Friday, July 15, 2011

Getting Back to You

I've had a few questions and comments via e-mail and Facebook about Landon and this program we have enrolled him in. Rather than answer individually, I thought I would do an answer section on here.

When Landon wasn't talking at 18 months, we knew it wasn't that he was never going to, it was that, from what we could see, he didn't seem ready for learning. To put pressure on the matter, we were told that the magic age for children's learning was age 3. We later learned that this wasn't really the case.

When he was enrolled in school while we lived in Utah, his inability to retain information was not due to the lack of effort from his teacher and her aids (though I definitely would not speak as highly of the early intervention program we had him enrolled in prior to preschool). In fact, the reason we were able to work through a lot of his hang ups was that support system, and to this day he still remembers a lot of the lessons they taught him. They are a phenominal group of ladies who make a difference in not only the lives of the children they touch, but their parents as well.

The problem, however, is his ability to process information and then utilize it, mainly because of his SID. See the brain really only has a handful of ways that it is able to receive information, which is all of the senses. When the sensory system is off, the body's ability to get that information and process it is off as well. This is the case with Landon.

So, what is going to happen? Landon's sensory system is going to be retrained to accept information by vestibular stimulation (he lays on a motion table), auditory retraining (he listens to music through headphones that hits different frequencies), and visual stimulation (he focuses on a light above him that changes color and flashes on and off 6 times in a minute). In  'Tasha' speak: "Musical Flashy Light Therapy." For a better understanding, click here.

So, how does it work? Well, right now Landon's brain is only able to receive, process, and express so much information. Imagine holding a narrow PVC pipe, and dumping a pitcher full of water over it (water would be information), some water would get in, most would be missed. This therapy opens up those channels so that more information gets in. I could try explaining beyond this, but I would never be able to do it justice, so if you're curious click here.

Sensory Therapy doesn't stop after this program. We are currently looking into a program in Tucson for Sensory Therapy when this program is done. Don't worry, we will document Landon's progress through this adventure. It will be such a relief to unlock this puzzle!

If you or someone you know is looking for therapy for children or adults who have ADHD, Autism, brain trauma, aquired brain inury, behavioral problems, developmental delays, learning disabilities, or Dysfunctional Sensory Integration check out www.sirriaz.com.

2 comments:

Bj said...

I just saw your blog refference on FB. You have a precious family! I can't believe you have three kiddos! It sounds like you have had a long road but I'm so glad you were able to figure out what is going on! Thanks for sharing! Hope all is well!
(Jenny Skewes)

Jim & Tasha said...

Thanks Jenny! I've been keeping up with you on FB! Your little girl is adorable! She looks just like you! Hope all is well in Missouri!!!