What To Do About Your Brain Injured Child Course – Tuesday

The other day when I wrote about my first day of the What To Do About Your Brain Injured Child course, I forgot to include a few things that were said that I think are worth repeating.

There is no correlation between brain injury and intelligence.

There is a staggering correlation between brain injury and the ability to express intelligence.

This hit home for me. I realized that the IQ test that was given to Z is a demonstrating his disability, not his ability. This is important for me to hear. The results from that test were depressing and I couldn’t help but wonder if these results were for the same child I brought into that room. 

A brain injured child’s worst enemies are time and gravity.

While my kids don’t have issues with mobility, so gravity really has no effect on them. Time, now that’s another topic. The longer it takes us to find something that helps, the further and further behind they get. Problem is their peers keep developing, they keep moving forward. So if my boys are not moving forward, and their friends are, they keep getting left behind at a faster rate. 

I woke up way before my alarm on Tuesday morning. And I was a bit stir crazy I couldn’t stay in my room. So I left and decided to go and get breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts. I was really missing my Tim Hortons. Sadly Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t fill that void. 

But I was still really early so I decided to go check out the local Walmart. I was so glad that I went for that early shopping spree because I found several items for Zs Leap pad for next to nothing. Like these LeapFrog Imagicards. Back home they cost $25+ dollars, I score them for $5 each!! I felt like the lady in the old IKEA commercial that comes running out of the store screaming “Start the car!!”

Afterwards I heading to the the IAHP campus. I walked into the auditorium to wait for What To Do About Your Brain Injured Child Course to start. Of to the front I went to look for my seat. I was lucky enough to get another good seat near the front. 

While waiting for the bell, I wandered back into the bookstore like I do every time I have a few spare minutes. Adding a bit to my order, removing other things. I suggest that even though the bookstore is quite small, you spend a bit of time there each day. After the lectures something might catch your eyes that you looked over before hearing the lecture. 

We spent the day learning about:

• Physiology vs pathology

• Function Determines Structure

• Watched a video about “Coma to Total Awareness”

• The Developmental Profile

• How to Evaluate Your Child

• What is a Functional Diagnosis?

The class about the developmental profile and how to evaluate your child was very helpful to me. I have read every book published by Glenn Doman and I never really understood fully how to evaluate my children on the profile. After the staff spend the 3 periods going over every detail on the profile, it made complete sense to me.

Then we were able to spend a period creating a development profile for our children, with the staff walking around available to answer any questions and guide us if we were unsure what level to place our child in.

Even though parents are really only suppose to work with one child on the intensive program, I was able to request a second set of forms and make a profile for Wes as well.

After we figured out where on the profile our children were, we were able to use a formula to calculate our children’s neurological age, then using that with their chronological age figure out their rate of growth.

After we had that number we could use them as well as more information from the profile to determine our children’s functional diagnosis. Now we are able to tell the degree of injury(from mild to profound), extent of injury(focal or diffuse) laterality(unilateral or bilateral). As well as which level of the brain is affected(Cortex, midbrain, Pons, or the Medulla and cord).

So now instead of saying my child has autism, (which is a label, not a diagnosis) I can say, my son has a Moderate, relatively diffuse, bilateral, midbrain injury.

After this cram packed day of classes, I walked away with a new understanding of my boys. Also I had a better idea what areas we were going for focus on.

They also talked about something called the Catch-Up Phenomenon. This is when once you’re on the right path, your child will physically start to grow and develop at a MUCH after rate to catch up for lost time.

I realized that our NAET therapy was something that works will for Z as he grew like a weed after. When we started NAET he had been in 18 month clothes for nearly 18 months. After a month or two he skipped 24 month and went nearly to 2T. I knew this was a good sign, but now understanding the Catch-Up Phenomenon, it makes even more sense.

The same thing happened when we started doing his IAHP programs and adding Goji berry juice and probiotics before attending the course. When I came home 8 days later his shoes would not fit, and his toes were literally hanging off the edge of his sandals. Few days later he woke up and he looked like he was going to a flood.

So I feel we are on the right track.  His body seems to be telling me so anyhow.

So while the first day was hard for me to stay focus and adapt to the course, Tuesday they had my full undivided attention. For the first time since Wes was diagnosed in Jan 2008 at 2.5 years old I understand what is wrong with my children. Where they are hurt. After today I had a good idea how to help them.

We got out of class just after 8:30pm. The next day we were to wear comfortable clothes and shoes because the next day would be black jacket day.

I got in my rental car and headed to Walmart. I had noticed during that day that I had bought two of the same sets of Leapfrog cards and wanted to go return one of them. Since it wasn’t too late, I stopped there quickly before I drove over to Chick-fil-a for dinner.

I sat in the parking lot next to a police cruiser. While I ate my dinner while I chatted with everyone back home. Then it was time for the 25 minutes drive back to the house. Once again I slept like a baby.