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He quotes Shakespeare in a way that would make Olivier proud, he pursues interests as varied as ancient history, medical science and Sherlock Holmes. These are uncommonly highbrow pursuits for an eleven-year-old boy, but there is little about Shaun Harms that is ordinary.

Shaun arrived in the Quill Lake area with parents Elizabeth and Al Harms a little over one year ago. He enjoys home schooling sessions with his mother and attends classes at Quill Lake School each Friday afternoon. His classmates have him entertain them with his dramatic abilities before moving his desk up for him.

Shaun is best known in Wadena for his participation in the local Terry Fox Run for the past two years. He has made milestone walks in these events, improving on his distance both times. Both times, he has displayed the determination and strength that has carried him to this point in his life. Walking is just one of the accomplishments that Shaun and his mother do not take for granted.

It was not immediately apparent that Shaun would survive following his birth in Calgary in 1987. His heart stopped when he was three years old and he had severe lung problems. Elizabeth says that there were nine occurrences when things happened that probably accounted for more brain injury. After the medical community diagnosed Shaun with cerebral palsy, members told Elizabeth that he would be profoundly mentally retarded, unable to learn such simple things as sitting up, making sounds, or holding a toy.

"Initially, we were caught up in keeping him alive," says Elizabeth. "At 10 months old, Shaun was blind, couldn't roll over and could only scream in agony."

Fortunately for Shaun, Elizabeth had some experience in the treatment of disabilities as well as a strong determination not to give up on her son. As a child, she lived in London, England, where her mother provided respite care for disabled children. Knowing she wanted to work with these children, she took a variety of training and worked as an occupational therapy assistant in group homes and at camps for multi-handicapped kids, and in palliative care for both adults and children.

When Shaun was almost two years old, a pediatrician put Elizabeth in touch with two families that had found success through Individualized Neurodevelopmental programs. Elizabeth was soon in touch with the organization and this would prove to be a turning point for Shaun.

"The program looked at what wasn't working for Shaun. They look at things from the perspective of the brain instead of from a skills perspective," she said. "Using specific activities, the goal is to rehabilitate the nervous system to support skills instead of hoping they will stick through repetition."

"At the same time, parents are taught how to teach to neurological strengths so that the child can move forward even while neurological problems are being addressed."

Elizabeth was told to keep putting good information into Shaun's brain.

"It unfortunately sometimes happens that because disabled people often can't communicate, people don't think to do this," notes Elizabeth.

She was soon reading everything from Shakespeare to recipe books to her son. The results she obtained were astounding.

"At the end of three months on the program, we saw these absolutely incredible changes," she says. "A child who couldn't move before crawled into his dad's arms. He began to make speaking sounds. My husband touched his chin so he said "dad". This was the first time we heard a word out of his mouth. Before we heard only screams, not even baby cries. We had a huge celebration, laughing and encouraging him."

On the way home from a treatment shortly after, he was speaking in phrases and one month later, was speaking in sentences, according to Elizabeth.

These changes brought tremendous joy to the family. Shaun's first spoken paragraph was "double, double, toil and trouble" from the witch scene in Macbeth, in the tub, at two years of age.

Similar milestones were marked and many illustrate the positive attitude that has taken Shaun through difficult and painful medical procedures.

When Shaun was three years old, he was receiving medical treatment for severe lung problems at the Children's Hospital in Calgary and living with his parents in Medicine Hat. It was here that he first pleaded for his "mommy" while receiving a particularly painful treatment. A web had grown across his trachea where it branched into the lungs as a result of scar tissue caused by a respiration tube. He caught pneumonia after the web was removed and had to stay in the hospital for one month in order to recover.

"It was around Christmas time and we found a little red wagon to cart him around in as he couldn't sit up. We propped him in it and hooked the IV to the side. He would sing 'Nothing can go wrongo, I'm in the Congo'. He has always been a very positive person."

Elizabeth remembers the time Shaun surprised Frank Mills, who had come to the hospital to play for the children. Shaun, who had been on program for almost one year at that point, looked inside the open piano and said, "52 wooden hammers striking 52 wires..." Apparently Mills looked in astonishment to see the child saying this, as Shaun still looked like an infant at the time and was just starting to be able to see a little bit.

Although it would take him much longer to learn to sit up and walk on his own, these accomplishments are just as impressive as his mental ones.

After talking to Shaun, it is easy to see why he has won several public speaking awards since 1994. Articulate and with an inquisitive, restless intellect, talking with Shaun is like conversing with an extremely well-educated adult, who also has been endowed with a good sense of humor and a knack for entertaining others.

"After a few years, I could hear, see and talk at last," says Shaun. "Now, they only have to find the off switch."

A voracious reader, dedicated to learning, Shaun collects old and new National and Canadian Geographical magazines. He genuinely appreciates opportunities to talk to people who have experience regarding some of his various interests.

Currently, he has a running dialogue with a University of Alberta English professor and enjoys talking to seniors in the Quill Lake community.

"I've been interested in a number of world events. I've talked to the veterans of the World Wars and know that war is not a glorious thing. I've talked and learned about the pioneer days. I really love it when people take the time to explain things to me."

While studying the effects and treatments of the "black plague" in Europe, Shaun found amusing incidents to relate to others

"A medieval medical treatment involved taking chicken bottoms and strapping them to plague sores," he says. "Imagine, it's bad enough to be dying, but to have to look stupid too!"

Although Elizabeth has started to incorporate a bit of regular school programming into Shaun's activities, his love of learning often takes his studies in new directions. A few months ago, he was fascinated by the science of the brain and is now working with his mother on tracing family history.

"Shaun had five visual handicaps after the blindness left, making reading a mechanical nightmare," says Elizabeth. "He now reads for hours every day."

Shaun has math skills consistent with his age group and is far advanced otherwise. Elizabeth believes he could benefit from talking to people with shared interests in literature and other topics and may take some high school classes next summer to keep him active. New computer programs have also enhanced his ability to access interesting information.

"What is important to note is that Shaun is not an exception," says Elizabeth. "In fact, his learning has progressed slowly at times because of his health problems. When children receive neurologically-targeted stimulation their progress can be remarkable."

"Although the basic techniques are general, each program is designed to look at the neurological make-up of each individual, how information is transferred to that person."

The programming has benefited thousands of children and adults, from those diagnosed with severe handicaps and syndromes, to gifted and "normal" children. It is believed that each child, given the opportunity, has the potential to improve his or her function.

Shaun's main challenge these days is one of building stamina. As he continues to grow and learn, he is living proof that nothing is impossible, especially when a parent and child share a strong bond throughout the process.