Sensory Overload

It has been suggested (mostly as a joke, I think) that someday I should write a book about our experience with Michael. While it may have been a joke, I do want to document our journey with him, which is the primary reason for this blog. But I also want to document the things that have occurred in the past that have brought us to this point. So I'll occasionally do a "piece of the puzzle" post, in which I'll write about something that has either contributed to the problem or helped us move forward. And sometimes it might be just a past experience that might help demonstrate what the problem is or has been.

Some posts might not have anything to do with eating per se, but because Michael also demonstrates some autistic-type behaviors, and because I think they are connected, I'm including some of those as well.

But be warned, some of these posts could be very personal. We (or rather, I) have not always dealt with Michael in a positive and uplifting way. I'm not saying I've beaten the tar out of him, but still, my approaches and responses were not always helpful, and to be honest, I'm ashamed of some of them. I could just not write about those things, but they are pieces of the puzzle, and I would not feel right about leaving them out.

Michael has always been easily over-stimulated. It's like his system just can't deal with too much going on at once. When Jill and John got married, they had an open house/reception thing at Richard's home in Huntsville. I'm not sure how old Michael was (I'll have to find out what day they were married), but he was still in his infant carseat, so not more than six months or so, I would think. Anyway, there were a LOT of people in Richard's house, and it was noisy. I remember that Michael was just screaming. I tried to feed him, but he didn't want to eat. I tried to rock him, but he just wouldn't stop crying. After an hour or so of this, Jeff and I decided to leave. The second we stepped outside, Michael stopped screaming and was content. He was fine all the way home. The only thing we could think was just that he couldn't handle all the noise. This wasn't the only time something like that happened. But it was the most drastic.

The Plan in a nutshell

Nutritional:
brown rice protein in his pureed pineapple
zinc powder in one food at every meal
olive oil in his squash
multi-vitamin every day, along with his cod liver oil

Emotional:
regular eating schedule
plan and talk about what is going to happen
teach coping strategies
accountability for choices
allow him to take breaks

Behavioral:
take away his power over my attitude
give him power over his choices
accountability for his choices
rules and expectations

Physical:
retained reflexes
NET
anything else Burke wants to try

Spiritual:
daily scripture study
daily prayers together and individually
monthly temple attendance
fasting
Family Home Evening