Physicians, Therapists and Parents Learn about Child Brain Development in Belem, Brazil

At the invitation of The Institute for Neurological Organization, the staff of The Institutes gave two days of lectures in Belem last week. Most of the people attending came from the state of Para, but some also traveled from Sao Paulo, Recife and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Janet Doman, Director of The Institutes, and Leia Coelho Reilly, Associate Director of The Institute for Physical Excellence, gave the presentations. Thaisa Mendez Vasquez, trained at The Institutes and a professional mother and translator, was the translator for the event.

The lectures began with a history of the work of The Institutes over the last six decades. This was of particular interest to the Brazilian audience since the staff of The Institutes were among the very first people to study the indigenous people of Brazil central more than 45 years ago. That early work with the legendary, Claudio Villas Boas, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was a poignant reminder of how much has changed in the four decades since and how fragile those pre-Stone Age cultures are.

Next the Five Treatment Principle Procedures were presented. These procedures are the foundation and basis of virtually every program that The Institutes has designed, from the Coma Arousal Program to The Newborn Stimulation Program. When physicians understand these principles, they gain an invaluable insight into why we do what we do and why it works.

The Institutes Developmental Profile was introduced to teach about evaluation and stimulation in the first 12 months of life. Both parents and healthcare professionals alike were able to see that The Developmental Profile provides a clear template for the growth and development of the newborn baby and the brain-injured child. A deeper understanding of how to evaluate and how to use that evaluation to create an effective program of stimulation and opportunity helps parents and professionals to see that it is actually possible to bring about substantial change in a severely brain-injured child. It can also insure that the well newborn has a much better start in the first 12 months when the baby receives purposeful and effective stimulation rather than accidental stimulation.

Finally, that staff presented three pathways of The Pathway to Wellness, which provides precise philosophical information to guide parents whose children need help. The lectures presented what parents and professionals need to know, what they need to do, and what they need not to do in the areas of mobility,intelligence and communication.

The two days of lectures ended with many questions and an enthusiastic discussion that went on until the auditorium needed to close for the day.

Belem was selected for the lectures presentation because the What To Do About Your Brain-injured Child Course had been presented there in the Fall of 2015 and parents and professionals there wanted to learn more.

The Institutes plans to return to Brazil in November 2017 to present the What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child Course again in Curitiba or Sao Paulo, depending on where the need is greater.

The course will be offered in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Parents who are interested in attending the course in November should contact The Institutes by calling 215-233-2050 or e-mailing our registrar, Ashley Pinsker, at wtd_registrar@iahp.org.