Sometimes you find answers in the place that you never wanted to venture.Well, I decided to put my personal feelings aside and read Jenny McCarthy's book, Louder Than Words.  My mother had read it, and thought it might help me to read it.  Then, my grandmother gave me a copy of the book for Christmas.  I read it in one day, I couldn't put it down.  It was as if I were reading about my own life.  She even has a similar birth story- pushed for 3 hours and he got stuck, and had to be born by c-section.  Same as me!  But, the best part was at the end of the book.  She made a 'map' of what to do after your child is diagnosed with autism.  It's been almost a year since the doctor came into the room and said Jonathan had autism, then walked out without offering any advice or treatment options.  I felt so scared and overwhelmed.  Since he was diagosed in March 2007, I have been working with Jonathan to help him overcome the things he struggles with, but it's been a slow process.  I decided to try Jenny McCarthy's approach.  Obviously, she can afford to try expensive treatments, pay for the best doctors and really go all-out with treatments.  I cannot afford all of that.  So, I am taking what worked for her son and trying that first.  I stopped giving him anything with wheat gluten in it, and his behavior has already improved!  He no longer spins and barely flaps his hands at all!  It's working!!!I haven't taken him off of everything else yet, such as dairy, but I have the phone number for a local "D.A.N." doctor (Defeat Autism Now), which she recommends in her book.  They will test him for yeast, along with other factors which seem to be common in children with autism.  I am counting the minutes until the doctor's office opens and I can call to make an appointment.  I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere with this!  I finally feel like there's hope after all.  I am following the advice in that book, and so far it's going well!  My goal for Jonathan is to get him to a point where he doesn't need to be in special education classes and can be in a classroom with typical kids.  I just want to be able to talk to my son.  I want to hear what he has to say, in his own words.  I want to ask him what he did at school today, and actually get an answer.  I want him to LIE to me too- strange as that may sound.  I want him to make up a story.  I want him to have a conversation with me.   Any parent of a child with autism can definately relate to wanting to hear their autistic child lie to them.  Someday, mine will- I just know it!