h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Steve

Just been reading the lunchbox thread and saw what you'd written about your son -

My son (8) has microcephaly and is what these days is politely termed "developmentally delayed"

I know very little about microcephaly but I do know a little about delayed development.

Early development and its hazards interest me greatly. I visited the Peto Institute in Budapest about 10 years ago, and I've been to both the Brainwave centre and the British Institute for the Brain-Injured Child - BIBIC. Both of these are in Bridgwater, Somerset.

I also know a fair bit about the Institute for Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia.

These four organisations all attempt to stimulate the senses of a child whose development has been disrupted, for whatever reason, with varying degrees of success.

And the inspiration behind the last three I mentioned was Glenn Doman, who wrote by far the most interesting book I've ever read, "What to do about your brain-injured child".

I'll stop there, because you may well know all this.

Get back to me if any of this is of interest to you.

Very best wishes, Paul

Hi Paul

Thanks for your interest. I've read the book.

My son is healthy, just delayed. No spasticity. He is developing, at his own pace. eg he started walking at 5, and now does stairs. Getting more responsive and communicative. My impression is that he does not have it all there ready to unlock, but rather is still getting it!

What's your own connection?

Steve

No time ATM - off to work with some adults with learning disabilities. Hugely enjoyable sessions!

I'll get back to you tonight.

Cheers, Paul

Hi Steve

My interest started when I had my children. I taught my daughter to read at 3 and a half using Doman’s book ‘Teach your baby to read’.

A few years later I answered a plea in the local paper for volunteers to help ‘pattern’ their daughter, Clayre who diagnosed as having ‘cerebral palsy’ (sic!). She had a programme designed by the Kerland Foundation (later to become Brainwave).

I had a weekly session with Clayre for about 5 years. She never learned to talk, but her mobility grew from being ‘like a wet bath towel on the floor’ to jogging several miles a day with her dad. She’s now in a care home in Torquay. I used to run a breadmaking group there for a while with Clayre in the group.

When I began teaching in 1993 I was asked by Community Education if I’d like to teach a group of Adults with Learning Disabilities and Difficulties. I taught 2 of these groups for about 14 years until one day the funding was withdrawn – and now they sit around the day centre, bored stiff!

I went to the Peto Institute around 1999 as part of a study trip, looking at education in Hungary. (I was doing the CertEd and this was the Comparative Education module.)

There we were told that all Hungarian doctors spent time in their training at the Peto, learning how to recognise children with brain damage. When a child was diagnosed as such they went to the Peto and stayed there until the brain damage was overcome – the aim was to achieve this by the age of three.

We were able to visit one group of overseas patients, who came from all over the world, including Britain. These children were all at least 5 or 6 and many were older than that.

As with Doman’s IAHP the emphasis was on intensive stimulation, and they claimed impressive results.

Apart from the two groups I taught with CommEd I’ve worked in many care homes around Somerset – currently I visit 5 on a weekly basis.

I figure that the people I work with have had a raw deal in life and it’s up to us to make their lives as rich and fulfilling as we possibly can.

Cheers, Paul

Hi Paul

I think "cerebral palsy" although an archaic term is still used in diagnosis - though mainly meaning "spastic".

I have some time for the "patterning" concept - especially after injury, but also for delay. But think microcephaly essentially means the child has the brain of a younger child, so no chance to pattern until there is enough development to start with.

IMHO the main thing is to have some activity and stimulation.

Are you now a professional baker? Or keen hobbyist? Teach? Special needs or normal? Is the care homes work your main job or an aside?

Questions questions!

Steve

To answer your questions first. My main client group is with special needs, but I also teach a family learning group at a local primary school – parents and children learning side by side. I won a national award for that.

I’ve no qualifications in baking (I’m completely self-taught), but plenty in teaching. I gained a 2:1 in Education and Training in my early 60s (after leaving school with 2 O levels).

