Friday, 5 February 2010

Elan Douglas' Story

My name is Marie Douglas, my son Elan was labelled Autistic in 2007 since the I have been looking for ways to help him.

" ... it pays off!"

In July 2009 we went to see Linda Scotson. What she explained made total sense to us, so we started our training in The Scotson Technique (TST). What I like about this therapy is that I produce the changes with my own hands and it is my responsibility. I do the therapy with Elan 6 days per week and it pays off! It also created a bond between Elan and I: it is our time together, something I do for him and he enjoys. It works very well.

Before we started TST Elan’s ability to communicate with us, understand speech and respond to his surroundings were all poor. He did not behave in a socially acceptable way and found it very difficult to play with other children or even by himself. He couldn’t concentrate on anything or listen to stories.

So many things have changed since we have started. Within the first 3 months of doing TST, Elan started to wake up in the mornings as a happy boy - not grumpy and easily upset as he used to be!

" He is so much more affectionate than he used to be."

In November we started doing the second part of the Scotson Therapy and more changes have occurred since. Elan’s communication level has improved dramatically, many people comment on it. He is so much more affectionate than he used to be. Physically Elan is also changing, his posture and balance are much better. Moreover, his skin colour has also improved.

Along with the right diet and the right nutritional supplements, TST is really helping Elan. There is still a long way to go but we have great results in less than 6 months, and we are now looking forward more to the future as a family.

Marie Douglas

Thursday, 4 February 2010

Luke Newth's Story - By Hillary Newth

By the time our son Luke was two years old we were aware he was developing very differently from other children, but we still did not have a clear clinical diagnosis to help us understand our little boy.

Although Luke could see, he could not give eye contact; he did not seem to recognize his surroundings or other people normally. His communication was poor and he could not speak or understand speech or carry out the simplest of requests. He didn’t seem to move normally and he flapped his arms or hands in the air when excited. His balance and posture seemed poor, he didn’t seem to know how to play with other children or to play by himself and he was made unhappy by loud noises or another child crying nearby. We were very anxious because we loved our son but there appeared to be no “cure” for his condition or hope of improvement.

" ... we discovered Advance
and the Scotson Technique ..."

When Luke was nearly three years old we discovered Advance and the Scotson Technique, we took Luke for an assessment by Linda Scotson. She explained how Luke’s behaviour suggested damage to areas of the brain that affected both his information processing and the co-ordination of his breathing with other activities. She also pointed to studies showing that cerebral stress both before or after birth could cause a re-routing of blood supply away from the developing respiratory organs in an attempt to help save the brain. These factors she said could cause Luke’s breathing to be immature which would also have had a further negative effect on his physical and mental development; it would also cause a disruption to Luke’s acid alkali balance adversely affecting his digestion by disrupting levels of good gut bacteria and increasing toxicity in the tissues. Moreover, it would also be detrimental to the quality of Luke’s breathing during dream sleep when much early neurobiological growth normally takes place. Thus, what prevented Luke from developing more normally was his disorganized breathing and by improving his breathing, his behaviour would also improve.

During our first visit to Advance we were taught Luke’s respiratory exercises which were light gentle, pulsing pressure movements over his chest and diaphragm and later, on the joints of his arms and legs. As Luke was very active and could scarcely sit down we had to snatch odd moments when he was calm or tired or even after he had gone to sleep at night to manage the exercises, nevertheless they worked.

" ... his posture and his walking improved..."

Less than three months after beginning this therapy we could look back and see that Luke had made real progress, he had much better eye contact and began tracking objects constantly, watching cats, dogs, bubbles and airplanes as if he had never seen them before. He suddenly became aware of television, his posture and his walking improved and he began to walk up and down the stairs.

As time went by he became steadily more purposeful and began to take our arms or hands to show us what he wanted, he seemed to be growing more alert, even his consultant commented that Luke was making progress. Luke was now very interested in books and sat on my lap to watch TV, his speech and language therapists were impressed with his new ability to make choices, when we were on holiday he went to a play centre and to our joy, he got on well with the other children and staff.

We have been going to Advance and working with the exercises Linda developed for us for more than three years now. Our son has become a child who responds to language. He is able to focus on activities and is more connected with the world around him. He has been able to begin at a mainstream school, his teachers are pleased with his progress and he interacts well with the other children in his class. The professionals that work with Luke say that they have seen massive improvements.

We believe that the therapy should be available on the National Health Service to everyone.

Hillary Newth.

Paul Sloan’s Story - By his Mother

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Paul is 5 years old. He was born at 32 weeks and suffered severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen. When the doctors told us that Paul had serious injuries, they said he might never walk, see, hear or speak. As Paul grew up, he physically developed normally (he could walk, hear and see) but he did not develop mentally. He was given a medical diagnosis of global developmental delay.

