Visit #3 to The Institutes
Well, we are back in Philadelphia for the 3rd time at the Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential and we are thrilled to be here.
For the weeks leading up to today, we have been very busy compiling detailed reports on everything that Tatum does:
- what Tatum eats each day... with a detailed break down of daily Carb, Fat and Protein intake
- her physiological problems, progress and successes
- her physical problems, progress and successes
- her cognitive problems, progress and successes
- ... and more.
While this prep was taking place, we have also been hard at work planning Tatum's awesome Groovin' for Movin' fundraiser party which is less than two weeks away! Don't forget to get your tickets!
To top it all off and add that extra bit of craziness, two out of three of our kids broke bones last week!
Tatum broke her femur and is in a crazy cast from her chest down to her left ankle. Long story short, she was picked up by her big sister for a snuggle and it went very wrong! She'll be out of her cast on April 25th and is tolerating it amazingly. Riley broke her ankle and tore the ligaments as well only 3 days after Tatum's accident while jumping on a trampoline. She too is healing well and handling her limited mobility like a champ! Riley's cast should come off around the 25th as well.
So all this and we are finally here!!! Today we met with our advocate who sat with us and reviewed Tatum's progress overall. We are being measured on Tatum's progress and success in her physiological development (diet, growth, overall health), her progress and success in her cognitive development (auditory and verbal competency, visual competence and intelligence) and her progress and success in her physical development (mobility). By all accounts Tatum is a STAR!
Tatum has grown neurologically 145% faster than average!! This is excellent because it means she is catching up!
Her body is growing well and developing strength.
We started our program with the Institutes in June of 2012, close to 9 months ago. When we began our program, Tatum was 13 months old but her 'neurological age' was that of a 6 month old. Her growth rate was half that of an average child (49%).
In the last 9 months, Tatum's has aged 13.3 months neurologically! This is 145% faster than average. We have witnessed a 300% improvement in her abilities to see, hear, verbalize, feel, and manipulate things with her hands.
In the past 6 months, since we started the 'intensive' therapy program with the Institutes Tatum has grown neurologically 161% faster than average - this is a 329% improvement.
Tatum also received a 'VICTORY' today... she showed us that she can read better than most 6 year olds. It is so remarkable to even me! She was so proud of herself as she was showing us what she could, she clapped her hands and smiled. You might have to see it to believe it but it was very clear to all of us that she knew what she was reading.
Today is April 8th and Tatum is 22 months old (chronologically). Based on the Institutes measurement system, we were told that Tatum is now at a neurological age of 19.72 months... she is catching up!!!
The area that we have made the least progress with is Tatum's mobility. This has not discouraged us. She is building the bridges within her beautiful brain that will get her crawling soon and walking one day. We will keep working with a focus on taking breaks when we need them, having fun and spending lots of time together as a family. We've got a long haul ahead of us but we are not afraid - we will get there.
Our passion and drive for Tatum's development is being fueled by the success we are seeing with our Institutes program and the dedicated support of our family and friends. Thank you all for helping us keep this all going.
