ADD: A Neurodevelopmental Approach

Attention Deficit Disorder is a common diagnosis of school age children. With the prevalence of this diagnosis, approximately 5 to 10% of the school-aged children according to the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, it is important that parents understand exactly what this label is, what it means, how it is determined and alternatives that are available for their children.

Dyslexia – A Neurodevelopmental Approach

In America the ability to learn is becoming a pressing topic of conversation in our homes, schools, the workplace, and even government agencies. Our nation worries about the education of its citizens. Companies are concerned about their workers’ ability to learn.  School budgets and limited staff struggle under the weight of federal mandates and the learning challenges of their students.  Homeschool moms question their ability to teach. At the heart of the struggle is the debilitating diagnosis of dyslexia, affecting an estimated 5-15% or more of U.S. children, particularly boys.  It has been called “the most frequently occurring learning disability and the most common disorder of childhood” (Richards et al, 1999).

Who has overcome learning disabilities?

I get the calls all the time: my child is 12 and is labeled ADD and can't read; my child is dyslexic and struggling with school; my child is in resource and it's affecting her self esteem; I'm homeschooling 6 children, but my 13 year old just isn't "getting it" and takes up all my time; I know he's bright but the teachers say he's too distractable and I should have him tested and possibly put on medication; my child can't follow directions; my child knows all the phonics rules but just can't seem to put it all together, my child is ADHD, my child is CAPD, my child is bipolar or ODD or has attachment disorder. A plethora of labels and problems; a world of worried and concerned parents.

I would like these concerned parents to meet some of "my families", families with children who have overcome their problems and gone on to function with or surpass their peers. The fact is that if we treat the causes of these problems, the children and adults can overcome their labels and go on to achieve the work the Lord has for them.

What It Is To Be "Labeled" Learning Disabled

Someone you know or love has been labeled "learning disabled." What does this mean? What are you to do now? The first and most important thing you can do is try to find out and understand what exactly does this label mean. It absolutely does not mean that someone has a disease. It does not have anything to do with how intelligent a person is. And it does not mean you have to accept it and live a life learning how to 'cope' with this problem. You need to try and find out what exactly the underlying inefficiencies are and then start eliminating them.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Effect

The Neurodevelopmental Approach

There is much hope for the individual affected by alcohol in utero. Although identification and diagnosis has its place, your job as a parent is to find out how to best help your children reach their God-given potential. Parents need to know what is really causing the troublesome symptoms, and how they can help to remediate the problems. Do not let negative predictions limit the potential you see in your child. Individuals have defied labels for years and years by remediating the causes in very specific ways.

Down Syndrome/Autism - dual diagnosis

There is a small, but consistent and significant, portion of the children with Down Syndrome who also become labeled as autistic. Once parents have come to terms with the diagnosis of Down syndrome and all it entails, the addition of yet another label, another set of obstacles, often becomes overwhelming. In this article I hope to provide families with: demystifying information regarding the label of 'autistic'; proactive observation techniques to detect autistic-like or sensory behaviors; and practical ideas for eliminating the behaviors.

Phonics vs. Sight Reading:

the most important piece of information you need to know

The controversy between Phonics and sight reading has been a long standing argument, with phonics usually winning out in homeschool circles. But, despite a strong stance in favor of phonics, many parents find themselves at a standstill in terms of their child actually being able to learn the phonics and then read. It is fine to stand up for phonics, but if you can't make it work, then it is time to learn more in-depth about the brain that processes phonics.

Sensory Play Defined

Sensory play, self-stimulating behavior, or “stimming” are all terms used to describe a group of behaviors seen in many delayed children.  It is repetitive, it often appears compulsive, and it can occur using any of the senses.  Parents usually describe it as something that doesn’t seem quite right.

Down Syndrome - A Christian Neurodevelopmental Approach

The first purpose of this paper is to give you hope for a bright future for your child with Down Syndrome. A diagnosis of Down Syndrome typically comes with specific lists of what to expect and what the future holds. Don't believe them.

Autism

Autism is one of the most complicated and confusing labels that a child can be given. The reason it is so confusing is that it is a symptomatic label. This means there is no disease, as such, of autism, there are just unexplained symptoms manifested, and if a child displays enough of them they will receive the label.

Samonas Sound Therapy

Hearing is our most fundamental sense, providing information to the brain long before any of the other senses are matured. At 135 days of gestation, the unborn child's cochlea is fully formed and has reached its final, adult size. The first part of the cochlea to form is the part that senses high frequency sounds.

Sound Therapy for Children with Down Syndrome

Children with Down Syndrome often have speech and language problems. Neurodevelopmentalists have a very different approach to these problems than the normal therapeutic route.

Hearing, Learning and Listening: the role of auditory function in academics and everyday life.

Great confusion exists today in the areas of analysis of auditory function. This confusion exists because of errors in the methods used to analyze and diagnose these problems.

Organizing Our Children’s Brains

Many children come to us with problems related to learning, attention, or hyperactivity. These children usually have several of the following symptoms: short attention span, difficulty following directions, visual or auditory distractibility, hyperactivity or hypoactivity.

Phonics vs. Sight Reading:
the most important piece of information you need to know

The controversy between Phonics and sight reading has been a long standing argument.

Success With Individualized Neurodevelopmental Plans

Congratulations! You are helping your child overcome his or her learning challenges. Your neurodevelopmentalist (ND) has designed a home "program" of activities or Individualized Neurodevelopmental Plan (INP) to help you reach your goals.  Here are some answers to frequently asked questions and suggestions from experienced parents and neurodevelopmentalists which may make the daily implementation of your INP more consistent and thus more successful.

Building a Positive Token Economy With Tangible Rewards.

Neurodevelopmentalists have discovered that without an effective reinforcement system progress with auditory and visual sequential processing will be slow or non existent.  Thus, it is very important to understand the factors  which make an effective reinforcement system and to implement these consistently in your home program.

Teaching Babies

The neurodevelopmental approach to learning has given much hope to those with learning, speech, mobility and academic problems.  By providing specific stimulation to eliminate sources of inefficiencies, function has been improved in all areas, labels have been defied, IQ's have changed and learning has been accelerated.

The logical next question is, if we can accelerate the learning of those with problems, what about those that appear to function normally? Can we accelerate the development of the "average" child or adult? Also, knowing these developmental steps, can we design an environment to help babies develop "superior" function and avoid making mistakes that have consequences later? The answer to this is...of course!

Behavior In Special Needs Children:
What are our standards? What does the Bible say?

I think the worst day in our lives was the day we realized our son had autism. That first year following the diagnosis was a dreadful year of confusion, swirling in a sea of intense urgency and overwhelming grief. I’m positive that without the goodness and wisdom of our God, my husband and I would have surely drowned in that wild, black, torrent.

Train Them Up...
Practical and Godly Discipline for the Special Needs Child

Child discipline and training is a complex issue and when the child in question  has learning difficulties/special needs, that issue becomes much more intricate.

How Neurodevelopmental Programs Can Improve Function

 About 25% of school age children have problems related to learning, attention, or hyperactivity. Many of these children have received a "label" such as learning disabled, dyslexic, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or simply slow learner.

  Challenges and Changes - An Approach to Remediation

Several times over the last year, I have been asked to explain the general approach that I use as a neurodevelopmentalist. I have written several articles on different aspects of my approach but have not given an overall picture of it. This month I will attempt to do so. 

The Neurodevelopmental Approach to Developmental Delays

There is much hope for the child with developmental delays. This hope lies in the very nature of the brain and the central nervous system.