Ashtons Journey

[stripeyfox]

10 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

In the hotel down in Devon about to go sleep ready to go to Snowdrop tomorrow and start Ashton's brain stimulating program. Now the real work starts. 

Good luck mate, hope it is everything you dream it will be for Ashton.

 

 

[kingcarr21]

Back home now. Was a good first assessment. He knew from looking at Ashton what areas he is weak at and is now in the process of producing his list of activities that will stimulate the brain in the right areas. A worthwhile visit. Will get the programme on Wednesday and will make a start when I'm back from Madrid 

[stripeyfox]

2 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Back home now. Was a good first assessment. He knew from looking at Ashton what areas he is weak at and is now in the process of producing his list of activities that will stimulate the brain in the right areas. A worthwhile visit. Will get the programme on Wednesday and will make a start when I'm back from Madrid 

I'm really pleased it went well. A good start. Let us all hope that this is the start of something amazing for the little fella. Have a good time in Madrid mate, and then we need to get our thinking caps on for the next round of fundraising because if Snowdrops does prove to be a good thing then we are going to need to raise some more cash for you. Wouldn't it be great if we could get the club to support either Ashton directly or maybe Snowdrops itself?

 

 

[kingcarr21]

We now have Ashton's programme. A lot of info to take in. When I find time I'll update here and go into more detail the areas that affect Ashton and the activities we have to do with him. It's quite fascinating actually.

[ozleicester]

25 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

We now have Ashton's programme. A lot of info to take in. When I find time I'll update here and go into more detail the areas that affect Ashton and the activities we have to do with him. It's quite fascinating actually.

Good luck... so pleased that you have a plan  So enjoy reading your updates.

[kingcarr21]

Ok I'm going to try and go through so of the problems Ashton has. Bare with me this will be a mega long post but I think it would be good for you all to understand Ashton's programme as we are going through it. 

 

Areas that need improvement

 

Visual Development - Ashton's vision itself is very good. He does display a unilateral convergent Strabismus. What this means is his right eye moves inwards slightly. His eyes currently aren't processing 1 image together but they are taking 2 separate images, his brain then deletes the image from his right eye and goes with the image his left eye has produced which means his right eye is giving up and letting his left do all the work. 

 

Programme activity - we can fix this by simply moving an object in front of his face from left to right for 1 minute at a time and train his right eye to focus. Repetition is crucial. 

 

 

[kingcarr21]

Auditory development is at a 12 month level

 

Ashton is very sensitive to certain sounds where he cries if he hears my wife laugh or a child cry. We did a frequency test which confirmed he is sensitive only at the frequency we as humans communicate at. Specifically with a high pitch ( Hence why my deeper laugh doesn't bother him at all but the wife's makes him upset)

 

programme activity - we have been given a CD which Ashton must listen to for 20 mins a day. This will trigger his brain to accept these different frequencies and pitches so he gets used to them and he overcomes them

[kingcarr21]

Tactile development

 

ive always noticed Ashton has a high pain threshold. Nothing phases him when it comes to pain. It's actually a case of a delayed pain threshold and not a high one. The guy used a cocktail stick and poked Ashton in his hand. It was only when he poked the 3rd time that Ashton's brain registered the first poke. 

 

Programme activity - I need to give Ashton a deep pressure massage on his 4 limbs then give them a brush. Using my hands I go up and down each limb and give them a gentle squeeze. Then use a brush up and down each limb. Doing this will release a chemical called Oxytocin in the brain. This chemical helps with ashtons social and language development as well as get Ashton's Tactile development to improve

[kingcarr21]

This leads on to Ashton speech problems. Ashton's Tactile development in his body is potentially also a problem in his speech and more specifically his mouth. 

 

Programme Activity - We have a vibrating stick which we run on the inside and outside of his mouth. This can stimulate the signals from him mouth and will help aid in his speech.

