It’s time for everyone to come to their senses
By Jim Izzo
Imagine you’re the mother of a 3-month-old baby. You know something is wrong with your daughter when she doesn’t roll over, crawl, or sit up, but you don’t know what it is. Of course, you will do anything to solve the problem, so you start with a pediatric doctor, then another, then a specialist, who orders several tests: X-rays, MRI’s, brain scans. Obviously, these tests take time and money, but the greatest cost is emotional and physical stress. The greatest torment is the waiting.
This is not a hypothetical case, however, but an accurate description of what Amy Bornhoft went through two years ago, a few months after her daughter Madison was born.
“I was a therapist and educator, and I was unable to help my child,” says the Yorktown resident. She and her husband Jack have two other children: Joshua, age 4, and Jackson, age 2, Madison’s twin brother.
Finally, Amy’s pediatrician asked the Child Development Resource Center in Norge to evaluate Madison’s physical and cognitive development.
“The team came to our house and assessed her, and before they left, the occupational therapist felt that Madison had Sensory Processing Disorder. We did several more evaluations and began occupational therapy, and it was finally clear that Madison was indeed a severe case, seriously delayed both cognitively and developmentally.”
The diagnosis was a breakthrough and a turning point in the lives of the Bornhofts. “The early intervention program saved our family from irreversible damage to all members.” Within six months of therapy, Madison’s cognitive skills were “very close to where they needed to be,” her mother says, and “within a year she has finally begun to meet major physical developmental milestones. This could not have been done,” Amy emphasized, “without the CDR and our occupational therapist, Janelle Gochenour. She went above and beyond the call of duty, in terms of her research, attention and heart.”
Janelle also showed Amy and her husband Jack what they needed to do on a daily basis to help their daughter progress. “She provided us with the necessary tools and resources to give Madison the best care possible.”
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a complex condition which impairs the brain’s ability to experience everyday sensations (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and/or movement) the way most children do. Approximately 1 in 20 (or three and a half million) children in the United States have SPD (the percentage is higher in gifted children and those with ADHD, autistic disorders and other conditions.) Because of SPD these children behave differently from others, which puts them at risk for social rejection, emotional problems and academic failure.
Madison, for example, was “very fussy, frightened, hard to console and didn’t like light,” her mother explained. “Her therapist helped us to understand what was going on with her and to identify things and situations to avoid.”
Janelle also helped Madison succeed with the “occupations of childhood, such as learning, playing, sleeping, behaving appropriately and performing daily routines. When my daughter took her first steps at age two, the gleam on her face and sense of pride was a sight that words cannot describe,” Amy said.
Another positive aspect of this story is the support group (hosted by Amy) for parents of other SPD children, which meets once a month in different places, such as the CDC in Norge and the Tabb Library in Yorktown. “This has allowed us to support, educate and share resources with each other and the community so our children can be better served,” says Amy, adding, “It’s amazing what this situation brings out in people. Our family and friends have such empathy.”
There’s a potential negative aspect to this story. One of many bills currently in the Virginia Senate (#1260) and House of Representatives (#1588) supports funding for early intervention programs for treating Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder. Amy Bornhoft has written a letter to both the Virginia Senate and House, urging the passage of these bills. “We need these services, our children need these services!” Amy emphasizes. “We can find the money to help our children. They are our future.”
For more information about Sensory Processing Disorder, visit www.spdfoundation.net
As their motto says, “It’s time for everyone to come to their senses.”—WLY&ME
