This seem to be Jeremy’s new motto. From his special diet and supplements to his school work, everything takes time.

I am absolutely amazed by the changes I have noticed in Jeremy lately. His speech is so much better than it was just a few months ago. Jeremy goes on and on and he rarely has to stop to get his thoughts together. Everything just seems to be coming out. I used to have to stop what I was doing to listen and wait for Jeremy to tell me what he was thinking about, but this morning I realized I no longer have to stop and listen. Everything is so much clearer. Jeremy’s sentences are back to back and they are his own original thoughts. Jeremy is also sharing information about what happens at school, and he can even tell me about stories they read. The echolalia is slowly decreasing, but it is not gone and maybe it will never go completely away.

Jeremy is also much calmer than he has ever been. He is no longer bouncing off the walls. Homework is usually a breeze. Jeremy seems to understand what he is being asked to do, but he still gets frustrated at times. Jeremy is getting much better at writing, but he will try to rush through his work. I do often erase his sloppy letters and we start over, together we say “slow and steady wins the race.” I am so proud of Jeremy’s success and I do know this is just the beginning.

When we first started this journey I had heard many stories of children improving rapidly by changing their diet and adding supplements, but the truth is that each child is different. From the beginning Jeremy has shown improvements, but nothing has happened overnight.

Jeremy is doing okay in school, but he continues having trouble with impulsiveness and his behavior, especially during transitions. He is having some difficulty adjusting to the new school and new class, and he is trying to find the comfort of his old schedule (from last school year). Hopefully this will soon become familiar and Jeremy will start to settle in more. On a positive note, the work that he is bringing home is much better than what he has done in the past. Jeremy is now able to write his letters the correct size and on the right lines of the paper. He has always struggled with his coloring, and that seems to be improving as well. Jeremy’s latest work is mostly in the lines and not so much of the big mess he used to produce. I am certain he will do well this year.

Jeremy has also gained a pound over the last month. It may not sound like a lot, but he is underweight for his age and he has been drinking nothing but water during this time. I also had to cut Jeremy’s finger nails for the first time in about a year. Jeremy constantly picks at them and they never grow long enough to cut, but today I noticed that he had nails. I don’t quite understand why he has suddenly stopped picking or what caused him to stop.

Jeremy is still drinking the Kangen water and slowly, but surely he is showing improvements. I know that Jeremy didn’t get where he is overnight and helping him to get better is definitely going to take time!

Jeremy started school exactly one week ago. I think I was more nervous about it than he was. I did my best to prepare Jeremy this year because last year started off terrible. We read social stories about going to a new school and a new classroom and new classmates. Jeremy actually seemed excited, but when we got about 30 feet from the front door anxiety and panic took over. I WAS TERRIFIED! When Jeremy feels uncomfortable his reactions can be very inappropriate. He often screams and shouts any bad word he can think of and he tries to bite or scratch others….. but not this time. Jeremy told me he wanted to go home, but I was able to talk him into going into the school. Once inside we sat down and he buried his head into my shoulder and just cried. I was sad and happy all at once. It is awful to see your child so upset, but at the same time I was so pleased that his reaction was “normal”. Everything was going to be okay. Jeremy’s first day was great. He had a little trouble the rest of the week, but he is getting used to an unfamiliar setting with an unfamiliar routine. Hopefully he will have more great days when he gets used to his schedule and his surroundings.

Jeremy continues to drink the Kangen Water and he really seems to enjoy drinking it. When his glass is empty, he immediately fills it back up. He has also been filling up my glass when he sees I don’t have anymore water. Jeremy’s speech continues to improve. He is talking so much now that sometimes I want to tell him to be quiet. He goes on and on from one subject to the next. He no longer repeats the same sentence over and over. Jeremy is also able to tell me about things he does at school. I am so excited about that one because he has never been able to tell me anything. Now I can ask questions and usually get the answers. Of course, Jeremy sometimes still has trouble, but he has improved drastically over the last few weeks. He is now able to have short conversations with his others. A few months ago I didn’t think that would ever happen.

