Here is a progress report from mam Sara on her son Finley who attends the FHC Hiya! Heres Fins latest...... A week tomorrow we fly back to the Family Hope Center (FHC) for Finleys second appointment. Over the last six months Finley has made more progress than we ever believed possible. As we did two months ago weve listed here everything that Finley can do now that he couldnt before we started........ He can now speak really really well. Before we started Finley could say 3/4 words together. Most people couldnt understand him. He missed off the beginning of each word. Now he can be understood by strangers most of the time. He talks to his friends in pre school and his one-to-one helper doesnt have to translate. Last week he dictated a story at pre school which was over 40 words long. He talks all day long :))) its wonderful. Weve got to know him much better because he tells us his views on everything. Hes even cheekier than we thought! The improvement in Fins mobility has been dramatic. Before we learnt about the FHCs methods he could sit up and just about go from lying on his back to sitting up. He would stand up but was very uncomfortable and stiff. Now he can pull himself onto his knees, pull himself onto his feet, crawl on his hands and knees, side step along holding onto the furniture, climb into bed, bend his legs (before they were very stiff), he can also twist from the waist and sit with his legs to one side. His manual skills are much improved as well. Fin now feeds himself with cutlery, puts lids on things, can hold his own bottle, holds his own sippy cup and has started to attempt dressing and undressing. Some of these things seem trivial but Finley could hardly move before and now we are constantly nudging each other when we notice him in some new position. Before starting the FHC program Finley used to vomit a lot. Obviously when he was ill but when we put him to bed, when we sat him in the high chair, the slightest little upset. We realised recently that he hasnt vomited once since we started! His eating habits have improved as well. He used to eat two foods plus milk. He now eats around ten foods and eats three times as much as before. He asks for food and drinks which was unheard of before. Our original motivation for seeking help was to help Finley walk and talk but the improvements in Finleys behaviour have made the biggest day to day difference. He would bite himself when he heard a loud noise, when I would brush his teeth or when something didnt go his way. And I dont just mean a little nip, he would break the skin and there was blood everywhere. At times his arms were black with bruised and his hands were full of scabs and open, weeping sores. It was getting worse and worse and I wondered how we were going to manage as he got older and stronger. It goes without saying it was extremely upsetting and could last an hour. Now we understand more about Finleys reflexes and have started to help integrate them life is much easier. Finley is no longer upset by the hair dryer, Hoover etc. He lets us brush his teeth and his biting is reduced by 80% and when he does it is much less intense and leaves only a red mark. Before starting the FHC program Finley wasnt interested in being independent. He was quite happy to sit and look at books all day long. We had tried several times to encourage Finley to use to potty with no success at all. Four months in he decided he wanted to use the toilet and has been nappy free ever since with hardly any accidents. For many children with additional needs this never happens. He has recently started trying to dress and undress himself. Now he often says he wants to do things all by myself. Another lovely and unexpected change has been Finleys desire to help others. For example when Noah throws his breakfast on the floor Finley says I will help you mummy as I clear up the mess. Finley has always been sociable but was never cuddly. I thought it was just one of those things but since we started the program he wants cuddles every bedtime. He also started telling us he loves us! It was a lovely lovely feeling. He is so so much happier in himself. We are overjoyed because this is far more than we thought was possible. Our hopes for Finleys long term future have completely changed. We hope that Finley will walk unaided and lead a normal life. We are so thankful that we found the FHC and that Finleys family and friends have raised the necessary funds to get him this treatment. I wonder what we will be writing in another six months time..........
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 21:20:03 +0000