Click on the title below for a direct link to this awesome book!!

Let me just say this from the start of this blog, I did not have to read this book to already know what is causing autism because it has been smacking us in the face for many many years. If it smells like poo, looks like poo, and feels like poo, than it is poo. 

I will also say this, if I had to do it all over again, I would have asked my mom from the womb to keep vaccinations out of my body and I would have kept vaccinations out of my kid's bodies once I became a mother myself 19 years ago, I just didn't know until about 15 years ago.

There, I said it.

Now, is that to say that vaccinations are the only cause of autism, ADHD, and many other diagnosis, no, actually it is not the only cause, but it is a big huge cause and its time we adopt a brand new way of thinking. A new way of thinking that the vaccination trade off IS NOT WORTH IT, as it seems we are swapping a very minor reduction in a few acute illnesses for an epidemic in lifelong chronic illnesses, including autism, and yes, autism is now an epidemic.

Mr. Handley's book was written from a parent of an autistic child for other parents and was written very very well as this man did his research! What I mean by this is, the man brings to light all of the science that often goes unpublished because of the amount of money it takes to advertise it plus losing your butt over blowing a big ugly whistle (read the book and this will make sense), which clearly points a finger at vaccinations as a cause of autism. If you don't believe me, get his book and you will see the pages and pages of scientific proof. Its all there in black and white.

In his book, he has two distinct graphs that speak volumes if only you will look and think about the gravity of what you are looking at. The first one is the graph pointing out that back in 1970, when babies only got about 3 vaccinations, autism was at 1 in 10,000. Fast forward to today, when a baby is known to have up to 38 vaccinations and you will see that autism is 1 in 36 now. The other graph shows a jaw dropping linear increase in the number of vaccinations that babies are getting and the number of kids with autism. 

The ingredients in the vaccinations causing many of the issues are aluminum and thirmerosal aka ethylmercury, which wreak havoc on our bodies and brains. Read the book to see why, its alarming.

Austism can also happen in the womb if a mom gets sick during a critical part of the baby's brain development. There are a few other ways but I'll keep it simple for now so I can urge you to read this book and when you do, question everything you think you know about your baby's medical journey. 

The trick in all this is the fact that vaccinations are a $20+ billion industry and folks don't like to be seperated from there money but I say this to them, "You are messing with human children who have their whole life ahead of them, but you've altered it in a way to where it will never be the fullness that it could have been. In the process, you have thrown the parents under the bus who will struggle in caring for what you have ruined. Shame on you!"

Now, I realize that the initial intent of vaccinations was to help but now that the cat is out of the bag and it is hurting more than it is helping, step up and make changes.

I cannot tell you how many parents that I have worked with over the last 27 years that say this to me, "He/she was developing just fine and then after his/her vaccinations EVERYTHING changed."

Again, if it smells like poo, looks like poo, and feels like poo, than it is indeed just that, poo.

Read this book, I promise you that it is eye opening and you will agree that change is long overdue!

​ 

Over the last several months, I have been studying and researching why there is autism, leaky gut, the poisons in our food, the rise of autoimmune diseases, the rise of genetic disorders, and how all of this relates to diet. 

I myself have leaky gut and it hurts like heck if I don't stay on my incredibly strict diet because I have inadvertantly done so much damage by eating the foods that I buy at the grocery store, I have decreased what I can eat to very minimal.

I cannot eat foods with gluten, casein, sugar, GMO'S, and all the other poisons that have been added so that the food industry can make more money. Thanks y'all, I don't appreciate it. Pesticides are used to keep the bugs away, GMO'S or genetically modified organisms scare the heck outta me and hurt my gut a lot, hormones aka GMO'S, and probably loads more that I am unaware of to hurry up the growth process of the animals and plants that I have been eating for the last several years put in my food to hurt me.

I also have discovered why I have trouble losing and keeping weight off as my gut flora is so low in some areas that I fear my gut will never be repaired. I am part of a study with the company called UBiome and after getting my results today from my first fecal sample, I have a heck of a lotta work to do to heal myself and it scares me.

If I eat the wrong things, I have gas, bloating, severe pain, diarrhea, and joint pain. This has caused me to miss work, decline lunch and other outings as I fear the paralyzing pain and frequent visit to the restroom, and many other areas of enjoyment that have been affected by my leaky gut.

Leaky gut is rampent in kids with autism and causes a lot of pain, confusion, and brain fog in these kids. They already have enough to deal with without having this too.

I also discovered that I have damaged my bodies ability to produce the proper enzymes to break my food down, which makes things even worse because with leaky gut, the gut wall becomes too permeable and allows my not-all-the-way processed food to escape into my body/bloodstream. That ain't good news for health.

Did you know that 80% of immunity is located in the gut? Given that, you better darn well take care of that gut or you will be sick all of the time eventually leading to an autoimmune disease, which basically means your body starts attacking itself. 

