NURTURE
Myths, Facts and One Case
of Child Brain Injuries
By
Farhan Shah
While there are numerous
articles about an infant’s
mental development,
there is almost next to no
information and resources
about a child who has
suffered from brain
trauma. We speak to an
expert in this field to shed
more light on this topic.
Here’s an astonishing fact: the brain
is capable of growth and change right
up to the day we die, according to
Janet Doman, the director for The
Institutes for the Achievement of
Human Potential (IAHP). Whenever
we learn new tasks, the synapses,
which are the connections found
between our neurons, increase in
number and size. This phenomenon
is known as brain plasticity and is the
reason why we become smarter.
One of the most common myths
perpetuated about the brain and
intelligence is that the more wrinkled
your grey matter is, the smarter
you are. The truth is slightly more
attractive. While we don’t start out
with wrinkly brains (a foetus actually
has a smooth little brain, just like a
miniature bowling ball), when we’re
about 40 weeks old in the womb, our
brains are as wrinkled as they are
now, albeit smaller. Essentially, the
brain wrinkles that we are born with
are the wrinkles that we have for
life, assuming that our brain remains
healthy.
Now, here’s another astonishing fact:
head injuries are the most common
cause of serious injury for a young
child from birth to the age of five and
can occur as a result of premature
delivery, illness or physical trauma
to the mother during pregnancy,
or illness or physical trauma to the
baby before, during or after delivery.
Doman believes that certain vaccines,
chemicals and environmental
pollution, when left unchecked, has
the potential to cause damage to a
child’s brain as well.
MYTH: BRAIN-INJURED CHILDREN ARE NOT INTELLIGENT
Speech is a big part of this myth. If a child cannot talk normally, it is
assumed that the child is intellectually abnormal. If a child cannot talk
at all, many assume that the child understands absolutely nothing, even
though the child may actually understand everything! It is possible to be
profoundly injured and yet still be highly intelligent.
MYTH: ONCE THE BRAIN IS INJURED, THERE IS NO WAY TO FIX IT
We have to go back to the beginning of the last century to find
scientists who believed that an injured brain is beyond repair. The
brain, injured or not, grows from use and has considerable powers of
recuperation and recovery.
MYTH: BRAIN-INJURED CHILDREN CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR
THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
This is a myth in which there can be some truth. If we
do nothing to save the brain-injured child and he is
left to languish while his siblings march on with
their lives, there is little doubt that his existence
will cause a gigantic problem. However, if we set
about to save the brain-injured child by enlisting
the help of his siblings, they become a team
working together to give their brain-injured
sibling a fighting chance to have a normal life.
Every victory, frustration and setback is a
collective effort and is part of the good fight.
This, and only this, is their salvation.
Brain injuries during infancy,
however, don’t automatically spell
doom. With the right rehabilitation
and lots of love from parents and
caregivers, many brain-injured
children have gone on to live fruitful
lives. One of the pioneers in this field
was Glenn Doman, who founded the
IAHP in 1955, during a time when
“there was no effective treatment for
children with neurological problems”.
Instead, they were “often medicated,
warehoused and forgotten”.
More than five decades later,
the institute has helped tens of
thousands of brain-injured children
and, in the process, learned a lot
about the development of an injured
child’s brain. Janet shatters a few
misconceptions that many people
have about brain injuries.
FROM THE CASE FILES
As an infant, Yuya was very quiet. As a toddler, he began
to walk but not talk, and when he did begin to speak, he
merely imitated what others said without meaning. His
behaviour developed abnormally and by kindergarten,
he was increasingly behind his peers in development.
He did not answer questions or join in games and
continued to play alone, or to chase other children and
strike out at them.
Just before Yuya’s sixth birthday, his parents attended the
“What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child” course. They
realised that their son had convergence problems, as he
did not look directly at them or at objects in front of him,
and he could not catch a ball. They began an extensive
home treatment programme daily with their son.
In one year, they saw significant improvements. Yuya’s
balance had improved, and he no longer fell while walking
or running. He was much less hyperactive and was calmer
and more reasonable. He also could read and express
himself in full sentences.
At age 12, Yuya entered school as a full-time student. His
reading ability continued above age level and he passed
every class test. He also excelled physically, becoming a
member of a boxing gym and a Boy Scout. He met every
challenge that school and life offered him!
WHAT TO DO ABOUT YOUR BRAIN-INJURED CHILD COURSE
27 July to 1 August
This five-day course, conducted by Ms Janet Doman and the staff of The Institutes for the Achievement of
Human Potential alongside the Glenn Doman Baby Program, consists of lectures, demonstrations and
practice concerning child brain development with emphasis placed on the brain-in jured child.
The objective of this course is to teach parents about child brain development as well as how to design
programmes for their own children.
Email to [email protected] or call at +65 6456 3526 for more information. For the development of well
children, you can find more information about the Glenn Doman Baby Program at www.gdbaby.com.sg.
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Family & Life • Jul 2014