About BIBIC - British Institute for Brain Injured Children
Whether a child’s learning difficulties are caused by brain injury, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or a more specific difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, the effects are still profound. BIBIC - formally known as the British Institute for Brain Injured Children - exists to maximise the potential of these children.
Working with parents and carers, BIBIC offers a valuable support system which offers time to talk, expert advice and practical help. Individual programmes are produced to improve the quality of life for the whole family unit.
Therapists teach the child’s parents or carers how to help their child with a carefully tailored holistic programme combining physical exercise and activities, sensory stimulation, individual learning programmes and a comprehensive nutrition programme. Progress is carefully monitored and programmes are adjusted as and when necessary.
In essence the charity trains parents to become their own child's therapists.
The truth of the matter is that many parents of brain-injured children currently receive as little as an hour or so help from the combined efforts of speech, physio and occupational therapists, etc per week. Families can still find attitudes towards brain injury very negative and are repeatedly encouraged to learn to accept the child 'the way he/she is'.
BIBIC consider that this lack of expectation cannot fail to affect the child's development. If a so-called 'normal' child is being taught to, say, play the piano it goes without saying that the amount of practice' done will reflect directly on the 'output' ie the quality of the playing. The charity provides a safe and structured means of 'practice' of other skills for our children - seeing, hearing, creeping etc - on the basis that this, too, will improve 'output' ie ability.
For further information contact Pam Brooks, BIBIC, Knowle Hall, Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 8PJ. Tel: 01278 684060 Fax: 01278685573. e-mail pam.brooks@bibic.org.uk
Our history
It is BIBIC's premise, supported over the years, that although brain injury is tragic it is not necessarily untreatable. It knows from experience that these children need special help to learn new skills and works nationwide to provide this help - whatever the cause of a youngster's problems.
BIBIC, a registered charity, was founded in 1972 and aims to become recognised as the most effective, medically-endorsed means of helping families with brain injured children. Workers draw on knowledge from various disciplines - speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy etc - as well as sensori-motor techniques, and combine it into a programme moulded to each individual child's needs and suitable for parents to carry out at home. The purpose is to maximise the opportunities for the youngster to learn more skills.
Over the years there have been many cases of children making dramatic improvements once they start receiving our help - neurologically blind youngsters learning to see, immobile ones learning to creep, crawl and walk, uncommunicative children making contact.
BIBIC does not pretend to provide a miracle cure. It can take years of dedication from parents, volunteers and Clinic staff and results cannot be guaranteed. The benefits to children when they do occur are what makes it all worthwhile.