Respen-A Or Not Respen-A?
by Steve West on April 19, 2010
We got a prescription for the aforementioned drug and have been administering it to Olivia for one month now. The results are pretty mixed. There have been no side effects apart from some minor appetite issues but also not a whole lot of observable benefits. Not a lot but a significant few. Olivia seems to be slightly more aware of her world than before. She is somewhat more focused when performing tasks and turns her head to identify noises as opposed to ignoring them as in the past. Her world is now more than just a three foot sphere of influence. We got an additional two month supply as it was recommended that a trial last for a minimum of two months.
Her vocabulary has expanded by a few more words and she apparently has mastered a few school tasks by rote memory. She memorizes a lot of things that I previously would not have expected and has learned a few more tasks previously unachieved. She types using a standard keyboard but only to copy text not generating original thoughts.
But, and this is the rub, how much of this is attributable to the medication and how much is just the natural maturation process? The progress is enough to continue the experiment. At least for another few months.
The cost is manageable, although the hundreds we have paid are yet to be reimbursed by our insurance and the supplements she has to have are cumbersome to an already finicky eater. But she physically appears to have nothing adverse happening. Brenda and I are maintaining enough enthusiasm to continue the efforts required. We'll continue to observe and do our best to make unemotional judgements.
Three Replies to Respen-A Or Not Respen-A?
Scott Hardie | April 20, 2010
Agreed. This is good news! If the drug did help, could Olivia lose some of the gains that she made if she went off of it, or are the improvements permanent? Every patient is different and this drug is brand new, so who knows. I think Amy has the right attitude; progress is progress. :-)
Jackie Mason | April 23, 2010
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Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »
Pass Out Drunk And Still Be The Life Of The Party
I haven't passed out drunk since my brother's bachelor party 25 years ago. Thankfully nobody cared enough to torture me like these guys. I experience schadenfreude seeing photos of this nature but still laugh my silly ass off. Go »Slip Slidin' Away
Why do adults get on children's slides? Compilation film of various acidents, big, small, young, and old. The fifth clip in of the guy going down the water slide head first sans kid almost gave me a brain hemorrhage from laughing. Go »Dumb Criminals And Other Court Type Stuff Part 2
Another collection of dumb criminals/lawsuits. Over-salted burger; anger management irony; the writing is on the wall dope; porn = pain; and finally, from the "What Did They Expect?" department, Unwanted donation . Go »Phallic Logo Awards
Most of these fall under the "They Had To Have Noticed" category. I'll never look at another Head tennis racket quite the same way again. The winner is absolutely hilarious. Go »What Are We Gonna Do? Road Trip.
A brand new drug has come onto the market that is touted as being a treatment for autism. It's a homeopathic drug called Respen-A. It affects the malfunctioning areas of the brain typically associated with autistic children. Go »
Amy Austin | April 19, 2010
Sounds pretty good, if not promising. And hey... whatever the cause, progress is being made, right? And without any apparent side effect, too. This is good.