[kingcarr21]

We are now going into Ashton's biggest problem. His internal arousal. Basic terms it's your willingness to explore. Your sense of wonder. You hear a noise around the corner you wonder what it is and want to find out so you move. Ashton we know can now crawl but he still isn't on the move in the way that he wants to see what's going on in the world. This is the big area. If we can get him wanting to explore it will get him crawling more which will bring on all his core motor skills. 

 

He also sleeps too much. Ashton is pretty lazy, no surprise if he is straining his brain with all the info he is trying to process. We need to stimulate his brain to unlock his sense of adventure.

 

programme activity - Bathe in blue light.

 

it is scientifically proven that if you look at a blue light for a certain length of time your brain produces various chemicals that basically "wakes" it up. Doing this for 20 minutes every morning will help Ashton have more energy in the mornings which he will want to use up. If we can get him exploring he will eventually want to explore all the time

[kingcarr21]

Sorry for all the info. There is much more areas to improve like his trunk and fingers but I think I've said enough. Repetition is the key to getting Ashton going. We are having a 2nd assessment in September so we are going to be doing all his activities everyday and as the weeks and months go on we should hopefully start to see bigger improvements. It's not a gaurantee but we have to try everything for Ashton. He deserves a fair crack at life. 

 

Ashtons corpus callosum is made made up of millions of fibers which e is lacking. But there is an area in the lower part of our brains that contains 50000 fibers which the brain can use to communicate. If we can stimulate his brain to use this area to communicate then he will catch right up. The hard work is unlocking that section of his brain to function differently to what it currently does. 

 

I will post regular updates as time goes on and let you all know how he is progressing. Thanks for all your support

[Costock_Fox]

1 hour ago, kingcarr21 said:

Sorry for all the info. There is much more areas to improve like his trunk and fingers but I think I've said enough. Repetition is the key to getting Ashton going. We are having a 2nd assessment in September so we are going to be doing all his activities everyday and as the weeks and months go on we should hopefully start to see bigger improvements. It's not a gaurantee but we have to try everything for Ashton. He deserves a fair crack at life. 

 

Ashtons corpus callosum is made made up of millions of fibers which e is lacking. But there is an area in the lower part of our brains that contains 50000 fibers which the brain can use to communicate. If we can stimulate his brain to use this area to communicate then he will catch right up. The hard work is unlocking that section of his brain to function differently to what it currently does. 

 

I will post regular updates as time goes on and let you all know how he is progressing. Thanks for all your support

Interesting to read mate and I'm glad you have been given the support to help Ashton out, sounds like it's a case of being really patient with it all and not expecting instant results.

 

Just be careful your wife doesn't find that vibrating stick , so sorry.

[kingcarr21]

37 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

Interesting to read mate and I'm glad you have been given the support to help Ashton out, sounds like it's a case of being really patient with it all and not expecting instant results.

 

Just be careful your wife doesn't find that vibrating stick , so sorry.

 i did think wen I typed it that someone is bound to have a chuckle at that  

[Beliall]

1 hour ago, kingcarr21 said:

Sorry for all the info. There is much more areas to improve like his trunk and fingers but I think I've said enough. Repetition is the key to getting Ashton going. We are having a 2nd assessment in September so we are going to be doing all his activities everyday and as the weeks and months go on we should hopefully start to see bigger improvements. It's not a gaurantee but we have to try everything for Ashton. He deserves a fair crack at life. 

 

Ashtons corpus callosum is made made up of millions of fibers which e is lacking. But there is an area in the lower part of our brains that contains 50000 fibers which the brain can use to communicate. If we can stimulate his brain to use this area to communicate then he will catch right up. The hard work is unlocking that section of his brain to function differently to what it currently does. 

 

I will post regular updates as time goes on and let you all know how he is progressing. Thanks for all your support

Way to boost your post / rep count

 

 

seriously though, looks like a lot of work and I know hard it is to bring up any child with their varying problems that we have dealt with ourselves, from learning difficulties to partial deafness, I wish you all the luck in the world, Please keep updating this thread.