This week we have been working on getting Jeremy back to the calm he had before we went on vacation. I have cut most of the sugar back out of Jeremy’s diet and within a few days he settled back down. We also tried giving Jeremy a calcium and magnesium chewable, but he refuses to take it. The supplement is big and seems chalky. Jeremy chews it up and tries to scrape it off his tongue. I can’t find anything good to hide it in, so we will stick to supplements that can be swallowed.

Jeremy is making really great progress. We will continue to work toward maximizing his success. It is a long road ahead, but we are ready for the journey!

Two weeks ago we went out of town and things have been crazy ever since. I expected Jeremy to have some trouble adjusting being away from home, but I didn’t have any clue that it would take so much time to get back on track. Jeremy has always had trouble when his daily routine changes, but I was hoping with all of his improvements, he would be okay. Unfortunately, I allowed Jeremy to have more sugar than at home (something we had been keeping to a minimum) and he is now out of control. We returned home one week ago and he still seems to be bouncing off the walls. One thing is for sure I will never make that mistake again.

Before leaving I made sure we had plenty of Kangen Water with us and he did not drink anything else. Of course the Kangen Water is best within the first few days, but it is still cleaner than any other water I could give him. While I don’t think drinking the water has helped with his behavior, it certainly seems to be helping his brain. Jeremy’s words are flowing with very little trouble and he easily moves from one thought to another. Jeremy has always had a problem with his language and he often repeats the same thing over and over. He has also started drawing new pictures and in the past the only thing he would attempt to draw was a person or a robot. (Most of his pictures looked extremely similar.) Jeremy has also begun telling stories and is able to use his imagination more than he ever has in the past. I am thrilled with the new creativity and I never thought he had it in him. It is like a door has opened and everything that was stuck inside is finally coming out.

Jeremy has his first day of school tomorrow and I am very nervous. He will be going to a new school this year and he will be repeating kindergarten. Last year his behavior and inability to focus held him back. I am hopeful the changes over the summer will help him accomplish the things that were out of reach last year.

Jeremy’s improvements are always exciting. Slow and steady is the key to his success. He has come so far over the last month and a half, but he is not there yet. I have definitely learned my lesson about the sugar and it is back down to a minimal amount. (I can’t quite figure out how to get rid of it completely, especially with him being a picky eater.) I just hope he will get back to the calm he was before the trip so he can have the wonderful year in kindergarten he deserves!!

Jeremy is still making great progress on his plan. He is now interested in all new foods and is asking for things he refused to even try a few months ago. I can’t believe it. Jeremy’s speech therapist did an evaluation this week and he improved a lot. He is learning a bunch of his sight words because he will actually sit and pay attention to review them. We are also very close to meeting some of his IEP goals over the summer such as counting to 100. (Not quite there. He gets confused with thirty and forty, but after that he knows the rest.) These are goals he had all year last year and never came close to achieving. We haven’t had to much time to work at these but he is picking up so quickly.

I recently made a new morning routine for Jeremy without any pictures. Jeremy is able to figure out what each item on the list is and is able to complete the routine with little redirection. The new helper around the house is Jeremy. He helps to take laundry to and from the laundry room and he is even learning how to sort clothes. When it comes to straightening up around the house Jeremy is usually the first to volunteer a helping hand.

Jeremy has been drinking the Kangen Water for a week and a half now. The past couple days he hasn’t been as calm, but today he is settling back down. He has also been making several trips to the bathroom. My guess is the wild behavior may be linked to his body detoxing with help from the Kangen Water. It is hard to tell whether any of Jeremy’s new success is from drinking the Kangen Water because he is eating differently and taking supplements too.

Each and everyday I am surprised by Jeremy’s new accomplishments. He is able to sit and pay attention for longer periods of time and he is overall much calmer than he was before he saw Tiffany. Things are going great. I can’t wait to see what happens next!!