How do children on the spectrum learn to interact with other children in appropriate ways? What is it that “clicks” their gears into movement? It’s hard to understand the way their processing works and even harder to guess what may or may not interrupt their thought patterns.

Sometimes I see my son tackle challenges that could stop another child in his or her tracks… coming up with a science fair project titled “How to Replace Fossil Fuel with Kelp” stops me in my tracks! Was it always this way…? Certainly not! Getting him to focus long enough to learn how to tie his shoes was once a challenge bigger than climbing Mount Everest!

My son used to live in a confusing world of Autism… from the day when he was mercury poisoned at nearly two-years-old until fairly recently when the transformation of improving his immune system really took effect. Thanks, in part, to improving his immune system with the glutathione accelerator, (full details under The Supplement on my main menu) he has become much more cognitive and it is much easier to connect with him and to watch him learn.

But, is having a healthy body enough? It is a fabulously good start and, for my son, it has literally changed our lives as he is now able to focus and think clearly. The next step was to connect with this renewed focusing ability. The basics are always good: games the focus on teaching him to think for himself; reading books that are interesting to him; physically challenging exercises and social events that broaden his awareness.

But, what happens to parents with special needs children when the opportunities are simply not available?

Recently my sons and I have had the opportunity to review an answer to this question for many! Mary Beth Palo, the Founder and President of Watch Me Learn, is the mother of an autistic son who is a visual learner and the sole reason for the creation of the Watch Me Learn videos.

Classic videos teach children how to interact with others, understand appropriate actions and how to thrive in a world that is often otherwise confusing and uncomfortable to them. These videos are very appropriate for younger children and will hold their attention for the duration of he videos. The accompanying workbook will further build a lasting impression from which to build upon.

Mary Beth Palo has taken a situation that affected her son and has turned it around in order to help countless children – shouldn’t YOUR child be one of them? Learn more about this amazing learning series and Mary Beth Palo here: http://www.WatchMeLearn.com

Every year we celebrate Christmas by visiting a different country – right in our own home! We eat that country’s traditional food, decorate and dress to fit the part and, best of all, we all learn more about traditions celebrated by others around the world! This year Sweden was the chosen country so we started the morning off with Swedish pancakes. They are more like crepes that we know. The traditional filling is often sauteed apples with cinnamon or the fruit filling you like. Unsweetened whipped cream is then added on top. Yum!

Because Tanner can not eat wheat I came up with a recipe for him. The results were met with a big smile. He ate three crepes with apple filling.

Here is the recipe:

First, take two large apples and thinly slice them. In a small pan add the apples, 2 T of butter (or margarine if you can not have dairy) and 1 t cinnamon. Place the lid on top and simmer on low while cooking the crepes.

Crepes:
Blend everything together well in one bowl. It just doesn’t get much easier than that!

3 eggs
2/3 C Amaranth flour
1/3 C Coconut flour
1 1/2 C Milk (we used Vances DariFree)
2 T Sugar
1 T Cooling Oil
1/2 t Baking Powder

Using a small (9″) round pan, I sprayed the bottom of the hot pan with cooking oil. Pour 1/2 C of the batter into the center and rotate to spread it out. When the top is covered with air bubbles it should be read to flip. Carefully turn the crepe over (they tend to stick just a bit – it’s best to do this slowly so that they don’t fold). Cook the second side for about a minute or so. These probably won’t store real well because they are so thin but I was able to store the left overs between parchment paper until lunch. My son had the remaining few left-overs with more apples for desert.

Whip cream (NOT Casein-free) can be added on top for those who can have dairy products.
Enjoy!!

It has been a month of cold, colds, germs and viruses… more so than I can remember in a long time! I simply have not had the energy to keep up with everything and I apologize that the month has gone by with only one blog post! My newest book The Journey, Home from Autism has arrived and the response is amazing. I had a woman comment to me just yesterday that she had just read my book and she said to me, “Your book taught me how to understand my son and, even better, how to understand myself!” Interesting. Many more comments can be read on my new LinkedIn site here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondaspellman.

