Archive for June, 2011

 It’s Education, Not Medical

Little Giant Steps has been providing children, teens, adults, head injury victims and learning disabled individuals with Neuro-Educational Programs for two decades.  Jan Bedell, M.Ed, M. ND. (The Brain Coach) founded this faith-based educational consulting and training service as a result of her desire to find a way to help her daughter.  After seeing such remarkable results in her daughter’s abilties following a Educational Neurodevelopmental Program, she stopped teaching and became certified as a Neuro-Educational Specialist.  Since then she’s helped thousands discover their full God-given potential and know freedom from anxiety and frustration in learning situations.

The Neurodevelomental Approach is a methodology of education, not a medical model. This approach has been around for forty-some years. It was born out of the need to help children effected with cerebral palsy to learn and grow into their God-given potential. It was developed at a time when medical brain research was of the opinion that the brain was hard-wired and static.  It was thought there was nothing anyone could do to change the brain.  At that time, no one really understood the neuroplasticity of the brain.

However as parents and educators worked with children suffering from many learning, mental, and handicapped challenges, these dedicated people didn’t care what the prevailing scientific thought was (nor did they believe it was true), they just pursued what worked for their children and believed in the spirit of themselves and their children’s abilities.  As a segment of people became convinced as they addressed learning issues through the symptoms of the dysfunction, they began to see amazing results in what these children could do academically.  Because they were outside the medical models, funding resources, and the fact they relied on the actual results they were seeing (anecdotal information was not acceptable to the scientific community), they were either ignored or discredited by the medical community.  Today with the advancement of technology, brain imaging, development of neurosciences, educational advances, the forbearers of this modality (The Neurodevelopmental Approach) have been vindicated.  They were right!  The feature of the brain called neuroplasticity allows the brain to change, create, repair, and improve processing, cognitive, and academic abilities through the use of brain-based stimulation that builds connections and improves neuro-efficiency (communication between the brain and body).

If It’s Working, Keep Going

Due to the fact this small band of professionals and parents were interested in cause-effect and results in improved function they were experiencing and witnessing in their families and clients, they continued working in the direction the successes lead. They labored for children’s advancement and developed an entire neuro-educational program that mapped the root cause of symptoms seen in learning difficulties and the appropriate brain-based activities that would create neuro-pathways to address those issues and close those gaps of dysfunction. This new way of working toward better learning abilities was called The Neurodevelopmental Approach.  It does not diagnose, nor medicate, or label the child.  It simply looks at the limiting symptoms or dysfuntion and provides recommendations of activities that will address those specific areas.  Much like a person going to the gym and lifting weights and seeing the change in the body’s ability to adapt with greater strength,  the goal with the Neurodevelopmental Approach is to gain function to the best of each persons capability, typically to grade level.  Since development is a long process, the Neurodevelopmental Approach is often likened to a repair service for foundations.  When a child, teen or adult misses steps or stages of normal development, they have gaps in the foundation of their learning abilities.  The Neurodevelopmental (ND) Approach is simply a “repair service” of those foundational areas of function.  For instance, if a baby misses the stages of crawling and creeping there are many areas in the development of the brain go missing i.e. lower level brain organization, mid-brain level of organization, impulse control, memory & learning, emotional responses, autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, immune system, and eye/hand coordination.   An ND evaluation illuminates those areas that will improve with intervention.

