AGE ~ 4 – Diagnosis ~ Autism Spectrum Disorder & Developmental Delay
Allyssa started the IAHP program – for well children – the day she was born. We were then very surprised when Allyssa did not meet her developmental milestones. Over time, we discovered that she was also slowed in her gross motor development and later her speech. At 2 ½ years, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Delay.
We started her on the IAHP program for children with special needs after reading the book What to do About Your Brain Injured Child. I also attended the parent course in Singapore. We then purchased a Brachiation Ladder and in the following 8 months, we noticed incredible improvements! Brachiating and hanging not only helps to open up the lungs hence allowing more oxygen into the brain, it helps in improving manual competence, convergence of the eyes, balancing and most importantly, speech. Within the first month of brachiating, Allyssa began coming out with lots of sentences, and words that we had not heard before with fewer made up words.
To help Allyssa with her hearing we started auditory stimulation as advised by IAHP. Allyssa has been hypo-sensitive (ie under-sensitive) to extremely loud noise. After doing this stimulation program, she began to startle at the sound of loud noises for the first time!
Osteopathy also works wonders for Allyssa. If not for Naturally Better, I wouldn’t have also come to know about Osteopathy, NAET and the other Nutritional programs we now use for Allyssa. All these have helped to transform Allyssa into who she is today!
Allyssa’s special school teacher once said her receptive language is there but not her responsive language. 
Shortly after beginning brachiation, I showed her a picture on my iPhone. She responded by saying, ‘wow, it’s amazing!’ and when she saw her Dad in the airport arrival hall, she said, ‘Daddy!… It’s really you, Daddy!!’ she also uses sentences like, ‘no thank you’, ‘no thanks’, ‘I don’t want to and I don’t like it’…etc.
At 3 ½, Allyssa plays with her cousins & friends. She knows how to console someone who’s hurt or sad. She apologizes if she does something wrong! She learns to roller skate on a 4 wheeler, can ride on a scooter and can pedal non-stop on her 4 wheeler bike for 1km! She has come a long way since there was an issue with her balance!
Reading is not a problem for Allyssa – she has been reading since she was 21/2 years old!
What can we say??? I don’t know how all these things work but who cares, it’s working!
