Beyond the Remarkable, Yet Another Miracle - Meet Dexter

Beyond the Remarkable, Yet Another Miracle – Meet Dexter

Transformational Outcomes with NeuroMovement^®for a Boy with a Rare Genetic Disorder

We recently gave NeuroMovement^®lessons to a young boy at the Anat Baniel Method^®(ABM) Center in San Rafael, California. Dexter received an Intensive, which included 10 lessons in five days.

I want to share the amazing outcomes that he experienced. We are all delighted and inpsired.

About Dexter

At 15 months, Dexter was diagnosed with a rare genetic difference called Dup15.

“Chromosome 15q11.2-13.1 duplication syndrome (dup15q syndrome) is a clinically identifiable syndrome which results from duplications of chromosome 15q11.2-13.1….there is a wide range of severity in the developmental disabilities experienced by individuals with chromosome 15q11.2-13.1 duplication syndrome.”

Note: Dexter has been working with Early Childhood Intervention, a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Play Project Therapist since he was 12 months old.

When Dexter’s parents brought him to our Center last week, at the age of 2 years and 4 months, Dexter had no intentional vocalization or words. He has shown a limited degree of receptive language. Dexter was unable to walk or stand independently. He could not balance himself, and had limited ability to cruise holding on to furniture. He could not balance himself sitting at the edge of bed, and had poor balance in general. Dexter had difficulties with fine motor skills and feeding himself, and could not tolerate his teeth being brushed. He has difficulties sleeping, and in general, Dexter is a very happy little boy.

Highlights of the Changes that Dexter Experienced

Here are some of the changes that Dexter experienced after five days (10 sessions), that his mother shared with us:

His balance is better; he isn’t crashing into things but navigating around them and catching himself before he falls over. He seems more organized and midline instead of wobbly.
He is calmer and if he does escalate he is able to calm down quicker. Before he could escalate to out of control fairly quickly and to calm him took quite a bit of time.
He is eating bigger bites of more solid food and more efficiently, drinking and not spilling as much.
He went from always sitting in “w” to sitting with both legs out to the same side or this weekend he was sitting with both legs stretched out in front of him with hands down on the floor beside him!
He seems to be studying things more and processing things so much. He is a lot more aware of his surroundings!
He has more control when going from standing to sitting.
He noticed his sippy cup on a 30″ high table, and figured out how to pull himself up and reach for it.
He has been saying “Mama” with such intent when he really wants me.
At times, he is becoming more refined with his fine motor skills, turning the wheel on the bus with his index finger.
He is exploring our nose, mouth, and ears with his fingers.
He is able to sit in his stroller and highchair for a length of time without becoming upset.
I’m able to brush his teeth without encountering a major meltdown.
He has pulled his socks off with his hands.
He sniffed his first flower!
He lifted his right arm and left leg off the floor at the same time with control while playing with a toy with his left hand.
He has been playing in squatting position with his bum off the ground!
He has put himself to sleep a few times; before I would have to put him in his crib only after he was in a deep sleep.
He did a pose similar to downward dog without pressing the top of his head into the floor.
He is eating almost three times more then what he use to and at times sleeping for longer amounts.
He is figuring out how new toys work by himself through discovery, i.e., with a new dog toy, he figured out the legs and ears move and pressed the small buttons on his back.
He looks at us differently with more emotion!

When working with Dexter for the first time, I observed that Dexter did not expect to make sense of what was occurring to him and around him.

In these five days, in our point of view, Dexter has become a powerful learner.

Just this morning, one of our practitioners who saw Dexter for a session, emailed enthralled about the additional progress that occurred:

“Just saw him for the first time. SO alert, aware and engaged, incredible changes. His parents had more to report this morning; for example, he woke up early and then just put himself back to sleep. This has never happened. He also now is not just avoiding and walking around things that until last week he would have tripped over, but is now able to navigate narrow gaps between pieces of furniture.”

Every week we get to witness again and again the amazing potential of the human brain to transform our lives in remarkable ways for both children and adults.