The book above is a must read if you find yourself or your kids dealing with painful stomach/intestinal trouble, diarrhea, inflammation, joint pain, muscle pain, autism, ADD/ADHD, brain fog, and load of other symptoms/diseases. 

Dr. Amy Myers is a functional medical doctor whose goal with each and every one of her patients is to get to the 'why' of the symptoms and does not throw body destroying pills at folks as a quick fix for the complaints. 

As a fellow holistic practitioner whose goal is also to get to the 'why' of what I see in my clinic with my OT kids, I appreciate what she is preaching.

I highly recommend this book to all of you. She also has a quiz on her website, which I have taken, that will pinpoint what might be going on and what to do about it.

I do not know Dr. Amy, but I feel connected to her because she is on the same path that I am of giving our patients the best care and the proper care possible.

Much of my book, that is out on Amazon called 'The Dragonfly Approach,' talks about diet and gut health. Her book just hits this point further home.

Here's to health! Cheers!

I cannot stress to y'all enough, what an honor it is doing a job that I love to bits and enjoy every day. I am equally honored meeting the families and the OT kids as they teach me something each and every moment as well.
Here's what I mean . . .
I had a phone conversation with a new OT kid's mom this morning wich further drove home my utter justification in writing 'The Dragonfly Approach' and here's why.
As I listened to her tell me all about her OT kid and her other two that have issue as well, she repeatedly said, "I wish that after I was given the diagnosis (in her case her son has autism) that someone would have told me what the next step was, what therapies he needed, what could I do with him at home, help him with school, etc. Just some starting point. I would have been so grateful."
The desperation in her voice moved my heart and this type conversation is one of the thousands that I have had with parents who have a child that is/has been diagnosed with any number of issues like autism, sensory processing disorder, a genetic disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. over the last 25+ years.
One of the other things she proudly told me is that once her son was diagnosed, she got online trying to find out anything and everything only to be completely overwhelmed at where to start, which way to go, and many other questions she told me about.
This is why 'The Dragonfly Approach' was written. Written for the aftermath of finding out that your child has a special need and what in the heck to do about it now. The information out there is all over the place and goes in a million different directions and when you are a parent trying to weed through and tease out what in the heck to do, it can be completely overwhelming and very defeating, indeed.
The other day, one of my own kids asked me this, "Why did you write this book? What were you hoping accomplish? Do you hope you get rich?" I chuckled at the last question as wealth is and never has been on my mind. I actually cannot stand money although my mom says not to look at it as an enemy but as a tool. Its hard for me because money=greed in my heart and mind and comes from many years of suffering because of it. I'll stop there.
So, I looked at my wonderful child and I said this, "Imagine that I had the secret to how you could be the best baseball player around but I chose to keep it to myself. How would that make you feel?" He looked at me and said, "Well, I'd be pissed of course."
"What if I had the secret to curing cancer, but I kept it to myself?" He answered, "Mom, get to the point already."
"I have valuable information that I have gleaned from living with it from the moment I was born, in addition, you and your sister had your own issues and I have had the honor of working as an OT for many years with these cool kids. The information I have learned, I cannot keep a secret and I will not keep it a secret. It must be told so that families can get the direction they need early on to help their special needs kids. I hope to accomplish a successful journey for these kids and their families to prevent the frustration and sadness I hear from them every day by 'not knowing.' As for the money, I could care less. That is so far removed from my motivation, you know that about me."
My son took a deep breath and then blew it out saying, "Mom, God has made this possible you know," and with tears in my eyes I said, "Yep, He's had a plan for me from the time I was 8 years old. He let me know that now was the time. I'm one lucky person to have such an awesome God."
We hugged and I had a bit of a come apart because my passion for what I do and this book must be told and as I learn more, I will write another one and another one as things progress and change in my field.
I love all you folks who battle with this thing called special needs and know that each night I am praying for all of you. Every single night!
Love y'all!!♥

​Ever since I was a child, I was always drawn to animals. My mom had a love affair with dogs so we always seemed to have one around. At one point, she started breeding Dachshunds to earn money for Christmas, she was quite the savvy stay at home mom and was always coming up with ways to help my father support the family. 

Many years ago, while in Illinois where I lived until I was 13 years old, my dad and his brothers owned a farm. There were share croppers that would work the land but back then, a 20 minute drive seemed like an eternity so we never had any animals on the property much to my sadness because my parents reasoned that it was too far to care for them plus, we didn't have a lot of money starting out. However, there was one little nugget that I got to enjoy on the farmer's land next to ours, her name was Gold Dust and she was the most beautiful Palomino colored horse you have ever seen. Because of her, my love affair with horses took off and never went away.

One of the things I noticed and still remember years later, is how being with her made me feel. I can only describe it in simple words like calm, respectful, grateful, and happy but there are so many other feelings that she conjured up simply standing there in her presence that I don't think words can do justice to.

