Single dose of century-old drug approved for sleeping sickness reverses autism-like symptoms in mice

Century-Old Drug Reverses Autism-Like Symptoms in Mice

Date: June 17, 2014

Source: University of California, San Diego Health Sciences

Summary:

In a further test of a novel theory that suggests autism is the consequence of abnormal cell communication, researchers report that an almost century-old drug approved for treating sleeping sickness also restores normal cellular signaling in a mouse model of autism, reversing symptoms of the neurological disorder in animals that were the human biological age equivalent of 30 years old.

Image Description:

This image depicts the transmission electron micrograph of a cell mitochondrion.

Credit: Thomas Deerinck, NCMIR, UC San Diego

In a further test of a novel theory that suggests autism is the consequence of abnormal cell communication, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that an almost century-old drug approved for treating sleeping sickness also restores normal cellular signaling in a mouse model of autism, reversing symptoms of the neurological disorder in animals that were the human biological age equivalent of 30 years old.

The findings, published in the June 17, 2014 online issue of Translational Psychiatry, follow up on similar research published last year by senior author Robert K. Naviaux, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, pediatrics and pathology, and colleagues.

Naviaux said the findings fit neatly with the idea that autism is caused by a multitude of interconnected factors: "Twenty percent of the known factors associated with autism are genetic, but most are not. It's wrong to think of genes and the environment as separate and independent factors. Genes and environmental factors interact. The net result of this interaction is metabolism."

Naviaux, who is co-director of the Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center at UC San Diego, said one of the universal symptoms of autism is metabolic disturbances. "Cells have a halo of metabolites (small molecules involved in metabolism, the set of chemical processes that maintain life) and nucleotides surrounding them. These create a sort of chemical glow that broadcasts the state of health of the cell."

Cells threatened or damaged by microbes, such as viruses or bacteria, or by physical forces or by chemicals, such as pollutants, react defensively, a part of the normal immune response, Naviaux said. Their membranes stiffen. Internal metabolic processes are altered, most notably mitochondria -- the cells' critical "power plants." And communications between cells are dramatically reduced. This is the "cell danger response," said Naviaux, and if it persists, the result can be lasting, diverse impairment. If it occurs during childhood, for example, neurodevelopment is delayed.

"Cells behave like countries at war," said Naviaux. "When a threat begins, they harden their borders. They don't trust their neighbors. But without constant communication with the outside, cells begin to function differently. In the case of neurons, it might be by making fewer or too many connections. One way to look at this related to autism is this: When cells stop talking to each other, children stop talking."

Naviaux and colleagues have focused on a cellular signaling system linked to both mitochondrial function and to the cell's innate immune function. Specifically, they have zeroed in on the role of nucleotides like adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and other signaling mitokines -- molecules generated by distressed mitochondria. These mitokines have separate metabolic functions outside of the cell where they bind to and regulate receptors present on every cell of the body. Nineteen types of so-called purinergic receptors are known to be stimulated by these extracellular nucleotides, and the receptors are known to control a broad range of biological characteristics with relevance to autism, such as impaired language and social skills.

In their latest work, Naviaux again tested the effect of suramin, a well-known inhibitor of purinergic signaling that was first synthesized in 1916 and is used to treat trypanosomiasis or African sleeping sickness, a parasitic disease. They found that suramin blocked the extracellular signaling pathway used by ATP and other mitokines in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ending the cell danger response and related inflammation. Cells subsequently began behaving normally and autism-like behaviors and metabolism in the mice were corrected.

However, the biological and behavioral benefits of suramin were not permanent, nor preventive. A single dose remained effective in the mice for about five weeks, and then washed out. Moreover, suramin cannot be taken long-term since it can result in anemia and adrenal gland dysfunction.

Still, Naviaux said these and earlier findings are sufficiently encouraging to soon launch a small phase 1 clinical trial with children who have ASD. He expects the trial to begin later this year.

"Obviously correcting abnormalities in a mouse is a long way from a cure in humans, but we think this approach -- antipurinergic therapy -- is a new and fresh way to think about and address the challenge of autism.

"Our work doesn't contradict what others have discovered or done. It's another perspective. Our idea is that this kind of treatment -- eliminating a basic, underlying metabolic dysfunction -- removes a hurdle that might make other non-drug behavioral and developmental therapies of autism more effective. The discovery that a single dose of medicine can fundamentally reset metabolism for weeks means that newer and safer drugs might not need to be given chronically. Members of this new class of medicines might need to be given only intermittently during sensitive developmental windows to unblock metabolism and permit improved development in response to many kinds of behavioral and occupational therapies, and to natural play."

