sue1957

http://www.upledger.com/Clinic/autism.htm has quite an interesting article on craniosacral therapy and autism. (I think the difference between a craniosacral therapist and a cranial osteopath is that the craniosacral therapist studies cranial work exclusively. Cranial osteopaths I think train initially in osteopathy, and then do postgraduate training in cranial work.) Its interesting that that he is prepared to train parents to give their own children craniosacral treatments between sessions re-evaluated by a therapist. I've recently met a craniosacral therapist who gives free craniosacral checks to babies under 6 weeks old.

I can do basic iridology, and I've used stress management (particularly reducing chemical and electromagnetic stress), nutrition, colour therapy, light therapy, flower essences (Bach rescue, but otherwise the Masters range, orange, lettuce, spinach, coconut, etc - I'm a foodie ), homeopathic treatment (one formula specifically relating to dehydration and also adrenal exhaustion), took them for food sensitivity testing using bioresonance, and I've given the occasional foot or head massage. I keep some homeopathic remedies such as arnica and apis and chamomilla, and a couple of relaxing aromatherapy oils.

Iridology is analysing the iris of the eye. Very useful tool, can also be done by a therapist using a special iridology torch and making notes on an iridology chart of what they see, but using the camera is much easier, and probably the ony way of using iridology with some clients. A tool for information gathering, it can give a lead on what questions to ask, or contribute to information taken in a case history, and give pointers to possible avenues of treatment. Really interesting subject.

to anyone taking on the system. We made a complaint about being threatened with social workers if we took holiday in term time. God help anyone who wants to take the system on for anything more important. The LA "advised" the school not to talk to us, which the school took to mean any member of staff, about anything at all. When our son was bullied the school wanted us to wait a week to see the HT with CoG present, only out of school hours. We were isolated when the school suddenly started authorising holidays for others who applied - we were suddenly the only ones with a gripe. The contact restrictions would be lifted when the complaint was concluded (i.e. dropped, as the system makes damn sure that it takes months to get to LA panel). The LA ignored written requests to lift the ban as it raised health safety and welfare issues, then our daughter had her head slammed into a metal coat peg, the school didn't tell us, didn't record it, and sent her home. We took the kids out of school for 2 months, so the LA threatened truancy proceedings, got the ESWs involved, and didn't even bother to tell the health and safety unit. We stood our ground, so they suddenly produced a complaints panel about the holiday policy within 7 days, and gave us a "revised" investigating officer's report and an unsigned LA response statement 2 days before panel, confirming that their policy was flawed and would be rewritten in time for September. (The "independent investigating officer" turned out to have been a retired Education department officer, but even he agreed that the LA policy wasn't legal). Lies, fake minutes, "rewritten" investigating officer's reports because he cant spell, cant count to 11, missing attachments (whilst being asked to sign we've had everything), you name it. By this time the LA had told us that we weren't banned from entering the school premises for the purposes of our children's education, but refused to accept that any ban was in place for staff contacting us (Although we had written evidence, and 2 incidents had occurred ). The day before this term started we had to go into the school and sort the health and safety out ourselves, because as the dispute was concluded there was no legitimate reason to keep contact bans in place. We've tried to involve the Dfes, Ofsted, information commissioner, the health and safety exec, the MP, local councillor, the standards committee at the council, next its the ombudsman. Apart from fobbing you off to someone else, so far the silence is deafening. Our LA seem quite prepared to sacrifice the health and safety and welfare of any child whose parent stands up to them. After what's happened to us, I would be wary of helping or advising anyone to take the system on. The price has been so high, it could have been a lot worse. After a year of it, I am emotionally and physically exhausted, financially its stuffed us, I've had to have therapy for months to cope with the stress, and we WON. Or at least we thought we had - its one thing getting them to agree something is illegal and that they will put it right, its another them actually doing it. As yet they still haven't issued the new policy, so now it looks like year 2 could be a possiblity My daughter's new school has just issued a newsletter threatening referrals to ESWs for unauthorised holiday in term time, and we need to apply for a few days at the end of the Xmas break. Could be year 1 of a new complaint as well We've just started a support group for parents in our town - but forming a pressure group for taking on the system just isn't in the plans at the moment. But give it time

Bid We don't do sweets at all, the kids get a bit at Xmas and birthdays, but thats about it. But in terms of sugar and glycaemic index, chocolate can be a better option than some of the so called "healthy" snack bars passed by the school's nutrition police. If its just chocolate, and not say a biscuity chocolate bar, it can also have considerably less additives and no refined wheat. It doesn't contain the same damaged fats that crisps have. It contains magnesium, some protein etc. I think of it as a food, sometimes we eat it, sometimes we don't. Used moderately, it boosts feelgood hormone and neurotransmitter production (which is why we sometimes crave it). I also use raw chocolate powder therapeutically in smoothies because raw it also contains the enzymes that cooked chocolate doesn't. Its a part of my enzyme therapy Two of my fave books are "Why women need chocolate" and "Naked Chocolate." I've found that if I crave chocolate and eat a bit, the craving goes away. If I treat it as sinful or a treat only on special occasions, then I crave it more and finish up eating a lot more

