Language Delay: "Justin"
by Carol Johnson

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 10 No. 1, 1996 ©NACD

This morning I took my almost eight year old son Justin to horseback ride, as I do each Saturday morning. As usual, he loved it. Today's ride was unusual in that my son was announced as the most improved rider of the year. Justin was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at ten months. Although his future once looked grim, he recently has become the local "miracle kid."

The announcement this morning was particularly ironic, because the riding organization through which he rides is sure that the improvement in Justin's mobility is due to the half-hour ride once a week. As much as I was thrilled by the accolades, I was frustrated by this claim. Justin is a success story because of the seven years and thousands of hours of therapy received under the direction of Robert J. Doman, Jr.

Originally, I was told to expect virtually nothing from my son in the way of function. I was warned that he might never walk, talk, feed himself, toilet train, read, write, and the list goes on and on. I was also told that he was mentally retarded and would never be able to participate in the world as a "regular" person.

I was fortunate to find Robert J. Doman, Jr. and the National Association for Child Development. Bob is the President and founder of this organization. NACD's open-minded, eclectic approach to recovery was and is the answer to my son Justin's recovery. Bob believes that the answer to recovery from brain damage lies in the brain. He continually looks for new answers to this problem, which makes him perfect for me and my son.

In the fall of 1984, I went to see Bob for the first time. While I waited nervously, Bob evaluated Justin in the six important areas of function: mobility, manual competence, visual competence, tactility, auditory competence, and language. Following this extensive and detailed process, Bob began to write a program specifically for Justin. This program was to help Justin recover the losses of function in each of the above mentioned areas.

A common example of the "spastic cerebral-palsied" child, Justin's program was very intensive; he had serious problems in all areas of function. For example, at eighteen months of age, the age when we first saw Bob, Justin's body could feel very little. It was common to see him lying on top of an object completely unaware of its existence. A complete tactile sequence was started to address this problem. Justin's eyes did not respond to light, and rolled around in his head. Bob prescribed a specific visual program to correct this problem. Justin was immobile, except for his ability to roll over by lunging with his upper body. He preferred to remain on his back, as he was unable to move himself. Bob immediately ordered that Justin not be allowed on his back. Within two weeks, I nearly fainted upon seeing Justin creep on his hands and knees across his crib. I actually thought I had imagined this, until he repeated it.

For the past six years, every three months Bob has re-evaluated Justin, and written a new program always adjusting to the progress Justin makes. The changes in my son are incredible. Bob has turned my son into a child who will live the life of his choice. I am reluctant to say that he will live a normal life, for his life will surpass the mundane of normalcy. Thanks to Bob, Justin is now within touching distance of walking independently. He spends 2-3 hours each day alternating between a treadmill and walker. The child who could not see, can now read and write. In two weeks he will begin learning French. The child formerly labeled mentally retarded is competent at mathematics and familiar with beginning algebra. The child who could not feel is completely sensate.

There was a time when I doubted that my son would ever play any sports. He can now kick a soccer ball, and I am wondering when I will relinquish my fears.

I am not ungrateful for the contribution to the quality of Justin's life horseback riding, Montessori schooling, and the other extras have made. I am simply being honest when I say that these extras have not been the reason for the functional improvements in Justin. The reverse is true: thanks to Bob Doman, Justin has been able to enjoy these extras in his life. Without Bob, Justin's life would have no quality and certainly no future.

Reprinted from the Journal of The NACD Foundation (formerly The National Academy for Child Development)