I haven't posted an update about the progress in our Neuro program. We became diverted with Ethan's pain and doctors appointments.
So we went to Dallas and met with the practitioner who evaluated Zach. He is missing a good deal of his prenatal and 1st year "reflexes" that develop in normal growing children. This is not as we assume he was prenatally exposed and it was a stressful pregnancy. Then he spent the first 18months in a Russian hospital and two different orphanages. Yuck.
The practitioner, Emily, gave a list of several exercises to do twice a day along with several sensory related tasks. These tasks are things like brushing the skin, spinning around or log rolling, bear hugs and firm pressure, use of a vibrator on the spine. Then there is the crawling and creeping.
Want to see something freaky.....watch a child with neuro issues crawl. Tell them that the only rule is that they keep their belly button to the ground. They can use any part of their body that they want but the belly button has to stay on the ground. I thought no big deal, anyone can do that. Uh Hum ....I was so wrong.
For the first 10 days or so times Zach tried to crawl he looked as though his legs were paralyzed. It was totally bizarre. He was dragging himself forward with both arms at the same time with his legs stiff as a board. Then the legs went up in a bent position. Now after about 30 days he still hasn't figured out how to move his body to go forward like an infant would. It is much more of an army crawl using only the left arm and right leg. This is apparently "normal" for the abnormal child. Say that three times over. ha ha ha
The theory is that he missed the "crawling" due to confinement and neglect therefore could not develop the brain pathways that a crawling child would make. In turn he missed learning everything one learns from propelling ones body forward, looking side to side, moving in sync. We are hoping that by recreating these movements he can recreate the neuropathways.
The other sensory things and "patterns" also recreate what the body missed by being neglected. Being held, sound and vibration from being rocked or spoken to while feeding was taking place.
Is it working??? If I had to say yes or now I would say no not yet. Although it is odd in that we can see he is less able to control his temper on days he doesn't do his program. He is sleeping better. He is able to coordinate left to right better too. It has not touched his impulse control at all. So sad. Well maybe by this time next year we can see growth in that area.
So we went to Dallas and met with the practitioner who evaluated Zach. He is missing a good deal of his prenatal and 1st year "reflexes" that develop in normal growing children. This is not as we assume he was prenatally exposed and it was a stressful pregnancy. Then he spent the first 18months in a Russian hospital and two different orphanages. Yuck.
The practitioner, Emily, gave a list of several exercises to do twice a day along with several sensory related tasks. These tasks are things like brushing the skin, spinning around or log rolling, bear hugs and firm pressure, use of a vibrator on the spine. Then there is the crawling and creeping.
Want to see something freaky.....watch a child with neuro issues crawl. Tell them that the only rule is that they keep their belly button to the ground. They can use any part of their body that they want but the belly button has to stay on the ground. I thought no big deal, anyone can do that. Uh Hum ....I was so wrong.
For the first 10 days or so times Zach tried to crawl he looked as though his legs were paralyzed. It was totally bizarre. He was dragging himself forward with both arms at the same time with his legs stiff as a board. Then the legs went up in a bent position. Now after about 30 days he still hasn't figured out how to move his body to go forward like an infant would. It is much more of an army crawl using only the left arm and right leg. This is apparently "normal" for the abnormal child. Say that three times over. ha ha ha
The theory is that he missed the "crawling" due to confinement and neglect therefore could not develop the brain pathways that a crawling child would make. In turn he missed learning everything one learns from propelling ones body forward, looking side to side, moving in sync. We are hoping that by recreating these movements he can recreate the neuropathways.
The other sensory things and "patterns" also recreate what the body missed by being neglected. Being held, sound and vibration from being rocked or spoken to while feeding was taking place.
Is it working??? If I had to say yes or now I would say no not yet. Although it is odd in that we can see he is less able to control his temper on days he doesn't do his program. He is sleeping better. He is able to coordinate left to right better too. It has not touched his impulse control at all. So sad. Well maybe by this time next year we can see growth in that area.
