Last week Nathan had another developmental assessment (for the nth time) just to establish baseline (again!) for our new Singapore Neurologist.

At the assessment, the Physical Therapist said that Nathan does not look like he has cerebral palsy (limited mobility of legs) at all . She said, “He may be tip-toe walking from sensory or accustomed/patterned walking. But a child with CP wouldn’t be able to do that “…as she pointed to Nathan climbing into a hamper. Nathan also showed-off other skills like walking backwards, with assistance.

I didn’t know if I should be upset because I wasn’t confident in her ability to diagnose. I mean Nathan was born premature and needed a respirator in his first 3 days of life. Oxygen deprivation affected the area in his brain responsible for walking. All his doctors and therapists in Japan and the Philippines have confirmed his CP.

On the other hand, maybe I should be super excited that Nathan has progressed so much that they cannot detect his CP anymore, other than tip-toe walking???

A few months back, in Japan, Nathan’s Physical Therapist did say it looked like Nathan woke up new muscles after his Son-Rise Program. With more time and constant use it those new muscles, improvements would be inevitable.

More proof that son-rise can fix anything neurological! Yes, there is a mountain in front of me, but slowly I shall chip it away until it flattens itself!

Son-Rise elements that helped:
1. Give child full control.
Whenever Nathan wants to climb in table tops, so be it (just ensure safety). By giving full control, the child learns, “I can achieve anything I set my mind on doing.” Many times autistic kids are stopped from doing many things: touching buffet tables, getting some else’s fries, running around, flapping their hands, etc. They aren’t given enough control and encouragement to pursue further.

2. Kids always do things (“isms”) for a reason. If you spend enough time joining them and investigating what it is they enjoy about their “isms”, you will soon discover how those “isms” benefit the child. In Nathan’s case he needs extra sensory input (from climbing and standing on table tops) to help his brain “recognize” his legs and thus improve balance and muscle tone.