Success Stories:
Cerebral Palsy

Unlocking Potential

Success within our individualized programs usually looks like incremental progress points that lead to unlocking more and more potential. Breakthroughs are not uncommon as students and families work closely with their Jacob's Ladder team.

Cerebral Palsy

Student Name: Samantha
Age: 4
Diagnoses: Cerebral Palsy

Functional Challenges: Samantha entered Jacob's Ladder exhibiting low bodily movement awareness and could not walk independently. She lacked foundational gross motor movement ability (sitting, running, etc.) and progression, and had difficulty comprehending and using language.

Through qEEG brain mapping, we identified and measured areas of Samantha’s brain where communication flow was lacking (hypo coherence) or where communication flow was locked and/or was overly used (hyper coherence).

Using her top 10 areas of challenge for hypo coherence and top 10 areas of challenge for hyper coherence as the focus of her individual model of care, we set for Samantha three primary goals:

Goal #1: Communicate appropriately in moments of heightened emotionality

Goal #2: Manage “fight or flight” response in daily situations

Goal #3: Comply with routines and caregivers and understand expectations

"The doctor told me, 'I need you to understand, she will never walk like you, she will never talk like you, she can be the best that she can but she will never do that like you.' But now, I see her talking, I see her walking, she’s started jumping, she’s started running, and I see her so happy – and I am so glad we’re here and found this place."

- Samantha's Parents

Samantha's Program and Functional Gains

As Samantha developed the proper connections between areas in her brain, she experienced substantial gains in her physiological and behavioral functioning. Connection improvements seen in her follow up qEEG brain map are shown below.

Starting at Jacob's Ladder

Low proprioceptive awareness and gravitational insecurity, prohibiting independent walking
Inability to complete foundational gross motor movements and progressions
Challenges with language accessing and production

8 Months Later

Increased awareness of body and overall muscle control and coordination allowing for independent walking
Development of gross motor movements and foundational patterns that lead to higher level cortical function in the brain
Improved comprehension of more complex language, as well as an explosion of original thought statements and conversations with multiple exchanges

Samantha's Brain Improvement

Communication flow between Samantha's Somatosensory Cortex and Superior Temporal Gyrus was lacking by 3.22 standard deviations from a normalized connection.

Through Samantha's individualized model of care, activities were implemented that improved her communication flow to +0.58 standard deviations from a normalized connection

Communication flow within Samantha's Somatosensory Cortex was locked and/or overly-used by +4.10 standard deviations from a normalized connection.

Through Samantha's individualized model of care, activities were implemented that improved her communication flow to +1.47 standard deviations from a normalized connection.