Your child’s problem is not a life sentence, but a call to action that requires knowledge, understanding, and a dynamic and effective program to bring about real change for your child.
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25,000+
Brain-injured Children Treated
50,000+
Parents Taught
10 mil+
Books Sold
65
Years of Experience
Parent Testimonials
Alone With a Big Problem
Whether a child has an overwhelming mobility problem, or poor attention, concentration and speech, or a mild learning problem parents want their child progressing now. They have often been everywhere looking for answers.
Parents feel alone and desperate to do something. By the end of the course parents understand why their child is struggling and they have the answers and the tools they need. They know they are not alone anymore and they have our support in the future.
How We Can Help
A Real Evaluation
Through The Institutes Developmental Profile™, you’ll learn how to evaluate the stage of brain development of your child in comparison to expected benchmarks.
A True Diagnosis
Symptomatic labels like cerebral palsy, autism, or attention deficit are not a diagnosis. You’ll learn what a proper diagnosis should be.
Unique Treatment
There is no standard treatment for brain injury. After thoroughly evaluating your child, you’ll be able to develop a unique treatment program tailored to their needs.
Information at Every Turn
Over 50 hours that cover philosophy and practice with demonstrations, and hands-on opportunities to learn. Our clinical staff are there to answer questions throughout the course.
An Actionable Plan
By forging a pathway to success that features concrete action steps, parents develop confidence in their abilities to treat their children at home.
A Caring Community
Our community of knowledgeable staff members and parents provide support, so you'll never feel alone in treating your child.
Overview of the Course
Parents of a brain-injured child should not be left alone with a beloved child who may have a catastrophic problem and no solution. Parents should know there are many options. We are here to teach parents about the brain, show them those options then help them to get their child on a real pathway to wellness as quickly as possible. When parents complete the course they have a functional evaluation of their child, they understand a proper diagnosis but most importantly they have a battle plan to start to help their child get better physically, intellectually and physiologically.
What You'll Learn
Each day provides “the why” behind what is being taught. This is essential.
Our parents always want to know why, not only how.
“After the second hour of the course on Monday, I called my mother and told her that just those two hours were worth the time, effort, and money.”
Parents will be introduced briefly to the history of the work of The Institutes. They will learn about the causes of brain-injury, why the conventional treatments commonly used to treat hurt children do not succeed and what is essential in effective treatment. They learn that parents are often confused and disheartened by the symptomatic labels that have made them think their child was hopeless. They end the day understanding that their child has an injury to the brain and that the brain has great plasticity and can be treated.
Day 2
About Brain Development
“The staff was wonderful. They were knowledgeable, kind, helpful and, most of all, quietly confident that they can help your child.”
The day begins with the basic principles of brain growth and development. These principles will become the guiding light in the home programs of each child in the future. The neurophysiological evidence that the brain has incredible plasticity is presented. The most important dynamics in central nervous system transmission are taught. As parents understand the importance of stimulation and opportunity their most important question becomes “So, what is happening in the brain?” This question is addressed.
Day 3
Evaluation and Diagnosis
“This course is not just about theory, it is led by experts who are eager to share the vast amount of practical knowledge they have. It is a place you can ask every single question you have and get answers from trained professionals based on their rich experience.”
Parents learn about The Institutes Developmental Profile and how to use that profile to evaluate where their child is compared to the well child. This careful evaluation will be essential as the week goes on. The day ends with an overview on diagnosis in which parents learn that a proper diagnosis cannot be a simple description of symptoms but must provide where the problem is located, how much of a problem there may be and to what degree. Parents now have a clear picture of where their child stands and they are ready to learn what to do about it.
“This book is the first book in history, to my knowledge, which tells how to treat brain-injured children, why to treat brain-injured children, and most precisely what happened to a group of brain-injured children when they were so treated.”
– Raymundo Veras, MD
Day 4
Mobility Development
“This is the first time I’ve attended a training institute where I actually felt the staff loved and believed in what they were doing and teaching. It was a pleasure to hear over and over again that a brain-injured child can be helped and had potential.”
Now that parents know how the brain gets injured, why treatment must be directed to the brain and not to the symptoms, how to evaluate their own child and discover the areas of the brain that need stimulation, they are ready to learn how to begin a program. On this day the staff of the Institute for Physical Excellence take over and they teach all aspects of mobility from the immobile child all the way to the child who may walk and run. Parents begin to understand that the physical program is not only about mobility but it is designed to provide neurological organization to all areas of the brain that may be injured. Parents see demonstrations by children on the program. They are taught directly how to do certain parts of the physical program and they actually get to do some of the physical program their child will be doing.
Day 5
Intellectual Development
“I did not expect to be on the edge of my seat every minute of every lecture. I did not expect to get excited and gain this amount of knowledge.”
The staff of The Institute for Intellectual Excellence begin the day with the reasons why reading is the single most important part of a vibrant and effective intellectual program. They present a full background on reading and a detailed program that can be done at home with excellent results. Visual problems and their effect on reading and learning are reviewed.
Day 6
Sensory and Physiological Development
“The best thing about the course is the methodical approach to assess the child and identify relevant solutions. The course was without a doubt worth the time, effort and money.”
This day covers a lot of very important ground. The day begins with the sensory stimulation program where parents learn how to provide appropriate stimulation to help a blind child to see, or a deaf child to hear, or an insensate child to feel. Next, parents learn about oxygen enrichment, medications and detoxification from the medical staff. Environmental toxins and their solutions are presented as well as a comprehensive presentation of The Institutes nutritional program. This one day covers so much that it could be a one week course all by itself.
Day 7
The Family is the Answer
“Do whatever it takes to get to the course. It will forever change your life and, more importantly, your brain-injured child’s life.”
By the final day it is time to answer the question “Is there really hope for my brain-injured child, if so, what are his chances to improve?” The Institutes has kept meticulous records of each child in its Clinical Archive which goes back more than six decades. A summary of the results of treatment is presented so that parents can evaluate for themselves the significance based upon their new understanding of the development of the brain.
On this day we take a simple but profound look at the family and each parent understands why at The Institutes it is the family that is the answer. When parents understand exactly why the brain grows the way it does, they are the very best therapists for their children.
You’ll leave the course with all of the resources and knowledge you need to get your child on the path to excellence.
Custom Treatment Programs
A Physiological Program
Parents improve their child’s health and wellbeing with better nutrition and a healthy home environment whether the child may be chronically ill, or have allergies, sleep problems, digestive problems, seizures or poor weight gain.
A Physical Program
Movement at all levels is vital to development. Parents learn exactly what their child’s physical program should be, based upon The Developmental Profile of their child.
An Intellectual Program
Parents learn how to provide the sensory stimulation needed to see, hear and feel properly and how to create an intellectual program that is easy and fun for their child.
