Brooke Making Fantastic Progress

Grandma and I went over to see Brooke last night. What an amazing change I saw in her with vocabulary and mood.

When we walked into the house, Brooke was very upset. Cora said Brooke had seen a candy bar and wanted it, but it is not allowed with her diet. Brookes words to her Mom were "I want it, I want it now". Seeing Brooke was upset, I knelt down and asked her why she was upset. She climbed into my arms, squeezed me around the neck and said " dad-dy". She then went into a long conversation, which I couldn't quite understand. I carried her into the living room, and sat on the couch with her. She climbed down, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the closet where her dvd's are. I picked her up so she could grab her dvd case. As I was setting her down, she said to me "I got it, ok". She unzippered her case, and studied the dvd's, until she found one she wanted. She handed it to me, I handed it to her Mom, and she put it in the machine. Brooke really didn't want to watch it, she went back into the kitchen by herself. Probably trying to find the candy bar. The experts say autistic kids crave what they can't have. Brooke finally came back into the living room and crawled back into my lap. Grandma wanted a hug, but hugs are given on Brookes terms. After about 10 minutes, Brooke climbed out of my lap, into Grandma's lap, and gave her a big hug. Brooke then wanted to watch the movie in her room. She pulled me into her room and likes me to hold her as she watched the movie. After about 10 minutes, I told Brooke I had to go bye-bye. She got up, took my hand and started heading out of her room. I stopped her and told her I was going bye-bye, she had to stay home with Mommy. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her bye. Her reaction I had never seen before. She climbed back into her bed, propped her head up on her arm, and started watching the movie. No chasing after me, no tantrums, nothing. I walked into the living room and told Grandma it was time to go. Even took Linda off guard, ok to leave this easy?

Hopefully things will continue going in this direction for Brooke. Her Mom started her on TMG 4 days ago. TMG is really DMG with one more active ingredient. It is also a higher dose than the DMG. Many of the Autism Doctors have great success with the higher dose TMG for vocabulary and mood. Sure has made a believer out of me.

Happy Mother's Day From Brooke

I haven't seen Brooke for 10 days. I've been busier than a beaver with my dad in the hospital for almost 2 weeks now. Brooke did come over for a Mother's Day cookout today. She gets out of the car and comes over for a massive hug. The little girl is strong and squeezes hard. Brooke is just so loving now. In the span of 3 hours, she had to run over and hug about everyone in the house. Not all at the same time, she stretches it out. Most of the time she sits in my lap and watches Tom and Jerry cartoons. She usually takes my arms and wraps them around her waist, so that I will hold her tight.

Brooke is your typical autistic picky eater. She ate her hot dog and salmon, but wanted nothing to do with her corn on the cob or salad. This is why a good multi-vitamin is so important. Like any little kid though, Brooke loves dessert. Grandma had gotten her a box of GFCF brownies in Clay Center. When the dust had cleared, I was told that Brooke had ate about 5 brownies.

The only good speech I heard from Brooke all day was when she wanted a tractor her cousin was playing with. Brooke was sitting in her little car, and cousin Mandy came over with a toy tractor that spins. Brooke wanted the tractor, but Mandy wouldn't give it to her. Brooke starts to climb out of her car and Mandy takes of across the living room. Brooke starts yelling "hey, come back", and starts chasing Mandy. Brooke yelled it again as she goes off on a full run. I heard Mandy crash and burn in the kitchen, and 2 little girls yelling and screaming. Brooke's Mom rescued Mandy and the tractor, and informed Brooke that Mandy was playing with tractor. This made Brooke upset, but she came back into the living room to continue watching Tom and Jerry.
Later Brooke wanted to wrestle on the couch. "HI YAH" she says as I am caught with a karate chop right across the face. Brooke still hasn't learned to play gentle. She then goes to work on my mid section with karate kicks. Grandpa stops her and explains to her not so hard. She seemed to understand, took my hat off, put it on her head, then returned it on my head.

Brooke has come a long way since January. She still has some issues to address, but it will not happen overnight. She will be going gluten free next month. Gluten is supposed to have a morphine type effect on most autistic children. We are all very hopeful this will also help Brooke when it is removed from her diet. However, unlike milk products, gluten takes much longer to leave the system, and some kids have actual withdraw symptoms when it starts leaving there systems. Just like a smoker without cigarettes. But Brooke will get through it ok. She has a mountain of love behind her.