Sensory Integration Disorder - Sylvia F.

Our journey with neurodevelopment began many years ago without our realization, prior to the birth of our now 16-year-old son, Garett.  I remember the doctor commenting numerous times during my pregnancy on the high activity of our little baby.  Garett in utero never ceased moving.  He was a bundle of activity, my stomach rippling with waves as he wiggled around.  Little did we know that this would only be the beginning of our journey with severe ADHD and notable Sensory Integration Disorder. We have several possibilities regarding the cause of Garett's disabilities but that was of little consequence to us as we struggled to help our son. Even as a baby he was unique in many of his characteristics.  I breast fed him for over 10 months and he always cried when I switched sides.  I always assumed it was because he figured that was it and he was still hungry. Looking back I can speculate as to the real reason.  The vestibular damage Garett suffered probably made him very sensitive to changes in position and movement.

Garett could not tolerate sudden noises.  His startle reflex stayed with him long after was developmentally normal.  Any sudden noise no matter how familiar would cause him to react with a splayed position.  Sudden movements brought the same end result.  We had to be extremely careful when we cared for him, making sure our movements were slow and deliberate.

Garett's development was always behind that of his peers.  I don't recall him crawling like other babies, and he didn't walk until he was 18 months old.  He was always very careful and was reluctant to try new activities in particular those that required sudden changes in position such as skiing, water sliding, boating, and horse back riding.

At 18 months of age he received his last MMR vaccination and within hours we detected a noticeable deterioration.  He awoke in the night, was not feverish nor did he appear or act sick.  He was alert.  When I laid him on his back on the change table to fix his diaper he screamed the entire time, terror evident in his voice.  From then on he could not be on his back.  It was a real fear.  He would not lean back to have his hair rinsed and years later would not float on his back in the swimming pool.

School proved to be a tremendous challenge for him.  He could not focus in the classroom.  Most of his schoolwork was completed at home with great duress.  Our family life was becoming more and more dysfunctional as dealing with our son's high emotional needs overshadowed everything else.  By now we had our daughter, and sibling rivalry was becoming a real concern.

Relatives offered little help and often made us feel very guilty for our son 's problems.  Many family members did not hesitate to suggest that it was our parenting techniques that were creating the problems.  As I was a stay at home Mom this was especially devastating.  My self-esteem took a real beating and parenting became even more difficult.  Each night I vowed that the next day would be better but within minutes my son had tried my patience.  There was little positive happening in our family.

I felt hopeless and did not know where to turn for help.  We had our son seen by various professionals both in the school and medical system.  The best they could offer was modification, adaptation, and medication.  By the time Garett reached the Hope Centre for NeuroEducational Development at the age of 12.5 years, he was on 20 mg of Ritalin three times a day.  Teachers had simply decided that he was lazy and unmotivated.  Garett's self esteem was gone, he was raging, extremely depressed, and suffering physical symptoms of excessive stress.

Walking into the doors of the Hope Centre was the first thing we did for our son that felt right and we were soon to discover the first place that would offer us hope.  By now we had little left and saw nothing but heartache and failure for our son's future.  We could not see him having a career, marrying, nor having children. The love and concern that was expressed by everyone at the centre immediately impressed me.  Clients and therapists alike listened, shared their own stories, and buoyed us with their confidence in our son's ability to succeed.   What a gift for grieving and hope lost parents.

Armed with hope and a program of activities to help remediate our son's problems we began what was to be the most incredible journey of our lives. For the first time in over 12 years we felt in control and hopeful.  The neurodevelopmentalists not only respected us but also treated us as the professionals in our son's life. What a wonderful change of perspective for us who had always been treated as just the parents who knew nothing.

Despite skepticism by the education, medical communities, and family members we proceeded with our program of activities geared toward remediating Garett's inefficiencies.  For the first time in Garett's life we began to really understand why he couldn't do the things others his age took for granted. Up until now no one could explain why he had a phobia to balloons.  At the Hope Centre it was discovered he was extremely hyper auditory or sound sensitive.  We understood his aversion to waterslides, boats, skiving, etc and the reasoning behind many of his other problems.  What a relief to know that none of this was our fault as we had been led to believe.

This is not a magic pill.  Change comes slowly and with diligence.  But nothing worth this much can come without commitment and hard work. Within four months we started seeing subtle but distinct changes in Garett.  At his first re-eval at 4 months our Neurodevelopmentalist was able to detect significant improvement in many areas.  Within a year on program many people including family members could see the dramatic increase in function.  We had been told Garett would be on Ritalin for the rest of his life.  After 9 months on program he no longer required it.  His function had improved so dramatically, focus, and inattentiveness were no longer an issue.  What a blessed relief to have him off that drug.

Garett has been Ritalin free for over three years and he will in all likelihood never require it again.  Where he was socially failing before, he now has friends and relates well to his peers.  He is in the top half of his class academically, has an intact self-esteem, and goals.  He is no longer depressed and is not afraid of balloons, water - sliding etc.

The Hope Centre for NeuroEducational Development has given us our son, the one he was meant to be before all the damage.  The Hope Centre has given back my self-esteem.  They have made me a strong, confident, powerful, and undefeatable advocate for my children. They have given us the family life we had before only dreamed about.