TINSLEY HOUSE SUPPORT THREAD - PART 3!!!! :)

[Badvoc]

Well, here is the shiny new thread for all of us either doing the TH programme, doing part of it, or thinking about doing it! :)
A brief synopsis of stage 1 of the programme can be found in the books "is that my child?" Or "the brain food plan" by robin pauc;

Stage 1 of the TH therapy consists of:

1. Daily Multivitamins

• Omega
• Zinc & Magnesium

1. Healthy eating

• High protein, low sugar, no artificial sweeteners, additives etc.

1. Specific neuro development exercises done 3 times a day

• Takes about 4-5 mins

And that's it :)

Stage 2 involves computer programmes to sort out eye tracking and convergence which over 80% of children with reading/writing problems have.

• www.engagingeyes.co.uk

We are coming to the end of our time doing TH I reckon...certainly by the end of the summer I think. It has been in many ways much easier than I thought at the beginning but of course takes commitment and time.

I am so glad we "took the plunge". It has made such a difference to ds and to our lives :)

It will be better - that's really interesting. My poor DS is really struggling with the tics - I've just emailed Robin. I'm interested to hear he said engaging eyes could bring them back. It's worse than he's ever had before. His mouth was almost constantly moving today, between a pucker and a stretch, even all through dinner. I'm hoping it will pass!
Urgh and I feel so guilty - just had DS2 in hospital all day having tonsils and adenoids out and here I am at home (we got out in a day) stressing about DS1. Poor DS2. What does he have to do to warrant some of my concern?!!

Harriet - glad all went well. We are exactly the same here. DD had her op yesterday and was very brave and sooo good. She had one day of full on attention before it was all back to DS . Nursery mentioned hitting today - we had sort of hoped that he had moved on from this. He hasn't been anxious about his new nursery but I just found him in the play room crying - I think he had been sleep walking and woke up. This hitting thing is so difficult - we want to be hard on the behaviour without setting off any anxiety...

Sorry to hear about the tics - it must be really worrying but I'm sure Robin will be able to reassure you.

So excited about the sunshine!

Hello again, half term has come and gone in a flash, and so much to read here! We saw Robin for the second time yesterday. He said he saw lots of improvements, which was lovely for DD1 to hear, and all the girls loved him. I'm still a little sceptical though, his tests seem quite subjective...for example, when she was doing the turning her hands over thing, I thought he made her go a lot faster at our first visit, and then said how much better she was this time, when she did it more slowly...I don't think she's any better at stairs, including when she did it for him, but he said she was ready to go onto 5 reps.......does anyone else feel this, or am I just a doubting Tom? Maybe she has changed so slowly I haven't noticed?

itwillbebetter not sure what 'flying through' means for you, but dd1 got up to level 16 in about 10 days with target a and b. She hadn't fininshed all the stars in b, but Robin says she now has no convergence problems so we've moved on to tracking and hemi p (when I find Where's Wally book). Did Robin test DS2 with his eye program? DD1 scores had def gone up (which I guess you would expect with two months of daily practice?).

I still don't see much difference, but Robin didn't ask me about any changes and when I mentioned this, he seemed to think this was fine. There are some subtle things, like twice she has wanted to read for herself (rather than because I told her to), and she seems a bit more aware of what day of the week it is, and therefore what she needs that day. But how do I know this wouldn't have happened anyway? Early on, dd1 said to me "it's tues tomorrow so I've packed my recorder" I nearly fell off my chair as this kind of planning is so unheard of, but when I told DH, he said, yes I read that on the calendar and told her........now I'm more cautious. Her handwriting has also improved, but then this has been targetted by her new school and as far as I know, noone has done this before. I guess right now I feel like this isn't doing any harm, and hopefully some little things might improve......Has anyone hear felt like this at teh beginning?

Sorry to hear about all the ailments, sick relatives and in laws - don't get me started - mine think this is too weird to even discuss.....

Lots of talk about tics on the thread lately. My DS ( 7.5) who has ( had) dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADD when we first went to Robin last July had never had any tics at all. He started to develop a tic 4 weeks into doing Hemi T which is the wordsearch exercise. Indigobell who started the TH thread has a son who also developed a tic/ jaw stim after hemi t. I am sure that Engaging Eyes does not cause any tics, it is hemi T. Having said that, they need to do hemi t to get that part of the brain functioning properly. It is a horrible side effect but I believe a necessary one. Most kids though do not get a tic after doing hemi t. Both my DS and IB's DS were given yoyo to do to sort out the tic. It has really helped my son and Robin said it should be gone within 4 months.

The tic has made me and guilty. I felt so bad that I was doing this to him and worried that he would be teased at school, riddiculed by horrid school mums etc etc. But.. he is making such huge leaps with his reading now and his ability to control his emotions that the tics ( whilst being horrid and a constant indicator of his problems) do not seem so bad and I know that they will be gone forever very soon.

