I waited a year to write this - a year - because I've been fooled before. Most of this blog deals with John's persistent biochemical disorder; and his disorder is finally cured! (It's probably more accurate to say it's in remission.) We don't count carbs any more, though we do avoid pop and other forms of blatant sugar. Wheat, dairy, and even occasional artificials seem to be ok. One day is like another. He doesn't suddenly run around the house beating his chest and knocking furniture over, then apologize three hours later. He doesn't suddenly lean out his bedroom window and call Wendy a whore for the whole neighborhood to hear. Yes he gets upset, but we always know why. His emotions are that of a young child, and if we treat him that way, it all makes sense. Naturally we want him to have the maturity of a 16 year old, but we're just not there yet.
A part of me wonders if it was all a bad dream. Maybe he never had a biochemical disorder at all. Maybe his brain was badly miswired, and he simply grew out of it. That does happen with some ADHD kids. But then I pull out his medical records and look at the blood tests with the abnormal organic acids, acids that can only be made by bacteria. And I remember the smells, and all that we went through. No - he really did have a horrible disorder that brought on violent insanity. Now it is gone, but is that because he simply grew out of it, or was our dietary intervention an integral part of his recovery? I don't know for sure, but it's hard to see how he could have improved on a typical western diet.
School is going well for two reasons. His insanity is gone, as described above, and he has a wonderful full time aid who helps him deal with his emotional issues. I can't say enough about her; she may have saved his life. And don't forget the principal who authorized this expenditure, while a long line of prior schools said they couldn't afford such a thing. How can I ever repay these two wonderful people?
Of course I am speaking in relative terms. John isn't on the honor roll. In fact he's never going to get his high school diploma. He simply can't meet the requirements. But he will get a certificate of completion. Do you know about this program? I didn't, until the principal explained it to me. It means you came, and you did your best, and you definitely learned something. You walk across the stage just like every other graduate, and you can get into most community colleges. This is what John needs to succeed, now and in the future. Thank God for an understanding school. And it's a public school by the way. Sorry all you libertarians out there, but there is no private school that would accept John. There's just no profit in it. Mary would probably have no place to go either. It's easy to be politically stupid, and foist your extreme views on the rest of us, when you have a Braidy Bunch life.