Today I received a picture of my 5 year old grandson dressed as Dracula!  He looked pretty scary.  I’ve seen him through many costumes.  My favorite was when he was a little leprechaun, at age one and a half! 

So while children dawn all kinds of scary outfits for this weekend’s Halloween, I wanted to address something I’ve found that parent’s are sometimes frightened about when it comes to their children. 

A parent told me of  her child struggling with schoolwork.  She knew she was bright enough, but she couldn’t seem to organize her thoughts or remember things from one day to the next.  She said she was scared for her child’s sake.  She is loosing all her self-confidence and seems to be loathing herself, because she’s just not doing as well in school as she knows she can and she’s frustrated most of the time.  

With a worried look on her face,  she asked,”What does Little Giant Steps do?” 

First, we are a neuro-educational consulting group. I explained we simply test the child to see what a child’s, teen’s or adult’s current academic placement is by utilizing the same testing instruments utilized in schools. Those scores establish benchmarks as to the current academic performance.  Next, we check to see how neurologically efficient they are functioning in areas required for learning. Lastly, we look at their developmental status.  They are checked on 6 levels of  functional abilities and 9 levels of development.  The Neuro-Educational Specialist does the evaluation, then based on those areas where the child, teen or adult is having difficulty or show symptoms diagnosed in learning disabilities, an individual program is devised and very specific activities, cognitive and physical are recommended to help develop those areas in the brain that are not functioning up to that person’s grade or age level.   Then we teach the parent how to work with the child at home.  We  re-evaluate every 4 months and re-adjust the program until all of the symptoms or deficits are remedied or they are functioning at grade or age level.  This type of neuro-educational intervention is effective on so many kinds of developmental and educational under-performance.  It works for Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, Autism, PDD, Dysgraphia, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, and many other learning disabilities, even brain trauma.  It works because its a matter of re-wiring the brain so it can function with be best possible neurological efficiency, organization in the lower levels of the brain, and processing abilities and many more advantages when it comes to learning. 

 Just last week an article appeared that again confirms what we have known for two decades, but without brain scans:  “Imaging Study Reveals Brain Function of Poor Readers Can Improve.”  The study appears in the May 1 Biological Psychiatry and was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health.  According to Dr. Sally Shaywitz (a member of the research team), the results show that “Teaching matters and good teaching can change the brain in a way that has the potential to benefit struggling readers.”  I am happy to report we are in our third year of working in public schools, gathering research data, teaching teachers how to utilize our programs and this year one of the schools we are in our second year of working with them, they went from academically unacceptable to an exemplary school!  So, now we hope to teach the teachers what we have known and done for thousands of individuals.  We know it’s all about input and stimulating the brain to get more efficient and re-wire or create new neuro-pathways. 

The one thing about being a parent of a child, or even being that person who doesn’t seem to function like everyone else around you, is that there is nothing to fear.  Learning disabilities are not a life sentence.  Much can be done to alleviate and even eliminate the symptoms of learning issues.  It  matters not whether you are gifted, typical or mentally challenged.  Life can become less frustrating, more satisfying and successful when a program like Little Giant Step’s is undertaken.  So, stop being scared for you child, or for yourself, or someone you know and love.  It is never too late to get over these deficits.  The neuroplasticity of the brain, is what allows the brain to change. It serves in re-routing and creating new neuro-pathways around areas not functioning well and builds stronger and more efficient neuro-networks that can increase the communication between the brain and the body and can open doors for you, your child or your loved one.  All can experience what it’s like to approach something new without anxiety, dread, and/or frustration and fear.  Investigate, educate and act.  That’s all it takes!  Have a blessed harvest season and stop being fearful of doing something that will change a life for the better.

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