At four, Paul lived in a world of his own. He couldn't speak or communicate with us. He couldn't even tell us when he was hurt, he didn't interact with other children or even adults. He wasn't aware or interested in the world around him. He refused to walk any distance or do any kind of physical exercise.

In September 2008 we heard about Advance and a few weeks later we were able to start the Scotson Technique with Paul. Since then, there has been an amazing transformation in him. He has found ways of communicating with us, now he tells us when he is hurt, and can indicate what he wants. He can also understand much more of what you tell him, and follow simple instructions. He interacts better with adults and children. He is developing some interests, such us swimming or horse riding. He has experienced physical improvements too. His breathing is deeper and he has more stamina. He still doesn't speak, but he is constantly making new sounds. We know we still have a long way ahead of us but now, thanks to Advance we know we can help our lovely son to develop further and have a more fulfilling life.
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Sponsored Cycle Ride for Milo

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For those of you who don't know, our son Milo was born on the 4th August 2008 with a rare chromosome deletion and cerebral palsy. He is classed as severely disabled and has, in our opinion, been let down by the NHS.

The outlook for Milo isn't good, and no-one can give us a definate answer as to whether he will even be able to walk or talk. However, we aren't giving up hope and we see the fact it has been diagnosed so early as positive and we aim to start treatment with him ASAP to give him the best chance for the future.

As we said, the NHS have severely let us down. We are now looking at other treatment, and we are going to take him to the Advance centre for treatment using the Scotson Technique. This, we believe, will help Milo greatly.

However, it is very costly, costing roughly £3500 for the first year alone and expected to last around 3 or 4 years. We simply cannot afford this, but we don't want to let that stand in the way of Milo receiving beneficial treatment.

Therefore, we are doing a sponsored cycle! We will be leaving Buxton on the 19th March and cycling all the way to our home in Llanilar, outside Aberystwyth. It is around 145 miles and should hopefully take us 3 days!


We would very much appreciate if our friends and family would support us and our son, helping him get this treatment. We ask for donations please, of whatever anyone can afford. Milo has been let down by so many people, and we don't intend to do the same.

Any donations would be welcome in person, or preferably straight to his bank account via Paypal, using the email address treatmentformilo@hotmail.co.uk.

A massive thank you in advance to any of you who decide to help. x x
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Sunday, 17 January 2010

Belated politically-correct Christmas Wishes!


The Government's Health & Safety and Equality Considerations for Christmas Songs:

The Rocking Song
Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir;
We will lend a coat of fur,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you


Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants, both due to risk of allergy to animal fur, and for ethical reasons. Therefore faux fur, a nice cellular blanket or perhaps micro-fleece material should be considered a suitable alternative.

Please note, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock baby Jesus. Persons must carry their CRB disclosure with them at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before rocking commences.

Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way


A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

While Shepherds Watched
While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around


The Union of Shepherds has complained that it breaches health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year that they should watch their flocks via cctv cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts.

Please note, the Angel of the Lord is reminded that before shining his / her glory all around she / he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.


You are advised that under the Equal Opportunities for All policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment with regard to the ruddiness of any part of Mr. R. Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from the Reindeer Games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. A full investigation will be implemented and sanctions - including suspension on full pay - will be considered whilst this investigation takes place.

Little Donkey
Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road
Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load


The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load that a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry. Also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four-hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled 'little' and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr. Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights.

We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star


Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable - as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as 'cash for gold' etc, gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipient's name or to perhaps give a gift voucher. We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC routefinder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Facemasks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves.

Saturday, 16 January 2010

Important information about the Swine Flu jab


So says the leaflet in the doctor's surgery... or is it?


People in the public eye who we could help... II

 ...if only we could contact them. 

If you are mentioned below or if you know anyone mentioned, please get in touch!

  • Alfie, the son of Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold, born with severe brain disability
  • The following well-known people all have cerebral palsy: Geri Jewell - Comedian and Actress; Anne McDonald - An Australian author; Chris Fonseca - Comedian; Prof. Stephen Hawking - physicist; Steady Eddie - Australian Comedian; Jerry Traylor - motivational speaker; Jhamak Ghimire - poet and writer from Nepal; Thomas Ritter - Attorney; Karen Ann Killilea - the subject of two bestselling books by her mother Marie Killilea, 'Karen' and 'With Love from Karen'; Josh Blue - American stand-up comedian; RJ Mitte - American actor; Eric Gores - son of billionaire Alec Gore. For details on all of the above, visit: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/cp-famous.shtml