Jonathan Jeffrey - a success story
Jonathan is 4 1/2 years old. He was diagnosed as autistic when he was just over 2. He is the elder of two children, having a sister Susannah aged 21/2. He is a very handsome boy with blue eyes, blonde hair and a strong athletic physique.
At age 2 he had very few regognisable words and displayed many extremes of behaviou including tantrums, poor sleep, hyperactivity and eating problems. He showed no interest in grandparents or friends, and was difficult at home and when out and about.
He attened a special needs nursery 2 days per week from age 21/2. This has provided him with the right kind of help, stimulation and education in a setting with a high staff-to-pupil ratio. It has helped us all enormously.
Since June 1998 Jonathan has been doing a Lovaas-style programme at home for up to 20 hours per week. This has helped his commuinication skills, and his academic skills are largely age appropriate.
He has also received treatment from an alternative therapist who has addressed his diet (a wheat free diet has improved his digestion and helped his eczema). She has also advised Sound Therapy and various exercises to improve the function of the vestibular system, and consequently, speech and concentration.
Jonathan also takes a highly concentrated viatmin-mineral supplement daily, and has received some homeopathic treatments for allergies. He is undergoing some cranial osteopathy as well.
Jonathan has had about 10 sessions with Douglas Ballard. Right from the start he was vey accepting and relaxed with Douglas; happy to sit quietly whilst watching a video whilst Douglas kept his hands on Jonathan's head. We noticed an immediate improvement in Jonathan's sleep pattern. He now sleeps soundly for 10-11 hours every night. In the last three months we have seen a dramatic improvement in Jonathan's speech, eye contact and sociability. His is thrilled to see his grandparents, keen to play alongside other children, and above all, shows devotion to his little sister. He seems much more in tocuh with that is going on, and more flexible and easy-going about changes in his routine. He plays with toys and is developing a good sense of imagination. He is a very bright and lively little boy with a sense of humour, ever-increasing speech and huge potential to succeed. He will start school in April at an autistic unit attached to a local primary school. A programme of gradual integration with the mainstream school will begin straight away, and will be tailored to Jonathan. We envisage that he will become fully integrated into mainstream school within a few years.
As Jonathan's parents we are thrilled with his progress, particularly over the last 6 months. He has changed from a non-cummunicative, difficult child into a loving, lively and chatty member of the family. There are still problems, of course; he still has autism. But the difficulties are manageable and the pluses far outweight the minuses.
We do feel that Douglas's input has been highly significant, not only for its own sake but as a catalyst for the other treatments and stimulations that Jonathan has received. The Lovaas programme, change of diet, high vitamin intake, sound therapy, special help at school, cranial osteopathy and positive, loving home environment have acted together to give great benefit. We are especially grateful to Douglas Ballard for his input, which has contributed to Jonathan being able to make sense of the world and ultimately we are sure to achieve his full potential.
January 1999
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