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Recent
Much on the page below is a little out of date now.
The main thing that we have learnt is that for cognitive development
with children like Zoe the most important things are:
1. A strong
emotional foundation - lots of love and attention. Google
attachment parenting, Heart to Heart Parenting (book) and the Continuum
Concept (book) for some good resources in this area.
2. As many hours a
week of interactive learning opportunities as you can organise and
still maintain some balance in their lives. Minimum for a
reasonably healthy child would be about 25 hours a week. This might be
in the form of a good Early Childhood Development Centre provided by
the government, a Montessori child care facility with an inclusion
support person and a home therapy program.
After trying many speech therapists and OTs we found someone who really
knew what they were talking about... many are not so skilled in
working with seriously delayed children. So learn to evaluate them.
When you find a good one the best
thing you can do for your child is use her or him to train and
supervise 2 or 3 "therapy assistants" to run a home therapy program.
DON'T rely on just seeing a therapist an hour or two a week ... it just
isn't enough time to have a big impact. (Unless you have the time,
energy, personality and commitment to basically run a home therapy
program yourself based on what you are learning meeting with your
therapist.)
If you have more questions about running a home therapy program contact
us.
(Below are some other therapies we have used along the way with neutral
to positive results... hard to measure for sure. The above approaches
are the most reliable.)
Hyperbaric
Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
HBOT is the inhalation of 100% oxygen inside a hyperbaric chamber that
is pressurised to greater than 1 atmosphere. HBOT causes both
mechanical and physiologic effects by inducing a state of increased
pressure and dissolving extra oxygen into the blood plasma.
Among other
effects, HBOT acts as a signal inducer of DNA to effect trophic
(growth) tissue changes. Among the demonstrated effects in chronic
wounding is the development of new blood vessels, however; in the brain
preliminary animal evidence seems to suggest more of an adaptive effect
on metabolism and blood flow.
This therapy is used substantially in Japan, China, USA, and Europe to
assist in a wide range of children's neurological conditions. It is
relatively unknown in Australia for the treatment of these conditions.
Brisbane
Melbourne
Cranial-osteopathy
With a
highly trained sense of touch, the osteopath uses his fingers to
identify and correct disturbances and limitations of tissue mobility in
and around the joints of Zoe’s skull and throughout her body.
Thomas has
identified some stress at the base of Zoe’s skull (from pregnancy
and delivery) which is affecting her sense of balance and
proprioception, and is working to heal that.
He is also
working on the tension around her shoulders, which is mostly likely due
to her trying to maintain her balance with her arms when she walks.
Physio-,
Occupational, Speech-Language therapy (current – approx. once a
fortnight)
In a
1-hour combined session at the Sunshine Coast Children's Therapy
Centre, the
therapists use play to exercise (e.g. walk around, bend to pick
objects), practice finger skills (e.g. drawing), and elicit language
(e.g. through flashcards or simply waiting for Zoe to utter any sound
to indicate her needs), and have found that water and/or sand play are
the best means to motivate Zoe to co-operate.
Laser Point Percussion
Therapy and Specialised Physiotherapy (no longer needed)
This
therapy complements NDT program as the latter works on stimulating therapy (which targets accupressure
points) works on
relaxing the muscles to do the work the brain tells them to.
The treatment
protocol helps with normalising muscle tone and improving reflex
responses, sensory perception and response.
For more
information, see: www.ablecareinfo.com
Brain Gym and Rhythmic
Movement (no
longer using)
We have been
taught some Brain Gym and Rhythmic Movement exercises that we do
whenever we can with Zoe. Some are not unlike the exercises the physios
give us, but others are unique. The rationale behind this therapy is to
use physical movement to enhance learning.
Reiki (whenever)
Reiki is
a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and
self-improvement. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based
on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is
what causes us to be alive. Thus, if our "life force energy" is low,
then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high,
we are more capable of being happy and healthy. Reiki treats the whole
person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many
beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace,
security and wellbeing.
We
“give” Zoe (or rather, conduct) Reiki whenever we can. Not
easy on a wriggly little girl.
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