Essential Materials
Lecture Notebook
Lecture notes are provided for everything taught. These notes have diagrams, checklists and reading lists to help parents for the next 6-12 months at home.
Pathway to Wellness Book
240 critical points that guide parents on what to do and what not to do in mobility, intelligence, nutrition, liquids, communication, social growth, environmental factor and medication and surgery.
IN-Report Journal
For 45 years our journal has reported the results of what happens when hurt children have a program designed to grow the brain.
'Developmental Delay' Success Stories
Tae did not have the easiest start to life. During the pregnancy, there was a threat of miscarriage in the sixth month, but fortunately the baby was born full term. However, at birth Tae’s cry was not immediate, she was blue and began having seizures. Her parents were immediately told that this indicated brain injury and the likelihood that Tae would not develop normally – a label of developmental delay was given.
By the time Tae was four, nothing parents were doing was making much difference
In the first month, Tae did not move freely, and eventually crawled and crept awkwardly. She did not walk until she was almost two years old, and when she did, her right foot turned in and she walked on the toes of her left foot.
When Tae was four years old, her parents were advised to put her on anticonvulsant medication and to begin physical therapy to help her catch up to her peers, but nothing they did helped her to improve.
Every day Tae was falling further and further behind
Although Tae could say words when she was two years old, she was not able to speak in sentences until she was eight years old. Just before Tae’s ninth birthday, her parents attended the What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child Course. The staff remembers Mr. Uemura as the father who asked a thousand questions during the course week. It was very clear that this family was going to go home and make a diffrence for their little girl.
They returned home and began an intensive program that included hundreds of meters of crawling and creeping, learning to read in two languages, and a very good nutritional program. Soon, they scheduled appointment to have their daughter evaluated at The Institutes.
Tae was diagnosed with a severe, diffuse, bilateral, cortical and midbrain injury. She had already begun to improve from her hard work on her home treatment program that she accomplished before her first visit.
Physically she was running 3 miles and learning gymnasticsHer memory, reading, math, and writing, all advanced markedly. She read up to 90 minutes every day. She was running more smoothly. Her visual convergence improved She was able to catch a ball for the first time. She could now tell stories, and the volume of her speech had also increased. She no longer was taking her anti-convulsant medication and she was seizure-free.
While Tae continued on The Intensive Treatment Program, she twice traveled from her home in Japan to visit the Evan Thomas Institute International School. The Evan Thomas Institute is a school for well children on The Institutes campus in Philadelphia. Tae did exceptionally well in school and even learned English along the way. She enjoyed the comraderie of learning with other children raised on The Institutes programs. She became an accomplished gymnast, an important part of her program for neurological organization.
Returning home, she was inspired to write original stories; she learned to program a computer and she began ballet.
While continuing her home treatment program, Tae kept up with her academic studies. Her goal was to study hard and to pass the high-school entrance examinations. Tae graduated from high school , having done especially well in Japanese and English. She then went on to earn her university degree. After starting her career in social welfare, she met and married one of her co-workers.
Today, Tae is a mother of two young children. Tae’s proud father now has grandchildren to teach, just as he and Tae’s mother taught her as a little girl, guiding her towards a bright and successful future. They never doubted her potential, they never stop searching for an answer and when they found it, they rolled up their sleeves and got the job done.
George was born full term after a normal pregnancy. He was delivered by C-section after medication failed to begin labor.
However, his head was growing too fast and at 3 weeks old he had an ultrasound. This showed a Grade IV bleed in the right hemisphere which could affect vision, movement and speech. He had his first brain surgery at 4 weeks of age. He was fitted with a Rickman’s reservoir on the top of his head. This reduced the hydrocephaly by permitting the removal of excess fluid from his ventricles.
George stayed in the hospital and he had the excess fluid removed every other day. After a month, he had a second piece of brain surgery to install a shunt. At 7 months he had his third brain surgery to change the shunt.
George’s official diagnoses were hydrocephaly, cerebral palsy, nystagmus, and strabismus. In the first seven months of his life George did nothing. George's parents had read the book “What to Do About Your Brain-Injured Child” but hadn’t been for a visit yet. They saw a physical therapist three times a week. George couldn’t look them in the eye, or pay attention to anything except light up toys. He could move his arms and legs but he could not move forward or backward.
After 7 months, George's parents tried harder to get George to do tummy time but to no avail. They did all the things the physical therapist told them to do but George was barely improving. His eyes were constantly moving all over the place because of his nystagmus. He began banging his head fiercely on the ground due to the frustration of not being able to move.
George’s future looked grim.
After being given his diagnosis, George's parents were shocked, devastated, and then shocked again. They were very well prepared for their pregnancy, they ate organic and took all the right pre-natal things for 12 months before Georges mother conceived. She exercised and did everything we could to have a healthy pregnancy. But, these things can happen to anyone, at any time, no matter how prepared they were. The best thing to do is deal with it.
"Having said that, it is not an easy road by any means – it is very hard work. When George was 15 months old, we travelled from Australia to Philadelphia for the first time and attended The What To Do About Your brain-injured Child course.
It was the first time, the very FIRST time I had anyone tell me that George is intelligent and his brain can grow by use. It was the first time I had real hope for his future, that maybe he would see the world around him. We also met a Dad there who had a little boy similar to George who had started the intensive program a few months before. He told us of his son’s success and it was very inspirational for us. So we thought we’d try it for 6 months properly.
15 months later we’re still going!
We started The Intensive Treatment Program (our first program was the most difficult for us) and in 6 months he began to crawl and to read single words.
In another 6 months he could hold the quad position and read simple homemade books (my child with a nystagmus – eyes moving all around the place). In another 6 months, he was creeping on his hands and knees and he could understand everything we said to him. He was reading years above his age level.
In 15 months, George has achieved so much. We are exhausted but it’s a wonderful exhausted. A satisfied exhausted! He’s surpassed his peers in intelligence and he’s catching up to them in mobility.It is incredibly difficult when your child’s eyes don’t work, when he can’t look at you, when he can’t see, it is a new level of heartache. These things DO NOT improve when you wait and see. They do not improve when you don’t work at it every single day.
Your child has only you, you must step up and do everything possible to correctly stimulate your child because the brain grows by use. My advice to other parents with a child who needs help is start today, read the book, get to the course and put your child on the floor to move. When you teach that “poor hurt boy” to read and do maths, you’ve changed his future and how people look at him."
Jaden had a natural birth at 37 weeks. He appeared normal, and was very quiet as a baby. With our other two older kids, we were busy juggling between home and work, and we didn’t pay much attention to his physical growth and development, assuming time would do its job. It was not until his new pediatrician noticed that he could not roll over or reach for an object in front of him, that he was extensively evaluated by the paediatric neurology team. Initial assessment revealed a Partial Agenesis of Corpus Callosum. At the age of 10 months, Jaden was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay with central hypotonia. It was devastating when the neurologist told us that there was nothing they could do to improve his condition.
