The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and people of goodwill from more than 80 countries that seek to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the ‘seedbed’ of civil society (as found in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948).

Conceição and I have been actively involved in pro-family work since the early 1980’s. The reason for this is really quite simple. Much of our work involves trying to help children with developmental difficulties. Those kids need every advantage they can get if they are to overcome the obstacles that lie in their path. So we always shoot for ideal circumstances because they give us the best chance of success. Our experience working with children demonstrates clearly that the key element in successful physical, intellectual, emotional and social development is the family. There is something about the anthropological reality of the family bond that increases a child’s chances of doing well in life. Modern science teaches us much about the neurobiology that underpins this family bond. It tells us that each parent brings unique gifts to the table, gifts that cannot be replicated or replaced. We need to recognize that and celebrate it.

We defend every child’s right to life also for very practical reasons. Many people view the children we work with as drains on society. In a materialistic, utilitarian culture it just doesn’t make good sense to spend resources on those who do not produce. It’s true, many of our kids will never be productive citizens in the materialistic sense. Because of this our kids are on the front line of the “life” issues. They are the first victims of abortion and often are victims of infanticide. We fight against this for many reasons but primarily because it is based on a false premise. Life is full of mysteries and this is surely one of them. Despite functional difficulties, every child has a life purpose, every child has value.

Our families (parents, brothers and sisters, etc.) and their wider community get to see this on a regular basis because they change along with their child. The growth experienced through working with a brain-injured child is, I suppose, unique to each individual. Although I have been under its spell for four decades, I still find it difficult to describe exactly what happens when one works nose to nose with a brain-injured child. It is not an earth shattering event, but rather something that happens quietly, beneath the surface of the daily activity. It is an experience that somehow makes one a bit more human and a bit more humane. I like to think of it as food for the soul – spirit nourishing spirit. Truth is, in one of life’s great paradoxes, I think the brain-injured children of the world are our most precious natural resource. This is not because of what they can do because, obviously, so many of them can do nothing in a functional sense. Rather, it is because of what they do to us. When one sees the amazing impact these children have on the lives of everyone around them; when one sees that this impact often continues long after they have left their earthly existence; there is little else that needs to be said about their dignity and worth. That’s why we fight to protect them!

This was our first time back to the World Congress of Families since I spoke at the World Congress of Families II in Geneva, Switzerland in November of 1999. It was an exciting and exhausting week at the magnificent Grand America Hotel as guests of the Sutherland Institute of Salt Lake City. The week was filled with stimulating lectures, meetings with leading pro-life and pro-family advocates and non-stop networking with families and professionals. We did interviews for the Christian Broadcasting Network, the C.L. Bryant “America on the Edge” radio show, and the “Watchman on the Wall” TV program with Errol Naidoo, President of the Family Policy Institute in South Africa.

There were many highlights. Here are just a few. 

• Nic Vujicic, an internationally renowned motivational speaker from Australia who was born without limbs, gave an incredible presentation on overcoming life’s challenges.

• Several fantastic presentations on mother/baby bonding and the neurobiology of fathering and mothering. Best of all, we made great connections with those professionals.

• And finally, another in what we have come to call a series of “God-incidences” in our life. On the final evening, Conceição was waiting in line with thousands of other attendees for the closing event, what would turn out to be a sensational concert by “The Piano Guys”. She struck up a conversation with the woman standing behind her and the woman asked Conceição if she had ever heard of “The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential” in Philadelphia. Conceição answered in the affirmative and explained how she came to the US in 1977 to train at the Institutes and worked there for several years. The woman then told Conceição that she had done the Institutes program with her son starting in 1979. Once inside the concert hall Conceição introduced this woman to me, we exchanged pleasantries and contact information and promised to stay in touch. A few days after we returned home Conceição received an email with the picture to the left attached. That’s Conceição, age 24, teaching this family their intelligence program at their Initial Evaluation! What are the chances that the two of them would randomly meet again some 34 years later?

It is our great joy to introduce you to Isaac. We are sure you will find his story inspirational.

Isaac is nine and a half years old and the older brother of Raquel. We saw him for the first time a year ago. Isaac came diagnosed with a Sensory Processing Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a condition that placed him on the Autism spectrum. Of course, we pay little to no attention to those labels as they tell us nothing about who Isaac really is and how he functions.