My desire, of course, was to own my own horse some day but dreams have a funny way of being strung on for reasons that I may not understand at the time, only to be relieved years and years later.

Fast forward to the present and I can only describe this to you in a spiritual way as I know that the good Lord above has led me on this path that I am on right now. It's not always been easy, but now I know without a doubt why He chose this route.

As a Pediatric Occupational Therapist of over 25 years, I have always been overjoyed seeing the many different therapies go in unheard of directions. I am so happy that SOMEBODY finally figured out that using animals around people and kids is some of the most 'healing-ist' stuff out there. I can attest to this as I use my dog Scout in therapy all of the time and that little fella can get kids to do stuff I would have never dreamed could be pulled out of them.

By the grace of God, I have run across several horsewomen over the last few years that I have connected on so many levels with and now I have the honor of offering Hippotherapy and Horse Assisted Therapy as part of my practice because y'all, horses heal and that book I have pictured up there is probably one of the most profound books I have ever read in my life and I thank Tim Hayes for taking the time to write it. If you think you know all about horses, well, test yourself reading his book and I'll bet you'll learn a thing or two. I know I did and I feel that his book answered and verified all of the thoughts I have always had about horses like:

1. They know more than you think

2. They only behave in the here and now and feed off of what you are giving off so if you are angry, they may not come up to you, but instead, walk away because you are freaking them out and they have to protect themselves

3. They are hypervigilent in order to survive as they have for thousands and thousands of years

4. Their eyes and ears can work separately from each other and boy can you tell a lot from their eyes, ears, and tail-you just have to watch

5. Their goal in life is to not be eaten so things like a bag blowing across their pasture will freak them the heck out because they go into, "Is that going to eat me," mode

6. Horses heal and that's all I need to say about that

7. No, you don't have to enjoy a horse by riding him/her, they are great to enjoy on the ground, in fact, that's what I prefer, just being with them

I am so honored that I have the opportunity to offer Hippotherapy and Horse Assisted Therapy to the kids that I get the privilege of working with everyday. In my quest to treat the whole child, I was divinely guided and I and thankful everyday!

​Check Tim's book out y'all, it is something else.

Over the last year as an OT, I have seen a lot of parents over-adapting situations to accommodate their children and keep them happy but in doing so, they are creating a child that will never learn anything if he/she isn't allowed to fail, fall, get hurt, etc. 

As the quote says, 'failure is a part of life,' and a vital one at that. The reason this has come to my attention is because I myself am guilty of over-accommodating at my clinic. If a parent or child complains of something such as, "These prizes stink. When are you going to get new ones," I would find myself running out that night to get 'better' prizes to accommodate the complaint. I also found myself 'hiding' things from kids that I knew they wanted but couldn't have when I really should have said, "No, you can't have that so chose something else." 

So, I had a come to Jesus with myself and I am not going to do this anymore because I am adding to the problem I speak of today. Now, this isn't to say that I will put your child in harms way such as having peanuts in the clinic if I know your child is allergic or any other danger but, I will tell them to get over it if the prizes aren't good because that's just life and you'll have to wait . . . oh no, not wait.

Kids need to be told no, they need to fall and get hurt, they need to have their heart broken once, they need to get their feelings hurt, etc., etc. I know this may make me sound horrible but the only way they will know what it feels like is if it happens to them and then the success will be what they learn from it. The world cannot possibly accommodate every human being on the planet, that would be called heaven and we don't have that here on Earth. 

It would be if a brain surgeon tried to explain brain surgery to you . . . you'd nod your head as a courtesy but inside you would be thinking, "What in the heck is he talking about?" The only way you would know what it 'feels' like would be to do it. Only then would it make sense to you on a cellular level and the experience would cause you to learn. Make sense?

A broken heart will make you stronger.
A fall will give you a bloody knee but I'll bet you won't do that dumb wheelie on your bike the same way you did this time because it made you scrap your knee.
If the prize box doesn't have the prize you want, then you have to learn patience for when it is refilled.
If another kid hurts your feelings, you will feel it yes and it will stink, but if you have learned anything from this then you wouldn't do that to someone else because you remember how it felt.
If they don't make a good grade on their test, well, they need to study harder.

I could go on and on but my point is failure is absolutely necessary for everyone even kids with special needs. If you want these kids to try and be an active part of society, then they have to fail. Now, I'm not talking about taking their wheelchair away or any other cruel action . . . use your common sense here . . . you know what I mean . . . within reason as a teaching tool.

I have 5 kids of my own and I've seen all of the various failings they have had happen to them, some done to themselves, and some done to them. It stinks I know and it breaks my heart but I know that this is the way of life and the value of the failure comes when they've learned something to tuck into their little coconuts sitting on top of their shoulders.

Hang in their y'all, you are doing a good job, just let them fail some.