Hyperbaric Healing Institute

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Developmental Delays

Bryant is 3 years old and was born prematurely 6.5 weeks. He completed 20 treatments.

He was observed to make gains in gross motor skills such as running, jumping, and balance. Fine motor skills such as coloring, scribbling were noted to improve. Speech and language skills improved and consonant sounds were noted to emerge that were not previously spoken. Bryant's PT reported five months of developmental improvement as noted by standardized testing [tested week prior to HBOT and week following HBOT -  a 5 week time span]. His PT was not aware of Bryant completing hyberbaric treatment. In general his awareness to his environment was noted to increased.

The following is a letter from parents of 4 year old girl diagnosed PDD NOS.  She received 38 1 hour HBOT treatments at 1.5 ATA.  Mom reported everything that is NEW since starting HBOT.

Since being at Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy, Summer now can do the following:

Overall, Summer is doing wonderfully since this therapy.

The following is a copy of the journal kept by mom.  Ricky (named changed for privacy) is a 7 yr old male with pervasive developmental delays (PDD) and was 3 months premature. (Summer 2003)

Dives 1-5

We did not notice any changes in Ricky during this week.

Dives 6-10

Dad and I noticed that Ricky was more calm – he did not get as frustrated over little things.  Ricky and his sister also began playing together and communicating appropriately for the first time.  They seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

Dives 11-15

I noticed Ricky was attending better when we worked on reading.  Previously, he would get frustrated when reading and mom would have to refocus when reading and refocus him to the page many times.  Now he reads a book to me without stopping to look around.

Dive 16-20

Ricky and his sister continued to play together nicely.  They really seem to enjoy playing together and the conversations are appropriate.

I also noticed Ricky asking an appropriate question to a boy at the YMCA. I.E. “What is that?” and “What do you do with it?”  Ricky would previously not be comfortable approaching a peer, and would instead tell me to ask the question.

Dives 21-25

We visited my parents over July 4^th and Ricky’s grandmother commented on how much Ricky and his sister were communicating and playing together.  She was amazed at the change.  She also noticed how much better Ricky was reading – more focused.

Dives 26-30

Dad commented on the intelligent questions Ricky was asking.  I noticed that he seemed to be processing information quicker – he responds faster to questions and commands instead of seeming sometimes like he needed a jumpstart.

Dives 31-35

We visited Ricky’s dad’s family in Oklahoma.  Ricky was very calm on the drive.  We noticed a big change in how he talked to aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  He answered their questions appropriately and not in the silly manner as before.  He also played with his sister and cousin or on his own.  Previously, his father or myself had to take turns entertaining on the farm or he would be badgering constantly or acting inappropriately.  His Dad and I actually got to stay in the same room and visit with relatives together – BIG CHANGE from our last trip in May 2003.  This trip was a very different trip than all of our previous ones.  Ricky’s Aunt and Grandma both commented on how Ricky was more calm and was not asking so many questions.

Dives 36-40

Ricky’s aquatic physical therapist commented on how Ricky has been following directions so well lately.

Ricky’s vision therapist said Ricky’s attention span had greatly improved – much better than the first few sessions.

Summary

We saw great improvements in Ricky’s social skills and attention.  We saw moderate improvements in cognitive abilities.  We hope to see improvements in fine motor (writing), but we have not tested this thus far as Ricky hates to write or color.

Ian turned 4 just before the start of HBOT. His diagnosis is microcephaly, seizure disorder, developmental delays & verbal apraxia due to a brain injury at birth.

Week 1:  After school this morning Ian said “bye bye” to two of his teachers and used their names. He then said it to his classmate and used her name as well. Before we started HBOT this past week Ian rarely told people goodbye and rarely responded to people when they said “hi” to him. Ian has never used people’s names (outside of his family) before now.

Ian put two hats on his head last night and said, “Mommy, two red hats on head”. This is his longest sentence to date. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his talking has improved. Ian’s dad thinks it’s too soon to see results but can’t explain why he is talking so much more and responding to people more appropriately.

Ian’s physical therapist was beside herself today. She noticed

1.     Ian’s running was more in a straight line

2.     Ian followed 3 step directions for the first time

3.     Pedaled the tricycle one rotation for the first time

Weeks 2-3:  I have seen a reduction in Ian’s hand flapping during these weeks by 50%. Ian is starting to become very affectionate. He is showing true concern for hurt feelings. He has started cuddling his brother when he is sad.

The most dramatic change I have seen during the past two weeks is in how Ian plays with others. On Thanksgiving Day Ian and his cousin played together non-stop. He is starting to play with others on the playground at school. Ian’s dad can no longer deny the fact that Ian is changing.

Weeks 4-5:  Took Ian and his brother and cousin to see Santa. I was very impressed with Ian because he:

1.     Sat at the table for 30 min. and worked on a picture (stickers, coloring). He did not pronate his hand when he was coloring!!

