British Institute for Brain Injured Children
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

bibic is a small charitable organization based in the United Kingdom that supports children, young people and their families deal with a number of different conditions. The charity was founded by the late Keith Pennock who had a daughter with a learning disability. The work was derived from Glenn Doman's
The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP), founded in 1955 by Glenn Doman and Carl Delacato, provide literature on and teaches a controversial patterning therapy (motor learning), which the Institutes promote as improving the "n ...
(IAHP) in Philadelphia,
USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. Many of the children they work with have disorders of the nervous system, or inherited characteristics, which affect the way the body or brain develops. These include: acquired and traumatic brain injury, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy,
autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
,
Specific developmental disorder Specific developmental disorders (SDD) was a classification of disorders characterized by delayed development in one specific area or areas.Ahuja Vyas: ''Textbook of Postgraduate Psychiatry'' (2 Vols.), 2nd ed. 1999 Specific developmental disorders ...
s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and
learning disability Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...
including
dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
, developmental coordination disorder and dyscalculia. Unlike many other organisations, bibic also works with children that have no formal diagnosis at all. A variety of therapeutic approaches are used. There is no peer reviewed research into the effectiveness of therapy for this condition. The organisation raises funds and receives no Government funding. The charities National Assessment Centre is based at Old Kelways, just outside the town of
Langport Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 1,081. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate ...
, in Somerset. Keith Pennock's book ''Rescuing brain injured children'' describes the impetus for starting the organisation as his daughter, who had developmental delay. In 1970 the family travelled from the UK to Philadelphia and attended the IAHP. The family adopted the Doman-Delecato patterning technique in the UK. A precursor to bibic (BIAHP) was opened in
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
later the same year, as news spread of the family and their use of the new therapy method. Local residents began to give donations and offer their time. The British Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential (BIAHP) was established in 1974, with staff being trained directly at the IAHP in Philadelphia. The family and fledgeling organisation moved to Knowle Hall near
Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...
, Somerset in 1976. In 1979, the IAHP (under the management of Glenn Doman) were turning their interests to "well children" with the introduction of a Better Babies programme. The board of the BIAHP felt that they could not support this shift in focus and wanted to continue their work solely with children who had a brain injury, therefore through necessity the British Institute of Brain Injured Children was launched as an independent organisation in 1980 – no links with the IAHP were retained, and staff began to be trained in the UK. In 1987 a research piece was commissioned to demonstrate the effectiveness of the programme, in association with the
University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...
. Keith Pennock resigned from his post as chief executive of BIBIC in early 1996. In 1999, research covering the period 1995-1997 at BIBIC was published. In a letter to the ournaleditor, the authors of the appraisal report noted that strong similarities to the Doman-Delecato Patterning method (a therapy by this point widely condemned) remained strong despite BIBIC making revisions, and that areas of the therapy caused concern. BIBIC responded later that year, informing the journal that significant changes had been made to the programme, with the appraisal report being a much-anticipated catalyst for doing so. Since these revisions and under new management the organisation has been registered as a charity, and is now known only as "bibic". Bibic remains an active organisation and also provides policy input. Bibic now reports to base its programme of developmental therapy on more recent research based on the concept of neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to undergo alterations in response to internal and external environmental changes. Bibic moved to Langport in Somerset, in 2014.


References


External links

* * {{authority control 1972 establishments in England Charities based in Somerset Children's charities based in England Charities for disabled people based in England Neurology organizations Organizations established in 1972 Organizations for children with health issues