A professional evaluation is provided by a Certified Educational Specialist.  First, a full battery of academic testing is done and the results will be utilized as the bench-marking system to chart any changes as a result of the Neuro-Educational Programs implemented.  Next, will be observing and evaluating  the levels of sensory in-put function (Visual, Auditory, Tactility). The next primary area evaluated is sensory out-put. The motor out-put function (Fine motor, Gross motor and Language). Then the individual is evaluated based on nine levels of development for each level of sensory in-put and out-put function.  The brain is 3% cell bodies, 97% connections.  Creating connections is the goal. It is the job of the Neuro-Educational Specialist to provide a program based on the individual results of each child, teen or adults evaluation.  Then the parent or individual is trained in the appropriate brain-based neuro-developmental stimulating activity for which they will do for a period of four months. A re-evaluation is performed every 4 months and if the problem is resolved, the individual is graduated from the program. If they still are in need of intervention, then a program adjustment is made, or possibly another area of dysfunction will be included and addressed in the new program.  When the individual is functioning at the appropriate grade level, then they graduate from the Neuro-Educational Program. When functioning successfully, they are considered to have neuro-efficiency.

Typically we see people who’ve been on the Neuro-Educational Program continue to improve and refine their abilities.  Symptoms such as Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD are eliminated in most cases.  Improvement in functional ability is assured when the Neuro-Educational Program is followed.  It’s a program that every human being could experience gain!  For more information, please see our free articles, Videos, Testimonies.

This is the final segment regarding fetal alcohol syndrome written by Kay Ness, Certified Neurodevelopmentalist.  Little Giant Steps thanks her for sharing her knowledge and practical help for those families who struggle with a child that was a victim of alcohol useage while in utero.  It has been amazing to see how these children respond to neuro-educational programs.  Their brain and bodies develop as God intended, a well connected  neuro-system that works efficiently and at lightening speed.  The brain becomes organized at the lowest levels and dominance issues are dealth with, so symptoms such as ADD, ADHD, Sensory Disorders, etc. become a thing of their past. Now let’s get on with the final installment:

Teaching Methods

 Too often children that are labeled as mentally retarded or learning disabled are presented with few educational options and lowered educational expectations. Occasionally, some compensatory methods are used, but often the children are left behind their peers. By focusing on the underlying sensory, processing, and dominance problems, which are getting in the way of learning, and by teaching children in the way they learn best, the expectation is that they can learn and often even catch up with their peers. For example, if a child has a significant auditory processing deficit and the school is trying to teach reading using phonics, the child will continually fail. Without adequate auditory processing, a child can learn all the phonics rules and know them very, very well, and still not make any sense out of longer words that he is trying to decode. We see these children sounding out the first part of the word and guessing at the rest of not even trying. We have seen children try to sound out words backwards or ship the middle parts of the words. All of these problems can be remediated, but in the meantime, this child can probably learn to read easily and well with a visual reading program while we worked on those auditory processing problems. The same goes for math, math facts, and any other area of knowledge. By teaching to the strengths while we remediate the weaknesses, we have been able to accelerate the learning of children who are behind, to the point of advancing a grade or two in reading every four months. This is not at all uncommon.

Behavior and Attachment Problems

Behavior problems are often a consequence of sensory, processing, or cognitive dysfunctions and the underlying frustrations of trying to deal with them. Addressing these problems and giving the children some learning success often helps behavior tremendously. Neurodevelopmentalists also work with different strategies to assist parents in helping their children improved behavior and lean to be more socially appropriate.

Metabolic Issues

Often ignored in the mix of cognitive and behavior problems are metabolic problems that an individual may have. Children with allergies, asthma, chronic illness, cyclical behavior and function often have underlying metabolic issues. They may be reacting to foods or allergens in the environment that severely affect function. An individual that does not feel well has difficulty functioning and behaving well. The most comprehensive program we have found is the systematic approach of ChemBalance. Numerous individuals with wide ranging problems have found success at stabilizing metabolic function by using the approach of ChemBalance to balance blood chemistry. The web site of ChemBalance is: www.chembalance.com.

Summary

The future of a person with FAS/FAE is bright. With the holistic approach of the Neurodevelopmental method, all the pieces can come together for the individual damaged by alcohol. We do not know what the specific God-given potential is for each person. However, it is our experience that if we view each individual as having unlimited potential, address the underlying problems, and help the familywith support by providing therapeutic and academic programs, the child will advance and many will achieve at a far higher level than the gloomy prediction of the original diagnosis.

