Steve began FNS treatment in the winter of 2006. Steve was an early teen with pervasive developmental delay. He had been in intensive OT and other therapies for PDD for years. Steve's responses to casual conversation were rote phrases that were an echo of whatever another person would say, and it might or might not be appropriate to a situation. He had no sense of time or sequence. After early treatments, his gait was better, he was more aware that his effort on schoolwork was related to results, and he started asking questions about how things work. His parents noted that he was becoming more organized, picking up towels (usually on floor), and remembering homework assignment topics from 4-5 days before. He began to plan ahead, and became aware of the difference between short and long periods of time. As his coordination improved he became able to kick a ball and he was making eye contact. Handwriting and auditory processing improved. Especially noticeable was when he began to talk about his feelings and recognize other people’s feelings.

By the spring of 2006 Steve was able to plan ahead for a trip. Not only could he now ride a bike with skill, he could hit a T-ball with power, and can catch a football! Relatives who had not seen Steve for some time commented on the big improvements. He could engage in a reasonable conversation. A real personality emerged. In the fall of 2006 his reading rate doubled with good comprehension.

By the Spring of 2008 Steve's coordination is vastly improved. He could hit a baseball 5 out of 6 times, missed only 3 golf balls out of the entire bucket, was swimming with a good crawl stroke, could throw a ball with full swing and follow-through, and was skiing. Cognitive development still lags behind the physical and daily life changes. However, he was planning ahead with homework assignments and enjoying reading. His improvement continues and he is taking chemistry and surprised his teacher who recently thought that he had done an assignment with his parents help but showed her that he could do the problems without help.

Click here to read an email received from Steve's parents and teacher.

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