CTN Program

Justin spent eight weeks at CTN- Center for Transitional Neurotherapy/Neurorehabilitation. The intense "brain retraining" offered Justin extensive time relearning, working through and developing ways to compensate for all the injuries his brain sustained the night of December 11, 2011. He has spent a significant amount of time on language skills this summer, learning about the nature of his particular deficits and strategies to overcome or minimize them. Inferential thinking, problem solving and just keeping up with a conversation are areas Justin has concentrated on with his therapists. He has improved intonation and inflection (the appropriate pauses, pace, pitch and tone, rhythm and emphasis) and also word finding although writing is still very challenging. The neuropsych therapy improved Justin's understanding of some of the struggles he experiences daily. Group psychotherapy has facilitated some comprehension of the impact and the hard truths of dealing and living with a brain injury. In physical therapy Justin worked on balance exercises and reaction time. Although Justin worked diligently for two months at CTN, he will need to return to continue his recovery journey. Ongoing language impairments, abstract thinking challenges, overall prosody and coping techniques are areas Justin will need to continue to address.

Shannon has stayed in Phoenix with Justin the entire summer. She has had to remain very strong and has displayed and extraordinary amount of patience and understanding as well as sacrifice. After therapy each day there was a little time for working out at LA Fitness, meeting up with some high school friends and discovering a few new restaurants. Justin did participate in a Brain Association meeting while in the Phoenix Area (www.biaaz.org).

Last week (August 16th), Justin was recognized at the Telemundo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Salute luncheon. He was one of 6 students in Arizona selected to receive a scholarship to be applied to a business school (Eller U of A). The link (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.586359711402255.1073741838.163750193663211&type=3 ) provides a look at some of the afternoon's spirit and presentations.

U of A starts tomorrow and Justin will be enrolled in economics, calculus, French and business classes. He will also be participating in an extension of the aphasia project through the speech and language department at the U of A.

You can help Justin continue his therapy by giving him a call. Conversation is one means of working on his aphasia problems and an opportunity for him to speak, converse and share ideas.