 God bless you and yours as you search for answers for your loved ones. ~ Kay Ness

Little Giant Steps continues to bring you the article of Kay Ness’ regarding the problems and intervention available for those children affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/ Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAS/FAE).  At birth there are symptoms, but as Kay discribes there are ways to eliminate those symptoms.  Without symptoms, the brain and body can function within normal limits. Development is the name of the game and we can help reduce learning problems through the Neuro-Developmental Appraoch.

Cognitive Function and Dysfunction

 The labels of learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, and mentally retarded are simply symptomatic labels. These labels do not predict the potential of an individual. They simply tell you how the person in functioning right now. Given the plasticity of the brain, these areas can be greatly improved.

 The main sources of cognitive problems are low auditory and visual processing, incomplete cortical hemispheric dominance (which affects long-term memory), and teaching methods that are inappropriate for the individual’s learning strengths.

Auditory and Visual Processing

An individual who is labeled mentally retarded often has significant weakness in auditory and visual processing. Symptoms of low auditory processing include difficulty following direction, social immaturity, inability to lean to read with phonics, etc. (See the paper titled “Hearing, Learning and Listening” for more discussion of this issue.) By directly practicing visual and auditory processing skills, while working on underlying sensory issues, it has been shown that processing ability can be significantly increased, thereby positively impacting function.

 Cortical Hemispheric Dominance

Research has found that as the brain develops, lateralization occurs. Beginning at the midbrain, the functions of the brain cross over to the opposite side of the body, so that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and visa versa. As the brain matures, lateralization should become smooth and coordinated, allowing the hemispheres of the brain to communicate smoothly and in an organized fashion. Symptoms of disorganization in this area may include difficulty with left/right discrimination; coordination; reversals n reading, writing, and hearing; and many other areas often labeled as “learning disabilities”. A person with complete lateralization should creep, crawl, and walk in a smooth cross-pattern.

 As the brain is lateralizing, the genetic predisposition towards left or right dominance begins to emerge. This does not just affect the handedness; it affects the eye, ear, and foot as well. To be well organized, have good logic, control of emotions, and efficient long-term memory, an individual should be either right-sided or left-sided. If the individual is right-handed, he should also be right-eared, right-eyes (at near-point and far-point), and right-footed. If left-handed, the opposite should be true. This allows for the most organized control of long-term memory, control of emotionality, and many, many other areas of cognitive function. The classic “dyslexic” is usually found to be mixed in some way(s). For example, they may be right-handed and lefteyed, or mixed-handed with no eye dominance, or some combination of these. Establishing dominance on one side eliminates these symptoms. This must be carefully evaluated by someone experienced in this area to make sure that the underlying issues are resolved.

Little Giant Steps is presenting part 2 with Kay Ness’s article regarding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/ Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAS/FAE)

Sensory Dysfunction (cont.)

The difficulties in behavior, attending, and learning associated with FAS/FAE are usually caused by underlying sensory dysfunction. Children with inefficiencies taking in, integrating, organizing, and processing sensory information often become very confused, overwhelmed, emotional, and hyperactive. Neurodevelopmentalists commonly see children with the symptoms in the following areas:

1. Hearing: Hearing may be hypersensitive to certain frequencies, or the individual may be unable to filter out sounds in a noisy environment- often manifested by degradation of behavior in these situations. ICAN Neurodevelopmentalists use Samonas Sound Therapy to normalize these insensitivities when indicated. This highly sophisticated sound therapy uses the most advanced technology in the world to retrain hearing and auditory processing problems, and ultimately helps improve reading skills in those with low auditory processing. Significant improvements in vestibular function and behavior are also seen with the use of sound therapy.

 Vision: There are many areas of potential visual dysfunction. Central detail vision is extremely important (the ability to see things clearly/detailed at near-point). Of a child has low central detail vision, and also has overly developed peripheral vision, the child may be very visually distractible. The individual may also be overly sensitive to light, or they may experience tracking and/or convergence problems.