Nevertheless, Jaden started his once-a-week physiotherapy and occupational therapy as recommended for about one year, with slight improvement. Meanwhile, we continue to research for alternative treatments. We finally found The Institutes in May 2015, through a four-year-old named Adele Choy, the sister of a child on The Institutes program.
The many success stories on The Institutes’ website showed that they had a reliable treatment program with proven records.
We immediately signed up for the “What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child” (WTD) course presented in Singapore that same year in July. Jaden was 20 months old then, he still lacked mobility, speech and was prone to the flu. He was sick three weeks out of every month.
During the WTD course, we learned that the brain grows by use. When the brain is provided with appropriate stimulation and opportunity, symptoms start to lessen or even disappear. Our initial functional diagnosis was a Severe, Diffuse, Bilateral, Cortical and Midbrain Injury, Jaden’s chronological age was 20.4 months, but his neurological age was only 10 months. We immediately applied the methods we learned in the course once they were back in Malaysia.
The results were remarkable.The new diet enhanced his health tremendously. He went from three weeks of sickness a month to only one week of illness in a month. His health was getting better all the time.
We also carried out an auditory for months, until there was no more delay in his hearing. We did a tactile program and he overcame his sensitivity towards sand, grass, leaves and furry items. He was getting more alert to the things in his surroundings. In three months he started to crawl, in five months he was cruising and in six months he started creeping!
We were excited and attended Lecture Series II and III in the following two years. With the lecture notes and four reference books titled “How To Teach Your Baby To Read”, “Fit Baby, Smart Baby, Your Baby!”, “How To Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge” and “How To Teach Your Baby Math”, Jaden continued to progress happily.
With guidance from The Institutes, and supportive friends and family, plus his own hard work and cooperation, we are overjoyed with Jaden’s progression. • From identifying “M” as “McDonald” to reading easily above his age level.
• From understanding “eat” and “milk” to following 1 and 2 steps instructions consistently and easily comprehending reading books above his age level.
• From immobility to crawling, creeping, walking, and starting to run.
• From two words of speech “mum-mum” (eat) and “nen-nen” (milk) to speaking about 50 words.
• His vision, auditory and tactile are almost perfect!
• His health has improved significantly.
When the brain is injured, the child will either have a problem with the incoming sensory pathways or the outgoing motor pathways or both. When a child cannot see, hear or feel properly, he cannot respond to the world around him appropriately.
This may be a severe problem, as it is with the child who is functionally blind, deaf, insensate, paralyzed, and speechless.
This may be a moderate problem, as it is with a child who can not use both eyes together properly, lacks the fine-tuning to handle the common sounds in the environment, or is too sensitive or not sensitive enough to touch and may not yet be able to move or talk or use his hands at age level.
This may be a mild problem, as it is with a child who cannot read, write or do math at age level and who may lack the balance, coordination, language, and manual competence of his peers.
While the pregnancy was uneventful, one day prior to Daichi’s due date, doctors found that the fetal heart rate had dropped. They immediately called for an emergency C-section to be performed. The baby was jaundiced and his oxygen level was low, so he was transferred to the NICU where he remained for 3 weeks. He was given oxygen, incubated, monitored, and tube fed. Parents found that Daichi had very poor muscle tone and was quiet. He barely cried at all. A chromosomal test confirmed that Daichi had Trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome as it is commonly known.
Daichi was struggling – no speech, little understanding, no crawling, and no response to pain.
The first year of Daichi’s life was difficult. He was weak and could not move well. He did not make many sounds. Parents knew that something had to be done. They learned of The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential and their work with brain-injured children. Mother immediately made plans to travel to attend the “What To Do About Your Brain Injured Child” Course , which she attended when Daichi was 15 months old. He was struggling – he had no speech, he could only understand 2 words of speech, he could not crawl on the floor, and he did not respond to pain at all.
When mother returned home, she wasted no time – she knew with Down Syndrome he would have many challenges. The family created a crawling track for baby Daichi and all day long they provided opportunity for him to move on the floor.
He was now able to move, and he quickly became stronger and stronger. Soon, he was crawling all around the house for all of his needs. His Parents also got started immediately with programs to speed his intellectual growth – very important for children with Down Syndrome. Although he was only a year old, parents knew that there was no time to waste. Using the recommendations from Glenn Doman in the books “How To Teach Your Baby To Read” and “How To Teach Your Baby Math,” they began to teach little Daichi how to read and do math. He ate it all up!
With Daichi’s unlimited opportunity to move on the floor and his rapidly improving mobility, he began to stand up, which led to him taking his very first steps. He loved this newfound freedom!
Parents gave Daichi proper tactile stimulation as they had learned in the course, which was very important for improving his ability to feel. Being able to feel his body better made it easier for him to move his body. Better tactility led to better mobility.
Daichi’s mobility developed rapidly – he can now run up to 300 meters nonstop.
When Daichi was 2 years old, parents traveled to The Institutes for an appointment. This was important because he had progressed so much and completely changed, so he needed an updated and revised program to maintain his progress. He was given a program of daily walking to improve this ability, as well as a specialized nutritional program, a more advanced reading program, and a balance development program.
Daichi just returned to The Institutes for his second evaluation and appointment. He had completely changed – with his running and improved respiration, he had started to speak. He now has over 60 words of speech that he uses to communicate his needs with his parents. He loves reading and math, and will find any excuse to pick up a book. He even enjoys reading on his own now!
Looking back on their experience on the program so far and toward their little son’s future, Daichi’s parents remark, “Now we can say that we were right to have decided that we would have our own happiness. Although there still are many more things to do for him, we feel that we are very happy to have hope and things that we can do for our child. We did not have to cry or be depressed about Daichi because we had things that we could do in front of us. We just appreciate that we found The Institutes. We will continue doing whatever we can do so that our son Daichi will be an independent person who can help society.”
Daichi is off to a wonderful start – he went from not moving, understanding poorly, and being unable to speak to running, understanding, reading, doing math, and speaking! His parents continue to work day in and day out toward the ultimate goal of wellness. Daichi continues to progress.
On the day of Sara’s birth, her parents were told that she had Trisomy 21. This began the family on a search to find answers for Sara, leading them to The Institutes. After graduating from The Institutes’ Intensive Treatment Program, parents wrote about their family’s experience on the program and Sara’s inspirational story:
We started to look for help and information, to learn what we could do for our baby. We became very confused because every doctor had a different opinion and none of them had any answers.
As time went by, we did see how our Sara was not developing as she should; even to feed her was a difficult task.
A friend gave us the book What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child. We finished the book and said that this is what we have been looking for. Immediately we began a program following the book.
