And the answer is.....APPROVAL!

So after months of waiting, and waiting, and getting distracted by IEP's and inept school administrators, and more waiting, I finally wrote back to the kennel letting them know that we hadn't had a response, and asking if they could recommend any other programs who might be able to help (under the assumption that no answer meant NO).

Well, lo and behold a few minutes later I got an e-mail back from the program coordinator.  He expressed surprise (and possibly a little irritation/offense) that I had written, as he had already tried to contact me several times to let us know that the preliminary application had been approved, without success of course.  He had assumed that we were no longer interested.

This is the difficulty of international communications, especially where nearly an entire day separates the parties.  Emails were lost (seriously I never got them, though I'm not sure the program coordinator believes me), phone calls missed (which I completely feel terrible about), and then voicemails overlooked (since I didn't recognize the number, and for some reason we've been getting a lot of 'junk mail' calls on our VOIP number).

I've also failed to follow up as well as I should have.  Distractions have abounded, with school crises, IEP meetings (so many of them), illness, and I have let things slide.  I guess this is my lesson to not let the speed bumps in life distract me from everything else.

So, the long and short is that our preliminary application has been approved.  We now have to move onto the in depth "official" application...which also means working to convince my better half that he wants to pay $10,000 for a dog having a bad hair day (as he describes Labradoodles).

I am terribly nervous...it won't be easy to convince my husband that all the agony (nothing like trying to import a dog into a country that doesn't like importing dogs and doesn't recognize service dogs) and the money (oh how much it will be), will greatly enhance our daughter's life.  It is also an awesome commitment, and a process in which SO many things can (and likely will, given our experience in Japan so far) go wrong. 

Questions are racing unchecked through my mind.......Will Annika like the idea of having a dog to help her?  Will the dog actually help her?  Will this just be a colossal waste of time and money?  How difficult will the Japanese government (and lets face it, our own government) make this experience?  Is this even possible (seriously, is it)?

With the official application, the serious business of this process begins.  Here is hoping that we can figure it out......

Going Dye Free

Our persistence has paid off, and the school is pushing forward with additional assessments and evaluations for Annika.  We're hoping to identify the underlying disorders or issues that are causing an increase in "undesirable" behaviour.  Unfortunately, in these early phases, there seems to be more focus on medication than the root cause.

Now, don't get me wrong, I wholly believe that medication has a good and proper place in the treatment of many disorders.  However, I don't personally believe that it should ever be used as the only intervention...and it should normally be reserved as the method of last resort...when the preservation of life outweighs the possible side effects.

When doing research on the medications that would likely be used, I was horrified.  The treatment for my daughter's inability to focus - amphetamines (which if you took without a prescription, would buy you a one way ticket to jail).  The treatment for irrability and agressiveness in children with autism - very powerful anti-psychotics (whose main side effects are DEATH, tardive dyskensia (a PERMANENT side effect), and worsening psychiatric conditions).

We wanted to find a way - anyway- to help our daughter before we resorted to medications that would have unknown effects on her developing brain.  We have heard from several friends and colleagues who also have children on the spectrum or dealing with ADHD and behaviour issues, that they have had success with a variety of dietary changes...success that has negated the use of medicaitons.

Our scope of dietary changes is a bit limited by location (we only have one grocery store on our base, and the local stores are vastly more expensive and ingredient lists are in a foreign language), but we are never-the-less beginning the journey of finding a natural way to help Annika.

We are starting out by trying an artificial dye free diet.  That means getting rid of Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and 2, and Green 3...and reducing the use of Caramel Colour.  I need to do a good recon trip to the commissary to determine what we should and shouldn't be buying, with my list of no-nos.

That recon trip hasn't happened, but I have started reading "real food" blogs, and scouring through the items already in our house.  I am thoroughly shocked and dismayed at how many items have these dyes in them...and so many of them the dyes seem to serve no other purpose than to make the food beautiful...no flavour enhancement, no nutritional value, no health benefits...just "beauty".  To be honest, I don't care about beautiful food, just healthy food.

I want food that will help my child be healthy, happy...to live the fullest and best life possible.  So slowly, one baby step at a time, we are taking away the stuff that wasn't supposed to be in food in the first place.

Still Here....still waiting

We're still waiting to hear from the training kennel, and waiting is the hardest part.  With a round of sickness and a lot of "fighting" with our school over IEP's and behaviour plans, I haven't had the energy to blog, but I'm hoping to get back to that.

Fundraising....how do I do it?

The biggest hurdle to this whole dream is going to be the money.  With 5 kids and a house that is a money pit (is there any other kind?), there isn't a lot of money (certainly not $20,000) just lying about.

Being overseas complicates matters a bit as well.  First, we are at a base that is a first time assignment for a significant number of people, meaning they are young, poor, and trying to raise families of their own.

Second, we are stationed in a country that two years ago suffered a truly devastating earthquake and tsunami, and we are not that far from the hardest hit areas.  There are people here struggling just to provide the basic necessities of heat, shelter, food, education.  It just seems so wrong to try and raise money for something as "non-essential" as a service dog.

Third, since we are using government property, there are rules (in triplicate) that govern what we can and cannot do on base...forms to fill out, space to find, basically a massive bureaucratic headache.

I am however not deterred (not yet anyway).