Isaac’s parents first suspected his difficulties when he was about two years old but there were red flags almost from the very beginning. In reviewing his birth history, we learned that he had a prolonged labor, cord strangulation and fetal distress. He was very irritable as a baby. As he developed into a toddler, he had sensory hypersensitivities particularly in tactile function. At about two and a half years of age he learned to read on his own, an early indication that despite some difficulties he was a bright little guy. Speech was very late in developing, with first words coming at around two years. Most concerning was Isaac’s social development. He could not get along with other children.

Isaac’s mother gave us the following list of functional problems.

1. Isaac’s behavior was volatile and unpredictable. He averaged 2 to 3 major tantrums or emotional meltdowns per day. Meltdowns often lasted an hour and he could become very violent. Almost anything could set him off. Particularly upsetting to him were situations where the spotlight shined on him. Ask him a question, complement him in front of a group and look out! A perfectionist, if he tried to do something and did not succeed, look out! Isaac’s mom expressed her real fear that these emotional outbursts would escalate and become more violent as he grew into his teen years.

2. Isaac often became obsessed with thoughts. Once he had a thought in his mind, he could not get rid of it.

3. He had a poor understanding of cause and effect.

4. His understanding of spoken language was very literal. He could not “read between the lines”.

5. He had great difficulty expressing himself verbally, particularly with regard to his feelings.

6. He had frequent absences where he completely tuned out.

7. He had great difficulty reading social cues in people and had very few friends.

8. He was very cautious physically. He had problems of coordination and balance. Anything that was high or fast was a problem. He could not ride a bicycle.

9. He had almost no self-confidence in his abilities.

Based on our evaluation of Isaac’s neurological function, we designed a developmental program for Isaac which consisted of brain organization activities like tummy crawling, creeping (hands and knees), walking and balance activities. Along with his physical program, Isaac also had several intellectual development programs to improve his understanding. Additionally, we stressed the importance of good nutrition and suggested, based on Isaac’s symptoms, that he eat a gluten-free diet.

About one month after we saw Isaac, his mom posted the following message on the REACH Facebook Page. “My 8 year old son Isaac started the REACH program about a month ago and I am amazed at the progress he has made in such a short amount of time. He went from 2 or 3 extreme meltdowns per day to maybe 1 per week. This is remarkable with being home for the summer and having to deal with his 5 year old sister! LOL. He is also trying new things! From new foods, to giving people more hugs, to taking more risks at the park. His awareness of others and social communication has improved tremendously as well. I am beyond grateful for all your help and guiding my son to his true potential”.

In May, we saw Isaac again for re-evaluation and the changes in him were amazing! Significantly, his behavior improved dramatically. His meltdowns decreased from one per week to virtually none. His mom reported that the last tantrum was on Valentines Day and there was a very understandable explanation for it. So, no tantrums in three months compared to 2 or 3 tantrums per day at the beginning. Also, now when he did have a tantrum, it was much less intense and quickly diffused. Instead of being completely out of control for up to an hour, now Isaac can pull himself together in a matter of minutes. Isaac is now in control of his emotions!

We also saw a big improvement in Isaac’s general understanding and as a result it is much easier to reason with him. Mom also reported that he is much more creative and uses his imagination a lot more. Along with increased understanding, there has been a big improvement in language. Isaac’s speech is much more spontaneous and he is much more comfortable expressing his feelings.

We also saw tremendous improvements in Isaac’s mobility. His coordination and balance are much better resulting in better crawling (now in cross pattern), creeping and running (also in cross pattern). He runs faster and his movements are much smoother. In addition, Alex can now hop and skip, and is much more adventurous and willing to take physical risks. The change in his self-confidence is almost unbelievable! American Ninja Warriors you’ve been put on notice!

Along with all of those functional changes, Isaac is chewing much better and his appetite has greatly increased. Finally, he no longer has any absences at all… completely eliminated!

What an incredible joy to be a part of helping Isaac develop into the delightful boy he has become! When we think back on the first day we met him it is almost unbelievable that he could have changed so much in one year. Knowing that his parent’s fears for the future have turned into hopes just makes his transformation all the sweeter. Bravo for Isaac and his mom, dad and sister for doing the hard work that made it possible!