We went to The Institutes in Philadelphia with Sara when she was seven months old and then a really new life began. Sara couldn’t move by herself even one inch. It was a tremendous moment when she, for the first time in her life, crawled two feet. We saw this with tears in our eyes and realized we were on the right path for her. Every month, Sara improved. We began to see that we have a child, not a problem, and with every visit to The Institutes, we had increasing hope.
In mobility, Sara began to crawl, then to creep, then to walk, and then to run. We and Sara’s sisters made sure she made every goal that was set for her.
She led us to understand the brain and human potential, and to this island of hope at The Institutes.
To develop her mobility, we used tunnels, and kittens, and lots of love and encouragement. When Sara was nine years old, she was running five kilometers every day. Mom was in great shape, too!
Before the program, Sara’s eyes crossed severely. Eventually, she was reading big red words and phrases before she was two years old!
She was able to read books before she entered school.
Sara began a gymnastics program when she was four years old. She became a proficient gymnast, and was clearly above her peers physically early on.
Sara was a lovely little girl who put a touch of heaven in everything she did. She changed our family completely, from being an ordinary family, to an extraordinary family.
Today, Sara goes to school, and continues to be above her age level in academics, athletics, and in social situations, too.
Yuuki was diagnosed with [Trisomy 21](Down Syndrome) as an infant, and as her mother wrote, “Since then we began searching for the best solution we could find to help her develop fully.”
Her mother read the book How To Teach Your Baby To Read, and began to show big red reading words to her baby. As a result, she felt that her little girl’s vision and hearing developed very well.
When Yuuki was two years old and not yet walking, her mother traveled to Philadelphia to attend the What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child Course.
She then attended the Lecture Series Program every six months, and received certification in Child Brain Development after completing the series.
Yuuki’s mother taught her hundreds of reading words, sentences, and homemade books, in two languages. At eight years of age, Yuuki was reading storybooks for pleasure at the fifth-grade level, well ahead of other kids her age. She was physically fit, and could run 500 meters nonstop.
However, her speech was not clear, and her writing was below her age level. Her general health was not good enough.
Her mother embarked on The Institute’s Intensive Treatment Program and she and her daughter worked hard to improve Yuuki’s health, along with her intellectual and physical abilities.
By eleven years of age, Yuuki had not had a single illness for over two years. She was reading fiction and non-fiction above her age level, was enjoying writing essays, and was playing the violin and piano. She was a gymnast, and could run 3 kilometers nonstop.
After passing the entrance exams for junior high school, she began school with her peers.
Yuuki is now in her second year of junior high school, and doing great, including having perfect attendance due to her excellent health.Congratulations to Yuuki, and to her dedicated mother, who was determined that her daughter had the stimulation and the opportunity to really achieve her full potential.
Over the years we’ve worked with thousands of hurt children and their families. See below to explore some of the ways we’re improving the lives of children around the world.
Seeing
Of the 416 children who were blind
84%
350 children saw for the first time
Seeing
At birth, a newborn baby is blind; he can see light and dark and nothing more. This is Stage I, and at this point the baby has only a light reflex.
As he matures, he begins to see outline. This is the very beginning of seeing. This is Stage II.
When a baby begins to see and respond to details, such a child has developed useful vision. This is Stage III.
Some have no light reflex and cannot see light. They are below Stage I. This is called blind. Some have only a light reflex and can see only light and dark. This is also called blind.
Children beyond one year of age who are not able to see detail can truly be said to be functionally blind. Some see only outline; these children do not yet have vision that is in any way useful to them, since their visual needs are much greater at one year and beyond than their needs would have been at the age when it is normal to see only outline. This is called functionally blind.
For a child at Stage II, I, or below, who is one year of age or older, to be able to see detail and thus to have useful vision for the first time is an occasion for great rejoicing. When this occurs, it is true to say that the blind or the functionally blind are now seeing.
Of the 416 children who were blind, 350 (84%) saw for the first time and 301 children learned to read. (They ranged in age 8 months to 22 years 1 month.)
Before we as human beings can learn to understand spoken language, we must be able to hear that language. The lack of this ability seriously impairs our ability to function as complete human beings, since the normal developmental sequence of speech is dependent upon the capability of hearing and interpreting language.
The children who achieved this victory were deaf when they began the program. They were unable to respond to sounds. Since their last evaluation they have achieved the ability not only to hear sounds, but also to respond to 10 to 25 words of speech and to follow simple directions.
Of the 175 children who were deaf, 146 (83%) heard for the first time. (They ranged in age from 8 months to 22 years 1 month.)
When Tim was born, he was cyanotic and had trouble breathing. After his birth, he had difficulty feeding and seemed sluggish compared to most newborns. By 9 months of age Tim was delayed compared to other babies. Doctors recommended therapies to speed up his development, which did not yield results. At one year of age, after a vaccination, parents noticed a substantial regression in his abilities. He stopped talking and stopped interacting, and he would tune out as if he were in his own world. He would sit and do nothing. He did not appear to be able to see, hear, or move. Doctors diagnosed Tim as microcephalic with psychomotor developmental delay due to a hypoxic-ischemic event. Although opinions amongst professionals differed, parents were not given much hope. One professional even proposed that Tim be institutionalized. Tim’s parents refused to accept this fate for their boy. When Tim was 3 years old, his parents learned about The Institutes and attended the “What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child” Course. At that time, Tim could not see, hear, move or make any sounds other than cry. He was functioning at the newborn level in just about every area.
It has been a year since Tim came for his first evaluation at The Institutes. In the last year, Tim has continued to make incredible gains . He not only reads, but also loves to read homemade books that his parents make for him. His parents no longer have to read books to him – he is able to read them independently. He is very clever and parents report that he only needs to be taught something once in his intelligence program before he knows it . His understanding has greatly improved – he understands nearly 2,000 words and can follow instructions. He loves to learn new things.
He continues to creep daily as part of his program and has reached 1600 meters (one mile) of creeping. He has learned how to stand against the wall and cruise along furniture.
Tim is learning to walk with the overhead ladder. Parents and the staff know their next goal – to get Tim to walk independently. They know they are getting closer and closer each day.
We see many hurt kids at The Institutes and Jacob was one of them. Jacob was born three months prematurely. He spent the first six months of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit fighting for his life, along with his devoted parents. He underwent nine surgeries at this time. At one year of age, Jacob was blind, deaf and immobile.
Jacob's Mother wrote to us with the following not long after completion of this program “I am thrilled to send you this update. We just had another MRI for Jacob and the improvement is remarkable! The Neurosurgeon even said she’s never seen such improvement. I know it’s no surprise to you but it sure is nice to have some evidence of the power of your program …I thought you’d like to see the scans side-by-side.”
“I am Caelum and I am 9 years old, almost 10. I have been on the program at The Institutes for almost 8 years. When I first began the program, I was unable to do anything. I sustained an accident at the age of 17 months that left me totally without any function. I was constantly fighting to survive!”
“My brain began to forge new pathways for functions I had previously lost.”