Co-authors: Jane C. Naviaux, Michael A. Schuchbauer and Susan B. Powell of the UCSD Department of Psychiatry; Kefeng Li and Lin Wang, UCSD Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center and UCSD Department of Medicine; and Victoria B. Risbrough, UCSD Department of Psychiatry and San Diego Veterans Affairs Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health.

Funding: For this research came, in part, from the Jane Botsford Johnson Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (grant MH091407), the UCSD Christini Fund, the Wright Family Foundation and the It Takes Guts Foundation.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. J C Naviaux, M A Schuchbauer, K Li, L Wang, V B Risbrough, S B Powell, R K Naviaux. Reversal of autism-like behaviors and metabolism in adult mice with single-dose antipurinergic therapy. Translational Psychiatry, 2014; 4 (6): e400 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2014.33

Healing Spices for Autism

When I first started putting together some recipe's to make my son's foods that he could actually stomach, I paid very close attention to the spices I was using.  I realized that certain spices like Black Pepper, didn't agree with him and usually caused him discomfort, so I read as much as I could about all the other spices I was finding in the Recipe's I was choosing to for him, and low and behold to my surprise, not only were some of the spices I found better for him in that they calmed his stomach, they actually have healing properties.

Here's a list of some of the spices that I've started using for my son, along with their healthful properties.

Cinnamon

Health Benefits: Balances Blood Sugar and preliminary results from test tube and animal studies suggest that cinnamon oil and cinnamon extract have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-parasitic properties.  Candida is a Fungus that normally inhabits all humans, but in kids like ours that rarely have balanced diets, candida can easily flare up out of control, especially those on high sugar diets. Study after study has shown that cinnamon can play a role in the everyday management of blood sugar (glucose) levels and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.  

As an example of the effectiveness of Cinnamon, in a recent U.S. study, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 109 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups, with one receiving 1 gram of cinnamon a day and one receiving a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had a 0.83 percent decrease in their A1C, a measure of blood sugar. (Seven percent or less means the diabetes is controlled, and a decrease between 0.5 and 1.0 percent is considered a significant improvement.) Those taking the placebo had only a 0.37 percent decrease in A1C blood-sugar levels.

Cinnamon May also help prevent and treat:

Cancer, cholesterol problems, food poisoning, heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, stroke, ulcer, vaginal yeast infection, wounds.

How to buy cinnamon:

Ground cinnamon begins to fade in flavor after a few months, so it’s best to buy whole cinnamon quills (or sticks) and grind as needed. The quills are somewhat tough, so you’ll need a sturdy spice grinder or fine grater.

Turmeric and Curcumin 

Health Benefits: Reduces Inflammation!  Inflammation is a huge issue with kids with Autism.  Studies have shown that kids with Autism have larger brains than normal and many physicians believe that this is caused by inflammation, so anything that can help reduce inflammation will help children with Autism.  Curcumin also helps with the cure and prevention of Cancer and reducing Candida outbreaks.

Turmeric is widely used in India, in just about every dish the populace prepares.  Researchers, have observed that the incidence of chronic illnesses among people in India is significantly lower than in most Western countries, especially the United States.  The active ingredient in Turmeric is Curcumin, but they can be bought separately and have different characteristics to bring to the spice table.

The best part about Curcumin is that it's even more powerful than drugs like Advil or even prescription medications in reducing inflammation (thereby reducing pain), without the nasty side effect of killing your liver!

May also help prevent and treat:

Acne, allergies, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, asthma, cancer, cholesterol problems, colitis (inflammatory bowel disease), cystic fibrosis, depression, dermatitis, type 2 diabetes, eczema, eye infection, flatulence, gallbladder disease, gout, gum disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, itching, liver disease, macular degeneration, obesity, pain, Parkinson’s disease, pollution side effects, psoriasis, rash, scleroderma, stroke, wounds.

How to buy turmeric:

If possible, I recommend buying turmeric from Alleppey, since it has nearly twice the curcumin of Turmeric sourced anywhere else.

