Testimonials
The HPD programme by Liz Eynon - mother of Rosie
"Livia came into our lives approximately one year ago at which time we had major concerns regarding our daughter Rosie who was 2 and a half years old. We had concerns regarding her overall development but in addition to this she had recently developed seizures. At this time we had no diagnosis of her condition. Rosie had difficulty sleeeping, frequent tantrums, constant drooling, little language, difficulty concentrating or playing with any purpose. She seemed very distant and unresponsive. As a mother I was frightened and alarmed to see my child grow away from me and I felt powerless to engage her in any way.
HPD therapy is a holistic approach so it incorporates sensory stimulation, music and movement, speech therapy, water therapy, massage, excercise, stretching and maintaining focus. Livia has a unique gift of being able to engage Rosie for long periods whilst making it fun for her. Rosie soon developed a sense of achievement when performing tasks and responded readily even anticipating the next step of the 'game'. This natural therapy has had wonderful benefits not just for Rosie. During the programme I found it an essential support to me and I gained new insight into Rosie's difficulties and thought processes. Positiving thinking is EVERYTHING when you have a child with Autism and Livia bought a new energy and fresh perspective that were essential to Rosies progress.
One year on I am pleased to say things have improved from those intial dark days (and nights). I know that we are still at the beginning of our journey and it will be a long process. I do not believe in any one 'miracle cure' but I believe combined efforts of therapy, biomedical intervention and diet can all play a significant part.
I feel we could achieve even better results had we been able to access this therapy on a more regular basis ie. every week. Unfortunately finance and travel cost have made it impossible for us to continue further at this stage but I have no doubt that we achieved great things in the past year and I would reccommend this therapy to anyone with concerns about their child's learning development."
"Our life is full with hope now" by Steve Wooderson - father of Lachlan
"Lachlan has made significant and positive steps forward as a result of the work Livia and the HPD programme.
Improvements, Lachlan is a lot stronger in his body, especially with his head and limbs. His posture and movement is much more efficient and his coordination and balance has significantly improved. Just last week he can now consistently catch and throw a large ball. Amazing. Lachlan also can jump, balance, climb and fall in a very controlled and coordinated way. I remember when he first started , he was not able to roll or put his arms out to protect himself if he fell. He unable to support his head effectively and was not able to get dizzy. He even had a tremendous fear of being upside down. If you hung him by his feet, he would go rigid with fear. Today he loves being upside down, he can with support do hand stands without any fear or sign of distress and at the moment he has great fun spinning to make himself dizzy. He also now loves to swing on swings. Before we started he was not able to tolerate the movement.
Lachlan also has better gross and fine motor skills, he is able to use fine finger skills to insert items (string through beads, coins into slots etc). From a sensory perspective, Lachlan is less sensitive to loud noisy or crowded environments. He was at Vector Arena last week to see the Wiggles, and he only took 10minutes before he started jumping and dancing along to the songs. Before the programme Lachlan would have got upset and would have wanted to leave. Also, he is eating a little better, but importantly he is now able to feel pain when he stubs his toe or knocks himself. Previously he did not show or take notice when he hurt himself. This is fabulous because he now is starting to gain awareness of his body. I guess small things are also significant, for years I have been trying to get him to wear a hat. A month ago he started to play with hats and now can wear one without issue; he is able to cope with the sensation of something pressing on his head.
His speech is starting to develop now, the wods are getting clearer and the number of words is building day on day. Sentences are beginning to be forming. He has just started saying mummy and daddy without a real knowing connection. I was blown away yesterday when for the first time, he saw himself in the mirror and said his name, later that day I pointed to a picture of him and he said his name.
There are bad days, when things feel like nothing has changed, however when I begin to question things, I pop in a DVD of his first sessions and this reminds me of how far Lachlan has come with respect to coping, behaving and experiencing life. His attention span was extrememly short and he engaged with people in very short bursts (seconds). Now he is now interacting and engaging (albeit still intermittently) with other kids at play centre, however building more by more, day by day.
It is like the fog in his head is slowly lifting as the senses and reflexes are intergrated.
We are extremely happy that we decided to engage in the HPD programme, we just about didn't as the price of the programme is more then sufficient and I am sure this has been the major factor in alot of families not being able to participate. It is a huge investment in your child and it adds tremendous pressure to families finacially. The investment is a daily challenge daily for many of us, however when we see the incremental improvements or positive development in our children, we secure huge power and hope for our children, because at the end of the day, every parent wants the best for their child and they want to ensure they get the best support available. I wish that I could afford to finance more than just one session a week. I know that this would bring even faster and greater outcomes.
Lachlan is a different kid from 6months ago, he has come a long way and I am sure with the continued support from the HPD programme (plus the others in his support team) he will continue to progress rapidly. It is a journey of incremental steps that over time will build to be a solid and significant launching pad."