“Not only was I blind, but totally paralyzed, unable to speak, eat, drink, or feel any physical sensations! I came to The Institutes approximately 9 months after my accident. I began the Intensive Treatment Program with my family.”
“Within the first 3 months, I began to see, to hear, and started to learn how to move. Meaning that my program was helping to provide hundreds of opportunities for my brain to begin to forge new pathways for functions I had previously lost.”
“My family and The Institutes have changed my future forever! I am now able to access information at an outstanding rate, comprehending subjects far above my typical aged peers.”
“I eat normally, I see, I hear, and for the first time in my renewed life, I defy gravity to creep independently to go wherever I like, only now as a precursor to my ability to walk.”
Caelum still has a way to go to reach his ultimate goal, but he has come so far that he will not give up and neither will his family. Caelum’s life could have become a tragedy. Instead he and his family have rewritten the script to be a joyous journey of exploration and discovery. Caelum has touched everyone who knows him with his intelligence and his goodness. Caelum has overcome his original diagnosis of brain injury – near drowning and coma with flying colors!
Babies begin the complex and seemingly miraculous process of decoding human language at birth. It is a process that we tend to take for granted except, of course, when it does not happen. After young children develop an understanding of meaningful sounds, they begin to understand words and, finally, simple sentences.
When a child can understand at least two thousand words and hundreds of simple sentences, he has reached a major milestone in his quest for neurological maturity.
At this stage he can understand two-step or three-step instructions, and grasp the concept of tomorrow and yesterday. He has, in other words, all the basics of human auditory understanding of language. For the average child this process takes three years to achieve. The following children now understand language as well as or better than an average three-year-old.
Of 1,545 children whose comprehension was not yet equal to that of the average three-year-old, 1,358 (87%) were able to understand at least as well as a three-year-old for the first time in their lives. (They ranged in age from 15 months to 32 years 3 months.)
Of the 1,545 children whose comprehension was not yet equal to that of the average 3 year old
87%
1,358 were able to understand at a 3 year old level
Crawling
Out of 1,330 children who were unable to move
40%
522 crawled for the first time
Crawling
When children move themselves from point “A” to point “B” for the first time in their lives, they have accomplished one of the major objectives in life. In a physical sense, they are free for the first time and can (within certain limits) go where they wish to go without dependence on other human beings. They begin to do so by lying face down and using their arms and legs to push themselves forward. Crawling is movement for movement’s sake.
Of the 1,330 children who were unable to move, 522 (40%) crawled for the first time in their lives. They went from being paralyzed to being able to crawl across a room without help. (They ranged in age from 8 months to 22 years 10 months.)
When children begin to move in a counter-gravity situation for the first time by getting their bellies off the floor and moving themselves forward on hands and knees, they have begun a great adventure–one of the greatest in all life.
They have given up total security in exchange for speed and ease of movement.
Whereas before they had the security of lying flat on the floor (you can’t fall off the floor), they also had the problem of dragging their bodies along the floor in the least efficient way. Now they have sacrificed this security (you can fall down from hands and knees) for efficiency and speed.
While crawling is movement for movement’s sake, creeping is movement that is goal-directed. An infant crawls across the room to get across the room. A baby creeps to get the toy that is across the room. Since their last evaluation, the following children have advanced to the ability to creep and now do so.
Of the 632 children who were unable to creep, 411 (65%) began to creep for the first time. This is to say that they defied gravity to move to the third dimension and now get all over the house on hands and knees. (They ranged in age from 7 months to 21 years 6 months.)
Right after Wei Xuan was born, his hands and legs turned purple. He was sent to the Intensive Care Unit immediately. The paediatrician suspected Respiratory Distress Syndrome and prescribed antibiotics. Subsequently, we found that that he couldn’t suck at all and had to be fed via a nasal gastric tube inserted through his nose. His whole body was also very floppy. He was in intensive care for two weeks and was placed under an oxygen hood to help him to breathe. Subsequently, he was transferred to a high dependency ward for two more weeks. We had to learn how to insert and change the gastric tube, and also how to feed him through the tube. Before he was discharged, we were taught how to do Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation for him in case of an emergency.
After a lot of different tests and MRI scans, Wei Xuan was diagnosed with Hypogenesis of the Corpus Callosum, which means that the connection between the left and right brain did not develop properly during pregnancy.
We were told that his condition would not improve. At one point his physiotherapist told us that his weak muscle tone condition is something that will not change during his whole life. It was hard for us to accept this and we kept looking for other ways to help him.
A friend told us about the What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child Course in Singapore. We found out more about it and read the book. I attended the course and Wei Xuan’s father attended the same course one year later. We flew with Wei Xuan to Philadelphia for our first appointment three months after father completed the course.
Today Wei Xuan still gets up every day and fights the good fight to keep getting better. He was a sickly little baby unable to eat without a tube, and he was sensitive or allergic to many foods. There were times when he was not expected to live. There was no expectation that he would ever move, understand, or be able to communicate.
Today he is walking the overhead ladder independently and he has recently stood for 35 seconds completely on his own – an astonishing feat for him.
Hana was born 72 days prematurely. At first, she did not have any problems, but after a month, her ultrasound showed abnormalities and she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to bilateral periventricular leukomalacia.
Prognosis: Hana would never walk or talk
The doctor’s explanation was superficial and impersonal. Basically, we were told that she would probably never breathe and swallow on her own, let alone talk and walk.
At that moment, our world collapsed. We always read about such stories and never thought that we would ever have to face such problems. As it is usually done in our country, we started a physical therapy at a Rehabilitation Institute and hoped for positive results. After a few years, it was clear to us that this program was not sufficient for her.
Then, our attention was drawn to an article, a blog written by one mother, commenting on their progress and mentioning The Institutes, so we applied for the What To Do About Your brain-injured Child course. The course gave us gave us simple and logical answers to all the problems that we were facing.
Hana’s progress so far is remarkable. From a girl who couldn’t move from one point to another, she turned into a girl who creeps all over the house. She is able to sit by herself and is currently learning how to walk.
She can speak fluently in her native language (Slovene) and she also speaks English. She has come a long way from that initial prognosis.
The decision to start the Intensive Treatment Program was the best thing that we did. We only regret that we did not learn about The Institutes sooner. We would encourage all the parents of special needs kids to attend the course at The Institutes and to start the program
After Melvin’s birth, he appeared to develop well and his parents thought that everything was fine. However, when he was five months old he caught the flu and became severely ill. He vomited a great deal and lost nearly one kilogram of weight. He then became ill with tonsillitis. For the next two months he was severely ill and slept most of the time. By 7 months of age, he had difficulty moving or lifting his head. We had no idea what was wrong and didn’t realize what cerebral palsy symptoms look like.
