Dx Developmental Delay: Valen Success Story
The kid who is doing so well on our program that we probably will never get to see him
Valen seemed to develop normally as a baby, however
he had constant ear infections and fluid in his ears and was treated with several rounds of antibiotics. At one year of age, he began talking but soon regressed. He did not crawl or creep much as an infant, and he began walking at 9 months of age.
Another DX: Expressive & Receptive Language Disorder.
Over time, he became increasingly hyperactive and unresponsive. At almost four years of age, Valen was not yet toilet trained and struggling to color, write, or use scissors. He ran away from people and was especially aggressive when with children of his same age or younger children who were also impulsive. Valen was hypersensitive to touch and had almost no speech. He was diagnosed with developmental delay and mixed expressive and receptive language disorder.
An Answer Right Away
The month before attending the What to Do About Your Brain-Injured Child course, mother reports: “I have read the books What to Do About Your Brain-Injured Child, and Fit Baby, Smart Baby, Your Baby, and I am halfway through How Smart Is Your Baby? My husband and I found information within those books that we began implementing with our son Valen right away.”
Three months after attending the course: “Not a day that goes by that The Institutes doesn’t pop into my mind. It has been such a blessing since taking the course! There has been so much worry and stress relief since implementing the program. Valen has been making wonderful progress over the last couple months!”
Valen’s Physical Growth Speeded Up
First up was changing Valen’s diet: “There were some protests at first, but it was amazing how quickly he adjusted. At Valen’s four-year-old checkup, we found he had only grown one inch all year and was actually a few pounds lighter. He was now in the very low percentile for his height and weight, both under 10%. One month later, Valen was re-measured for height and weight with a gastro-intestinal specialist, he had grown a full inch and a half and put on 3 pounds. The specialist said there must have been a mismeasurement previously, but we knew differently since we had taken our own measurements at the beginning of the program.”
“Not only has Valen shown massive physical growth, but he has also shown growth in multiple other areas. He quickly learned how to operate scissors only after a few weeks of brachiation on an overhead ladder. It’s the first time I’ve watched Valen hold a marker properly and draw an item I could recognize, a pumpkin. He didn’t just draw the pumpkin but was also able to color in small areas of detail such as the mouth. His language has gone from very short sentences to sometimes seven-to-eight-word sentences. For the first time I watched Valen have a back-and-forth simple conversation with someone. And he started reading beginner books.”
“We’ve watched a kiddo that would throw a fit for an hour while trying to cut his hair transform into a kiddo that sits perfectly still while allowing a hairstylist to cut his hair.”
For Halloween Valen decided he wanted to be a dragon. The costume had a head piece. Valen has never worn a costume that required a head piece ever. He had
absolutely no problem wearing that costume multiple times for different Halloween events and he loved it!”
Six months later
Dad writes “Valen’s sister is a great helper and having her involved and participating has been key to making things happen. Valen now draws freely and depicts real life people and objects, he couldn’t hold a marker or draw anything but just scribbled before this, so this is a big one.
At four years of age, he is writing his name which is great given that only months ago he didn’t even recognize his name in writing. He is reading now, better than many of his peers.
He has a full calendar of good behavior star days, so very proud of him, never thought I would see this. On that note, Valen’s previously hyperactive state, taking him in an area with fragile or less than perfectly baby- proof areas was nearly impossible. Now you can see him helping me in the greenhouse without turning it completely upside down. We have started growing our own organic vegetables, it’s a lot of work, but also very rewarding. Valen helped me plant strawberries, fertilize the plants, and harvest some radishes and turnips.
Previously, Valen could never sit through a haircut, the sensation made the process unbearable for him and it was nearly a complete failure every time we tried. As you can see now, he is happy as a clam, and even laughing while getting a trim.
Thank you for everything!”
What a wonderful story. Little Valen had significant neurological problems which, if not addressed, would have prevented him from having a normal life. Today he has no limitations. He can enjoy the same opportunities that his sister has. This would not “have happened anyway”. Valen’s parents rolled up their sleeves and made it happen and so did little Valen.
Well done, Team Valen. We look forward to spectacular updates.