Coriander

Health Benefits: Eases Digestive Discomfort

People often confuse coriander with cilantro, but while Cilantro comes from the strongly scented leaves of the coriander plant, The spice coriander comes from the seeds of the plan. The seed also contains linalool and geranyl acetate, which are powerful antioxidants. They’re the secret behind many of coriander’s powers, including its ability to soothe digestive ailments.

May also help prevent and treat:

Bloating, cholesterol problems, colic, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, diarrhea, eczema, flatulence, high blood pressure, IBS, indigestion, insomnia, lead poisoning, liver disease, psoriasis, rosacea, stomachache, ulcer, vaginal yeast infection.

How to buy coriander:

Coriander seeds come in two main varieties: European coriander — which accounts for the majority of the U.S. market — is spherical in shape and more flavorful because of its higher concentration of volatile oils. Indian coriander is more egg-shaped and contains some oils not found in European coriander, resulting in a more lemony scent. Both are pretty interchangeable in cooking. Coriander is also sold powdered, but it’s best to buy whole seeds, as the oils dissipate after a few months once ground.

Fennel Seed

Health Benefits: Calms Colic in Baby's along with Menstrual Cramps

Fennel has also been shown to calm colic in babies. In a study, doctors treated 125 infants with colic, dividing them into one group that received a product containing fennel seed oil and one that received a placebo. The fennel seed product eliminated colic in 65 percent of the babies given it, compared with 24 percent of the placebo group.  We all know that with our kids, they're often suffering from one stomach ailment after another and anything that can help them out, while adding a nice licorice like flavor has to be good!

May also help prevent and treat:

Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, colitis (inflammatory bowel disease), dementia, glaucoma, heart disease, high blood pressure, unwanted hair growth in women and stroke.

How to buy fennel seed:

Fennel seeds are sold whole or ground. Whole fennel seeds are yellow and tinged with green, which indicates top quality. Ground fennel starts to lose its flavor after six months, while whole fennel seeds keep for three years, so it’s best to buy whole and grind as needed.

Ginger

Health Benefits: Quiets Queasiness

For thousands of years, traditional healers worldwide have turned to ginger to help ease nausea of all kinds. For the past few decades, scientists have been proving that ginger works.

A team of gastroenterologists from the University of Michigan and National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan decided to study the effects of using ginger on 13 people with a history of motion sickness. To do so, they asked the people to sit in a spinning chair. They all became nauseated. When the volunteers took 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of ginger before they sat in the chair, it took them longer to develop nausea, and the nausea was also less intense. (Both doses worked equally well.)

In their study, the researchers also measured blood levels of vasopressin, a key hormone they theorized might play a role in nausea from motion sickness. They found ginger limited the release of vasopressin. The researchers also measured electrical activity in the stomach during the spinning and found that ginger kept the activity “relatively stable” as compared with “chaotic” activity without the spice.

May also help prevent and treat:

Arthritis, asthma, cancer, cholesterol problems, heart attack, heartburn, indigestion, migraine, morning sickness, motion sickness, nausea, stroke, elevated triglycerides.

How to buy ginger:

Opt for fresh gingerroot over the dried, ground stuff, which has a less enticing aroma and far less zip. When buying fresh gingerroot, look for knobs (called “hands”) that are firm with smooth skin. Store fresh, peeled ginger in a paper bag in the refrigerator, where it will keep for two weeks. You can also keep unpeeled ginger indefinitely by freezing it in a freezer bag.

I've just touched the tip of the iceberg here, there are literally dozens of other spices and foods that can help out with ailments, just look around, keep an open mind and enjoy the new flavors in your life!

Jump Zone Autism Play Date

Jump Zone Autism Play Date

March 11th 3PM to 7PM

• Come Join FAN for a fun-filled JUMPING afternoon in a safe, accepting environment!
• Kids ages 2-12 are welcome to jump!
• Jump Zone is offering our kids a discounted price of just $5.00 per child for this event.
• Kids don't forget your socks!

Jump Zone Sunrise

(954) 703-1330

10064 W. Oakland Park Blvd

Sunrise, FL 33351

Please RSVP to cate521105@aol.com, as Jump Zone will add a staff member for every 20 children attending!  Parents must remain onsite to supervise their children.

