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 :)

To people who have more than 1 DC, does this problem tend to run in families? Am starting to get worried about DD (age 3) who is very challenging,though in very different ways to dyslexic/aspy DS (ultra defiant, screams -allthrough- lots in the night. And in the day).

Any thoughts would be welcome. We have resorted to putting the rails back on the CV cot bed after she was up 7 times on Sunday night...

Greener- good on you! Let us know how you get on. We have our first appointment in a couple of weeks for DS. Am keeping everything crossed robin can help. DS told me today he is not very good at anything. Heartbreaking.

Mango my DS used to say that. It used to break my heart too. He doesn't say it now.

Greener2 - no, the brain food plan is enough. And re: the bad reviews, my thinking is there is nobody out there who is or could possibly say that the steps Robin suggests are harmful. In fact the more I see the more I realise this advice is out there everywhere (protein breakfast, magnesium/zinc, cut enumbers). At the very worst if it doesn't 'work' your entire family will be considerably healthier. And yes, you'll have lost some money. But I got to the stage where I had to know I'd done everything I could.
Also my talk with a top consultant at GOSH about why there isn't research into these more 'alternative' approaches to integrating sensual processing and his answer that it was because there wasn't funding - other things are more important and life or death, makes me even more sure this is at worst, harmless and at best, cutting edge.
I can't believe it helps everybody. I think there must be people who try it and find no benefit and don't know why there aren't many of those posts here. And I feel a bit of an evangenical loon. But when things really help your child, and you've been really really worried, it's hard not to be a bit over gushing about it, espcially on a forum where others understand!

Hi Mango and Greener, good on you both for trying to help your kids. It is a minefield out there and a lot of people claim to be able to help, but really I don't think they can because they are just dealing with symptoms, not the actual problem itself. What I like about the TH programme is that it's getting back to the very building blocks of a child's brain, working out where it's going wrong and then putting in place a plan that will try to fix it. We are still very early in the process, but I have seen enough and read enough to be very happy that seeing Robin was absolutely the right thing to do for all my kids.

There are many people who are too scared, reliant on labels and the status quo to try something that's a bit "weird". It used to be considered heretical that the world was in fact round . You are definitely taking the "road less travelled" if you take this path, and that in itself is scary and confronting. It is you (and your child) who are in charge of your child's future under this regime - Robin (and this forum) are here to give support and advice, but you commit to it in a way that is different from, let's say visiting a speech and language therapist - they do much of the "therapy" with your child, not you. But seriously, what's the worst thing that can happen? I can totally understand the financial issues, the appointments are not cheap, but nothing in the programme itself can (imho) do any harm. It's not a picnic, but for my ds it's much more fun than reading and writing practice .

So, take a breath and give yourself a pat on the back - you are making a start and trying to do right by your kids - they are lucky to have you. In terms of your questions (this is turning into an essay, sorry):

Mango, it definitely can run in families, and there is definitely a strong link to the father but it's not necessarily the case. I think in my ds' case, he is ridiculously like my father and brother in how they struggled with some right brain things whilst being otherwise crazy-bright. They are not totally OK as adults and I don't want that mostly-functioning, sometimes problematic future for my son. I have 3 other kids and am watching them closely. They are all different, all full-on, but so far, no signs of trouble (My ds seeing Robin is 9, the other ds' are 6 and 1, my dd is 4). You will soon work out if the behaviour is a normal phase, or if it's an ongoing and consistent issue. I reckon if you change diet and start supplements, you'll probably see some improvement regardless - all of mine have benefited from this, especially less sugar.

Greener2 there's a lot of crossover between the books - the Brain Food Plan is best in terms of action, Is that My Child better for working out if there is indeed a problem and understanding what issues are appearing together in your child's particular case. What about ordering it from the library?

If only I could send you some more sleep over email. Wouldn't that be great. Best wishes to you both - hope this stupidly long post helps.

Harriet- how long into the program did you start to see academic progress? We have hit a brick wall in maths now number lines are not allowed.

Cereal- thanks for that. I needed a pep talk- been having a bad day

Smiling here as I've just read your post harrietv - I feel the same! Evangelical lunatic here also. I think it takes balls to commit to do TH properly - that's probably why there aren't more posts about it not working, because it probably does work for almost everyone in a beneficial way as far as the diet etc is concerned. It's much easier to hand your child's welfare over to the "professionals" and claim you've done everything you can when in fact you really can't commit the time and effort to dealing with changing your shopping, eating, sleeping, parenting habits etc. Just my opinion. I must go and do some parenting x x

greener I totally agree with what harriet and cereal said.

I read a lot of the reviews on amazon, and the vast majority were written by people who hadn't tried it. So not exactly balanced views. It's pure speculation on my part, but I think the reason there is no research into these 'alternative' approaches like TH is partly the cost of doing the research, but also the potential ramifications if they found it actually worked.

When my DS was dx by the nhs, I specifically asked them about supplements/diet (as we were just starting TH, though I didn't tell them that!) and they told me there was no need to worry about that. The changes from the omegas/vits/diet were virtually overnight, and if I hadn't seen them myself, I'd never have believed it. But if the nhs suddenly conceded that these kids could all benefit from this kind of thing, there would be a good argument that they should be funding the supplements. And the TH dietary advice in many ways goes against the 'official' diet advice the nhs gives e.g. Lots of fruit, fruit juice, carbs etc.

