who we are

Silk is my name on this blog, it is merely the phonetic sound of the combination of my initials. I am parenting three kids with developmental challenges; 2 bio, 1 borrowed from a cousin. I have heard this referred to as kinship care in the foster care field, but we don't get any board payments, so I'm not sure it's properly used terminology.

I gave birth to my oldest son in 1993; he has asperger's syndrome which wasn't officially diagnosed until 2007. I refer to him as DS (dear son), DS #1, T or T-bone. There might be others, but that's what I remember right now.

I asked T-bone to occasionally write some blog entries with me; he has dysgraphia (has a hard time physically forming letters with a writing implement) and composition is something he really struggles with also. I thought the blog would be a good exercise for him. Even though writing is difficult, he reads like a fiend and has advanced skills in that area.

T's development was average or above average up until age five when he had several vaccines administered at once and immediately regressed to the point where he was diagnosed with symptoms of autism. At the time, my husband and I were unconcerned about this as the damage to his immune system was a much greater concern.

T was very sickly for a year after the vaccine overload, and rather than continue to pull him out of pre school constantly, we decided to home school him. He was exclusively home schooled up until fall 2005 when we enrolled him in a cyber school. This method of instruction is also delivered in the home.

I believe that T was genetically predisposed to be autistic; though there is no doubt in my mind that the vaccines triggered the severity of his symptoms. We were very blessed to be near a doctor who specialized in treating autism as a condition that could be "fixed." I don't know if he's had any complete reversals, but his protocol definitely helped repair T's immune system and move him toward the higher functioning end of the spectrum. This was a MEDICAL protocol; it involved no psychology or behavior management.

T believes that he will be able to finish college, have a career, and a normal family life. He likes creating stories; and wants to make films and video games.

In 2001, my husband, DS #1, and I moved from California to Pennsylvania. I continued the home school program and gave birth to a second son early in 2002. At that point, my cousin asked me to home school her daughter (born 1987) whose own problems were unadressed in the public school system. She has lived with us ever since. I refer to her as DD (dear daughter), OCD girl, and probably a few other things.

DD developed such severe school anxiety after years of trying to cope with OCD, panic attacks, claustrophobia and agoraphobia, without any services or accommodations, that she refused to return to school in eighth grade.

DD, after a combination of home school and cyber school, now has a high school diploma. She started her first college sponsored course in Fall 2008, and eventually wants a career in special education.

Due to the reaction that DS#1 had to vaccines, we decided NOT to vaccinate DS#2. I also refer to him as D. We are NOT anti-vaccine. We just believed that the risk benefit analysis did not merit vaccinating DS#2. I intended to home school DS#2 as well to avoid the risk of exposure to infectious disease in the younger years. But even if I was to place him in a class room setting in the future, I believe the relatively high vaccination rate of the other school age children will protect him in that kind of environment.

Though I have not had a formal evaluation yet, it is clear that DS#2 also has developmental delays. I am almost certain it will prove to be Asperger's Syndrome, just as DS#1 has. Which leads us to....

Through the examination of symptoms that his children have, and the formal evaluation that DS#1 had last year, it has become apparent to my husband that he himself has Asperger's Syndrome. He was formally diagnosed with attention deficit disorder as a fully grown adult in his forties, but we know now that it is only one of many symptoms that add up to Asperger's. He intends to find a neuropsychiatrist who specializes in diagnosing adults, which is a little tricky, so that he can pursue some of the beneficial therapies. Such as learning to communicate better, especially with his wife.