These are just a few of the many hundreds of children who have benefited from the Brainwave Programme.
To read about them, just move the mouse over the relevant picture and the case history will appear.
To read about them, just move the mouse over the relevant picture and the case history will appear.
CASE HISTORY - by David and Paula Bolger
We came to Brainwave in May 2004 after our daughter Grace was born prematurely and had suffered a significant brain bleed resulting in hydrocephalus. At this point she was nearly one year's old and unable to sit independently, had poor vision and had a right-sided weakness.Brainwave was recommended to us by a friend who had taken her daughter through the programme and had had positive results. We were receiving physiotherapy via our local authority but this was limited to 20 minutes once a month and we as parents felt we would offer more to Grace. The Physio did seem to benefit her and so we knew that she would respond well to a more structured programme.
On our initial visit we had a feeling of relief and of hope. The staff at Brainwave were fantastic at looking at what Grace could do and not what she had difficulty doing or could not do. This was a new experience for us as a family - most other health professionals, due to limited time and resources, tended to focus on problems and her areas of developmental delay. Brainwave looked on things positively which made us think differently. They still recognised her areas of delay but were so good at teaching that we felt we could overcome these with the programme.
The two days that we spent with the team on our first consultation was fantastic - it allowed us to focus 100% on Grace in an holistic way. We had never had this all round treatment before, and by the end of the two days we left with a complete and balanced idea of Grace's needs and realistic goals to achieve. The team listened to us and observed Grace allowing them all to make a sound professional and realistic therapy programme that we could carry out at home.
The programme was quite structured but we needed this and it helped us focus and made it easier to fit it into the day. With previous Physio, it seemed to get forgotten on some days as there was so much else to do. Brainwave's programme looked at all of Grace's needs and so you knew what when doing the programme you were addressing all of these in one swoop - so it gave you lots of motivation to continue. Our local physiotherapist was incredibly keen to work with the programme as well.
We saw results quickly and this spurred us on to continue - we brought her next appointment forward so we could re-evaluate some of the exercises. Brainwave's team are always willing to change the programme if you are finding certain exercises difficult or just unmanageable as your child gets more non compliant! They understand children, especially those with special needs and will tailor the programme to suit you and your child perfectly. The team are always available even if you have a minor problem with one of the exercises - this is incredibly supportive and very different to any service we had received before.
Grace is now 4 1/2 years old and is doing really well. She is walking and talking and is a bright happy little girl. This is due to the knowledge of the Brainwave team and the programme they designed. She needed aggressive input (in a very positive way) whilst at a young age to rewire her brain to learn key elements to which she has responded fantastically.
CASE HISTORY - by Elisabeth and Antony Faccinello
When Luca was first diagnosed, he was judged by his Consultant as being very likely to have a poor prognosis as he was a bad case of his condition (West's Syndrome) - there was real possibility of his having Severe and Multiple Learning Difficulties.Like all families in this situation, we found this difficult to accept. We live in an area of comparatively excellent provision for special needs, both medically and educationally. Luca received SALT, Portage, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy weekly, and later, music therapy on a weekly basis too.
Whilst this provision was extensive, it constituted a mere five hours in a long week for Luca. We were given one or two exercises by our physiotherapist, but these would take up only a few minutes a day, and were very repetitive.
When we came to Brainwave, we were given a great deal over and above an effective physiotherapy programme for our son:
- A positive focus to counter our anxiety and depression over our son's condition. We ceased to be victims of our situation.
- We have the support of a group of people who are solely focusing their energies and expertise on helping us to help our child.
- A sense of empowerment came through a new understanding of what we needed to be working on using an extensive programme, having previously experienced the frustration of being drip-fed information. Moreover, if our weekly physiotherapy appointment was cancelled, we were no longer left high-and-dry feeling time was slipping away, because we could continue with our Brainwave Programme.
- Friendships were forged with people who volunteered to dedicate time in our home to helping our son with the Programme. We found this very uplifting, because having a disabled child can be an isolating environment.
CASE HISTORY - by Lawrence and Sally Preston
Natalie is now 16 years old and first came to Brainwave when she was two and a half years old. We had struggled since she was 9 months of age, firstly to get a diagnosis from the Consultant, and once we had the diagnosis of cerebral palsy, we were desperate for help and support of any kind but which we discovered was sadly lacking.No-one seemed to care that Natalie was a 'whole' child. Nobody seemed to have any sense of urgency that she had little movement, and the movement she had was abnormal. One person would look at her hand movement, someone else her leg movement, and all they could offer was school term-time input to treat the symptoms of her condition. We were frantic.
Through investigating alternative options to mainstream physiotherapy we found Brainwave. Visiting the centre for the first time was like a breath of fresh air, and we felt as if a weight had been lifted from our shoulders.