Yesterday my eight-year-old son Oliver wanted to make and decorate gingerbread cookies. I have yet to find a gluten-free gingerbread cookie for Tanner (my ten-year-old) so I started with Oliver’s recipe and (after mixing things up a bit) came up with this one:

Mix all together:
1 1/2 C Amaranth flour
1/2 C White Rice Flour
1/4 C Tapioca Flour
1/2 t Salt
3/4 t Ginger
1/2 t Baking Soda
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 t Cloves
1/2 t Cinnamon

Beat together in separate bowl:
1/2 C Margarine or butter
1/2 C Molasses
1 egg

Blend two mixtures together. Let sit in refrigerator for about an hour to firm up. We tried rolling the dough out on parchment paper (floured with rice flour) but when we used the gingerbread men and the Christmas tree cookie cutters the cookies wouldn’t hold together well. We might have had better luck adding a bit more flour or letting the dough cool for awhile longer. Oliver’s cookies were done and Tanner was ready so we came up with plan “B”:

We rolled small balls of the dough and flattened to about 1/3 inch thick. The boys decorated the faces after they cooked. Or, even better idea – with the ball idea – they made snowmen with three balls of dough.

Bake them at 350 for about 15 – 20 minutes. Because the dough is dark it’s somewhat difficult to see that they are browning. Watching near the edges of the cookies is a good indicator. Give them plenty of room to spread and let them cook on the cookie sheet (directly on the parchment paper). Let them cool for about 5 minutes before removing them. Decorate them after they’ve cooled and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy them and Merry Christmas to one and all!

The Journey, Home from Autism has arrived! This book started out as a 30 page hand out and now is a 312 book that covers everything we learned, did, experienced and found to be helpful.

Funny how things work though… the books arrived the day before Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a houseful of company on Thanksgiving and had even more fun on Friday – spending most of the day at Ocean Journey, here in the Denver area. The sad thing – I came down with a cold virus on Saturday and the boys followed. First, Tanner came home early from school on Monday. Second, Oliver stayed home today.

We all had a bit of a fever this morning so going outside didn’t sound appealing. Instead, the three of us put up the Christmas tree today, read a silly book about Chester the Cricket and cooked orange chicken with rice for dinner. All in all, we are feeling better and our fevers have broken – many thanks I believe, due to taking Grapefruit Seed Extract. I add 15 drops to a glass of orange juice for myself three times a day and five – ten drops for the boys.

The orange chicken recipe:
2 cups rinsed long grain rice
4 cups orange juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix the rice and orange juice together in a baking pan. Lay the chicken on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about one hour. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 5 – 10 minutes. Everyone loves this recipe and it couldn’t be simpler!

In July, 2009 I meet two delightful women, Korri BeVier and Michelle Wager, who told me about an outreach that they had organized to help children with serious diseases who were in and out of The Children’s Hospitals located in Denver, CO.

“How did your mission begin?” I had to know how and why they would organize such a beneficial program for children that they didn’t even know.

When Korri and Michelle first learned about children who were suffering from serious illnesses they decided to do whatever they could to help. Although neither mother has a special needs or seriously ill child they both felt heartbroken when they witnessed the need, firsthand, by several families who lived in their community.

After much soul searching, the two women began their mission to help by naming their company, A.R.K. (Acts of Random Kindness) Angels, LLC. They first began by organizing a book sale to help these children and their families.

“Deciding how to choose which families to help was the first major roadblock,” explained Korri. “We wanted to help every single one.”

After a lot of thought, they realized that narrowing down who to help and who to pass over would be a nearly impossible task. In order to help as many children as possible, they decided to create and deliver gift bags to hospitalized children—hoping to brighten the lives of as many children as possible. These gift bags came from donated books, stuffed animals, toys and small craft items. They held yard sales and sold items online to purchase additional items that they, in turn, gave to the children.

Then the women took their generous idea a huge step forward. Their first meeting with officials at The Children’s Hospital in Denver resulted in a partnership where the two entities began to work together to fulfill the vision of reaching out to children who were day patients at The Children’s Hospital.

As the word spread boxes of donated books began to arrive. The energetic women took on the job of paying for a storage unit and designing a website where hundreds of books are now listed and available for purchase.

“Making the community more aware of the needs of these children is only a part of our mission,” explained Michelle.