I think I'd have been very sceptical if Robin had been selling lots of his own supplements etc. but he doesn't. And yes, you might end up a little poorer but you'll all be a LOT healthier! We definitely are. We Skype him every 8 weeks (as we're quite far away) so per week, it's not that much for us. Putting aside the improvements/changes in DS, the cost is worth it for me because I feel like I'm actually in control again, and doing something to help. I hated feeling so helpless.

mango meant to say that my DS had just turned 3 when we saw Robin the first time so it's definitely not too early if you wanted to ask what he thought about your DD. I definitely think some of this does run in families. There is a LOT of dyslexia on my side of the family, and some definite very high-functioning autistic traits on my DH's side. In a way, my poor kids didn't stand a chance! My DD is 18 months and not really talking yet. I know she's still within 'normal' ranges (and also completely different to DS) but I'll start worrying in the next couple of months if she doesn't start.

Mango - we started diet beg April and saw Robin mid April. By beginning of June his parents evening had improved (things were starting to fall into place teacher said). Since then things have happened really gradually and I can't say for sure where we are academically right now (we still have issues for SURE and haven't started the adhd-addressing hemi moves yet and am hopeful things will get even better for him then) and also because new teacher/little feedback. But somewhere over the holidays a shift in him has happened in his mood, his attitude and his levels of anxiety. And it's actually that which has made the biggest difference. He doesn't consider himself hopeless at everything now partly because he's getting better at things and partly because he doesn't have this awful low self-esteem, almost depressed look at the world. Little good things started happneing though from about 2 months and we're 5 months in. Looking through my diary I see his explosions got absolutely dreadful about a month and half into the program and started calming down and getting under control about 6 weeks later - towards end of term. And his confidence has also grown (it's all gradual and so hard to pinpoint) because it seems when he starts new clubs at school etc he's able to give things a shot - whether it's a physical thing or a memory/mental thing. He's no longer the hopeless one who can't do it, he can cope. Sorry - bit vague....just hang in there!

I have been trying to get dd (8) to start engaging eyes. She is really struggling with reading books with smaller print and keeps wanting to go back to books that she has read before. It is interesting that ds (who is the one doing TH) has always been a great reader, whereas dd has been slower to get 'into' books.

I will, no doubt, be back for advice as ds did a different program!

Ds is getting into the Secondary School boy thing - coming out with some very funny things ('sup?) and showing off his 'cool moves'. I have said we will take one of his new friends to the cinema on Sunday but apparently, they have to go in alone. If Dh or I go too, we have to sit in a completely different row! (I have not agreed to this yet!)

I have suggested a closed FB group before but I am not sure that everyone is on there. Badvoc was keen to keep the thread on here. Could we do both? It would be much easier to remember who is who with photos! (Not sure I would want to do an open group though)

... and Indigo may join us in a FB group too.

daft- we got onto 'engaging eyes' before coming across TH. I noticed DS had an eye tracking prob (woeful/ angry at ball games,floating words, head always down and to one side when reading or writing) I got him to follow my finger side to side with head still. He moved his head, then covered one eye, then managed with v jerky pupils.

We are about 4 weeks into engaging eyes. Big improvement already though a way to go. When reading or writing, head is now held up in a normal position.

As you prob know EE also sorts convergence so if DD finds it hard looking at board at school, then work, is difficult (eg. Copying from the board). Another test is bringing a pencil towards their nose and seeing if they can go cross eyed properly. If not, convergence issues.

Your DD may need some chocolate buttons gentle persuasion to do it as it is pretty hard work for them.

As that vile supermarket says, 'every little helps'!

Harriet - that's really useful thanks. Heart warming to know you guys have all been through this crap too. And are getting out the other side. Gives us all hope.

Thanks Mango. Ds found the original convergence program (HTS) very tough ... and painful. He broke the glasses, he got so annoyed with doing it! So I'm well versed in the 'persuasion' technique Just trying to decide whether I have the energy to start it all again when there are no identified 'issues' with dd.

I think a FB group would be good, those who want to join can and we can keep this thread going too.

Ah that Explains why ds doesn't like the EE games, he complains it hurts his eyes, I just ignore him and gee him on as he s a huge hypochondriac !!

Daft- have a look at this website- free eye exercise 'games'. Might give you an insight into whether DD has an issue.

www.eyecanlearn.com/#Tracking

Thanks Mango, I'll have a look.

Pizza, it really does get their eye muscles to work and make their eyes do things (converge!) that they are not used to doing, hence the aching. it's 'eye gym', I guess.

Small steps but josh has just come in and asked where his butter is (he's coeliac so he has his own butter) because he wanted o make a sandwich - he has never willingly made himself anything !!!

Conversation with DS last night:

"You're quite liking school at the moment aren't you?"
"Yes I am, it's because of engaging eyes."
"Oh that's great, do you think it's really helped you find things easier?"
"No, I hate engaging eyes so much school doesn't seem that bad any more."

!!!! Haha! Oh well - however it's working, it's working!

He's on the last convergance program now and I tried it today (he'd got to nearly 16 and was so gutted not to get there I said I'd get him to 10 and he could try again) I couldn't get past 4 and felt like I was going to pass out I felt so dizzy!! I can't believe he's done this every day for 5 months! I feel a new sympathy.

Haha, Harriet, that is so funny!

Pizza, it's those little things that make you realise the improvements are happening.

Dressing up as Cruella DeVille tonight for a party! I haven't warned the babysitter, I thnk she might get a shock when she arrives!