I had this argument with the school last year. So far they've banned crisps, biscuits, cake and chocolate at break, but not at lunchtime. So the break snack has to pass the nutrition police. I pack a sandwich (wholemeal with protein filling), fruit, a yoghurt and a snack size of chocolate. If my kids want to eat their chocolate ration at break then as far as I'm concerned they can. But on the days I've run out of fruit, they aren't allowed half a sandwich, they don't want to take spoons out in the playground so no yoghurt (unless I'm forced to buy drinking yoghurts) so in the event that nothing passes the nutrition police's check, they do without. Some of the things the school class as "healthy" I think are total c*ap, but in the absence of fruit I have put something in as a reserve. What really bugs me is that when I asked the school (very very nicely!) to stay out of it because their "rules" made my kids diet worse, I was given an out of date leaflet promoting the virtues of aspartame and low fat/diet stuff. I even had to argue to get water bottles in the classroom, when my son was going into meltdown after school from dehydration. I even offered to join the nutrition police to give some parental feedback, but was turned down. I might have logged a written request that my children be allowed to pick something from their lunchbox at break, but its ignored, and to be honest my kids wouldn't want to be "different" by being allowed stuff others aren't. Some kids just stuff banned things in their mouths when no-one is looking. Eating disorders in the making? The break rules aren't followed by the staff either - the kids can see that, and parents know it. In our school its some box ticking exercise by the governing body. I reckon it will spread to whats eaten at lunchtime as well. My son used to be food phobic, if he still was then if the rules get worse, he would have starved. Our school are not interested in holding an open meeting with parents to give advice and up to date information on healthy lunchboxes, or to get parental feedback, or just get an idea of some of the problems, they just dictate by newsletter and rules in the school. If I wasn't so busy fighting the LEA about banning the school from speaking to us because we complained about holiday in term time (which led to our daughter being sent home with a head injury and us not being told) I'd take it up. Just haven't got the fight in me at the moment

Yes I've got one, 20 minutes on mine is the equivalent to 2 hours spring sunshine. Will be using it 2 or 3 times a week during the winter, in the morning. I also use daylight bulbs in the main areas of the house.

I didn't do the chat, but I went to several BIBIC seminars a couple of years ago, at which the BIBIC nutritionist Caroline was a speaker. I did ones on ADD/ADHD, then Autism, Aspergers, and one on Early Behavioural Indicators, about the sensory issues that can be spotted and helped at a very early age. The nutritionist talked about avoiding artificial colourings, additives, caffeine etc, and aspartame, addiction to milk and wheat, how too much milk lines the gut and stops other nutrients being absorbed, the opioids etc and the GF/CF diet, withdrawal symptoms etc and about salycilates (cant spell that ). She also went into supplementation generally. Children going to BIBIC are assessed over a couple of days by several professionals, including the nutritionist, advice given on nutrition, exercises, behavioural management etc etc, and the parents go home armed with the information of what they can do to help their child, information for their children's schools, and what to expect in the way of problems (for example if a child comes off wheat and/or milk), and then can telephone for further advice if they need to. Children can then return for a shorter reassessment later. BIBIC's not far from me, very interesting place, had a good look round whilst I was there at the pool, sensory room etc. If no-one else did the chat, hope this helps give you a general idea.

Ours is different then, as its not SEN related. Our "independent investigating officer" came round to interview us, with a business card saying he was independent etc, talked about a case for another LA he was currently working on, full of mediation c*ap. Lets just say that the first "independent" report we got from the LA referred to documents that weren't there, and there was a document enclosed not referred to in the text. One numbered paragraph was missing, it was unsigned, and the first page didn't mention us by name at all. We were sent it with instructions not to discuss it with the other parties prior to a panel meeting, which could take some time because of synchronising of diaries. Buried. Except we'd pulled the kids out of school, and to get them back they had to produce a panel. Suddenly we got another report "tidied up" by the Local Authority renumbering the paragraphs and documents. Caused a row at the start of panel, but he said that it was normal for the LA to tidy up his reports. Lets just say that we have found out a thing or two that are going to prompt a few enquiries about just how "independent" he is. But "mediation" and "independent" are dirty words in this house at the moment

This is probably a thick question but what defines a mediator? Our LA offered us independent mediation for our parental complaint to a governing body that went pear shaped, and its the ed. social worker manager doing it, our mediation is suddenly a "School attendance meeting" Also our "independent investigating officer" is very obviously not "independent" to the extent that his report can be retyped by the LA (apparently just to tidy up spelling mistakes and cos he cant count up to 10 attachments in the first version). Does "mediator" and "independent" mean something different to anyone elses LA? Or are we just the lucky ones?

