Holiday time for Quentin this year has been filled with fun, family and his usual creativity-along with some challenges. He is elated to be enjoying the Christmas season with his Grandma, who is visiting with us from Connecticut. The family has been delighting in watching Quentin make use of two of his favorite Christmas presents- an acoustic guitar and artist's easel to make beautiful music as well as draw/paint engaging scenes :-). Dispite the fun and festivities, Quentin has been experiencing a bit of over-stimulation and hyperactivity over the last week or so; we think this may be due to the hectic pace of the household in preparation for the holidays-and perhaps some of the holiday goodies he's been eating.

We have transitioned Quentin to a gluten-free diet over the past three months, which is an alternative diet choice for children with autism to regulate digestive issues known to impact behavior. The gluten-free diet prohibits consumption of any product containing oats, wheat, barley, etc. Dispite these limitations, there are a wide variety of sweets allowed in the diet. We have seen many positive differences in Quentin's behavior since being on the diet, but admittedly think that his consumption of the allowed holiday treats may have undermined our efforts a bit. He has also begun engaging in self-stimulatory behaviors this past couple of weeks that we haven't seen in a very long time...