[stripeyfox]

5 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Sorry for all the info. There is much more areas to improve like his trunk and fingers but I think I've said enough. Repetition is the key to getting Ashton going. We are having a 2nd assessment in September so we are going to be doing all his activities everyday and as the weeks and months go on we should hopefully start to see bigger improvements. It's not a gaurantee but we have to try everything for Ashton. He deserves a fair crack at life. 

 

Ashtons corpus callosum is made made up of millions of fibers which e is lacking. But there is an area in the lower part of our brains that contains 50000 fibers which the brain can use to communicate. If we can stimulate his brain to use this area to communicate then he will catch right up. The hard work is unlocking that section of his brain to function differently to what it currently does. 

 

I will post regular updates as time goes on and let you all know how he is progressing. Thanks for all your support

No mate, it's all pretty interesting actually. And Ashton will get a fair crack thanks to you and your wife and the rest of your family. You're doing a brilliant job for him. 

[kingcarr21]

Well we have already seem an improvement in Ashton. Since Xmas Ashton has been petrified with the stairs. He would crawl to the lounge door and look at them but wouldn't dare crawl out the door.

 

Well yesterday my daughter was trying to encourage him to crawl to her at my bedroom door which is past the stairs. (My bedroom is downstairs)

He wasn't bothered at all about the stairs. Crawled all the way to the bedroom door.

 

Makes me wonder if his sense of exploration is already starting to show after the exercises we are doing with him. Don't want to get too ahead of ourselves but its another welcome milestone with him. He does now crawl to me when I call him. Literally feels like I am talking to a dog . I'm standing there knees bent saying 'come here Ashton' and 'who's a good boy'  

 

Think I need to buy some dog treats  

[ozleicester]

Thanks for the info... Wow isnt science incredible,

 

i imagine even just a few years ago they wouldnt have known many of these things, so pleased that you and Ashton are living at this time. Good Luck.

[kingcarr21]

Ashton really getting to grips with his walking in his walker now. Whether that's down to the stimulations we are giving his brain I'm not sure but he seems to enjoy being more mobile 

IMG_4577.mp4

[kingcarr21]

Got a suitcase for Ashton. Bout bigger than him  

[Beliall]

20 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

Got a suitcase for Ashton. Bout bigger than him  

If you're going on holiday buy him a proper ticket cheapskate, don't sling him in with the luggage

[kingcarr21]

2 minutes ago, Beliall said:

If you're going on holiday buy him a proper ticket cheapskate, don't sling him in with the luggage

gotta save money some how  

[Beliall]

2 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

gotta save money some how  

 

[Merging Cultures]

Fantastic updates. He looks like such a happy boy. You are doing a great job. I am so glad you keep us all in the loop. I am sure it helps to type these things up and share.

 

I can't remember if I said before, but my son is the same age (14/12/2013). 

[kingcarr21]

2 minutes ago, Merging Cultures said:

Fantastic updates. He looks like such a happy boy. You are doing a great job. I am so glad you keep us all in the loop. I am sure it helps to type these things up and share.

 

I can't remember if I said before, but my son is the same age (14/12/2013). 

only a couple of weeks difference.

 

It does help to be able to type on here. Thing is i hear all the same stuff from close family and friends, he will be fine etc. Think it means a bit more when it comes from someone i don't know.

 

Just have to keep going and make sure he is always happy. Which he is especially when i get home, he bullies me  

[Jon the Hat]

32 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

only a couple of weeks difference.

 

It does help to be able to type on here. Thing is i hear all the same stuff from close family and friends, he will be fine etc. Think it means a bit more when it comes from someone i don't know.

 

Just have to keep going and make sure he is always happy. Which he is especially when i get home, he bullies me  

My lad Jack is a bit older, April 2013