A Different Boy

I've been reading good things about Ginkgo extract and the affect it has on children with Down syndrome. Both from official studies, and unofficial observations of moms who give it to their children. After researching the safety of Ginkgo, I decided to give it a try with Topher. I thought if I do not see any improvement within a week or so, I will not continue.

We are seeing some very positive results. He has much better control of his tongue and saliva. This was a result I did not expect to see. I suppose it makes him more aware of his mouth and tongue muscles, and helps him remember the many reminders we have given him to put his tongue in.

The other difference we see is his ability to focus on his tasks, i.e. the games we play with him. We have a game called Wash Day Bingo. It has little games peices shaped like articles of clothing. We have him match these to the pictures on the game board. Without the Ginkgo he lost his interest before the board was full, and he would need lots of coaching to match a few. With the Ginkgo, he can match almost all of the peices with little, or no coaching, put them all back in the box and do the sign for more and ask for more. He is actually enjoying the game so much he asks for more!

Christopher is also much more cooperative. For instance, he had an appointment at the ENT office today, to have his hearing tested and ear tubes checked. He is not usually very cooperative with the hearing test. Not that he would cry and fight, he would just fuss and pull at the ear peices and wires, and squirm his head to make it difficult for them to do the test. Today, he held his head very still and kept his hands on his lap, he followed the directions the tech was giving him.
When the physician assistant came in to examine his ears, she said he had a lot of wax surrounding the left tube. He sat patiently on my lap when she removed the wax. When she was done, he signed and said, "thank-you".

Don't misunderstand, the Ginkgo has not made him passive. He is his usual outgoing self, maybe even more outgoing. He greeted each person in the doctor's office, as they were taking him to a room. He did lots of smiling, and lots of "talking" to the nurses. When it was time to go, he picked out his lollipop and sticker (Muppets, of course), and said goodbye to everyone as we headed to the car. He thoroughly enjoyed his visit with them today.

Another interesting "for instance" today. We went to the gorcery store on the way home. As we walked through the store, he was naming familiar items. This has never happened before, never. It was so much fun. I was a push-over when he saw his favorite snack, cheese curls, and got him a bag.

I'm still cautiously skeptical, and will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the herb. But so far, it looks like a good thing for Topher.