Karl was born seriously damaged by toxoplasmosis and hydrocephalus. Barely
alive at birth, he survived, but doctors said he would be ineducable. Today,
fifty-six-year-old Karl is artistically talented and has been in the workforce
for twenty-five years.
In this revised edition, Norma Delgarno brings us up to date in telling the
story of her son, describing in direct and flowing narrative his traumatic birth
and difficult neonatal months, his early learning struggles, the cognitive
therapy which enabled him to cope with mainstream education and enter the
workforce, and his development as an artist.
Poignant and fascinating, this success story with its theme of one
child's development against the odds has universal implications: the plasticity
of the human brain and its ability to reorganise and repair itself under the
right stimuli; the vital role that music and language play in the development of
social, cognitive and motor skills; and the resilience and strength of the human
spirit under stress.