2005 Big Changes in Ben

[Bob Gould]

Sun 13 Feb 2005
Working on taking the mercury out of his system



Although this has come and pass we are taking Ben to another doctor tomorrow. Please keep Ben in your prayers

They are working on taking the mercury out of his system. This past month we were able to rid his system of about 1/3 of it. In case you dont know this, one of the ways that children like Ben get mercury levels so high is thru vaccinations. Some children are able to rid their bodies of the horribly toxic metal and some arent. Ben happens to be one of those that cant rid himself of it without help. So we are also boulstering some of the organs that are prone to carry most of the weight of cleaning the system like the gall bladder and kidney. So we are continuing with the mercury cleansing and will move on from there.

Ben was born with it, his brain scarring was supposedly from sometime during vitro. He had delayed mylenation and that is a big marker for types of enzyme interruption so it could have been something as simple as the fillings in my mouth (mercury) that caused the problem in his body developing and functioning. They dont know. I do know that a lot of his hospitalizations have corresponded with vaccinations. I cut out all vaccines in 96 but our problems continued just not the hospitalizations. Im not one to believe Drs when they tell me he cant do something because it is usually accompanied with “I dont know”. Which in my opinion makes their knowledge questionable and doubtable. So I usually go find my own. That strategy has worked well for us.

He was orginally diagnosed with CP but is more autistic now because of all the diet and alternate therapies I have done with him. The brain is a very trainable, plastic organ and it amazes me. For instance they told me he would probably never crawl or walk. Well of course it didnt make sense to me that if he could set up and move his legs and feet, why couldnt he crawl. So I just trained him to. Built a ramp elevated it, and began hand over handing him at a crawl. The elevated ramp just gave me the advantage of gravity and made him more prone to move down the ramp. He started crawling, not a very good reciprical crawl, so I had him rolfed and put him in Hippotherapy (Physical therapy on horse back). It helped his CNS a great deal because within 2 weeks he was doing a good reciprical crawl and then within a day or two after that he just took off crawling all on his own. So, my next theory was, if he can crawl why cant he walk? The hip is moving, the legs are moving the arms are moving he is using his back and neck and everything else and crawling was the next level in the normal childs developmental stage so I continued to encourage crawling, lots of it. He just stood up one day at the age of 3 and within a few days was walking. Where I think traditional therapy misses out is they dont look at where they want to be from a place of natural development of the brain. 1st roll over, belly crawl, rock on all fours, crawl, pull up then walk. These steps help develop the brain. You have to approach the brain from that stand point. How does a normal brain develop? How do we train our horses? Step by step, build upon each step. Keep the whole body healthy and pray the good Lord helps along the way.

[Bob Gould]

Fri 1 Jul 2005
Our Son Ben

Many of you know my youngest son was born with Cerebral Palsy. I have done so much with him over the years though that has pushed him beyond what was projected that the label no longer fits him. He fits more into the category of Autism now (which the medical profession knows even less about). But, we just learned of some new diseases/disorders (that fit my sons description to a “T”) that they have developed tests for. I have called his Dr and set up an appointment to discuss with him these new tests. I need your prayers to open up the Doctors mind to things he doesn’t know and that these tests will help us define Benjamin’s neurotransmitter problems and treat them.
Tamet Gould

[Bob Gould]

Fri 5 Aug 2005
Benjamin 2005

Ok, Benjamin has been on the new medical treatment regime since June 26, 05. He is seeing Dr Kendal Stewart of the Neuro-Sensory Center of Austin. 512-338-9840.
For those of you in the professional world this is what Dr Stewart sees when he looks at Ben right now;
Imbalance
Coordination Disorder
Labyrinthine Hypofunction bilateral
Developmental Language Disorder
Hereditary Sensory Neuopathy
Concern regarding Increased Heavy Metal Burden

In my opinion, I like this. Because, we all look at these and think to ourselves well there is a therapy for this and that. But, here is something I want you to think about. If he had wrote Autism, you would think differently. Think before you speak, you know I am right. There is a stigma with the word that has an underlying meaning of hopelessness. I am here to re-train your thought process on this, AUTISM IS A SYMPTON OF PROBLEMS. DID YOU HEAR ME? AUTISM IS A SYMPTOM OF TREATABLE PROBLEMS, Oh, Im sorry I added a little that time so let me tell you again; AUTISM IS A SYMPTON OF TREATABLE PROBLEMS. Did you get it that time?

