Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 133:  The Diet Debate

On the Horizon is an award winning weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child’s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.

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More Great Ideas

A Note from Nicole: Taking Time Away

Idea of the Week:  Cross-Country Skiing—Without Skis!

Feature Article: The Diet Debate

The Horizons Team Recommends:  Cooking to Heal DVD and Cookbook

Allergen-Free Recipe of the Week: Egg-Free Chicken Nuggets

Upcoming Events:
Horizons Events, Teleseminars & Workshops

Hi Everyone,

I’m in Florida this week enjoying some time with family in a sunnier and warmer climate.  Whether it’s a day trip or a weeklong vacation, it’s important to periodically take time away from the everyday routines of life.  These types of experiences provide our children with memories that last a lifetime.  Is it time for your family to take a big or small getaway soon?

This week, Erin’s third article in her nutrition series is all about diets.  There is so much talk about special diets for children with neurological issues, and it can be confusing.  She breaks it down into the main categories of diets, ad provides information on how to choose the right one for you.

Speaking of diets, our colleague Julie Matthews has an awesome cookbook and DVD that is available to help you on your diet journey (or to just cook more healthy foods for your family).  You can check it out below!

Enjoy your week!

Looking to the horizon,

Cross-Country Skiing—Without Skis!

Find different things in the house that can be used as skis—paper plates, shoe boxes, pieces of wood, etc.— and try cross-country skiing across your lawn. See which objects work the best.

The Diet Debate

By: Erin Roon, MA CCC-SLP

In the world of autism spectrum and related disorders, there is debate about the effectiveness of a Gluten Free/Casein Free (GFCF) diet.  Some research says that the GFCF diet improves the symptoms of autism, while other research reports that it has no effect.  Still other research reports that some other type of diet is needed.  The truth of the matter is that some people will respond well to a GFCF diet, others need a different type of special diet, and still others don’t need a special diet at all.  So how do you know which one your child does or does not need?

This article is not written as a be all, end all answer about special diets; rather it is meant to help parents have a general understanding of the special diets available so as to make the decision about which (if any) diet could benefit their child.  It should be noted that in some cases, finding the right diet is by trial and error; but for many children looking at symptoms and food sensitivities can help in determining the best diet option.  If you decide to try a special diet for your child, I suggest that you commit to at least six months.  If you do not see any changes after six months of truly following the diet (no cheating), then this diet is probably not going to be helpful for your child.  I also suggest seeking advice and support from a nutritionist or dietician when looking for the best diet for your child.

Read more …

Cooking to Heal DVD and Cookbook

by Julie Matthews

If you are following a specialized diet for your child and family, or if you are interested in learning how to cook healthier, this resource is for you!  Julie has put together a wonderful cookbook with healthy family-friendly recipes, and included a DVD with cooking demonstrations to help you learn how to make them.  The recipes are classified according to the types of diets they adhere to, including GFCF, SCD, LOD, and others.  This is a resource we use often in the clinic, and encourage our families to use as well.

Egg-Free Chicken Nuggets

Whether you have just started a special diet with your child or you have been following one for years, it can be difficult to come up with what to serve. We decided to try to make that just a bit easier by providing you with a new allergen free recipe each week.

While it is impossible to meet every person’s unique food sensitivity needs, we hope you will find these recipes helpful and delicious. Please feel free to adapt the recipes to meet your needs and taste buds; we do it all the time.  Enjoy!

Egg-Free Chicken Nuggets

From:  Cooking to Heal by Julie Matthews

Note: We inadvertently ran this recipe without a citation two weeks ago, and are rerunning it with the correct citation now.  This is one of our favorite recipes, and we hope you will try it with your family! See the “Horizons Recommends” section below for more information on Julie’s cookbook and DVD with many additional family-friendly recipes.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts or thighs
• 2/3 cup GF flour (I use 2/3 brown rice flour and 1/3 potato starch or tapioca starch or a combo of both)
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar or other GF vinegar
• l/2 tsp baking soda

Get the complete recipe…

Please join us!

• Horizons Family Fun Event – Bounce Party

  (for Horizons client families only)

  January 29th from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Cost is $5 per child

• Teleseminar
  Fitness and Movement for Individuals with Autism and Other Special Needs Teleseminar – Suzanne Gray from Right-Fit
  (Horizons Families Only)
  February 17th from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern
• Horizons Mom’s Day

  (Horizons families only)

  February 19th from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

• Rhythmic Movement Training Levels 3 and 4

  Hosted by Horizons

  See http://www.rhythmicmovement.com for details

  February 24th – 27th

• Michigan Council for Exceptional Children annual convention in Grand Rapids

  Nicole and Erin will be presenting

  March 3rd & 4th

• It’s Your Time Conference at GVSU in Grand Rapids

  Nicole and Erin will be presenting

  March 5th

• Autism Society of Wisconsin Annual Conference

  Nicole will be presenting

  April 14th – 16th