Dr.Masgutova's Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration Method

Let me explain why restoring primitive (infant) reflexes is so important for Taisei's recovery from his head injury. 

Imagine a tree, with a strong trunk supporting the branches and leaves.  If you consider conscious movements, speaking, reading, etc. as leaves and branches, primitive reflexes is equivalent to a trunk. Neural axons run from brain stem (trunk) all the way through to the cortex (leaves). When your reflex is integrated, you have a strong trunk to support all of your essential activities. With proper training, reflex can reappear after traumatic brain injury.  

Taisei’s reflex patterns became unorganized due to his head injury.  It is evident that he has challenges with many primitive reflex patterns.  As a result, he has difficulty walking, maintaining postural control, speaking, eating etc...  If the reflexes are not integrated, Taisei will remain in a “protected state” that can impact his motor, cognitive and behavioral developments.  In other words, he will remain stuck in a egg shell and he will continue to struggle to get out of it.  With research, we came across Dr.Masgutova's neurosensorimotor reflex integration method (MNRI) which was developed to facilitate integration of patterns that remain in a protected state. 

We have been exercising MNRI method for almost a year and half and we have been seeing tremendous changes with our son. His head control, trunk control, hand grasp, speech and cognition have all improved.  Traditional therapies like physical therapy and occupational therapy are important but we realized that it is just as important to develop a proper “foundation” to build upon.  Reflex integration therapy has given him just that to do thing that he has not been able to do.

The camp offered by Dr. Masgutova provides intensive hands-on therapies which include:

·         Reflex Re-patterning

·         Oral/Facial/Visual

·         Archetypes

·         Neuro-structural

·         Tactile

·         Proprioception/Cognitive

·         Breathing 

We have no doubt that Taisei will benefit greatly from these therapies.  We hope to collect enough money from the fund raiser to attend the camp next year. 

For those of you who have donated for Taisei, we are very grateful and we will make sure that your money will go towards the camp.

Dr. Frymann

Right after Taisei was discharged from Children's Hospital after his surgery, we were very devastated, tired and we didn't know what to do. Every night Taisei cried incessantly and there was no way to stop him from crying.  Taisei probably had a terrible headache and he was also trying to wean himself off from all the drugs he was given at the hospital.  He was tired and we were also sleepless and exhausted.  After doing some research we discovered a famous cranial osteopathy doctor named Dr.Frymann. Her office also happened to be in San Diego where we lived so we called her office right away.

When we went to her office for the first time we were desperate to help Taisei in any way we can but we didn't know what to do.  None of the doctors at the hospital had told us what to do after the injury.

"Do you think Taisei will be O.K.?" we asked Dr. Frymann.  "You have to believe in him!!  You get tremendous reactions from children if you give them a chance to develop everything they've got," was what Dr.Fryman told us.  What she gave us was a HOPE and tears fell from our eyes.

Dr.Frymann was a small old lady (she must be over 90 years old) originally from England. Her work was miraculous. She rolled Taisei over on the examination table and slowly rubbed his spine then she cupped her hand around his head and gently started massaging.  Dr.Frymann told us that Taisei was crying because of the pain caused by the injury.

After a only a couple of  sessions with Dr. Frymann, Taisei stopped crying and started to sleep all through the night.

We have met many parents in her office from all over the world who seek Dr. Frymann's treatment for their children with different diagnosis. Her work is nothing short of miraculous. Some kids stopped having seizures after a couple of sessions with her. She is a healer to many people.  Her work has helped many disabled children take their first steps by opening doors to healing. She has a strong sense of mission to help children when other doctors have given up.

Dr. Frymann is now retired and she doesn't practice anymore but we can't thank her enough for helping our son.  We wish her the best.

Learning sense of balance

Vestibular training educates and reinforces Taisei’s balance and the sense of spatial orientation which plays an important role with his physical movements and sense of balance.  Many babies learn this naturally when they are in their mothers’ wombs.  We place Taisei in the swing and slowly push him back and forth.  He loves this exercise since it’s probably calming and relaxing.  By the way, we had our friend install the beams in the ceiling where we placed the eye hooks.  Then we bought this really stretchy fabric and simply tied it in a big knot through the rope tied to the eye hook to make a swing that's like a sling.  It works really well and it’s all handmade!!  Welcome to Taisei’s gym. 

 Taisei's Gym

Here is his favorite nurse, Jen!

With his sister, Hana

Neuro Feedback Training

Here is Taisei during his neuro feedback training with Dr. John. With a properly functioning brain, many parts of the brain work together to serve your basic needs like eat, walk and talk.  But because of his head injury, Taisei's brain is somewhat disorganized and "out of tune."  Neuro feedback training measures his brain waves and uses a stimulus (sound) as feedback to teach his brain to self-correct.  (Just like tuning a piano with a metronome.)  When Dr. John saw Taisei for the first time, he told us that his brain was in a state of complete confusion and disorder with a possibility of seizures.  After almost 6 years of training, Taisei's brain is more organized and he has been seizure-free!  Plus we have seen big improvements in his cognitive abilities.

 

Learning to Walk

We take our ability to walk for granted because most of us start walking when we are very young.  For Taisei, he never got a chance to walk on his own because he was injured when he was only 10 months old.  But with his tenaciousness and hard work, Taisei is slowly learning to walk.  At his physical therapy, he is strapped into this high tech machine called Lokomat where he is able to walk on his own aided by robotic apparatus attached to his legs.  Advancement in robotic technology in recent years has given people with disabilities a chance to experience walking.  What we love the most about this exercise is that we are able to see a big smile on Taisei's face as he casually strolls along the treadmill.  Walking probably gives him a sense of freedom and control which he loves.  We have no doubt that Taisei will be able to walk on his own someday...just like Forrest Gump.  We will be yelling "Go Taisei! Go!" when that day comes.

Thank You！

We just wanted to thank everybody for supporting Taisei!  Our hearts are filled with your kind words and we are sincerely grateful for your donations.  We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends around the world.  We started Taisei's blog to record his journey and hopefully provide encouragements to other parents who face similar challenges in life.  What we've learned is that children possess amazing potentials and their unwavering will to live life to its fullest gives us hope every day.  Thank you for reading Taisei's blog and being part of his journey.  All aboard!

  

Fun Day

Although Taisei has his challenges, we try to raise Taisei as a normal boy.  We think its important for him to enjoy all that life has to offer.  We had a really fun time at Mission Bay in San Diego where we had some fun under the sun.  Here is Taisei with his cousins!

Day at the Park

Taisei loves walking in his gait trainer (walker) especially when we take him to his favorite park.   He loves the freedom of being able to move on his own!

Right after his injury he had no control of his body. His neck, trunk , arms, hands, and feet were all "floppy" and weak. The left side of his body was very cold from poor blood circulation.  He even needed a neck cuff to hold his head up at that time.  I still remember one of his physical therapists telling us that he may never be able to hold his head up like a normal child agin. But look at him now!!  He is so much stronger!! 

These pictures were taken a while ago so he is even stronger now.  I am very proud of him for how far he has come.  He is a little red engine that could!  Bythe way,  his little sister (Hana) is trying to help too.  Good job Hana. :)