There are a problems with my methods. They are completely, totally, unscientific. I was actually a science major in college. I majored in biology and minored in chemistry. I studied cellular biology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, molecular biology and human anatomy and physiology. I spent countless hours in the university laboratory conducting scientific experiments and I understand the procedures necessary for accurate data. I was planning to go to medical school, until I realized my calling was to be a teacher. I know full well how to do a scientific experiment.
The problem is that as a mother my emotions and my need to do everything possible to help my child are more important than figuring out what really works and what doesn't. So instead of systematically trying one thing at a time and testing it against a control, I found everything I possibly could and tried it all. I didn't care that I was trying out several things at once, or that I had just started a new treatment a week before as well. All I cared about was helping Grace get better, and as long as I saw an improvement I continued whatever I was trying. Because of this I have no real evidence of what really worked and what didn't, all I have are my gut feelings. Gut feelings. A mother's gut feelings.
As a parent there simply isn't time to wait and test one treatment out at a time. The window of development for early childhood is only open for a short amount of time. I certainly wasn't going to "wait and see" if something was helping before I tried something else. In my opinion, the developmental years between 3 and 5 are too critical to take a slower step by step approach.
I really had no format for the way I went about trying things with Grace. When I learned about something and I decided it might be legitimate, I tried it. If we felt it was making a difference, we continued it. Grace was too young to be able to tell us how she felt, so we based our decisions solely on her behavior and our observations.
I think that this is the core issue where parents and doctors disagree. Parents of children who are autistic, have OCD, ADHD, ADD, or any number of disabilities are continually stating interventions that they have tried and that have "proven" effective. While doctors and researchers continue to disagree. This may simply be because they haven't been truly PROVEN scientifically. Well, no parent is going to prove anything scientifically with their child, and it continues to be difficult for doctors and scientists to gather data to prove these claims as well. Furthermore, researchers lack the ability to notice and document small, seemingly insignificant improvements that a parent will notice. A few more smiles from Grace where she really looked into my eyes, a big, hearty laugh, a genuine attempt to reach out and hug her aunt. While these acts may not be scientific proof and may not be included in any research journals, they speak volumes to me.
It is a difficult situation with good intentions on both sides of the argument. Science follows a strict set of guidelines that must not be broken thus it loses it's credibility and becomes something completely different. Parents must follow their hearts and do what is best for their particular child. I, however, am happy with the choices we have made for Grace and even though the scientist in me disagrees, the mother in me is smiling.
The problem is that as a mother my emotions and my need to do everything possible to help my child are more important than figuring out what really works and what doesn't. So instead of systematically trying one thing at a time and testing it against a control, I found everything I possibly could and tried it all. I didn't care that I was trying out several things at once, or that I had just started a new treatment a week before as well. All I cared about was helping Grace get better, and as long as I saw an improvement I continued whatever I was trying. Because of this I have no real evidence of what really worked and what didn't, all I have are my gut feelings. Gut feelings. A mother's gut feelings.
As a parent there simply isn't time to wait and test one treatment out at a time. The window of development for early childhood is only open for a short amount of time. I certainly wasn't going to "wait and see" if something was helping before I tried something else. In my opinion, the developmental years between 3 and 5 are too critical to take a slower step by step approach.
I really had no format for the way I went about trying things with Grace. When I learned about something and I decided it might be legitimate, I tried it. If we felt it was making a difference, we continued it. Grace was too young to be able to tell us how she felt, so we based our decisions solely on her behavior and our observations.
I think that this is the core issue where parents and doctors disagree. Parents of children who are autistic, have OCD, ADHD, ADD, or any number of disabilities are continually stating interventions that they have tried and that have "proven" effective. While doctors and researchers continue to disagree. This may simply be because they haven't been truly PROVEN scientifically. Well, no parent is going to prove anything scientifically with their child, and it continues to be difficult for doctors and scientists to gather data to prove these claims as well. Furthermore, researchers lack the ability to notice and document small, seemingly insignificant improvements that a parent will notice. A few more smiles from Grace where she really looked into my eyes, a big, hearty laugh, a genuine attempt to reach out and hug her aunt. While these acts may not be scientific proof and may not be included in any research journals, they speak volumes to me.
It is a difficult situation with good intentions on both sides of the argument. Science follows a strict set of guidelines that must not be broken thus it loses it's credibility and becomes something completely different. Parents must follow their hearts and do what is best for their particular child. I, however, am happy with the choices we have made for Grace and even though the scientist in me disagrees, the mother in me is smiling.
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