Brightstars- we all have doubts from time to time but everything Robin has said will happen has happened to my two DC. Keep the faith and carry on. Try not to think about it too much.....you have tried all the conventional interventions and you have not been happy. Badvoc and IB were the same- they tried everything but both are delighted with TH. It has taken longer than a year - more like 18 months to 2 years for their DC but they are there. I truly believe that my children will be fine. It will take longer than I had thought and hoped but they will be finished by the middle of next year and I will not have to think about any of this stuff ever again.

By he way...my DS has moved up from Level 8 ORT ( which he was on for 5 months) to Level 11 in 4 weeks. He is now happy to read and is so happy with his progress.

Just heard from Robin who said not to worry about his tics getting worse, that it was not unusual at this point so will (try try try) to stay calm about it.
Especially in the light of his parents evening on Monday - which was our first good parents evening since reception!! Lots of 'great progress' 'finally getting it' 'much better' and even 'strong' in maths! Still fidgets and gazes off at times but things are shifting so I will try to shake the worry and the guilt! :)
ps - great news beautifulpossum on the reding levels amazing stuff!

itwillbebetter - thanks for the info re tics. Its lovely to hear your sons tics are gone, it gives me some hope. My sons been told off today for whistling in class (his latest tic which he is doing about every 5 seconds), apparently he is CHOOSING to do it (according to a misinformed TA) :-(

By the way, I was just reading through all the posts and noticed people talking about vegepa and how much they pay.... my son has been taking this for quite a while even before i ever heard of the Tinsley House programme - we get this on prescription for my son ( I went down the road of how expensive the ADHD drug would be which I had refused and we got it no problem.) Just a thought for people, im still paying for all the other supplements but every little helps :-)

Hi All,
Great to hear about everyone's progress.

We are struggling.

Just don't seem to have any motivation to keep on.
We haven't done the Hemi P for over a week now and the stairs and spinning are sporadic to say the least.

Has anyone else had this? How do I get the motivation back?
DD is bored, DH is bored and I am bored.

The longer I leave it the harder it is to get back on bored. Please tell me others have had periods like this and what do I do?

Thanks!

Hi Prince. I completely sympathise. No idea how you get the motivation back though!

I think I hold onto the new things he does, even if they're only small. And reminding myself it isn't a quick fix. And I guess, I slightly have the attitude that I don't really have another option right now. I also remind myself how volatile his moods and tantrums could be before the diet and supplements, and I think that helps. I DO NOT want to go back there...

Maybe try reminding yourself how far you've come and the great improvements your DD has made so far?

How is she getting on?

She's getting on well, but maybe the changes have slowed? Maybe I am used to the changes so they have lost there motivational factor?

Don't know. There just seems so little time in the day and it is feeling like a chore.

Hi Prince. Totally sympathise too. It can be a big slog. I use lots of things to stay motivated:

• I keep looking back at the original list of concerns which we took to Robin. Also, some of my early posts and just how worried I was. It's difficult to look back at such a horrible time and it pushes me forward.
• I write down all the improvements and keep reviewing it.
• I come on here lots, even if I don't post replies, I find the group thing uplifting and I really enjoy hearing about how everyone is doing - what's good and what's not so good etc.
• I don't think about the next x months, but just this week.
• I daydream about how the future will look for our DS if we keep doing this and what will happen if we don't. I keep thinking that effort now means that things won't be so hard for DS later.

Other things which seem to work for us:

• keep thinking about 'easy to do, easy not to do' - by the time I've dithered we could have done the exercises and felt good, rather than feeling guilty and them hanging over us.
• do them as early in the day as poss. Probably a bit like exercise. This helps with DS motivation and when he finds it easier, so do I.
• tried to make it a routine part of our day so that we almost do it on autopilot.
• DCs have a sticker chart for each exercise for doing them well etc. 40 stickers = a toy. I think I'm more attached to that chart than they are...

I'm sure you've tried lots of things and don't know if any of these will help. Big hugs.

x

Just read back and realised some isn't very clear!

I think a lot about how our future will be but in terms of the exercises I only think about this week.

"Easy to do, easy not to do" - I love that! Ruggles, that shall be my new mantra. So many times I'll think, oh I'll just do such-and-such then we'll do some stairs and, guess what? I never quite get there. I often find I'm chasing my tail in the afternoon trying to fit the exercises in when I should have spaced them better during the day. Thank you!

Prince The changes and improvements are small and they do creep up on you so maybe you've not noticed some. What are you doing this weekend? Could you all go out and do something fun that you wouldn't have been able to do before starting?

I'm currently listening to my DS on the baby monitor lying in bed, pretending to be a wriggly worm when he's meant to be going to sleep. While Peppa pig has a lot to answer for, it's lovely to hear him doing something he'd never have done at the start of the year.

badvoc you around? Just thinking you haven't posted much this week and you're usually around a bit more. Hope you're feeling ok and haven't been struck down with anything else.

Hi Prince

Just wanted to wave really and send you encouraging vibes....and sneak my guilty head up for not having done Engaging Eyes for 3 nights now as DS and we are completely and utterly exhausted. And we only did one set of stairs and teeth today. So I was selfishly comforted to see your post (not to see you feeling down about it, obviously....)