Let me tell you why this is important. Over the last 10yrs (according to the US Dept of Education) there has been a 500% (not a typo) increase in diagnosed Autism spectrum disorders. All of these are between the ages of 1-17 yrs old folks. What is this going to do to our welfare system, medical system and care system over the nexts 10-20 yrs. Your right, they are going to sky rocket unless the medical profession steps up to the plate (I have only met 3 in the last 10 1/2 yrs that could even find the d@#% table!!! much less the base ball field they are supposed to be playing in. Sorry I will rein in my opinion on the “MD’s”). Anyway, back off my soap box and on to Ben……….

Ben is starting to act like a typical 2yr old; short temper, wants what he wants RIGHT THEN and not a second later, and gets madder than a hornet when he can’t do exactly what he wants to do. He is starting to echo more words and use more words to get what he wants (He has a vocabulary of about 25 words) . He is wanting to ride the lawn mower by himself!!! Never has he done that before. That started on the 25th of July. He even walked flat footed for a whole day, thats big considering he tip toes all the time. He is getting more social and is even playing with a few toys from time to time. He has never shown much of an interest in toys! He is trying more and more to communicate with us. In fact here is the big kicker - HE SAID HIS FIRST SENTENCE TODAY! August 4th, 2005 ; Ice Cream is Cold.. I can assure you I have never heard a prettier sentence.

He has had a rough week this week; monday I got him some waffles at the store that were supposedly yeast free, gluten free, dairy free etc etc etc. Well after 2 hrs of eating them he broke out in a rash and has been irritable all week. But, I can assure you that the sentence he spoke tonight MORE than makes up for the other stuff this week.

We do the metal challenge next week and then go back to Dr Stewarts in Sept.

August 8th Update:
We bought Ben a battery powered ATV today and he LOVES IT. Bob has had to tell him numerous times not to go into the road and Bob and Jospeh (his older brother) have both had to help him steer the vehicle. But he still loves it. He has had to be shown several times how to put and keep his foot on the pedal (with his shoe on). Mind you he can only ride it about 2 hrs a day before it has to be recharged.

August 9th Update:
Sent Bens metal challenge sample off today, cant wait to see how that will pan out. Ben is hunting his 4 wheeler. Doing much better but still have to walk beside him and assist some.

August 10th Update:
Wow, Ben is doing really well on the ATV. You just have to stay near him in case he runs into something and show him how to back it up.

August 11th Update:
Ben is off on his OWN!!!!!!! He can ride it with or without shoes now and Joseph just stood in the front yard with him today. Ben got stuck (ran into the fence) and Joseph had to show him how to back up about 6 times.

August 12th Update:
Ben is DOING GREAT! He is on his own now (just have to stand out there in the yard with him). He is driving it, I mean around things, looking were he is going etc. He is still in 1st gear though. He DOES NOT LIKE 2ND GEAR, WAY TO FAST FOR HIM!!! He is figuring it out SO FAST!!!!

August 13th Update:
Had a Applied Verbal Behavior therapist come out today and we will be starting that program with him about mid week of next week. He was all over the place today. He drives it thru the gates now, around the trees, telephone poles etc etc etc. He is even starting to step over things when he walks! He has always tripped over everything but never stepped over with such nochelance. It is such a wonder to watch him. His spatial senses (where he is in space is improving) , he is watching better, he is looking where he goes when he drives. This ATV was worth every little penny it cost.

August 14th Update:
Strange day, Ben is irritable, he doesnt want to ride the ATV but goes swimming. Strangely enough he slept VERY LITTLE TOO. Bob was up until 4:00am with him into Monday morning. Dont know what is going on.

August 15th Update:
Ben slept until 10:30am. He is in a great mood. He spent 1/2 the day with his ‘girl’ friend that he likes to play with. This evening when he got on the ATV (which he wanted to), Bob put it in 2nd gear and Ben took off. It was hillarious, he was hot rodding!!!! He would get on the gravel and stop it, it would skid side ways just a little and then he would gas it and pell out. OMG it was so funny, he was having a blast! He is backing up independently now. And he will drive into the fence occasionally just so he can back up. He gets the biggest grin on his face. He is so happy! I guess it is the feeling of independence that it gives him. Boy in 2nd gear the battery sure doesnt last as long though and that definitely makes him unhappy. He drives it until it just dies and then sets on it and hollers go, go and tries to scoot it forward. We tried putting him on the mower but it is to hard for him to steer.

August 16th Update:
He drove it into the ground again today. It amazes me at how competent he is at driving it. He wont go into the road (going to have to put a fence up front though to make sure) but he just drives it all over our front yard at 9-0 just as fast as it will go.