At 9 months of age, when he was tested by a nurse, it was clear that something was wrong – he was not responding to sounds as he should have. He showed no interest in toys, and he had a severe convergent strabismus. Eventually doctors were able to confirm with an MRI that he did have an injury to the brain.
Melvin could not crawl or creep, but parents were told by doctors to “wait and see.”
Doctors told Melvin’s parents that they could not predict how he would do and advised them to “wait and see.” Parents did not want to wait and immediately began searching for answers on the Internet. They discovered The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential and Glenn Doman’s book What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child.
Melvin was 22 month old, and could move his arms and legs, but could not move forward or crawl at all. After reading the book, parents built an Inclined Floor, and were so happy with Melvin’s quick progress in crawling that they decided to travel to Philadelphia and attend the What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child Course. They were inspired, and returned to The Institutes in Italy a few months later to have Melvin evaluated by The Institutes staff and to receive a home program. Even though Melvin had cerebral palsy symptoms, he quickly responded to the program we received for him – a glimmer of hope!
After a great deal of work, Melvin learned to walk totally independently. Melvin was proud, and so were his parents. His parents write, “Melvin made it happen! Without the knowledge and inspiration of The Institutes, it would never have happened!”
Melvin now walks independently and is above age level intellectually.
Looking back at Melvin’s progress, his mother writes, “Melvin’s understanding is now way above his age. He reads books and math like a 10-year-old. He can follow directions more and more. He answers questions much faster.” Melvin now walks all over and is above age level intellectually due to the hard work of his parents and older siblings, who work day in and day out to help him reach his full potential. This is a great example of success over cerebral palsy symptoms.
When a baby stands and for the first time lets go of all the furniture to take an independent step, he has made a move of great importance individually and historically.
He now accepts the risk of defying gravity, except for the contact of a few square inches of the soles of his feet on the ground. It is exciting, it is dangerous, it is exhilarating, It is the highest of man’s mobility adventures. In terms of mobility it is full citizenship at last.
These children have become walkers since their last evaluation. They can stand up in the middle of a room, can walk across a room independently, and they choose walking as their means of mobility.
Of the 663 children who were unable to walk, 357 (53%) began to walk without help for the first time. (They ranged in age from 14 months to 23 years 8 months.)
As a child walks , his coordination matures and his ability to deal with gravity in the upright position improves. In his never-ending search for more efficient mobility, he begins to accelerate his walk.
He leans his body forward and lifts his feet higher off the ground. At first these movements are jerky, and he can sustain his speed for only a few seconds. He begins to trot. This is the first step towards running. With practice, he learns to maintain the upright position while traveling through space. As he gains experience his pace acquires velocity, and for a split second both his feet leave the ground and he glides. He is now experiencing the sheer exhilaration of running.
These children have become runners since their last evaluation. They can run at least 100 yards nonstop in cross-pattern.
Of the 801 children able to walk, but not run, 404 (50%) learned to run for the first time. (They ranged in age from 30 months to 25 years 8 months.)
Out of 801 children who were able to walk, but not run
50%
404 began to run
Talking
Of the 1,597 children who couldn’t speak
42%
678 spoke for the first time
Talking
Only human beings, using the unique human cortex, have been able to make a large variety of sounds and to assign abstract, symbolic, conventional meanings to those sounds. The result has been human language in hundreds of forms, including English, French, German, Swahili, Spanish, and Portuguese. Since their last evaluation, the following children have begun to consistently use a vocabulary of at least ten words and at least two couplets, and to do so spontaneously and meaningfully.
Of the 1,597 children who couldn’t speak, 678 (42%) spoke for the first time. (They ranged in age from 16 months to 21 years 4 months.)
It is difficult when describing that superb function, reading, not to use words in impossible combinations such as “most unique.” Man has six unique functions, each of which is a product of the human cortex. One of these is reading.
While it is not possible for one function to be “more unique” than another, it is true that the animals closely approach man in some of the other functions, such as walking upright. This is not so in reading. The following children have, since their last evaluation, unlocked the door to all that is beautiful and true that has been written in their own language. It is interesting to note the present age of these children who can now read at least one hundred words.
Of the 1,955 children who were unable to read, 1,886 children (96%) read for the first time. (They ranged in age from 8 months to 32 years 3 months.)
Writing is the ability to express language in a symbolic fashion using a tool. Like reading, writing is also a function unique to man and is also a product of the human cortex. In terms of manual competence, writing is the highest stage of cortical function. The following children have, since their last evaluation, started to write or type words as a new and meaningful method of communication.
Of the 872 children unable to write, 215 (24%) wrote for the first time. (They ranged in age from 4 years 4 months to 37 years 8 months.)
At the time of initial evaluation, 53% of our children have a history of seizures at some time in their lives. In 1993, 37% were currently having seizures (that is within one year prior to their initial evaluation) and 31% were on anticonvulsant drugs. In this group, the maximum number of drugs taken simultaneously was three. Despite these medications, seizures often continued unabated; 84% of the children currently having seizures were receiving anticonvulsants.
Because of sedation and other undesirable side effects of the drugs, a program of medication reduction is undertaken with great care under the direction of our medical staff. In 1993, we succeeded with complete elimination of such medication in more than 67% of our children. Of these, 47% had no seizures for a minimum of 6 months following detoxification.
Of the 820 children who were on anticonvulsant medication, 519 (63%) were completely and successfully detoxified. (They ranged in age from 10 months to 33 years 1 month.) Of the remaining 301 children, 21 are in the process of complete detoxification.
Out of 820 children who were on anticonvulsant medication
63%
519 detoxified
Health
Out of 1927 children
28%
544 achieved perfect health for at least 12 consecutive months
Health
Many brain-injured children, in addition to their developmental problems, are chronically ill, and some are in a life-threatening situation because of their constant illnesses. A pediatrician expects an average child to have 9 to 12 respiratory illnesses a year and is not overly concerned until the frequency is greater than that. Once a child begins a full neurological program, we expect to see a dramatic improvement in his overall health. In fact, our objective is no illnesses or conditions such as prolonged allergies, seizures, and fatigue that cause an interruption in either performance or alertness.
Of 1,927 children who were on the program for 12 months or more, 544 (28%) achieved perfect health for at least 12 consecutive months. Of these, 206 had no illness for more than 24 months, and one had no illness for 12 years 3 months.
Our staff provide expert instruction to ensure that parents understand the basis and rationale of the program, and practical know-how gained from years of firsthand experience with parents and babies.
Director
The Institute for Intellectual Excellence
As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Susan began her studies and training at The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in 1973. In 1980, she became the Director of the Institute for the Achievement of Intellectual Excellence, and the Director of the Evan Thomas Institute.
She is a principal lecturer in the “How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence” course, which has been presented since 1978 to parents the world over. She teaches parents how to enhance the growth and development of the brain through intellectual growth, specifically in reading, mathematics, and encyclopedic knowledge. She also teaches parents how to do an evaluation of their child using The Institutes Developmental Profile.
