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HISTORY "''The goal of The Institutes is to raise significantly the intellectual, physical, and social abilities of all children.''" – www.iahp.org. ''. The novel tells how he and his wife had a brain damaged child and their experiences with the Institute and in the community support that they received to implement its practices. Mr. Melton would go onto co-author a revised edition of Doman's book ''What to Do About Your Brain-Injured Child'' {Link without Title} . PROGRAM The program for "brain injured" children includes:
The program is highly intensive and designed to be used by a parent full-time at home. Patterning is perhaps the key technique. IAHP state "if we have to put everything we do on one hook, patterning is really not a bad place to hang our hat"Janet Doman in an article "The Honorable Corps of Patterners" on the IAHP website. and "that if these patterns were applied rigorously, on a specific schedule, and done with a religious zeal, brain-injured kids improved." The IAHP have their own Developmental Profile that is used to measure the degree of ability and disability of a child as well as monitoring progress. They believe the order of brain development occurs as higher brain stages are successively brought into play.The Institutes Developmental Profile, on the IAHP web site. EPILEPSY TREATMENT A highly controversial aspect of the IAHP is their approach to treating Epilepsy . Their program requires that all children be slowly weaned off Anticonvulsant s (this must be done gradually to avoid a rebound physiological effect, which may result in seizures). They claim that often Seizure s cause no harm and that Status Epilepticus can be caused by anticonvulsants and may be best left untreated by them. Instead, they believe epilepsy can be cured by enhanced oxygen intake, respiration, and diet. This has not been studied or confirmed using scientific research methods and so there is no reliable evidence that this approach is either safe or effective. It has not found favour with neurologists or epilepsy support organisations. Anticonvulsant medication, as with any therapy, is a compromise between the side effects of the drugs and the problems caused by seizures. CRITICISM Criticism of the Doman-Delacato method is widespread in the medical establishment, many of whom regard it as Quackery . One of the most vocal is the American Academy Of Pediatrics (AAP). Their ''Committee on Children With Disabilities'' has issued warnings regarding patterning as early as 1968. They updated and repeated their warnings in 1982. The latest cautionary "policy statement" from them was in 1999, which was reaffirmed in 2002 and 2005:6. Full text freely available online. :"This statement reviews patterning as a treatment for children with neurologic impairments. This treatment is based on an outmoded and oversimplified theory of brain development. Current information does not support the claims of proponents that this treatment is efficacious, and its use continues to be unwarranted." :"the demands and expectations placed on families are so great that in some cases their financial resources may be depleted substantially and parental and sibling relationships could be stressed." Steven Novella , MD is a neurologist who has criticized the technique in an article called Psychomotor Patterning: An Expose of a Cruel Pseudoscience . The conclusion is reproduced here: The Doman-Delacato patterning technique is premised on a bankrupt and discarded theory and has failed when tested under controlled conditions. Its promotion with unsubstantiated claims can cause significant financial and emotional damage. Such claims can instill false hope in many people who are already plagued by guilt and depression, setting them up for a further disappointment, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy. The process can also waste their time, energy, emotion, and money. These resources may be taken away from their children. Parents can also be distracted from dealing with the situation in other practical ways and coping psychologically as a family with the reality of having a brain-injured or mentally retarded child. Parents are encouraged, in fact, to remain in a state of denial while they are pursuing a false cure. SUPPORT and IAHP: Naturally, the IAHP web site contains a significant amount of promotional material for their programs and techniques. There are numerous case histories and testimonials. Their results are, however, not presented in the detail required for a scientific paper. In addition there is no independent review of their work, nor are controls used. Many parents who have had their children treated by IAHP are also enthusiastically supportive. These parents claim they have seen remarkable progress in their children while on the program. Medical professionals counter that this is mostly wishful thinking on the parent’s part and that any gain would have occurred without the IAHP’s program since children with developmental disorders do improve with age, just at a much slower pace than a regular child. REFERENCES
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