August 17th Update:
Last week Ben started tracking visually better. In other words, while he is in the car he watches the senery go by and tracks things with his eyes. Up to this point he would just look out the back seat window and not track anything. His visual sense is becoming much quicker. He is still using his words and gestures to get things. But his gross motor and some of his fine motor skills are improving. He went out and rode the ATV today and he was ALL over our front acre, (went out into the road one time and scared the beejees out of me, I went screaming after him. He just grinned and turned back onto the property) not just out front now but all over where there wasnt a fence stopping him.. Around the front part, back to the back then around in the small fenced in front part then back around the playset behind the RV, all of this TWICE and I am walking around going where is he? I can hear him but he is moving to fast for me to keep up with. Guess we will carry him out to Diamond W Friday evening to ride around on 4 acres if not more. Just going to have to make sure we lock the front gate.

It is amazing to see him do some of the things he is doing but it is sure a Miracle in action!!!!!

[Bob Gould]

Wed 10 Aug 2005

Yesterday Tamet was at Walmart went she saw an ATW or a least a battery powered toy that looks like one. She thought that it was just the right size for Ben so she tried to get him to get on it. Ben didn’t care for it till Tamet sat on it then he wanted to sit on it too. Then Tamet and Kelly pushed him around on it. Ben loved it. Ben has NEVER showed any interst in toys before so she came back home and told me about it. Well I have to see this for myself cause like I said Ben has never showed interest in toys before and that is a big step towards becoming more normal. So we get there and they have it bolted down and won’t bring it down so I can see for myself. So after a few minutes we decide to buy it even though it is very expensive but I figure if in a few months of us helping him if he figure out how to make it stop and go it will help hiw a lot.

When we get the ATV home and it has to be assembled. While it is being assembled Ben wants someone to ride around on the mower so he can watch (by the way he has learned to say mow very plainly). Anyway it takes a while to build it. After I finish I tell Joseph to put the mower away and get the ATV. Ben get so mad he starts screaming (another new thing voicing his feelings). So I figure great what a waste of money he doesn’t like it at all. SO while Joseph rides it around Ben gets on the mower and orders anyone near him to mower while trying to start it. Joseph puts the ATV up and then Dillon comes out and says “wow I wish I had one of these” and “Man I have got to get one of these”.

While Joseph and Dillon are playing with the ATV Ben decides he wants to ride it. He gets on and I help him put his foot on the gas petal. So Ben rides around the yard and I turn the ATV where I want it to go. After he rides for a while I decide I should get it on video. SO while I am videoing I tell Joseph to show Ben how to stop the ATV by moving Ben’s foot off the petal. As soon as it stops Ben starts saying “Go” as he rocks back and forth trying to get it to move. So Joseph puts his foot back on the petal and off it goes again. After riding a few minutes Bens foot slips off the petal and he starts saying “go very loudly. By this time I am at his side again helping steer the thing so I reach down and move his foot back on the petal and around he goes again. This goes on for 3 or 4 more times and then I start poking his leg the is on the petal when he stops when I do off he goes again. This goes on for 5 or 6 times then when he stops and says “go” I say “You make it go” then off he goes.

During all this I am still having to help him steer but he has figured out how to make it go himself. Pretty big for a kid that they said would never crawl, walk, or talk. After about an hour he has started figuring out that he can make it turn himself although he will still run into things and really isn’t aware of things that are in front of him or to the side. All this happen August 8th.

This morning August the 8th Ben gets up goes outside wants to ride again. He is barefooted and has some trouble getting the thing going. Ten to twenty minute go by and I see that he is setting back to far on the seat. I then move him up and off he goes again. I let him get used to going for a while then I say “Ben stop” and he stops. I think could this really be happening so when he has gone for a while I say “Ben stop” then he stops. this goes on for 30 minutes or so then all of a sudden when I say “Ben stop” He shakes his head no and says “go”. This is the same kid that they said will never speak in sentences.

After Ben had riden for a while I let him start running into stuff (how else is he going to figure out how to avoid things). He hits the fence first and seats there saying “go” over and over till I put the ATV in reverse. So I leave him with Kelly and go to get some work done. Ben rides around in the yard till the battery dies. While Ben is inside I recharge the battery and after a few hours I come in the house and say “Ben do you want to ride your motorcycle?” He gets a Big smile on his face and heads for the back door. I have never even said motorcycle to him before so I wasn’t sure if he understood but sure enough he goes straight to it and gets on. Now I let him steer except for a few times when I made it where he would just miss the big bushes in the yard when he would just get close enough to sting from the branches scrapping on him (hey he’s a Gould and Gould’s have to learn the hard way).

Ben has now hit the bushes about 3 or 4 times then all of a sudden he starts steering away from them getting close but not hitting them. Next he starts cutting corners around the light pole getting just a few inches away from it too. Then he start getting really close to the fence close enough that the wheels scrape. When I try to turn him away from them he turns back. The it dawns on me that is what I do when I mow I get reall close to the light pole really close to the bushes and so close to the fence that the wheels scrape. He’s mowing mowing on a motorcycle he has been watching me mow and learning how it is done and when he gets a chance he repeats it.