I'm new to all this but know your DD is making great progress - remember how not-so-bad your playdate was recently and how great her review was. It's hard because these improvements are small individually - things most kids just 'do' and then bad stuff happens too (or at least does here...so I've been wobbling as you've seen with tics and tantrums) but they're not small to you and dd.

I also wonder if with her being smaller the advances are harder to measure objectively? You can't see book bands or SATS levels or grades....but they're no less important.

I think we need to take it a day at a time, and a few new rewards are good. I've had to start bribing Engaging Eyes with a chocolate raisin or two. DS just HATES it.

I also keep thinking it's like that book A Squash and a Squeeze. I used to find it hard to squeeze in homework and reading. Now it's a whole other ball game. But when it's all over it's going to feel like I've got all the time in the world!!!

Tomorrow's another day....

xxx

You're all great! Thank you.

Ruggles - I too love that easy to do, easy not to do. And you're right about getting started early in the day. If we do some before breakfast then I know we'll get it done.

Harrietv - I think you're right that her progress is less measurable. Although she can now put her tongue to the top teeth which she couldn't do before not quite a book band, but it will do us.

Lookslikerain - glad to be of help. I think it is just as helpful to post about things that we are struggling with with TH. it does help to know others share the hard bits .

Tomorrow is another day. And we will do better :)

It really really can be a hard slog when there are so many other better things we could be doing! And it's boring!!

I am sure we have all had our blips. For me, it is so hard when ds complains bitterly about doing stuff (lumosity now) and it would be so easy to let him off from doing it. He did miss one night this week after his evening at school to meet his new classmates for next year (RC was there!!) but having also missed a week before half term, it does make it easier to be more determined about it I also know that Robin can keeps tabs on when ds does lumosity

What is spurring me on at the moment is that we have invested so much time and money already that it would be awful not to see it through to the end. Also feel I owe it to ds to make him finish - how bad it would be in the future to regret not sticking with it. Ds starting Y7 in a big new school next year is also a huge push for me to help him be the best he can be.

So, I will continue to cajole bribe where necessary ds to get through it. Maybe you need to do a deal with yourself that you will get a treat after a full week of staying on track

I have done 2 lots of hemi p, 3 lots if stairs and 6 lots of spinning.

It is my day off today and therefore easier, but I kept telli g myself easy to do!

Hope everyone else has had s good day too.

Well done prince!! Knew you'd do it.

Have done 4 spins, 2 stairs, 1 hemi p here.

Still to do another spin and another stairs which will be done on the way up to the bath.

And we were out all morning too!

Well done both!

Ds is out after a hectic sports day today, so I am already preparing my excuses for him not managing Lumosity tonight!

Well done Prince and Lookslikerain - that's great to hear. We've been out at the beach and just back - I had a bit of a wobble but thought of all our chat yesterday and promised some tv if they did their exercises the moment we got in. It worked!

Daft - how was sports day?

Hi Badvoc - how are you? We're missing you!

Hi everyone, moved house this week so haven't been online for ages. We are struggling too, I'm bored of hemi p and t and we haven't done it at all for a fortnight. Robin will be unimpressed when I tell him on Monday. There's no point in lying either because ds is brutally honest and will tell him we haven't done it for ages. Just hoping we can start something else soon.
I think part of the trouble is we were all so desperate when we started TH that we would do anything to help our dcs. Once you've seen progress it's hard to feel that motivation/ desperation anymore. Ds is so nearly 'fixed' that it's tempting to say that we've done enough. However when he has a bad day and screams like a 2 yr old over something trivial I get all keen on the exercises again.
I think I will say 'easy to do, easy not to do' too and get started again tomorrow.

How was the move shopping?
Hope it went well. Is it a great house? We moved last summer and even today DD talked about the old house. But I just try and convince her that this one is better.

I think you are right about the desperation being gone and the motivation being gone too.

We will keep on though. I think we may have a while to go yet.

Hi, still here but only lurking.
Ds2 has been very ill this week and was admitted to hospital on weds and kept overnight on a drip :(
They think throat infection but aren't sure.
He was so ill :(
It's been a really fun few weeks at casa badvoc I can tell you!
Sorry haven't really been taking many of the posts in, but hopefully will be back in posting mode as soon as ds2 is better x

Badvoc - I am so sorry to hear about DS you must be so worried about him. I really hope he's on the mend soon and feeling better. Hope DH is home or that some of your family are able to help keep everything on track. I'll be thinking about you lots - big hugs. xx

Oh, Badvkc, I am so sorry to hear that! What a worry for you all! I hope he picks up really soon. You must be exhausted!

How did your dad's appointments go?

Shopping - glad the move is over. Also think the HemiStim is hard because you don't get the feedback about whether they are improving like we did with the convergence programme.

Sports day was lovely thankyou, apart from the wind and threatening rain (and after I slapped on sun cream too!) It was the last one for ds' year. He came 3rd in his sprint race. He was thrilled as he hasn't been placed before. Hs team came 2nd in tug of war (out of 4 teams) and he did well in other heats (like welly throwing!).

Ds is having an impromptu sleep over at a friend's (with takeaway pizza!), so no lumosity tonight!

Badvoc, will be thinking of you xx