I have come up with a few ideas to raise money:

1. Bake Sale- Ah, the good old fashioned stand by!  Who doesn't love cookies, cake and pie?  I have seen a few bake sales on base since we got here, but they have always been for organizations (work groups, girl scouts, swim team, etc).  I am not sure how a bake sale for a private individual would be received.
2. Yard Sale- Trust me, we have junk in spades, and I have been trying to sell off items we no longer use or need.  Not much success so far.
3. Service Auction- People (probably me) donate a service.  Think babysitting, snow shovelling, dog walking, cakes, cards, house painting, whatever they want to offer.  People (not me) bid for those services, and the money goes into the pot.  Our kids primary school in England used to do this every year at Christmas to raise money.
4. Walk-a-thon- It is approximately 9,900 miles from our house to the kennel in Harmony, NC.  I was thinking I could walk/bike/row/run those 9,900 miles over the course of the year, and people could donate per mile (thinking maybe a total of $1 per mile, so each individual could toss in a few cents per mile).  That would be about 27 miles a day....I think I might need to get a treadmill.
5. "Direct Marketing" - Oh Facebook my friend, how you could help me raise money.  A simple approach would just be putting out the word, and seeing what happens.  That is where the blog, facebook, twitter, e-mail and word of mouth come in.

Sadly, that is all I can think of so far.  I always open to suggestions and ideas.

We have PayPal

We are not to the point that we would be able to fundraise yet.  We still have the lengthy application process to go through to even get approved for a dog.  However, in the great hope and anticipation, I have set up a PayPal account, so that in the (near) future, we can begin to accept donations to our effort.

For those interested, the email for the account is:

agirlandadogandadream@gmail.com

Here's to hoping that fundraising can begin soon, and that next year we can welcome our furry helper into our home!

Some Good News

Our youngest child, Eli, has a serious speech delay.  He has been receiving services for that, but I was still worried.  That is what I get for reading articles on new autism research that says younger children with older siblings with ASD have a 30% greater chance of a diagnosis.  I just couldn't get the idea out of my head that I might have another child with ASD on my hands, and early intervention is essential.

A local education agency arranged to have their psychologist do a home visit and evaluate Eli.  We had our visit last week, and the verdict was that while he has a serious speech delay, there are no signs of ASD!  While we have a tough road ahead with the speech issues, Eli is well on his way to being a happy healthy boy.

And so it begins....

I've finally managed to submit the preliminary application to Highland Canine Training.  Now it is just waiting to see if we get approved, then it is on the extensive full application. 

Hoping I can get Daniel on board during this time, and figure out where to get the money.....who knew a dog could be so expensive?

Love this Quote

"A child who connects to a dog, connects to the world"
-Autism Service Dogs of America

Tell me what you want, what you really really want!

While Annika was still in the assessment process, I read a new story about autism service dogs in the UK (where we were living at the time).  At first I was sure it must be a joke, but sure enough there were several charities training and placing the dogs with children.  I became determined (obsessed as my husband would say) that this is what Annika needed.

My beautiful daughter loves animals, and especially dogs.  Her first word was "DOG" and she is constantly sneaking up on them in public, trying to pet and play with them.  To have a dog, an individual that is naturally loving and accepting, especially trained to cope with her most difficult traits, seemed like a dream I wanted to come true.

It's been a year since Annika's diagnosis, and in that year, we've moved halfway round the world....and the dream of a dog was put off.  Now, I'm back in the saddle.  It may take me years to raise the money ($10,000+ for the dog and training and an additional $10,000 for travel and other expenses) but I am determined that not even the Japanese import regulations will keep me from bringing a furry friend for Annika into our home.

I have found a wonderful kennel in North Carolina that is willing to try and work with us.  Highland Caning Training trains more than Autism Service Dogs, but they have been the first kennel willing to try and make this international match happen.

So here is to hoping that someday it truly will be a girl and her dog!

The Journey

Most people will say that great people take the "road less travelled".  As a parent of 5 children, one with autism and another with speech issues, I can guarantee you that the road less travelled is a bit out of reach.  When you have a child with special needs, you travel a special road, the road that most just pass by.  It's the road that people walk by on their way to the "road less traveled", the one that looks overgrown, treacherous, difficult, and slightly ominous.

I cannot speak for everyone, but I think most of us who find ourselves on this special road are not here by choice, but rather by fate and necessity.  But don't feel too sorry for us here...the rest are really missing out.  The road may be difficult, often frustrating, and sometimes impossible, but these drawbacks are far outweighed by the joys.  When you struggle through the ugliness, the simple things are far more wonderful and beautiful.  When the road becomes impassable, it just means you have more time to stop and look around at all there is to see, and forces you to be ingenious and creative to find ways to travel on.  On our special road, there are always others to help you along the way, more willing to stop and aid because they too have been there.

Even in the dark and difficult moments when that road seems empty and impassable, I have to remind myself to look forward.  For there are footprints there already, footprints of one who has trod the road and knows the way, and is waiting to walk it with all of us.

It is a road that make the journey far more amazing.

In the Beginning...

As a mom of 5 children, and one with autism, I've found that I have a lot to say, and here is the place to say it.  This will be my way of documenting the personal journey of our family as we strive to fulfill the dream of helping our daughter, Annika, find her special place in the world....and hopefully a furry friend to be by her side.