What happened was I took early retirement from the Civil Service (GCHQ) when I was 55 in 1993. I’d been a keen breadmaker for many years and it was suggested to me that I teach my hobby in retirement. So I took Stage one C&G Teaching Adults, which took 10 weeks and I began teaching an evening course. A group of us went on to do the Stage 2 which took a couple of years, then I did the CertEd, at which point my tutors said, well you’ve gone this far, what about doing a degree – so I did.

I thoroughly enjoyed my second attempt at an education which was in stark contrast to my first. To discover in my mid 50s that I could teach, and, looking back, I should have been a teacher long ago, was mind-blowing!

The degree also told me a lot about myself – I found out I was dyslexic, that I had mixed dominances (I’m right footed and handed, but left eyed – this (mixed dominance) applies to something like 55% of dyslexics).

I finally had the explanation of why I had so much trouble at school, why I was expelled after passing the 11 plus and finishing up at a secondary modern.

I also found out that the reason I was a bed-wetter until I was 11 was because my autonomic system was undeveloped. I’ve talked to many Special Needs teachers and they all tell me that their students go to the toilet more frequently than other students. When I tell them my experience, and explain the cause, they have a greater understanding of why they need to go so often – it’s not just to escape a demanding situation as many think (although that may play its part also).

So I have a certain fellow feeling with people with special needs, I want the best for them, and I also want to pass on what info I have that may help others.

I happen to think that Doman is one of the great human beings of the 20th century, and why he’s an unsung hero is a mystery to me.

Getting back to your post (wish we could quote properly on here!), you said,

“But think microcephaly essentially means the child has the brain of a younger child, so no chance to pattern until there is enough development to start with.”

What about mental stimulation? Doman says somewhere that if you can only do one thing for someone – to use your words – who is ‘developmentally delayed’, you should teach them to read. Have you tried this?

I did a study for my degree which had some success with special needs youngsters, using large red words as flash cards. I’ll let you have it if you’re interested.

It’s late and I could go on and on, but I’ve got my family learning session at 9.15 in the morning, so I’d best retire for the night.

Just to say that Piaget, who was a great exponent of ‘readiness’ as in, ‘reading readiness’ has done education a great disservice. Doman says that readiness is created by the amount of stimulation received.

Goodnight!

Hi Steve

Just bumping this to see if it stays red in 'My discussions, as Scott reports his are.

I see everything is sweetness and light on the message boards ATM.

Wonder if it'll stay that way over Christmas??

Cheers, Paul

Doubt it.

Christmas - Humbug!

Hi Steve,

For some reason this is showing up red in my discussions, and I haven't posted on it, and even when I came and read it, it is still showing red!

Very strange.

Ahhh, that worked, once I had posted I could go to my conversations and remove it from my discussions.

So now I have to go and do that again.

I don't begin to understand how it all works!

My discussions said there were 4 new msgs on this thread, but there's only the latest one by you, Steve.

I understand very little, but I do know you can remove a thread from your discussions by clicking on the asterisk on the L/h side of the thread title.

Now we know as much (or as little) as each other!

Cheers, Paul

Now I seem to have the sticky red.

Given up.

Presume something to do with the new id system, coz when I go back to food it seems not to know I am me.

Steve, drop me an email, there is something I would like to discuss in private. Please.

Plaice_and_thyme

I'm @ live.co.uk

Done. I presume I add your name to the other bit and remove all spaces.

Hello Steve

I've been googling your name to see if you have a blog that I can follow. I have followed your threads/comments for quite a while now and I am surprised that, with all your culinary expertise, you haven't a blog of your own.

Although I can sympathise with the personal comments made here, my ignorance in the subject doesn't give me the right to comment further, but I wish you all the best with yourself and your family.

I have always appreciated your enthusiasm and sincerity in your comments.

Keep your tongue out........

Terry (C.F)

Hi Terry

No, I do not blog. Nor am I expert enough on food to do so!

Already too much time at the computer!

Cheers

Steve