Ishaan’s Writing & Running Milestones (Developmental Delay)

Growing up, Ishaan was delayed in all his developmental milestones. By the age of two, he had a low muscle tone, and couldn’t stand up independently. He got around by scooting on his knees in an uncoordinated pattern of movement. He looked small for his age. He had difficulty eating food and was in a lot of pain due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). He had to be given medication for his reflux. He was diagnosed with chronic static encephalopathy, microcephaly, hypotonia, apraxia of speech, and global developmental delay.

Ishaan was 5 years old when his parents learned about the Doman Method™. At the time, he had just a few words of speech. Ishaan had a visible strabismus and he had difficulty with depth perception. He had poor core strength and walked very unsteadily. He was also frequently ill. Parents immediately started with the Doman MethodTM nutrition and respiratory programs - both of which helped bring his reflux under control. In a few months time, the programs relieved him of the need to be on reflux medication. His overall health substantially improved as well.

Within six months of starting with his Doman MethodTM Reading Program, Ishaan demonstrated his ability to read to the staff. Ishaan’s parents turned the Doman MethodTM physical programs of crawling on the belly and creeping on hands and knees into a fun game which resulted in Ishaan achieving longer and longer distances. His all-time record is creeping 1 km nonstop!

At his most recent evaluation at Doman International, parents were happy to share that Ishaan continues to enjoy his cognitive programs. He now reads books and does math problem solving which is above age level! In Ishaan’s opinion, he is proud of his math skills. He solves math problems with his dad as a way to wind down for the day.

Ishaan's speech and ability to communicate continues to improve. He now has a few hundred word and says some couplets (word pairs) and short sentences! He has an excellent memory and this serves him well to excel in everyday life. He continues to stay off medication for his gut health over the last 4 years.

Running at least a 100 meters is a mobility milestone on the program and requires good balance and stamina. Ishaan demonstrated that he can run over 100 meters nonstop during his evaluation. At home, he regularly runs up to 160 meters without stopping. He loves brachiating on the monkey bars. These different activities continue to improve his balance, coordination and fine motor skills.

Speaking of fine motor skills, Ishaan learned to type and can successfully type at least 15 words and 5 pair words or couplets independently! He can type even more words with some assistance. When a child can independently spell words to either write or type independently, these are the first essential steps to expressing one’s thought independently. Ishaan has made great strides with this win.

We are proud to congratulate Ishaan and his family for his Running and Writing victories!