Great Article to share

Chris and I have gotten a lot of friendly advice since Leila has been diagnosed. I have learned that many people have such a stereotyped view of autism. I admit I used to too. When I say Leila is autistic I often get, "Really? She doesn't seem autistic to me." Ughh. I have learned that autism is not just the kid in the corner flapping their hands or Rain Man. Autism is soooo broad and covers such a large spectrum of children you cannot fit them into neat categories.

So, with that being said, a lot of the advice, questions and suggestions we have gotten have to do with Leila's diet and immunizations. Chris and I stand by our decision to have our children immunized. We believe in protecting our children from harmful diseases. We choose not to put Leila on the gluten free/casein free diet. We do not believe that Leila is a candidate nor would she benefit from this diet. I have done a lot of research on these two topics and have talked with our ABA supervisor and a developmental psychologist about our decisions and feel confident in the choices we have made. My sister sent me this article from the Scientific American and I think it summarizes perfectly why Chris and I are not seeking alternative treatments for Leila. Please read it if you have the time. I think everyone could stand to be a little more informed about autism. There is so much to know.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=desperate-for-an-autism-cure