FREE CARD soccer clinics

CARD, along with Tire Choice and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, are sponsoring a second soccer clinic FREE for families registered with CARD. The clinics will take place from 10AM-12PM on March 22 and March 29th, 2014 at Christ Church, 4845 NE 25th Ave. Ft. Lauderdale FL 33308

Vegan Soy Free Pizza Cakes

Lately my son has been having some issues that were very similar to back when he was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis.  In other words, I think he's starting to get ulcers again.  I'm partly to blame I've been adding so many new foods to his diet, and there's a possibility that he's reacting badly to some of those foods, so I decided to try more Vegan Soy free stuff.  (Since in addition to being allergic to Milk & Eggs, he's also Allergic to Soy and has low tolerance for Peanuts.

I was looking around the Internet for some inspiration and came across these Pizza Bites, but after making them they seem more to me like Pizza Cakes, hence the name of the Post.  At any rate, I modified the recipe a bit to fit Jonathan's needs.

• 2 Cups Grated Cauliflower (washed, dried and grated using a food processor or cheese grater by hand until rice-like or thinner – Note – Approximately one head of cauliflower)
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• 2 Tsp Parsley
• 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1-2 Tbsp Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 1 Flax Egg (1 Tbsp Flaxseed plus 1 Tsp of Egg Replacer and 3 Tbsp Warm Water)
• 2 Tbsp of Earths Best Soy Free Margarine
• 1 Cup Chickpeas (Cooked and Drained)

Your first step in this process is to Grind up the Flaxseed.  (I found it easiest to first mix it with the Egg Replacer and Water, then grind it up (I used my wife's RX mixer).

Your second step is to grate the parsley into something that looks like Rice. (Think I'll make Cauliflower "Fried Rice" for Dinner tonight)

Your  Next Step is to take all the ingredients and mix it all in the Blender.
Here, I mix it in High Speed, then normally you would have to remove the mix and mix thoroughly with the Cauliflower, but in my case, with the Ninja, I simply add the rest and blend at Low Speed.

Your Next Step is to put the mix in a muffin tin, sprayed with a good cooking spray.  Make sure you pack it in.  (I had originally filled in Six, but after packing in and scraping off the top, I filled in another two).

The Final Result is what you see on the first picture on this page.  Bon Appetite!  And guess, what Even my Pickiest Eater, Jonathan ate them!

Disney To End Guest Assistance Card

One of the things that I keep hearing and seeing on Facebook and other Social Media sites, is that they've called Walt Disney World and they're being told that nothing has changed.  The reason is simple.  For now, the GAC Card is only changing at DisneyLand and Great Adventure, both in California.  The fear is that if we don't stand up now and make sure that Disney understands that this is unacceptable, they will eventually implement these same changes at Walt Disney World here in Florida. found this article that explains everything, but the long and short of it is that you should go to the Petition Page and PLEASE SIGN IT.

If your family is anything like mine and you’ve visited the Disney Parks here in Anaheim, you’ve more than likely used the Guest Assistance Card program available at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park.  This program has been a major lifesaver whenever we’ve taken our special needs son Andrew to DL or DCA. Without it, we wouldn’t have lasted more than an hour before having to turn around and head back home in total defeat.

The card has been a game changer for our family and now, much to my chagrin, I’m sorry to report that it’s on it’s way out. I first learned of this disappointing news today, via Aunesty Janssen over at Temporary Tourist.

“Well Disney has done it, they have come up with they think to be a better system for Guests with disabilities.  I say think, because I can spot some immediate issues with it. “

My heart sank as I read the rest of Aunesty’s post. I quickly logged onto MiceAge’s Disneyland Updates to read the news myself and sure enough, there it was:

Guest Assistance Card will cease to exist on October 9th. In its place will be an entirely newprogram called the Disabled Assistance System (DAS). The DAS will work similarly to the “return passes” issued at popular rides like Star Tours 2.0 and Radiator Springs Racers, where currently a GAC holder gets a Fastpass-style return time hand written on a card based on the current Standby wait time. But with DAS, that concept will be rolled out to several dozen high-wait attractions in Anaheim.

“Instead of going to the actual ride to get a return card, a DAS holder will report to one of several Guest Relations kiosks that will be set up around the parks, with a current plan to have four kiosks in Disneyland (Fantasyland alone gets their own kiosk) and three kiosks in DCA. The DAS holder will present their card and tell the Guest Relations CM which attraction they want to ride, the CM will look at the current wait time via the official Disney Mobile Magic app on an iPad, and will then write out a return time for that attraction and subtract 10 or 15 minutes to make up for the travel time to and from the kiosk.