1. Tactility: There are six main areas of tactility that the Neurodevelopmentalist addresses:

                 1. Light Tough – this is on the skin surface, and can be overly sensitive, making the     individual very ticklish and sensitive to textures, labels in clothing, and    seams in socks,     culmination in much squirminess. This child typically does all types of inappropriate     touching and is not aware of spatial boundaries. Nail biting and picking at the skin can     also be symptoms of this problem. Light touch can be too low (hyposensitive) so that a    child does not feel things of the skin much at all. Both can be addressed and    normalize3d with specific stimulation techniques.

                 2. Deep Pressure – The deep sensors down next to the bone are responsible for pain sensation, muscle tone, proprioception, and overall coordination. Directly addressing  this sensory system can improve all of these functions.

                 3. Temperature – (Hot and cold). We often see children who lack the ability to perceive temperature appropriately. Warm water may feel hot, or the child may not respond to hot   or cold at all. He may dress the same in the winter and the summer.

                 4. Trigeminal – We see individuals who have a hypersensitive trigeminal nerve, which makes the very sensitive to tough on the head. This makes getting haircuts and general grooming a nightmare. Trigeminal hypersensitivity can also trigger sneezing in sunlight. If the trigeminal sensation on the head is too low, the individual may have a flaccid face.

                 5. Mouth tactility – This is important if it is interfering with normal function. Some  individuals have overly sensitive mouths. They may avoid foods with certain textures;  brushing teeth is uncomfortable; a dentist visit is almost impossible. Others have  insensitive mouths. They may overstuff their mouths when eating (not sensing when it is full) or have articulation and tongue control problems.

                 6. Taste and smell – A person may be sensitive to tastes and smells to such an extent that  he is distracted by and avoids food. If the mouth is not sensitive enough to taste and smell, unusual behavior may be observed (pica – the eating of inedible objects).

 Our goal is to normalize function in all sensory areas.  Stay tuned for our next installment of this very important information that can make such a positive difference in a child’s life, especially for a child affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect.

Inefficiencies in gross motor, fine motor, muscle tone, auditory processing, visual processing, sensory function, academic learning, behavior, development, and cognitive function can all be addressed using a Neurodevelopment approach.

The Central Nervous System

Often, the symptoms associated with FAS/FAE are actually inefficiencies involving the central nervous system. The primary job of the Neurodevelopmentalist is to find methods that will impact the central nervous system in order to address the source of the developmental problem areas. This includes a variety of stimulation activities that will correct the underlying problems. Therefore, an individual with FAS/FAE is approached just the same an any other child, whether the child is labeled Autistic, Developmentally Delayed, Learning Disabled, ADD, ADHD, or Down Syndrome. Neurodevelopmentalists are interested in what is going right (the strengths), what is going wrong (the weaknesses), and how to best impact the central nervous system to positively change function. We can positively impact the central nervous  system because of something called brain plasticity, the brain’s ability to change function, structure, and chemistry if the correct stimulation is provided to facilitate such change. There is no magical age at which this can no longer work. Function can be improved at any age, though it is usually easier and more quickly impacted if started at a younger age.

Sensory Dysfunction

The difficulties in behavior, attending, and learning associated with FAS/FAE are usually caused by underlying sensory dysfunction. Children with inefficiencies taking in, integrating, organizing, and processing sensory information often become very confused, overwhelmed, emotional, and hyperactive. Neurodevelopmentalists commonly see children with the symptoms in the following areas:

Hearing:  Hearing may be hypersensitive to certain frequencies, or the individual may be unable to filter out sounds in a noisy environment- often manifested by degradation of behavior in these situations. ICAN Neurodevelopmentalists use Samonas Sound Therapy to normalize these insensitivities when indicated. This highly sophisticated sound therapy uses the most advanced technology in the world to retrain hearing and auditory processing problems, and ultimately helps improve reading skills in those with low auditory processing. Significant improvements in vestibular function and behavior are also seen with the use of sound therapy.