Ben has now been on this ATV for about a total of six hours now and decides he wants to ride in the street. At first I think he just hasn’t figured the steering out good enough yet. But after watching him straighten it out and go down the driveway I finally get it. I remember when my other kids were little two to be more exact. They would test me. My oldest decided she wanted to play with my stereo and I wouldn’t let her (I can remember it like it was yesterday). My oldest son wanted to play in the street I would have to turn him around and head him the other way. Ben had reached two in his mind he is growing up finally. I am see things that a few months ago I would never have even dreamed of he has learned to steer in about six hours. Not bad for a kid who will never talk in sentences and never hold down a job.

I spend about 10 minutes of turning him around and decide that maybe he wants to ride on pavement so we go over to the neighbors house because they have a long paved driveway. We no sooner get there and he heads for their motorcycle track. AS he is going I think “what the heck does he think he is doing. Then he get to the place where they have made trails and he turns on them. Can really know that this is for motorcycles and he is riding one? Well he answers that question by trying to climb one of the hills they have there. The ATV is battery powered and can only climb a 10 percent grade so it couldn’t make it up the hill so I make him head back to the house and he rides around till the batery goes bad. When I say “That’s it son we have to recharge it” He gets off. He is doing what I told him to without any kind of trouble.

About six o’clock Ben decides he wants to ride again the batteries need to be charged 11 hours before they can be used again so we will go tomorrow and get another battery so while he is riding the other is charging. Tonight about 10 o’clock he grabs my shirt pulls me up out of the chair and says “go” then as I get up he runs to the bedroom flat footed to the bed (another big one most of the time he wals on his tip toes). As we laid in the bed I started talking about what we had done that day and when I said motorcycle he got the biggest smile on his face and soon he was off to sleep. Right now it is 1:30 am I can’t sleep because I am so exicted. This has been one the shortest days I can remember and one of the most exciting to watch my 10 year old son ride a 4 wheeled ATV around the yard. How much is that worth, to see him do what they said can’t be done? To do something I never dreamed he could do. I don’t think it was so expensive after all. How do you thank someone for making a miracle toy?

[Bob Gould]

Mon 22 Aug 2005
Benjamins Weekly Update

August 14 - 21

Well this has been an hectic, worrisome, and great week. Ben started the week out with problems. He had some inflamation going on in his intestines so he had to go on a soup and liquid diet for a couple of days and we put him on cortef the last 4 days of this week. That helps him with his inflamation.

But, he is getting sooooooo good at driving his little 4 wheeler. I had to buy him another battery mid week and he goes through both ea day. As I set here and type he has passed in front of the window twice. I sat with him today for the 1st battery and now Bob is setting with him during the second battery so I can catch yall up. Now we have seen some interesting things beginning to surface this week. He can now balance on his big balance ball without anyone holding it for him. I can push him side to side and he recovers or rebalances himself all by his lonesome (oohhh there he goes by again). He actually stood on one foot in the bathtub on Friday (w/o holding onto something). NEVER has he been able to do that, so that is very exciting. I will be glad when it becomes something he can do on a regular basis. He is echoing more and more words, a couple of words that he hasnt said in at least 2 yrs have come back to his vocabulary; up and home. His visual quickness is getting better. We went up to see Bobs oldest girl today and Ben was looking out of the sun roof in the truck - HE HAS NEVER DONE THAT. He has become so much more aware of the world around him and showing more interest in looking at the world around himself. That 4Wheeler is helping his spatial sense so much.

He is getting much better about going on the potty also. Although he has been real cranky about anyone else taking him this week but me. Believe me, when I say cranky, it is an understatment. When he gets cranky he hits you, bites you or slaps you so you always have to be aware of where he is in your space 

Dont know if I have ever mentioned it but in 02 he head butted me in the face and I had a reallllyy big black eye. So, needless to say when we went to my family reunion all my football player cousins came and ask me if every thing was alright with Bob and me and were giving him the evil eye. It was so funny, Bob didnt want to go, but I had to tell everyone about Bens problem and Im sure then that some of them didnt believe me but I had bigger things to worry about than what they thought.

Anyway, Bob just came and got me the 4 wheeler has stripped the gears in the rear end. JEEEEEZ we just got it on the 8th of this month!!!!! Going to have to run it to Ft Worth tomorrow morning to the service center. Bummer, just when he is doing so good on it.

Video Of Ben after riding for about 2 weeks Ben.mov

[Bob Gould]

Sunday August 28, 2005

Well his 4 wheeler has broken again. really don't know what to do. I hate taking it back because it has been doing him so good