"The human brain is unique in that it is the only container of which it can be said that the more you put into it, the more it will hold." Glenn Doman
We were even considering the possibility of homeschooling. The only problem was, where to start? I had worked with children with disablilities before. The most extremely disabled were those who were autistic. Many had Asperger Syndrome. Despite my experience, I never had to work with a baby before. I wasn't even sure of the developmental milestones that pre-school children were supposed to reach. I turned to my maternal and child health service notebook, and month after agonising month, watched the milestones go by without Chloe reaching them. The Path of ProblemsIt became very clear that there were two distinct paths open to us. We could go the well-travelled route and register for all the services available to us in the system. We did that. In her first two years Chloe saw:
But it began to dawn on us that despite their best intentions and expertise, they viewed Chloe only in terms of their speciality. She was not a whole person, but a set of problems to be managed. The Path of PotentialOur research lead us to the other path. This was the road less travelled. This was the recognition of her unique potential and the determination to help her reach that.With this in mind, we also took her to: These people gave her gentle, but mostly effective treatments and programs. They tended to view her as a whole person and were very willing to work with one another to help Chloe achieve her potential. And there it was: the two paths - problems and potential. Something Familiar?Being a linguist and language therapist myself, I knew that I had something of a head-start when it came to teaching literacy and language to Chloe. I didn't have a hoemschool/preschool program in mind, but at least I knew what wouldn't work!I found a book called What to do About Your Brain-Injured Child by Glenn Doman. This made sense. I found some families who had disabled children and who were also working with Glenn Doman's teachings. Our neighbourhood was galvanised into a network of volunteers and so we set about our physical and intellectual development program. We patterned, swung, exercised and flashcarded Chloe multiple times a day, seven days a week and began to watch the changes in her. During her reading program, we would use flashcards with big red words on it. Suddenly I realised that I had seen this before. On questioning my parents I learned that my father had bought "How to Teach Your Baby to Read" by Glenn Doman, the author of Chloe's programs. My father found the book in the seventies and had taught me to read with it! I had come full circle. What This Linguist is LearningChloe has just started her second year at the local specialist school. This is a state-run school for children with disabilities. We are very glad that she has the opportunity to be in this environment. We are also glad we did all that work for all those years before school. There is no doubt that it has made an enormous difference.For us, a dual carriageway worked with Chloe. It gave us the balance we needed between management of problems and seeking potential. It is very easy to become dogmatic and to crusade against one side of the carriageway. In her six years Chloe has taught me more about disability, learning and development than I have learned at any other time in my life. Her presence with us has brought so many positive outcomes for me, my family and my practice that I can scarcely list them all. For more details about her journey, click on Chloe's Link. This will be available from the end of March 2008. In the meantime, have our "Language Fountain" monthly newsletter delivered to your inbox. You'll stay informed on Chloe's progress, as well as other exciting literacy and language news. Opt in for the Language Fountain E-Newsletter
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It was a shock when Chloe was born and diagnosed with