Only one ride reservation on a DAS card can be made at a time, so if the current wait for Space Mountain is 90 minutes and your return time is written for 75 minutes later, a DAS holder will not get another return time printed on their DAS until the first one has expired. A person with a DAS card could go and do anything else in the park in the meantime; watch a parade, see a show, have lunch, go on low-wait time attractions, pull a regular Fastpass for any other attraction, etc. But only one ride time can be reserved at a time with DAS, unlike the existing GAC which serves as basically an open Fastpass for any Fastpass lane in the park or an access card to go up the exit on any other type of attraction. The DAS changes that quite dramatically.”

To read the rest of the post, go to MiceAge, though I must warn you, the information just gets more depressing and complicated from here.

In the meantime, let me count the ways that this new system won’t work for our family:

This is as good as it gets in line at DL or DCA. And this was a good day, with a Guest Assistance Pass.

1. Andrew has autism. His particular brand of the diagnosis means he has zero tolerance for waiting. Crowds overwhelm him as do certain sights and sounds. The DAS program does nothing to address these needs. Are we working on waiting with Andrew in therapy? Sure. We’re up to about 10 seconds on a good day. And that’s waiting for something simple, such as watching a favorite video. At home. I cannot fathom Andrew having to wait longer than what’s already necessary with the Guest Assistance Card at either of the Disney parks. And the sensory overload while he’s in these lines or going from kiosk to kiosk. Dear God.

2. Andrew is severely cognitively delayed. When he sees Radiator Springs Racers, all he knows is“OMG! MY FAVORITE RIDE! OMG! OMG! OMG LET’S GO ON MY FAVORITE RIDE, WAIT WHY  AREN’T WE GOING ON MY FAVORITE RIDE?!!!!”He does not understand the concept of having to check in at a designated kiosk in order to get a designated time to return to his favorite ride on the planet, only to have to go back to another kiosk for another designated time for either the same or different ride. He certainly can’t comprehend why in the world we’ll have to spend the majority of our day walking between a bunch of stupid koisks just to get on a damn ride (can you see how well I’m taking this?).

3. Going to Disneyland is expensive. Over the years we’ve invested in the annual passes because we could justify them, knowing we were getting our money’s worth. The Guest Assistance Card made our visits possible. It was an accommodation we never took for granted and in exchange, we spent our hard-earned money at the parks. The Guest Assistant Card almost guaranteed that meltdowns would be minimal and rarely did we leave the park in turmoil. It was efficient and it made the rides accessible for our child in a way  the Disabled Assistance Pass will not. I’m not trying to #$%& on anyone’s parade here, but watching the parades may be the only thing we’ll be able to do when this thing is implemented. Which means we just won’t be going to Disneyland anymore. We could barely afford it before but now it won’t even be worth the scrimping and saving we have to do to walk through those entrance gates.

Listen, I’m not refuting that there are a lot of problems with the current system. I was enraged back in May when major media outlets broke the story of wealthy moms hiring disabled guides in order to benefit from the “perks” of the Guest Assistance Pass. Overhaul of the current program is necessary if such blatant and rampant fraud is ongoing. But I’m getting really tired of these rotten apples ruining it for the rest of us, especially when it comes to something as important as accessibility.

Maybe the Disabled Assistance Pass will benefit some people, and for them, I say hooray. But for families like mine, where the special needs of our loved ones are varied and require specific accommodations, this new system will be nothing short of a nightmare.

And that’s going to leave a whole lot of folks – myself included – pretty damn grumpy with The Happiest Place on Earth.

Andrew kisses the tractor at Radiator Springs in DCA.

Interview with CBS Los Angeles:

UPDATE: There’s a gazillion conflicting reports on the internet so I want to go on record and say this: This post was written as a reaction and response to information I received from two different sources, both of which I link to in the beginning of this post. I WANT to be wrong. My family LOVES Disneyland. The reason I’m upset at these proposed changes is because if they are in fact going to be implemented, my family will no longer be able to enjoy the Disney parks like we have been over the years. If this turns out to be a crazy rumor, or if there is a new policy put in place that takes families like mine into consideration, I’ll be more than happy to eat crow. The end.

UPDATE: Aunesty Janssen of the Temporary Tourist, received an official statement from Disney today and she’s posted it on her site. Head over to see what Kathleen Prihoda, Manager for External Communications for Walt Disney World Resort told her. It’s at the bottom of her post.