Ms. Aisen is also a principal lecturer in the “What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child” course. She teaches parents of brain-injured children how to evaluate their children neurologically and how to create an effective program of sensory stimulation to enhance seeing, hearing, and tactility.
Susan is an international lecturer on intellectual growth in children, and has taught parents in England, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Singapore, Puerto Rico, and the United States how to create intellectual excellence in their children.
Director
The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential
Janet Doman has been the director of The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential since 1980. Janet is the daughter of Glenn Doman, the founder of The Institutes. She grew up at The Institutes and was helping brain-injured children by the time she was nine years old. She was directly involved in The Institutes ground-breaking work in early reading. At fourteen, she illustrated one of the first books ever published that was written and designed to be read by two and three-year-old children. She and her team have been creating and designing this unique curriculum ever since. While still in high school, she was asked to document the mobility progress of each child on The Institutes program and make a film archive. Six hundred and fifty children were filmed at every visit – it was the first such archive of this kind of data ever made.
Dr. Raymond Dart , the discoverer of Australopithecus Africanus Darti, and a fellow staff member, encouraged her to study anthropology. She studied physical Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Wilton Krogman at the Krogman Growth and Development Center. He taught her anthropometric measurement which she brought back to The Institutes. She did the first anthropometric measurements of brain-injured children that had ever been done. These careful measurements are still done today on every hurt child. Her life-long love of animals caused her to interrupt her studies at Penn to study zoology for a year at the University of Hull in England.
Janet with Dr. Roselise Wilkinson in the Xingu territory in the Mato Grosso of Brazil Centrale in 1969
In 1969 she had the extraordinary opportunity to travel with The Institutes expeditionary team to the Xingu territory of Brazil central. There, assisted by the government of Brazil, under the direction of Claudio Villas Boas, of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, she helped to do the very first neurological evaluations and anthropometric measurements of the children and adults in the tribes visited.
After graduating from University in 1971 she returned to her work with brain-injured children at The Institutes. Adelle Davis, the world renowned nutritionist and author of the revolutionary book “Let’s Get Well”, had recently joined the staff of The Institutes. Glenn challenged Janet to learn everything she could about nutrition from Adelle and to make sure that Adelle had anything she needed to create the ideal nutritional program for each hurt child. Janet and Adelle spent the next two years doing just that. They formed a life-long friendship. Janet is still deeply involved with all aspects of the nutritional program at The Institutes today where she works closely with Dr. Li Wang and Dr. Richard Rosenbloom.
In 1973 She and her team from The Institutes for Intellectual Excellence were asked to create a full intellectual curricula for the students in the School For Human Development. This school was for brain-injured youngsters from 17 to 30 years who could not succeed in either high school or college because of their neurological problems.
In 1974 she headed a team sent to Japan to study with Shinichi Suzuki and to teach at Yoji Kaihatsu, in Tokyo a revolutionary early development school created by Matsaru Ibuka, one of the Founders of SONY. She created and put in place a highly successful English language program for 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children to be taught at home by their mothers. In less than a year there was a twelve-month waiting list to enroll in these early development classes for mothers.
On her return to the United States, she expanded the early development program developed in Tokyo to include reading, mathematics, encyclopedic knowledge, music, drawing, and physical development. Janet and her father decided it was time to create a new institute devoted exclusively to teaching the parents of well children.
Janet founded The Evan Thomas Institute in 1975, to honor Evan Welling Thomas, an outstanding public health physician who had given the last ten years of his life to the work of The Institutes. The purpose of this new institute was to teach mothers how to develop their babies intellectually, physically, and socially from birth to six. In 1976 Glenn was focusing on enriching the intellectual growth of brain-injured children by significantly expanding their database. He asked Janet and Susan Aisen to create a program to accomplish this. Over the next year the Encyclopedic Knowledge Program was piloted and developed into a very effective and popular program for both hurt and well children.
In 1978 Janet created a one week course for mothers “How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence”. The course attracted not only mothers, but fathers from all over the world who understood the enormous potential of the tiny baby and wanted to be able to learn more and provide an enriched environment at home. That course has been translated into four languages and has traveled around the world with the staff ever since.
Based upon the success of the “How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence” Course, Janet and the staff reviewed the lectures being given at that time for parents of brain-injured children and in 1985 created a one week intensive course for the parents of brain-injured children – “What To Do About Your Brain-injured Child”. This course has been translated into six languages and has also traveled the world with the staff ever since.
Janet wih Yuuki and Yoshiki in Tokyo
After working in Japan, Janet led the team of staff that began seeing brain-injured children in Japan and presenting lectures there. Janet has lectured and seen children in England, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, China, Colombia, Australia, Malaysia, Argentina, and Peru.
Over the more than half century Janet has taught thousands of parents and children from all over the world and professionals who have come to The Institutes to learn. She still does so today. “Who in the world could ever be luckier than I am? I spend all day, every day with incredible children, the world’s most dedicated parents, a staff that never gives up, and new challenges every day.”
Today Janet and the staff are expanding the work of The Institutes to offer new books, new materials and new instruction online.
Janet is the co-author of How To Teach Your Baby To Read, How To Teach Your Baby Math, How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence, How Smart Is Your Baby?, and How To Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge. Janet and a team of child brain developmentalist wrote The Pathway to Wellness and The Pathway to Excellence. She authored the children’s book Enough, Inigo, Enough.
In the field of child brain development she earned her Developmentalist Level in 1973, the Teaching Level in 1980, and the Preceptor Level in 1984. She has held the United Steelworkers of America Chair of Child Brain Development since 1987.
For her contributions she has received the Brasilian Gold Medal in 1974, The Statuette of The World Organization For Human Potential in 1980, and The Leonardo da Vinci Award in 1985 from The Institutes.
2019: Janet with Waldemar Nehgme, Director of The Institutes’ new school in Brasilia
Leia is from Brazil, and is the niece of Dr. Raymundo Veras, founder of the Brazilian Institutes. Before coming to Philadelphia in 1977, she worked for The Institutes in Brazil for two years. There she used her previous training in speech therapy at the Instituto Brasileiro de Otorrinolaringologia, da Faculdade Nacional do Rio de Janeiro.
After her arrival in Philadelphia she worked in the School for Human Development and rose to the level of vice director of the School. During these months Leia developed, with the staff, the Cortical Organization Program and the Laterality Program.
From June to August of 1977, she helped establish the Brazilian campus of the School for Human Development. In July of 1980 Leia returned to Brazil to assist Dr. José Carlos Veras at The Institutes in Rio de Janeiro. She became responsible for all physical, sensory, and physiological programs. Leia ran the Floor Program, the School for Human Development Program, the Evan Thomas Institute, and the Respiratory Patterning Department. She traveled to Brazilian cities and to Portugal to lecture and teach parents of brain-injured children.
