Dan by his Mother
Cerebral palsy – 20 mins to resuscitate
Dan was born a whopping 14 lbs and 4 oz. He was two weeks late. He was blue and took twenty minutes to resuscitate. The medics thought he would not survive. He was on a ventilator but pulled this out himself after five days. He did not cry for two weeks. He was tube fed via his nose. He slept between us so that we could monitor his breathing, be with him and notice when he awoke for a feed. His posture extended back and he was unable to move freely. Eventually he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy
Searching for the solution
We tried many different therapies none of which gave us a clear idea of why they did what they did. Finally we found The Scotson Technique when Dan was just two years old. Linda’s comprehensive and integrated understanding of the role of the respiratory system made total sense. At last we felt hope that we could support Dan’s development and change his future.
TST seems like magic
At first it seemed like magic every time we came to Advance as we changed his exercises we noticed a change in something he would do, a new movement or response. Dan had a shallow hip at birth that was made worse by his high and low tone and his hip was expected to dislocate. However, when he recently had an x-ray, (the first in two years), to see how his hip had progressed. The socket had formed normally. Our main approach to tackling this problem has been the Scotson Technique as we have struggled to conform to any standing frame program as proposed by Dan’s physio’s.
Dan’s movement is now amazing
What I enjoy most about the approach is the predictable way it progresses development. It is slow going but Daniel is getting stronger in his neck and back, his rib cage is changing shape, his hips and shoulders are widening with an increase of more normal movement in his arms, hands and legs. His oral patterns are maturing according to the speech therapist. His movement is amazing. He wriggles around the floor with such flexibility in his spine. He is now consistently able to lift his head forward off the floor and hold it up for longer periods when upright. He is able to grasp and release things on command. His comprehension has also made a qualitative leap with him showing appreciation of things and choices that are more abstract. He enjoys watching all the children’s programs and shows a good sense of humour. He is a joy to live with. He interacts with his brother and younger sister, obviously enjoying their play.
Commitment to TST
We feel more committed than ever to this technique and we are grateful to Linda Scotson and the team for all their support and encouragement.