Hi mom's! I am starting a support group for special needs families with the help from my friend, who is also an SLP who just left  Pingree! (she is donating talents to us!!!) I am very excited because I feel like it is something that is needed in the area. I know there are many support groups on the web, but I feel like as mom's and dad's we need to get out and mingle with other parents who are dealing with similar situations. (our kids need the interaction too)

I get many phone calls from new mommies who are being tossed into "Holland" with nothing.  They need to know where to "check in"   So... here I go.  On a new mission to share the knowledge that I have obtained and to open my arms and invite those who feel like they too have something to share, learn or even better.. both!

 I am working on venues and would love to know who would be interested in joining the group and in which city you hale from. This will be so fun and so wonderful to FINALLY get to meet! So... Please let me know if you would be interested in this!     As you know support groups only work if there are others to support you in the journey!

Autism School

Hi, again.

We had some great news over this last summer and that is our son was accepted to the Pingree School for Children with Autism. We were so excited and thrilled for this opportunity. His first day was last week and although he couldn't really tell us much he seem to share his excitement in his facial expressions.

I get to drop him off every morning at the bus stop and he is so excited when the bus arrives. We are so grateful for this school and how they are helping him. The teachers have been great and he has had great progress in eating. They will start potty training him this month which is awesome. It has been so nice for my wife to have a little break and spend time with our two year old.

Lately I've been reading this book called Healing and Preventing Autism by Jenny McCarthy and jerry Kartzinel. It has been a fantastic book. We are looking to try some nutritional supplements and I was wondering if anyone has tried anything before. They say that one of the problems is the yeast build up in the stomach and that if you can get rid of that and help their immune system to operate better this can lessen some of the autistic characteristics. So its worth a try in my mind.

Well, I hope everyone has a great month. We are also continuing to raise money for our son's education at Pingree, so if you are able to contribute a little that would be great. But don't worry if you can't because I can guarantee that just about everyone has a lot of medical bills. Our site is www.lifeandhopewithautism.com and www.lifewithpdd-nos.com. I keep them both updated with the same content.