In January 1981, Leia married Robin Reilly. Their son was born in 1982, and their daughter was born in 1983. When her children were young, Leia carried out an early development home program with them.
Leia achieved certification in child brain development at the teaching level in November 1989. In 1992 Leia returned to The Institutes in Philadelphia as an associate director of The Institute for the Achievement of Physical Excellence. In 1997 she became the vice director, and in 2000 she became the director of that Institute.
Leia lectures in all of the courses and in the lecture series for parents given by The Institutes. In addition to Brazil, the United States, and Portugal, Leia has served children in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Singapore, China and Japan.
For her work with brain-injured children, she received the Brazilian Gold Medal of Honor, the Raymundo Veras Award of Science and Humanities, the Ceremony of Inscription, and the Statuette with Pedestal. She is a founding member of the International Academy for Child Brain Development.
Vice Director
The Institute for Physical Excellence
Rumiko was born in Kagawa-ken, Japan. She attended Saint Maria College in Kyoto, where she studied elementary education, psychology, social welfare, and literature.
Following graduation, Rumiko worked with children from infancy to five years old. She then taught in a private elementary school, where she especially enjoyed teaching Japanese literature, creative writing, and music to children. Before and after school hours she tutored children with reading problems.
Rumiko learned of The Institutes through the experiences of Yoichi Fukunaga, a famous Japanese jockey who was profoundly injured during a horse race and was in a coma for more than a year. By following the programs of The Institutes, he learned to walk, talk, write, and eventually ride a horse. His recovery was widely reported throughout Japan.
Rumiko soon learned that The Institutes could help those children who were failing in school and in life. Rumiko came to Philadelphia in 1987 to begin her training in child brain development. As part of her staff training Rumiko crawled, crept, ran, and completed a full gymnastics program with the brain-injured students of the School for Human Development.
She worked with the students at the Pioneer Institute, where she coached the students in independence, leadership, and problem solving. Eventually she rose to the position of director of the School for Human Development, where she was responsible for the physical, intellectual, and physiological program of all the brain-injured young adults in the school.
Rumiko coached the students in singing and in social programs. She also taught swimming to the students of the Evan Thomas Institute. Rumiko is fully qualified in all aspects of the physical development of brain-injured and well children, and she is the advocate for many children around the world. She is associate director of The Institute for the Achievement of Physical Excellence, serving children in the United States and in Japan. She has lectured and taught the parents of brain-injured children from around the world.
For her work with brain-injured children, Rumiko received the Brazilian Gold Medal of Honor, Sakura Koro Sho, the Raymundo Veras Medal of Humanity and Science, and The Founder’s award of the Statuette with Pedestal. She is certified in child brain development and is a fellow of the International Academy for Child Brain Development.
Rumiko is married to Erik Doman, the oldest grandchild of Glenn and Katie Doman.
Senior Staff
The Institute for Intellectual Excellence
Kathy was born in Bellwood, Pennsylvania, where she grew up and graduated from high school. During these years her mother taught her to play the piano. Following high school, Kathy attended Appalachian Bible College, majoring in piano. She then worked as a secretary for a life insurance company and as a secretary for a printing plant.
In 1973 Kathy married Alan Myers. When their oldest child, Chip, was four years old, she took the How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence Course. Kathy became a full-time professional mother to her three children. Eventually they joined the On-Campus Program of the Evan Thomas Institute.
When her youngest child entered the International School, Kathy joined the school staff. She became the music director, teaching music theory, composition, and a choral class, and was director of the Junior Class. She later became vice director of the International School.
Kathy is now the administrator of the International School. In this role, she creates class schedules, organizes the curriculum books, and meets regularly with mothers concerning the home program of each student.
As her children graduated from the International School, Kathy home schooled them throughout high school, at their request. She continued her own education at Montgomery County Community College with courses in pre-calculus, calculus, history, and psychology.
Kathy now uses the experience derived from teaching her own children and the International School students to teach the parents of brain-injured children in the clinic.
In 1998 Kathy began her training as a clinical staff member, and is now qualified to take histories, perform evaluations, and teach intelligence programs.
For her work with children, Kathy has received the Brazilian Gold Medal and the Statuette with Pedestal. In 1998, the entire Myers family was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Medal.
Director
The Institute for Physiological Excellence
Dr. Ernesto Vasquez was born in the United States and grew up in Mexico. In 1984 he obtained his diploma as a general practitioner from the University of Baja California School of Medicine, in Mexico. He served his internship in 1985 at the Social Security Hospital in Mexicali, Baja California, and was in charge of community clinics of Morelos City, Baja California.
Ernesto first learned about The Institutes in 1982, when his sister Angelica began on the Intensive Treatment Program. Ernesto assisted with her home program and observed Angelica’s progress. He came to The Institutes in September 1986 and joined the staff of the School for Human Development. He later became medical director and then director of the School, coaching the students through every aspect of their physical, intellectual, and social program.
In 1987, he was appointed vice director of the Oxygen Enrichment Program. Now he divides his time between the research area and the Children’s Center, where he teaches physical and respiratory programs. In 1988 and 1989, Ernesto spent time working at Centro de Reabilitação Nossa Senhora da Glória with Dr. José Carlos Veras in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and for Associação Barbacenense in Barbacena, Brazil.
Ernesto helped to present the first Spanish What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child Video Course in Mexico City, and was involved in the preparation, translation, and dubbing in Spanish of the How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence Course, also presented in Mexico City. Ernesto has been involved in the translation, preparation, and dubbing in Spanish of the video lecture series for Spanish-speaking families.
In 1992, Ernesto became the vice director of The Institute for the Achievement of Physiological Excellence and the acting director of the same institute in Europe. He has studied and treated brain-injured children in Mexico, the United States, Italy, Japan and Brazil.
In 1993, he married Thaisa Mendes, then a staff member. They have two children who have benefited from The Institutes Early Development Program. From 1995 to 1996, Ernesto returned to work with Dr. Jose Carlos Veras in Brazil and studied and treated brain-injured children in Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal.
He is certified in child brain development at the teaching level and he is a fellow of the Academy for Child Brain Development. For his work with brain-injured children he has received the Brazilian Gold Medal of Honor, the Sakura Koro Sho medal, and the Statuette with Pedestal.
Founder
The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential
Glenn Doman founded The Institutes in 1955. He is the primary lecturer in the course through the use of state-of-the-art video. This allows parents to be nose-to-nose with the founder all week long and learn from the primary author of The Gentle Revolution Series, and the most senior staff member of The Institutes.
"We don’t agree with everyone about brain-injured children. Our disagreement begins with diagnosis, extends to classification, identification, treatment, technique, methods, philosophy, and ends up with objective. We are positive the goal should be to make brain-injured children well, and we sometimes do. The world believes that to be impossible and therefore never does."