***Click here to sign the petition!***

Special Needs Fall Festival

Special Needs Fall Festival

RSVP Instructions are listed on our FaceBook Page

Live Stream of the Autism Society of Broward IEP Meeting

This is a recording of the Live Streaming Event we had for the Autism Society of Broward's IEP Meeting.  The video is unedited and is basically raw footage, but there's A LOT of very useful information for those of us who have Special Needs kids, and especially those looking to go to bat for their kids at their IEP meeting.

Creative Art Classes for Youth, Teens & Adults with Mild to Moderate Autism

www.bocamuseum.org/theartschool

Following The Routine Isn't Always Routine

It seems we're always giving out advice to special needs parents.  Feeding issues, sleep troubles, allergy  problems.  Not because we're perfect in ANY way or such great experts, but simply because we have a fairly well adjusted and VERY happy little boy, and people are always out for our "secret".  So it just seems kind of funny to me that we've been up since 4AM for not following our own advice, especially when I just finished telling a friend yesterday about how great our routine works for us in keeping him sleeping through the night!  Just what is that routine, read on and we'll tell you everything.

Just to let you know, we didn't come up with this overnight, It took a while and it evolved over a couple of years and will probably be different for every child.

It seems Jonathan had tummy troubles since the day he was born, he was a couple of months "undercooked" and because of that Mommy was having a bit of trouble getting production flowing, so the doc suggested artificial milk as a supplement and gave him a Soy based formula.  That almost immediately put him in distress and required a few more days in the hospital.  Little did we know that his tummy troubles had just begun.

Fast forward a few years later and in addition to the Autism, it turns out he's allergic to Milk Protein, Soy, Egg and Peanuts.  It wasn't until he developed an allergy to horses though, that I started wondering what caused allergies.   (He had been riding for YEARS with no issues)  Turns out it's caused by things like Tylenol!  There's also a link between gut flora imbalances and allergies as well.

Now the routine.
Breakfast was hard, with him being allergic to almost every breakfast item, so we usually give him a combo of Bananas, Pears and Cherries blended with two heaping tablespoons of Organic Oatmeal. After heating this to a boil, I pour it into a bowl and add cold "Oat Milk" (It's actually Pacific Oat Beverage) since it's usually a bit  too thick.  I then put in a capsule of Florajen 4 kids Since we don't want to bore him with the same thing every day, we switch things up with Apple's, Blueberries, Mangos, Strawberries ... the combinations are endless.  The staple is the Oatmeal

since it helps keep him regular, or as I like to say... Premium!

After breakfast I'll give him a blend of Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil in Licorice Flavor and Scotts Emulsion Cod Liver Oil (Though I'm replacing the Scott's with the better rated Carlson Brand).  The Green Pastures version is superior but the taste is too strong for my son to handle so I mix it with the regular Cod Liver oil.  What's great about the Green Pastures version is that it's produced the same way Cod Liver oil was produced centuries ago, and since it's not pasturized, it still has the CoQ10 along with dozens of other enzymes and beneficial bacteria that are all destroyed with the pasturizing process all other Cod Liver oils go through.

Lunch varies, but we try to always give freshly prepared meals since prepackaged foods don't seem to sit too well with him.  Usually give him NAC after lunch so it doesn't affect his appetite.
Dinner is similar to Lunch, then about an hour later we give him Natrol Melatonin (I think it works better than the Animal based version) with Oat Milk then let him soak in a tub with a cup of regular Epsom Salt, for at least a half hour.  Considering that our kids are usually sensitive to a lot of things out there, I wouldn't go with the ones who add Lavender or other things, keep it simple. To keep the water from getting cold, what I'll do is put him in when the water is about a 1/3rd full, then have hot water just trickling out of the spout, I'll then read a book for the next half hour to an hour or so. Once he's out of the tub, we give him the Cod Liver Oil blend again and usually he'll go to sleep within 15 Min. or so and sleep through the night.

So how did we screw up?  We only put him in the tub for about 10 Min... Not nearly enough time for the Magnesium in the Epsom Salt to absorb into his system, so now we're paying the price for that rush through ... Oh well, Live and Learn.

Bluefoot Pirate Adventure for our Special Needs Kids

Friday, June 29th Edit:

OK Guys, since the last event was rained out, we've officially changed the date to Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 2:30PM. Everyone who registered last time, I'm asking that you REPOST how many in your group are going and if you can't go on the new date, I'm asking that you please let us know. 

Sorry for the delay in getting the new date but we had to work some things out before rescheduling.