From the very beginning of our work with children, we challenged establishment doctrine regarding virtually every aspect of child development. We did so because we found the status quo wanting. We believe we have much better answers for the development of children, answers anchored in a deep understanding of how the human brain develops.

That said, in the end, REACH exists to transform children’s lives. It is not our theories about brain development that count but rather our results.

With that in mind, each issue of our newsletter will feature a child on program and the results achieved. We hope these stories of the REACH Method in action inspire you as they inspire us.

We want to introduce you to Gulian (right). He was born in August of 2008, the second child in a family of two boys. As a baby, Gulian had very poor muscle tone, a weak grasp, a weak cry and he slept a lot. His parents described him as being “too good”. For us, all of these symptoms raise red flags! Nonetheless, aside from an early diagnosis of epilepsy, Gulian’s development was considered “normal” and no therapy was prescribed.

Gulian came to REACH just after his fifth birthday. At that time, from a neurological perspective (which is the only perspective that matters!) he was functioning at about the level of an 8-month-old baby. He was what we lovingly call a “nobody home” kid. His eyes were vacant, there was no sparkle. It was as if… well, as if there was nobody home! Part of the reason for that “nobody home” look was the three powerful medications Gulian was taking for his seizures. While they sometimes suppress the seizure activity, they almost always suppress everything else.

Our evaluation of Gulian revealed a long list of functional problems. He had very poor vision, understanding at about the level of an 8-month-old, and tactile problems. He had very poor muscle tone, and any attempt at moving resulted in significant trembling. He could not crawl on his tummy, although he could creep a bit on his hands and knees like a bunny. Gulian still could not walk. He could make some sounds but had no words of speech. Gulian’s hands were flaccid so he had a very weak grasp and essentially no functional use of his hands. Finally, there were many physiological problems. He had severe constipation. He drooled. He had a poor ability to swallow and chew, which resulted in him often choking on his food.

Based on this evaluation of Gulian we designed a program to accelerate the development of his brain and thereby increase his rate of functional development.

Six months later, we saw Gulian again and the change in him was astounding!

The first thing we noticed was a significant increase in his awareness. Gulian was more “tuned in”, more present. He was more curious, more interested in what was going on around him. His eyes had life, sparkle! There was somebody in there! Now there was “somebody home”!

The second thing that was obvious was that Gulian was walking! For 5 years, he struggled to learn how to move and never learned to walk. We got him walking in 6 months! What a thrill to see him taking steps and to see the joy written all over his face. His parents kept it a secret from us, as they wanted to see the look on our faces when he gave us his first demonstration. Gulian was much stronger, had better muscle tone and was trembling much less. He also had better coordination and much better balance.

Gulian’s vision improved – a perfect pupil reflex, much better visual pursuits and now, eye contact! His function tactile improved – reaction to pain, hot and cold temperature extremes, reaction to pleasant tactile sensations. Gulian’s understanding improved dramatically. He could follow simple instructions, was playing with toys, entertaining himself and showing interest in playing with others.

Gulian’s ability to communicate with sounds improved and he started saying two words consistently and with meaning. His manual function improved. Along with the rest of his body, his hands became stronger and with that his grasp improved and became more sure and he started using his hands more.

Then there are the physiological changes. Gulian was no longer constipated. His drooling decreased, his chewing and swallowing significantly improved and as a result, he was choking a lot less.

In the year that has passed since then Gulian has continued to progress beautifully.

His vision keeps getting better and he now has perfect visual pursuits, better convergence, a less obvious strabismus and much better visual acuity. He now has normal response to pain and light touch. Gulian follows instructions better, watches TV and can follow the program and smiles and laughs appropriately at the dialogue. Gulian now has more of a brother-to-brother relationship with his older brother and he now plays with the family cat.

As his walking ability continues to improve, Gulian is becoming more confident and more adventurous. This is the direct result of better balance and coordination. The muscle tone in Gulian’s hands is now normal and he is using his hands a lot more.

Gulian’s chewing ability continued to improve and, as a result, he has a much bigger appetite. His seizures have decreased significantly and he is taking less medication.

It has been an absolute joy to watch Gulian blossom. Kudos to his mom and dad for believing in his potential and for doing the hard work to unleash it!