Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - (Page 23) of the symptoms created by a NSD, children can lack self-confidence at precisely the developmental periods when environmental mastery is a key component of life. Unreliable sensory input, or impaired neural processing of information, results in children being less “sure of themselves” in the academic environment, as well as other important venues. Due to impairments in visual functioning (even if eyesight is 20/20), or balance and coordination problems, social interactions and athletic interest and performance may be compromised, with unpleasant subjective consequences, such as anxiety. Self-efficacy, the belief in one’s competence and ability to meet life’s challenges, is reduced, thus children avoid many tasks or situations for which they feel unprepared. This can limit opportunities for social and emotional growth and maturation, and impair the development of critical interpersonal skills. The presence of a NSD can limit the child’s ability to be exposed to social, academic, and emotional situations that could be a source of positive reinforcement for the child. Finally, children with NSD’s may have difficulty regulating their emotions, and may overreact to stressors. Because a NSD affects a child’s perception and understanding of the world, its occurrence will create a debilitating, subjectively unpleasant downward spiral of affect, cognition, and behavior. This will undermine the experience of psychological wellbeing, or prevent its development. Appropriate treatment, however, can reverse this “vicious cycle.” The NSD’s that most typically affect children are ADD, ADHD, sensory integration disorders, traumatic brain injury, and disorders on the autism spectrum. Over half of all patients that we see at The NeuroSensory Center of Eastern Pennsylvania are children with one of these diagnoses. Psychological well-being is a rare commodity amongst these frustrated children, and their distressed families. The treatment of NSD’s can take a variety of forms, from occupational, physical and speech therapies, to vision rehabilitation therapy, biomedical treatments, “He now has a quality of life I couldn’t dream of before, though I know he’ll always have autism.” As in most cases, enhanced well-being in one member of the family system has pervasive benefits. dietary interventions, heavy metal removal, applied behavior analysis, psychological therapy, and a host of other approaches, depending on a particular child’s needs. The results of finding a successful combination of treatments can include improved behavioral self-control, normalized perceptual processes, better academic performance, improved reading, and more stable emotional experience. At the Center, we have repeatedly seen the benefits to well-being that such functional improvements can quite quickly produce, and it never ceases to be a source of renewed energy, commitment, and pure joy for our staff. Examples abound of children who have experienced enhanced well-being resulting from successful treatment of their NSD’s. Our young patient who progressed from reading The Bob Books to Harry Potter after six months of treatment, felt enhanced well-being, which in turn, positively impacted the functioning of the entire family unit. Consider a six-year-old child with autism, but without friends or social skills. On his initial visit to the Center, his Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) worker and both parents were needed to control his behavior in the waiting area. Following nine months of treatment, his parents have reported a remarkable improvement in expressive and receptive language, and only one parent now accompanies him to appointments. He is beginning to read, and TSS services are discontinued. Parents report that he has a friend (his first ever!) and they play together. During a recent fire drill at school, he actually calmed and cared for another student who was stressed by the loud alarm. His parents have now scheduled a vacation trip for the whole family, something they could not think of doing previously due to his behavior dyscontrol. His mother has stated, “He now has a quality of life I couldn’t dream of before, though I know he’ll always have autism.” As in most cases, enhanced well-being in one member of the family system has pervasive benefits. A teen who suffered embarrassment when his mother had to bathe him each day is now more self-sufficient in this task following treatment, and is pleased with his degree of bodily privacy. His enhanced self-reliance is generalizing to other aspects of his daily life, most notably, the completion of schoolwork. The ability to drive is an essential quality of life issue for most teens, enhancing their sense of independence and selfreliance, and fostering social inclusion. A young adult patient with a significant learning disability and neurologicallybased visual dysfunction was afraid to attempt to learn to drive. This person is now able to experience a greater sense of freedom and independence behind the wheel, after receiving vision therapy and biomedical treatment. As a final example, an eight-year-old child diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder would not bathe or permit washing of his hair because of sensory issues. He has been seen at the Center for six months of dietary intervention and biomedical treatment. He now permits his parents to care for his personal hygiene, with great social benefit. He now has a “girlfriend” with whom he holds hands and plays at recess. He can go to the store and tolerate the sensory stimulation, and the family can go out to dinner, together, for the first time. A local physical therapist treating many of the same children whom we have begun to see at the Center sent a note from which the following is excerpted: “ the children are more playful and more intercontinued on page 24 www.eparent.com/EP MAGAZINE • August 2009 23 http://www.eparent.com Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Exceptional Parent - August 2009 Exceptional Parent - August 2009 Contents Ancora Imparo What's Happening Further Reading New Products 2009 Disability Awareness Night Schedule 2009 Models of Excellence in the Healthcare Profession Preterm Birth: How It Affected My Family Treatment of Neurosensory Disorders Improves Psychological Well-Being in Children Federal Program Encourages Health Service Innovations on Developmental Disabilities Close Encounters of the Medical Kind Sitting on top of the World: One Physician's Journey to Success Raising a Noonan Syndrome Child When We Found Out Our Daughter Had CMT August is Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month! Newborn Screening Saves Babies, One Foot at a Time Another Day in the Life of the National Children's Study Evidence Based Humanity Must Be Part of the Equation Incontinence Education Series Part 7 Emergency Preparedness Series Part 4 On the Road to Recovery - Self-Deiscovery: The Crown Jewel of Psychotherapy Asperger Syndrome and the Difficulties of Diagnosing and Treating Related Conditions EP Bookstore Special Needs Alliance Specialcare AADMD - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry Organizational Spotlight Living with a Disability Exceptional Parent - August 2009 Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Exceptional Parent - August 2009 (Page Cover1) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Exceptional Parent - August 2009 (Page Cover2) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Exceptional Parent - August 2009 (Page 1) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Contents (Page 2) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Contents (Page 4) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Contents (Page 5) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Ancora Imparo (Page 6) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Ancora Imparo (Page 7) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Ancora Imparo (Page 8) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Ancora Imparo (Page 9) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - What's Happening (Page 10) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - What's Happening (Page 11) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Further Reading (Page 12) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Further Reading (Page 13) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - New Products (Page 14) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - New Products (Page 15) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - New Products (Page 16) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - 2009 Disability Awareness Night Schedule (Page 17) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - 2009 Models of Excellence in the Healthcare Profession (Page 18) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - 2009 Models of Excellence in the Healthcare Profession (Page 19) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Preterm Birth: How It Affected My Family (Page 20) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Preterm Birth: How It Affected My Family (Page 21) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Treatment of Neurosensory Disorders Improves Psychological Well-Being in Children (Page 22) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Treatment of Neurosensory Disorders Improves Psychological Well-Being in Children (Page 23) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Treatment of Neurosensory Disorders Improves Psychological Well-Being in Children (Page 24) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Treatment of Neurosensory Disorders Improves Psychological Well-Being in Children (Page 25) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Federal Program Encourages Health Service Innovations on Developmental Disabilities (Page 26) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Federal Program Encourages Health Service Innovations on Developmental Disabilities (Page 27) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Close Encounters of the Medical Kind (Page 28) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Close Encounters of the Medical Kind (Page 29) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Close Encounters of the Medical Kind (Page 30) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Close Encounters of the Medical Kind (Page 31) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Sitting on top of the World: One Physician's Journey to Success (Page 32) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Sitting on top of the World: One Physician's Journey to Success (Page 33) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Raising a Noonan Syndrome Child (Page 34) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Raising a Noonan Syndrome Child (Page 35) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - When We Found Out Our Daughter Had CMT (Page 36) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - When We Found Out Our Daughter Had CMT (Page 37) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - August is Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month! (Page 38) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Newborn Screening Saves Babies, One Foot at a Time (Page 39) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Another Day in the Life of the National Children's Study (Page 40) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Another Day in the Life of the National Children's Study (Page 41) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Another Day in the Life of the National Children's Study (Page 42) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Another Day in the Life of the National Children's Study (Page 43) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Evidence Based Humanity Must Be Part of the Equation (Page 44) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Evidence Based Humanity Must Be Part of the Equation (Page 45) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Incontinence Education Series Part 7 (Page 46) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Incontinence Education Series Part 7 (Page 47) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Incontinence Education Series Part 7 (Page 48) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Emergency Preparedness Series Part 4 (Page 49) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Emergency Preparedness Series Part 4 (Page 50) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Emergency Preparedness Series Part 4 (Page 51) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - On the Road to Recovery - Self-Deiscovery: The Crown Jewel of Psychotherapy (Page 52) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - On the Road to Recovery - Self-Deiscovery: The Crown Jewel of Psychotherapy (Page 53) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - On the Road to Recovery - Self-Deiscovery: The Crown Jewel of Psychotherapy (Page 54) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - On the Road to Recovery - Self-Deiscovery: The Crown Jewel of Psychotherapy (Page 55) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Asperger Syndrome and the Difficulties of Diagnosing and Treating Related Conditions (Page 56) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Asperger Syndrome and the Difficulties of Diagnosing and Treating Related Conditions (Page 57) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Asperger Syndrome and the Difficulties of Diagnosing and Treating Related Conditions (Page 58) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Asperger Syndrome and the Difficulties of Diagnosing and Treating Related Conditions (Page 59) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - EP Bookstore (Page 60) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - EP Bookstore (Page 61) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Special Needs Alliance (Page 62) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Special Needs Alliance (Page 63) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Specialcare (Page 64) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Specialcare (Page 65) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Specialcare (Page 66) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Specialcare (Page 67) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - AADMD - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (Page 68) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - AADMD - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (Page 69) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - AADMD - American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (Page 70) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Organizational Spotlight (Page 71) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Organizational Spotlight (Page 72) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Organizational Spotlight (Page 73) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Living with a Disability (Page 74) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Living with a Disability (Page Cover3) Exceptional Parent - August 2009 - Living with a Disability (Page Cover4) http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201009 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201008 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201007 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201006 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201005 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201004 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201003 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/201002 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/2010rg http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200912 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200911 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200910 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200909 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200908 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200907 http://www.eparentdigital.com/nxtbooks/exceptionalparent/200906 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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