Fighting the Effects of GFCF - What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger!

For most people, the breakdown of dietary protein into smaller and smaller peptides (amino acid chains) and finally into individual amino acids is a process that is smoothly completed as food travels through the digestive system. However, for an individual with autism, it has been found that partially broken-down components of the original proteins are able to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream. This is caused by an intestinal lining defect and/or incomplete digestion – (source: internet). As said earlier on, by removing sources of gluten and casein from the diet of Japs, we were gradually having immense success in at least alleviating the symptoms of autism. I love the bible reference in the book of Hosea 4:6 that states; “My people perish because of lack of knowledge”. My son almost died because we were ignorant about his condition, I thought that his frequent diarrhea that sometimes got him hospitalized was normal and his constant constipation that no medication could relieve him of were just  unfortunate isolated conditions. Japs was suffering, a very unhappy boy 24/7. I was daily pumping his digestive system with lots of wheat, sugar, milk and orange juice. Little did I know that his intestinal lining had a defect that was causing an effect manifested in the symptoms of Autism. As we were on GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free), we also enrolled Japs for Sensory Integration Therapy.  Sensory integration therapy is essentially a form of Occupational Therapy (OT), and it is generally offered by specially trained occupational therapists. It involves specific sensory activities (swinging, bouncing, brushing, and more) that are intended to help the patient regulate his or her sensory response. The outcome of these activities may be better focus, improved behavior, and even lowered anxiety (source – internet).With our employment medical scheme we were out to give Japs the best in therapy, unfortunately none of the medical service providers in our town  - Kisumu had an Occupational Therapy unit. The next option was to seek for these services at the Government hospital. This took us to the Provincial General Hospital and we were amazed at how well equipped and competently staffed this unit was - there was hope.  We started the routine process of Occupational Therapy, this is where we met Boaz, the in/charge of the OT Unit at the Governmental Hospital..…

Coping with Autism - The Conventional Way?

It was one thing to learn that my son has a condition – Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD), it was another thing to discover that ADHD is inextricably linked to AUTISM.  A torrent or crazy wild thoughts ran through my mind the first time in February 2011, when I heard Japs had autism. I thought then that Japs would not attend mainstream school, nor get formal education because of his condition, a search therefore was to get an integrated school that offers quality learning, care and support to children with special needs. We visited an Education Assessment Centre prior to seeking admission at a school in Kisumu Town, Kenya that integrates children with special needs. My experience at the Assessment Centre was one that I will never forget, blatantly being told that my child has a mental disability shook me to the core, casually being told that my child may never talk crushed me, fear that Japs might never report anyone who abuses him because he doesn’t speak was unbearable, the reality that my son may never fall in love, marry, have children, be independent, etc was unfathomable – those were my thoughts at the moment – when I was still thinking, feeling, reacting inside the box – I underwent mixed reactions/feelings during the transitional moment – going through the status of denial to acceptance. It was not easy to come out of the grief, stayed in that status for almost a month, but then I realized that my son is still the same adoring little boy that I was in love with before I was hit by the word AUTISM. I decided to throw away the box, embraced my son with his condition wholly and embarked on a mission to help him cope. This is where the diet and occupational therapy came in. While no medical practitioner recommended special diets, I had heard of the success of such diets through counseling at the Assessment Centre, reading materials from Autism Society of Kenya, browsing the websites, and getting opinions and advice from friends and relatives. The science around such diets is sketchy, but there are plenty of anecdotal stories of special diets having a profound and positive impact on children with autism. The gluten (wheat) free, casein (dairy) free diet is the most popular of the specialized diets, and there is evidence that the diet is often helpful in lessening autistic symptoms such as impulsive behaviors, lack of focus, and even speech problems. But wheat and dairy are a part of almost everything we serve in our homes -- and keeping a child away from ice cream, bread, cake, milk, and most snack foods and cereals is no small task. Before I started on the Gluten Free Casein Free diet (GFCF) I had two options, to “dive in head first” or the slower, “get your feet wet” approach. Being the coward that I was, I couldn’t just get rid of gluten and casein from the family diet instantly, I am trying the GFCF diet on Japs but its damn hard, once in a while I get into the temptation of sins, I know am not helping Japs but hell…..I am weak and in love. However the little effort that I am making on GFCF is a tremendous help to me and a great improvement on Japs condition……

Was I Mother Enough?!!

Political instability most often than not negatively affects lives in all facets of political, social and economic nature. My home town, Kisumu – Western part of Kenya in East Africa was the worst hit during the 2007/2008 Post Election Violence (PEV), but in a twist of fate, it brought good tidings in my life. Members of a particular community who had been doing business were forced to flee, this caused a vacuum and at the same time opportunities in the economic sector. 2008 is therefore the year that I started up BAJUJA Investments (www.facebook.com/BajujaInvestments), an organization that uses innovation and technology to provide essential goods and services. Business was good and money was trickling in. This meant spending the usual eight hours in regular employment, more hours divided between sleep/rest and business and less work with the family. I must say that my passion in business alongside my formal employment left me no time to be a ‘mother’. Japs was 8 weeks old then. When I look back at those years, I must say that I abandoned my responsibilities…I feel so guilty that as much as I was mostly in the lives of Japs elder brothers (Kyle and Tyler), I can’t say in equal measures that Japs got the same "motherly" treatment…perhaps if I could have been around more, I could have timely detected that Japs had a condition….perhaps. We patiently waited for Japs to say his 1^st words. At the age of  three, he still hadn't developed expressive language...his speech development was delayed. Our conclusion was that babies undergo different developmental milestones and Japs’ was one of those unique ones. My friends detected that something was amiss, but none could face me and tell me so, some of them subtly suggesting that I take Japs for a speech therapy/assessment. During one of Japs trips to the hospital, his pediatrician diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and prescribed drugs, but our skepticisms and fears about side effects forced us to resort to dietary measures and therapies in controlling Japs condition. The two completely transformed Japs….from an irritable*grumpy*tantrum-throwing*sickly*ever-constipated*moody boy to the jovial*normal*focused*lovable*expressive*happy*healthy*composed*fun*engaging boy that he is today!!