Seeing their amazing outreach along with the ability to help children I couldn’t wait to join forces with them. We began by listing my books on their site and soon we met with The Children’s Hospital directors of the children’s day treatment division.

The Children’s Hospital staff welcomed us with open arms and in January 2010 the A.R.K. Angels and I will begin the next phase of outreach: I will teach these groups of children to write a complete book through weekly classes held at The Children’s Hospital.

The A.R.K. Angels are working to provide the books that will be used for these classes. YOU can help! Tax deductible donations to provide teaching materials can be made two ways:
* Send checks made out to Children’s Hospital to A.R.K. Angels, P.O. Box 212, Parker, CO 80134 *Add A.R.K. Angels Project Fund in the subject line.
* Call the volunteer department and make a monetary donation to the A.R.K. Angels Project Fund by calling The Children’s Hospital at 720-777-6887.

Please consider ordering books from their site instead of other locations that keep 50 percent (or more) of the retail price. The A.R.K. Angels keep just 25% of the proceeds and use that amount to provide for the children!

We all want to make a difference in the life of a child. Sometimes, it’s hard to know how or where to start. In my opinion, helping innocent children doesn’t get much easier than this! To learn more about how you can contribute to Acts of Random Kindness with the A.R.K. Angels, please visit their site at ArkAngles.biz.

Yesterday I had the honor to attend the Cherry Creek Business Women’s Network luncheon, held at Elway’s restaurant.

If you haven’t heard of the Cherry Creek Business Women’s Network and you live in or near Denver you are like I was before yesterday! (missing out) This group of vivacious women is paving the road to success in the Denver area by helping those less fortunate.

YOU can learn more and help previously homeless single parents by attending the annual holiday book drive to benefit Warren Village on December 17, 2009.

Register here: CCBWN.org and plan to stop by and say Hi! I will be autographing my newest book, The Journey, Home from Autism as well as both of my children’s books: When I Was a Little Boy, by Jesus and Fire & Ice

I will donate 10% of the proceeds from every book purchased at Elway’s to the Warren Village.

To learn more or to donate books towards this worthy cause, please contact Lisa Voncino here: Lisa@SundanceConsulting.com

This pizza will fool even the pickiest eater! I doubt that you will even know that you are eating a wheat-less pizza! The dough is SO easy to prepare that I am beyond thrilled. I think you will be, too! Bon Appétit!

Mix together and set aside:
1 cup warm water (110°F)
1 package active dry yeast

Mix well together:
1 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/42 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons Vances Dairy Free powdered milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated shredded mozzarella cheese
1 T garlic powder
1 T Italian spice mixture

ADD to yeast mixture and then add liquid to flour mixture:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large egg

Blend mixture together with a wooden spoon and with hands, if necessary, to incorporate completely. Let mixture sit for about 1 hour, until the dough springs back when it is touched.

With well floured hands (tapioca flour works well) take a large handful and pat down to about 1/2″ thick. Do this directly on top of parchment paper which is laying on top of a cookie sheet. *Sprinkle the parchment paper with cornmeal first.

Bake the pizza crusts at 500 degrees for about 10 minutes – until nicely browned on top. You can add pizza sauce, toppings and cheese first or do like I do – freeze the crusts until ready to use. I then add the toppings to thawed-out crusts and bake for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.

The boys had a two week break from school at the end of October. We were lucky enough to spend part of this break at my parent’s house in Texas where I was also able to share my writing program with a wonderful group of authors.

Since returning we had a huge snow storm that allowed them to stay home and play in the snow for three out of five days the following week. Talk about a vacation! Then… the fourth week (last week – a teacher work day on Friday!)

In between all of the playing I have been working hard on the roll-out of my next book The Journey, Home from Autism and have focused most of my promotional energies on my facebook site, facebook.com/RhondaSpellman.

On December 1st, 2009 I will have an online Autism Awareness program  My online program will focus on how I learned to Understand… Accept… Act instead of React and begin a mission to Reach, Teach and Inspire special children AND the adults who love them!

Please consider joining us here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164622338417&index=1

Also, starting in January, I will have a monthly program that focuses on a specific topic, designed to help with the Autism journey.