We met your team of therapists who saw Natalie as a whole child - not in various bits and pieces. She, like us, immediately felt at home as she was assessed over the first 2 days. The other amazing thing was that we were asked questions about our daughter, and the information we gave was not ignored or discarded as it had been up to now by doctors and physiotherapists. The knowledge we had of our child was valued by Phil, Carl and the team, and used to produce a programme of therapy for her. Brainwave believed that as her parents we knew her best!
During that initial visit and the countless visits since, we have never, ever felt rushed. The team have devoted as much time as necessary to Natalie and her needs. Over the years if we have been unsure of any aspect of the programme, or for example after she had hip surgery, Carl came out to assess her at home. We were so appreciative of this as circumstances would have made it difficult to travel down to Bridgwater. There is always someone at the end of the phone - someone who knows Natalie well and can answer our queries, or arrange a home visit if need be.
Being introduced to the programme was fantastic. It was the first time that anything had made any sense to us. We could see the benefit of the exercises it contained and the philosophy behind it. Brainwave gave us time and support which we hadn't previously experienced elsewhere. Everything was explained fully, demonstrated, and then practiced by us. All this was videoed so that we had a record of it all to take away with us. The areas that Natalie needed most input in with her physical development were specifically targeted with the programme. After just one month we began to see terrific progress - and we had it on video! Each time we returned for a re-assessment (about every 2-3 months) she had progressed more and more. We found it hard to believe that she would be able to cope with the standing element of the programme - but she did. Just like she did with taking her first steps, and walking independently.
It was so helpful to have the structure of the programme to work to, with the timed exercises. You knew just how much to do, and because we repeated the programme several times a day, it meant that she very quickly made advances. All the targets that were set were realistic and achievable, but Natalie was challenged, and she enjoyed the challenges, and achieving the goals set. We really felt that, at last, we were doing something positive to help her, and that what we were doing was very obviously working! Before Brainwave our daughter had physiotherapy once a week (excluding school holidays, or time off for meetings with the Physio). She made more progress in one month with Brainwave than she did in over a year with conventional input - and I worked with her as directed by the physiotherapist between visits.
Without the support of the helpers coming in during the week to help with the programme it would not have been possible. They came from all quarters of the community, and many have remained really good friends over the years. They were also a great support to Lawrence and me. Seeing Natalie make good progress gave them a huge boost as well as us. They were so enthusiastic and positive that it helped us over some difficult times when we felt very low about everything. People coming in once or twice a week came with fresh eyes and saw things we didn't in the way of improvements.
We all look forward to our visits to the Centre. Natalie is made so welcome and at ease, and the relationship she has built up with the team is very close. She is of an age now where she understands what Brainwave has done for her and how it has played such an important part in her life. It has enabled her to attend mainstream school from the age of 3 years. She has successfully completed her GCSEs and is now attending College (although the Educational Psychologist said she would never be able to).
It really isn't possible to explain in words what Brainwave's unique points are. It has to be experienced to be believed and is just very, very special.
FAMILIES
"I will always be grateful to Brainwave for what they did for Aoife and me. They took the time to listen and showed me ways that I could help my daughter. They gave me the confidence that I could do something to help and was not just waiting for something to happen."
DOWN SYNDROME TESTIMONIAL - EMMA
I think Brainwave is brilliant. I'd been looking for this type of help, and although it took me three years, I know I've found it.
The therapists are fantastic; they are so supportive. At the Initial Assessment, they really gave us hope and made us feel there is something we can do to help Emma. They were there to help us, and to teach us how to help Emma.
So many people you see suggest that you do a bit of this, or that you do that, it can become quite mind-boggling. To have a clear and structured programme written down in a simple list that you know is addressing all her areas of development, is brilliant. You know then that you're doing as much as you can.
Although Emma had just taken a few steps when we started Brainwave a couple of months ago, I still can't quite get my head around seeing her walking about now. We started with working on her balance, and now she's doing so well.
I think Brainwave is brilliant. I'd been looking for this type of help, and although it took me three years, I know I've found it.
The therapists are fantastic; they are so supportive. At the Initial Assessment, they really gave us hope and made us feel there is something we can do to help Emma. They were there to help us, and to teach us how to help Emma.
So many people you see suggest that you do a bit of this, or that you do that, it can become quite mind-boggling. To have a clear and structured programme written down in a simple list that you know is addressing all her areas of development, is brilliant. You know then that you're doing as much as you can.
Although Emma had just taken a few steps when we started Brainwave a couple of months ago, I still can't quite get my head around seeing her walking about now. We started with working on her balance, and now she's doing so well.