On June 15th, the 6th cohort’s training for “Journey Towards Joy” concluded. “Journey Towards Joy” is a neurodevelopmental approach (NDA) program for Korean families who have children with developmental disabilities. 26 families in this “Journey Towards Joy” program attended the concluding certification ceremony. As part of the ceremony, parents and children came forward to receive recognition for their hard work implementing neurodevelopmental exercises over the past three months.

By practicing these exercises for 3 months, a child is able make up for lost function in neurodevelopment. The beauty of the neurodevelopmental approach is that it teaches parents what they can do for their children right at home rather than relying solely on a hospital or therapy center. But with autonomy also comes responsibility. Neurodevelopmental benefits often take time to show up, and the most important thing is consistency.  

Working together in a cohort makes a huge difference. Parents become discouraged when they compare their child with a disability to worldly standards of success. But by implementing this program in community, families are able to encourage one another throughout the process.

Looking back over the past few months, parents realize that the child they thought would never change has actually made amazing progress. Sensory issues can take years to resolve, so parents need to be very patient. By celebrating the end of each three months of training, parents receive a tangible opportunity to acknowledge their child’s progress-no matter how small it is. Doing it in community multiplies this joy as the community celebrates together each child’s small achievements.

Typically, a cohort’s certification ceremony is accompanied by a few testimonies from parents. This time instead of asking individual mothers to share their own family’s experiences, each parent shared one thing that impacted them through this program. The most commonly expressed insight was improved attachment and the development of stronger bonds between parent and child.

“Journey Towards Joy” significantly helps each child reach their full potential and overcome neurodevelopmental gaps and sensory issues, but the greatest fruit from these neurodevelopmental trainings is the parents themselves. Parents are growing in their understanding of their children. They are seeing their children in a new light, understanding why they behave the way that they do, and becoming more empowered to help their child with sensory and developmental needs.

One particular mother greatly advocated for this “Journey Towards Joy” program. She shared how her daughter not only significantly reduced self-harming behaviors but also improved in communication. As her daughter’s auditory processing improved, her speech and communication also developed. Prior to implementing neurodevelopmental exercises, her autistic daughter would also scratch and pick at her skin until it bled. As a result, she had scars and open wounds all along her arms. But once the mother started to address these tactile processing issues, her daughter’s self-harming behaviors greatly reduced. Today her arms are void of any signs of such harmful behavior.

When working with families who have children with disabilities, we are greatly encouraging to see the children developing, but the greatest joy comes from the parents’ breakthroughs. This “Journey Towards Joy” helps parents rethink what 'success' is. ‘Success’ is not something that needs to happen in the distant future; it's not something that needs to be achieved by outdoing others. It's something that happens one step at a time. It's about celebrating the 'little successes' that we experience every day - no matter how small they are. These children are doing something today that they couldn't do the day before! The greatest joy is seeing parents celebrate their children as they deserve to be. 'Success' is about reaching one step at a time and building on the little achievements witnessed each and every day.