08/14/2013
Leonardo is doing great. He had his first day of speech and occupational therapy today after all month. The therapist said he did incredible, he was verbalizing with sounds and different pitches with her. He was attentive at a magazine and he see the picture of a tablet, he looks into her eyes and says 'i-pah' symbolizing ipad and she went and gave it to him since he asked. He says the word 'agua' when he wants to get into the water such as take a bath and when he sees me leave him he cries 'mama' with a sadness to his tone.
The following is my testimonial as promised:
My son is 9 years old and he is diagnosed with severe Autism at the age of 4. Leonardo was completely non-verbal up until his hyperbaric treatment where his vocabulary consist of 4 words now. He is not potty trained fully but have had much success. He suffers from deficiency in Vitamin D and has Vitiligo. He is on Metadate CD 30 mg for the ADHD aspect of his life. Throughout his entire treatment his medication was not given and he was responding well. He is still not taking the medication and has become patient and serene, better than what the medication provided.
I first heard of hyperbaric treatment through a friend who also has a son with severe Autism and her story convinced me to sign up. Living in Mississippi and the chamber being in Florida I never hesitated to travel because I knew some good would come out of it. Leonardo was very nervous and afraid the first day we entered the chamber. He didn't know what to expect and did not allow me to place the oxygen mask anywhere near his face. His ipad was a big help in keeping him entertained while inside. On the second day, Leonardo was OK with entering the chamber and after the first week, hurried to the chamber once we walked into the door.
I noticed a big difference after week 2, we attended church and Leonardo was playing with a holy water fountain. I pulled him away so we may part and he looked up to me and says 'agua-agua-agua'. I was in shock, he said water and he said it in a conscious way! I pleased him and returned him to the fountain as a reward. His eye contact is amazing where before it was hard work for him to even look up for a second.
The hyperbaric chamber was a great experience and I will most definitely return as soon as possible. The stay at Ronald Mcdonald house was very accommodating and we are very grateful for the opportunity. The house provides a private room for the family to stay that is great in size. The house has rooms for small children with lots of toys and books, a teen room with computers and games and also a parent retreat. The house has an outside play and dining area and provides access to food 24-7 and meals 3x per day for all families in the treatment. The cost is only an optional $10 per day.
Thank you so much for allowing Leonardo this opportunity to experience the hyperbaric chamber.
Sincerely ,
Mayra Sauceda