Should be the end of the week latest. But as the kids are out of school, the result doesn't matter so much. They have to reconcile. The LA have previously tried to get us to put in writing that we will take them off roll, find another school or home educate. We have flatly refused, our children will not be punished for something that is not their fault. They are now classed as "children missing from education" so the LA have to act under the policy guidance under the Dfes Every child matters and "no child slips through the net." Our county policy guidance makes VERY interesting reading. The panel would have been stalled for months I reckon, except that the kids are not being educated at all. Suddenly a panel meeting that normally takes months for diaries to be synchronised appeared in less than a fortnight. Four days before the panel, a second "independent" investigating officer's report arrived, with a letter for us to sign saying that we had received the report and all attachments. Needless to say we didn't sign, and lodged a written statement concerning that at the start of panel, saying that we were so desperate to get our kids back into education that we would accept the panel on the second report, on the understanding that it did not override our rights under the FOIA and complaints procedures to query the 2 versions of the report we held to date. The fact that the panel went ahead meant that we can ask questions - in writing of course Before the kids were withdrawn, we told the LA several times that contact restrictions placed on us because we had lodged a parental complaint constituted a health safety and welfare risk, which they ignored, our daughter had a head injury, we weren't informed, and the kids have been withdrawn until the health, safety and welfare has been sorted to OUR satisfaction. I said at panel that I wouldn't leave my kids with a babysitter who wouldn't tell me if one of them was injured, and I wasn't leaving them with a school that wouldn't. The LA have tried to force attendance meetings, (including one immediately after the panel). We agreed to a "reconciliation meeting" provided all our outstanding issues were addressed (and we listed them) and that a parent governor was present plus one other from a list. Just before panel they tried to fob us off with another governor (ex staff) and insisted it was an "attendance meeting" so we refused. Our emails all show how keen we are to have a meeting as soon as possible to reconcile our differences (which is quite true) but that certain criteria must be met, i.e. parent governor, health and safety issues, etc. Lets see them try and take that to court. But we've done it all in writing, making sure we don't make any complaint about any individual, we've kept it completely non personal. If we get a letter or email that makes us fume, I've typed a draft rant email or letter but then left it at least 24 hours til I've calmed down before careful editing to calm and reasonable mode before sending it. Rant emails and letters are just the ammo they need. Sorry that turned into a bit of a novel, but its the waiting that's the worst. I'm a bit stressed in case you haven't noticed

If its any consolation we went to level 3 county complaints panel last week and the school said that it was up to the parents to initiate meetings to deal with disputes. They also said that the school objected to us putting dealing with the matter in writing, as they preferred to deal with everything verbally, cos it was less susceptible to misunderstanding. The one thing they came up with that wasn't in writing they thought was going to bite us in the bum. Although we argued it pretty well at panel, I kicked myself for not sending confirmation of my understanding of the incident they were talking about. But fortunately I made notes after the incident which are still held on computer disc showing the time and date my record was made. The incident in question was also prior to the completion of the school's position statement for panel, which does not make the allegation. So immediately following panel we have made another complaint, as it constituted an unsubstantiated public allegation that we can prove is false. Kids have been out of school for weeks now, and there will be no chance of reconciliation without an unreserved apology. Its either unreserved apology, or it looks like home tuition next. If we think its affected the conclusion of the panel, its ombudsman. If they are moaning about things being in writing, you've got em worried. Keep writing

Congratulations

Yes I use enzymes. I've got several books on their use generally. I've also got Karen DeFelice's book "Enzymes for Autism and other neurological conditions" ISBN 97259817-7 which I find quite useful. I'm getting ready for an LA panel tomorrow but if you want some links to some online articles about enzymes in general, then pm me, although it may be a day or two before I get a chance to do it.

Last I heard (which was ages ago so I'm not stating it as fact) was that our water authority will fluoridate if the health authority requests it, after consultation etc etc. My FIL wrote to the local water board 3 or 4 years ago and that was their response then I think, but it may be a bit different now. He registered an objection to any future plans, on health grounds, and asked to be told if they were ever even considering it. Not holding my breath they would get in touch We'll go for the complicated expensive processes of removing it from our water supply when or if we need to, even if it means upping the mortgage. As for the pollution aspect, I think that if the whole country becomes fluoridated, it could become a major problem. I think a lot of the US is fluoridated, so I don't buy certain US products (even organic) if I can avoid it.