2.     Ian ate a plate full of pancakes and sausage without any assistance and very little mess.

Today Ian “ran” up the stairs while alternating his feet! We were so excited!  Ian is adding new words to his vocabulary every day. Today he said “bigger”. Ian’s language development in the past had been quite slow so this is a treat for us! Ian has started holding his crayon correctly most of the time (no more pronating).

Week 6-7:  Ian “remembers” who gave him each of his Christmas gifts. He runs around to all of his toys and says, “thank you Santa”, “Thank you Daddy” etc… Ian is absolutely more aware of his surroundings. He has noticed traffic lights for the first time. When the light turns green he shouts “Go!”  Ian is starting to add some pronouns into his sentences. Ian’s hand flapping has almost disappeared. I would say it has reduced by 90%.

Today Ian’s PT couldn’t believe what an amazing day he had. She put a vest and light ankle weights on him and completely let go of him. He started “scissoring” his legs (appropriate response) in the water. He stayed vertical in the pool for 20 minutes.

Today in the car Ian said, “You being silly mom”. Ian’s length of sentences is getting longer which is difficult for him because of his verbal apraxia. Ian’s teachers have commented that his eye contact has improved and that he is easily redirected when he gets upset.

Week 8:  Ian has started using lots of sound effects. He pretends like he is different animals and makes appropriate train and car noises. Ian’s apraxia is still a problem but his vocabulary is increasing every day. Some of Ian’s new words/phrases this week are: “go away” and “cool”. Ian understands a lot more “opposites” than before. He is also better able to describe the usage of some objects than he wasn’t able to before. During PT Ian is starting to catch balls of various sizes from just a few feet away.

Observations 4 months post HBOT:  Today Ian can tell me what he had for snack at school and recall other things that happened. Before HBOT we would ask him questions and get nothing in response.

Ian is significantly more aware of his surroundings and is constantly commenting about objects. Ian can name all of the characters he likes on TV and if I hum a song from a show he likes he can tell me which show it is.

Ian is MUCH more affectionate than before.

We have seen an improvement is Ian’s ability to communicate with us and others thus reducing his frustration level. This has decreased the amount of “time-outs” at school.

Ian’s head grew 3 cm this past year. I cannot say whether or not this was due to HBOT but I thought it was noteworthy.

Ian’s frequency of hand flapping came back a bit after HBOT but overall, it is much less than before HBOT (about 50% less). HBOT did not improve or make worse Ian’s seizure disorder.

Ian still has the same diagnosis as before HBOT. Nothing has been “cured”. However, he is doing most everything better. Ian is happier and can tell me so. The improvements have been remarkable in my opinion and I recommend this therapy highly.

I wish I had heard about HBOT 5 years ago, because it has changed our lives!  My daughter Elena, now 5, suffered Traumatic Brain Injury and anoxia at birth.  She has low muscle tone and severe dysphasia; she has never been able to swallow or close her lips together.  Elena has worked hard a recovery her whole life.  When we went to Hyperbaric Healing Institute in October of 2003, she could clench her teeth, but she was stuck there.  She just didn’t have the neurological connections to close her lips together, which is necessary for swallowing.  After a week of HBOT she looked at me and closed her lips.  She started eating a tablespoon of pureed food at a time.  It is now March, and she is eating 3-5 cups of pureed food per day.  Her speech pathologist made this statement in a recent evaluation:  “During October 2003, Elena received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), and the changes were amazing… These changes occurred in one month’s time, when we had been working on them in speech and language therapy for 12-18 months.”

I have also noticed improvements in Elena’s muscle tone, attention span, and energy levels.  While these improvements are harder to quantify, they impact our quality of life in ways I can’t begin to describe.

In addition to HBOT being a miraculous therapy for Elena, Hyperbaric Healing Institute is a wonderful clinic!  The Deisters are warm, caring people who really go the extra mile!  They helped me research hyperbarics and find local practitioners, and they made living away from home a more comfortable experience.

Mallory-Speech Apraxia

My daughter, Mallory, received and gained enormous benefits from Hyperbaric Oxygen.  Mallory had been having difficulty with speech with a diagnosis of speech apraxia.  She also had had alot of respiratory problems (from a hiatal hernia) and she had coordination problems with her breath support during speech as well.

Before Hyperbaric Oxygen, Mallory's speech would sound the most intelligible in the morning when she first woke up.  Then as the day would go on, her speech would become less understandable. 

After just three Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments, I was able to understand Mallory better and throughout most of the day (as where before by mid-morning I would have such difficulty understanding her).  I had the best impression of how the oxygen was helping Mallory's speech when her grandmother was able understood her immediately and without having to strain to do so.  That was after 20 treatments. Mallory did 40 treatments and my family, friends, and I continued to see the improvements.  We had a positive experience with the Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments and the long trips were worth everybit of Mallory's speech improvements.

Deb  – Lee’s Summit, Missouri

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Last modified: 01/15/08