-verbal and has no Occupational Therapist and no Speech Therapist because of insurance issues.
I asked her what the child was eating when on the diet, she replied, “Smucker’s peanut butter and jelly, organic fruits and vegetables, organic granola bars, plus other organic foods and rice milk and bread.” She also has her son on a detox program that she no longer can afford.
My advice to her was-
1. Continue with the rice milk and rice bread
2. Continue with the Smuckers peanut butter and jelly.
3. Buy regular fruits and vegetables. It would cut costs.
4. Make green smoothies for detoxification; advice given by Ed Arranga
5. Visit food pantry; advice given by Ed Arranga
6. See about getting a Dan Doctor, I have no idea if they might do pro-bono work. Any ideas, bloggers?
7. Buy a weighted blanket for sleeping.
8. Go for a twenty minute walk by yourself everyday.
9. Contact TACA for support in your area.
I also though she could work on pre-language skills and sign language everyday, so her son could learn to communicate his needs to cut back on the outbursts. And to get her husband much needed education on autism.

Three books that I suggest are those of
Linda A. Hodgdon,M.ED.,CCC-SLP-
1. Visual Strategies for Improving Communication
Practical Supports for School and Home.
2. Solving Behavior Problems in Autism
Improving Communication with Visual Strategies
Taca has a great book-
3. Families with Autism Journey Guide-
A starting point for parents facing autism.

Please, I am asking for everyone to contribute. More heads are better than one!
Thank you, Rhonda