Peace, blessings and love…

~Rhonda

October has been a crazy month – one where I was gone more than I was home. Several engagements earlier in the month revolved around my Autism Awareness program.

On October 9th I left for Charleston, W.V. at 6:30 a.m. which, of course, means that I arrived at the Denver International Airport at 4:30. My first flight took off late and we landed five minutes after my connection to Charleston had already left.

I was diverted to Detroit for a three hour layover. The next leg took me to Cincinnati where I learned that my outgoing flight was overbooked. After another four hours I was en route to Charleston.

On every single flight I was graced by the most amazing companions. One special new friend, Debbie, was wanting to write a children’s book (we now are talking about partnering on the project). Another had a son with Autism and has already ordered my newest book (available in late November).

Still another companion was traveling to Charleston to complete in the Chili Cook Off. He came prepared with his meat and spices and shared a few wonderful tips on how he had already won numerous competitions.

IF my flight plans would have run “smoothly” and on time I would have arrived in Charleston at 4:05 p.m. – a full seven hours earlier. IF I would have chosen to scream and yell (as a few others chose to do) when I was bumped from my flight I would have lost out on meeting the most amazing people.

Finding the silver lining in life sometimes comes in the most usual packages – sometimes wrapped in a paper bag, sometimes in a Styrofoam cooler and sometimes wearing a pair of comfortable, old jeans.

Two days after I returned from West Virginia I left for Texas. I chose to drive so that my boys (on fall break) could go with me. We set off at 8:00 a.m. for the eight hour trip to my parent’s house in Hereford, TX.

The uneventful trip was a far cry from my plane trip and we arrived with over an hour before I was scheduled to speak to a writer’s group in Friona, TX.

The writer’s group, though very small, was full of life and talent and several members brought books they had written. Two that really stood out included one on Friona and area residents and another about a woman’s story after loosing her child. Both authors had spent countless hours of research and even more on the production. It was comforting to know that we had walked on common ground.

I was also blessed by the librarian at Friona – perhaps she really had wings that I couldn’t see… from the red carpet treatment the moment I arrived to her sharing a few personal goals that I’m praying about–I felt like family. It’s a Texas thang..

To top off the evening several members brought yummy snacks and my friend Diane brought her famous GF / CF sugar cookies (unbelievably good) to share. Everyone shared their accomplishments, struggles and goals. I left feeling like I had gone to a revival. Here is Diane’s cookie recipe. You won’t know you’re eating GF cookies!!

Diane’s GF Sugar Cookies
1 ½ c sugar
1 c butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
3 c + 2T GF flour mix*
2 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 ½ t xanthan gum

Blend sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat mixture on high until fluffy (2-3 min.). Mix the dry ingredients together then stir into the butter mixture. Spoon dough onto a greased or parchment covered cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie to about 1/2″ thick. Bake at 375º for 10-13 minutes.

For a richer, crisper cookie, modify the flour mixture as follows:
1 cup plus 1 ounce (2 T) Gluten Free Flour mix made with fine grade rice flour, such as available at oriental grocery stores.
1 cup sorghum flour
2 ounces potato starch
2 ounces arrowroot starch
4 ounces almond flour

Bette Hagman’s GF Flour Mix (from More From the Gluten-Free Gourmet)
2 parts white or brown rice flour
2/3 parts potato starch flour
1/3 tapioca flour

(Rice flour and tapioca flour can each be purchased at oriental grocery stores, often more cheaply than other stores.)

For nine cups of mix, sift together:
6 cups rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour

I hope that you enjoy the cookies (as we did) and that your month was as wonderful as ours was. May you all find blessings in the moments given to you each day!

Are YOU still reading the hype and wondering whether to take a chance with the H1N1 shot or not?

This interview with Dr. Kent Holtorf, an Infectious Disease Expert, might answer the questions you were afraid to ask.

If Dr. Holtorf’s interview doesn’t answer your questions, this list surely will!

Eighteen Reasons Why You Should NOT Vaccinate Your Children Against The Flu This Season

If you have further questions, I welcome them here.

My newest book The Journey, Home from Autism will be back from the printer next month! Order your copy now under the bookstore link. Take advantage of free shipping by entering FREESHIP in the discount box.