James is a wonderful boy. He is sweet. He is compassionate. He is mine. He also has Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is loud. He is impulsive. He has a short temper.

He is VERY kinesthetic. When we sit in church he pets me and hugs me. I'm sure it bothers other people but he needs to do it to cope.

When James was 4 1/2 I took him to the doctor (school specialist) at Kaiser. This horrible man, after not even examining him or talking to him, suggested Ritalin as the solution. "Why?", I asked. His answer, "So your life doesn't have to change. You should be able to do the things you want to do and if he is on this drug or that drug you will be able to do that." That answer was unacceptable. He also suggested we put him in school. Again I asked, "Why?" Again his answer was unacceptable, "So he can be with other kids like him." I didn't want him to be with other kids like him! He didn't obey, he couldn't sit still, he had a horrible temper and would hit whoever bothered him. I was on the road to not liking him so I needed a solution but I knew this doctor's solution wasn't the answer for my son. He didn't need to be drugged he needed to be healed and understood.

We got him into NeuroTherapy and had success for a while. Every day that was just about all we did though. It's very time consuming. It got very tiresome. The neurotherapist suggested we take James to an osteopath to have his skull checked out. His soft spot had closed by the time he was six months. He'd had xrays through the months and years, by the doctor, to make sure everything was okay but I guess there's other things the osteopath could do for him.that your average Kaiser doctor could not. So we called and scheduled an appt.

That was James' saving grace at that time. We hit gold!! His osteopath Dr. Centers of the Ostepathic Center for Children in San Diego took more time examining him and talking to him than any doctor at Kaiser ever had. He came in and spoke with me and said James didn't have ADHD he had Autism Spectrum Disorder. I immediately burst out with, "I knew it!" I didn't know what ASD was but I knew the word Autism meant something that I had felt in my gut but no one had spoken.

James didn't talk until he was past three years of age. He would grunt and point. The speech therapist couldn't control him so much of his lesson was spent doing behavior control. We finally stopped doing that because it was a waste of time with me sitting in the van with the other five-seven children and he sitting on her lap.

The osteopath put James on a casein and gluten free diet. In other words, no wheat and no dairy products. He was on this diet for almost two years until I caught him sneaking toast. He burst into tears because he had forgotten what toast tasted like and at getting caught sneaking. Right then and there we decided to go off the diet. While he was on the diet it did wonders for him! The first week he started sleeping through the night. He used to go to bed fine but would wake up at 1 or 2 am and just come and sit up in our bed between us as though it were 8 am. This was working!!! We were so excited!!!It was hard to have him on the diet but it sure beat the alternative-drugging him.

Just a week ago we decided to pull milk from his diet again. For some reason, it's started affecting him negatively again. He had gray circles under his eyes, he was twirling like you wouldn't believe. To sit in a seat he would have to twirl in a circle before he could do it. If he had a book in his hand he would have to twirl it before he could open it. Much of the twirling has stopped since he's come off the milk. It's amazing.

There are some very precious qualities about James that people aren't used to seeing in a young boy. He is VERY compassionate. Last Sunday there was a meeting at church after lunch and we gave the boys the option of going with the other children to play or they could sit with us. They, of course, chose to go play. One little girl, a toddler, was having a miserable time, I don't know if she fell, got hurt, or just missed her mommy. James was right there taking care of her. It REALLY bothers him when little ones cry. He wants to rescue them and make it all better. He stood by her and petted her and talked to her and got her to calm down. The teacher (our children's ministry coordinator and a children's nurse for over twenty-five years) couldn't believe what she was seeing. She told Steve about it when he came to pick them up but Steve told her, "That's James. That's who he is."

James wants a baby sister badly. As time goes by I hear the request less and less. See, God has decided that we are not to have a baby now. Our last baby was five years ago. I've miscarried twice, was denied a foster care license for babies because of a fencing issue and our usually dry creek, then last year I had thyroid cancer and my thyroid counts are still too low and one of the symtoms is infertility. I'm also 45 1/2 so my clock is ticking. I know the desire is still there for him but as I said the request is less and less.................He does flock to babies though if he sees them.

So that is a peek into my James. He's affectionate, smart, lovable, loud, impulsive, sensitive to sin, short-tempered, loves his mom.........and I wouldn't have him any other way.