As usual, we have a FANTASTIC Group Rate of just $10.00 (66% Off!) per person for our "Cost of Autism Special Needs Cruise". Additionally, the "Pirate Pack" is only $5.00 (75% Off!)

Please PRE Register by clicking on the Event here, since Space IS Limited.

https://www.facebook.com/events/429671483723428/

If you're NOT on Facebook, simply add a comment at the bottom of this page with how many are going with you.  PLEASE make sure to use some sort of Authentication, such as Google, Twitter or Yahoo, so we have a way to follow up with you.

Friday, June 15th Edit:

Our Event on Sunday June 10th at 3PM was an ABSOLUTE HIT.  EVERYWHERE I looked, there was NOTHING but smiles.  EVERYONE, adults, our kids and their siblings had a FANTASTIC time. Check out our Facebook page for pictures and videos!

We've decided to make the NEXT event for our kids on Sunday June 24th at 1PM.  To minimize confusion, I'm asking that everyone who wants to go, please go directly to the Event Page we have on Facebook and click "We are going" then on the Comments Section, put how many will be in your group! 

https://www.facebook.com/events/429671483723428/

PLEASE remember that while bringing Siblings and close friends to the Event is OK, we're primarily organizing this for Our Special Needs Kids.  So if this isn't you, we would appreciate it if you would go directly to Bluefoot Pirate Adventures website and buy the regular tickets for your family. THANKS!!!

Saturday June 2nd Edit:

With one week and one day left to the event, we've had a lot of people really excited about going, which is fantastic!  Unfortunately, there's been several people, (about 14 in Total including their groups) that WANT to go, but we no longer have space.  So I'm reviving the idea of putting together another cruise.  I'm thinking about making it for the following Sunday, at the same time 3PM, but I'd like YOUR feedback if there's another day or time that works better for you.  Please let us know.  If you think the following Sunday at 3PM is perfect, PLEASE LET US KNOW.... THANKS!, now hit the "Comments Section"!

Anyone who's seen the Video for Bluefoot Pirate Adventures has wanted to take their kids out to see it.  However the price might scare some landlubbers away!  At 25.00 per person, $100.00 for the average family of 4 might seem a bit steep.  Doubly so for our families with special needs kids, as our expenses are usually higher than most.  We took Jonathan on this "High Seas Adventure" and he had the time of his life!  In this regard, the cost of admission is well worth the price. 

Jonathan at Bluefoot Pirate Adventures

As with any place, we all know that if you get a group going it's easier to get a discount, so we called Captain Jack over at Bluefoot Pirate Adventures and made a proposal to have our families come as a group if we could get a group discounted rate.  The old buccaneer gave us a run for our money, but in the end settled on a HUGE discount, showing his heart for our kids was just as squishy as a jellyfish!  Instead of the $25.00 usual fee, our group would get a fantastic rate of just $10.00 (a 60% discount) and instead of having you fork over $15.00 for the optional Sword, Pirate Eye Patch and Head scarf (all take home items), our kids would get them all for only $5.00!

Please keep in mind that while we are getting this special price for our "Special Needs" kids, family members are welcome to tag along at this same price, however since we can only fit 49 people in total on the ship, we would like to limit this event and exclude those kids who are not part of a family with a special needs child.  An exception to this would be a teacher of a special needs child who would like her children to come and accompany a child that she teaches at a special needs school, such as PBSA.  Thanks for your understanding in this regard.

Now here's the problem, We're not exactly sure how many people are interested and if we will need to do more than 1 Adventure, since We can only fit 49 43 people on a this trip so what we would like for you guys to do is to reply to this post with a: 

"Yes, we can go on June 10th - there will be X of us" (Please include everyone, Mom, Dad, Siblings)...  or:

"No, could we have a second trip on the following weekend - There are X of us".  Once we have enough of an interest for the first trip, that will help us determine if we should have a second one. 

Edit... It looks like there's just not enough interest in the first trip to warrant a second one, which is too bad because the kids will definitely have a blast and there's quite a few parents that have told me that they would like to go, but simply can't make this date.  Perhaps in the future we will organize another event, but at the rate this is filling up it looks like we'll probably end up with around 40 people, not quite a full ship.

As of May 24th there are only 17 spots left, so please make sure you go ahead and fill into the Comments section if you're going, or go to our Event on FB and click that you're going and add in the Comments section how many of you are coming.