Next time Little Giant Steps will bring you more of Kay’s article and discuss more sensory issues.

 Little Giant Steps has been working with families of children with autism for the past two decades. Our success has to do with the fact  we work at a root cause level.  Our Neuro-Educational Programs address function or the lack thereof.  With all learning disabilities there are symptoms. We work with stimulating the brain in specific ways, while we administer educational curriculum, that addresses those symptoms and the dysfunction.  There is a feature of the brain called neuro-plasticity and we exploit all of it’s God-given capabilities and potentials. It is the neuro-plasticity of the brain that allows for change and development of new neuro-pathways, connections and gain better organization.  Each person we work with is addressed on an individual basis.  Today I wanted to share the words of those parents who have had their autistic-labeled children on a Neuro-Educational Program with Little Giant Steps. Hear what they have to say:

“Within just one week after starting program, our son (moderately autistic, severe language delay) was stimming noticeably less (particularly with doors and light switches) and engaging more appropriately in play. He is also much less ticklish on his feet and around his neck. This makes it so much easier to put shirts and socks on!!! ” Thanks, E. R. 

 The following is a testimony regarding an eight year-old boy who had been labeled by a neurologist as “Undiagnosable” but was displaying autistic tendencies as well as other genetic anomalies. He came to Little Giant Steps with so many issues that it was difficult to test him and get accurate readings during his initial evaluation:

“We wanted to give you an update on Auggie’s progress since enrolling him back into public school after going through the Little Giant Steps program. When the teachers and administrators found out he had been home schooled for the last three years, they told us they expected to see some regression.

The last comment made to us by his teacher the other day was, “Auggie will do best if you “mainstream” him as much as possible.” He has been blowing them all away in reading and math and his communication skills continue to improve. Thought you would want to know.” K. Z. in Texas

 If you have a child with autism, or know of someone who faces this situation daily, have them read these free articles regarding how a neruo-developmental programs works and investigate this innovative approach. We don’t use drugs, as they are not necessary.  When you fix a problem at the root cause, you have a solution for life!

 Fireworks is what we expect to see on the 4th of July.  In many ways  fireworks are somewhat representative of what happens in our brains when learning.  The fuse is lit, vital connections are made and a beautiful celebration of  color, light and sound fill the night sky!  Can you imagine if the explosive agents (connections) in a firecracker didn’t work? How much a of a bang  would you get?  Can you imagine if the triggering mechanism wasn’t installed correctly?  The firecracker certainly would never live up to its potential (light, sound, movement), because there would be no way for energy to flow properly so all that was supposed to happen could be delivered.  All the parts were there, but  weren’t connected so it could work successfully.

Little Giant Steps have been solving learning problems over the past two decades.  We make sure the connections are there so the best performance of the brain and body can happen! We call it neuro-efficiency when there is extremely high velocity of signals flowing through the neuropathways between the brain and body working in an organized fashion.

A child, teen or adult won’t ever reach their full potential if the “wiring” or “connections” in the brain aren’t developed and in place properly.  Your brain needs to be developed so there is organization and connections, much like the requirements in a firecracker. We are seeing epidemic proportions of students who are smart, but struggling and falling behind in school.

Can the lack of organization and lack of connections be fixed?  YES!  And quite frankly it is a natural progression  that should occur in the early months and first years of a child’s life, but for whatever reason those vital steps are being missed. ( See the article “Teaching Babies” for a better explanation).  Little Giant Steps neuro-educational programs are designed to provide curriculum AND embedded in those programs are activities that will organize the brain and cause enough specific stimulation to the brain so massive connections are created by doing these programs every day (5 times a week, twice a day for no more than 5 minutes each session!)  Does that sound like an exceptionally difficult fix?  For normal pre-schoolers, down syndrome, or mentally challenged we have the “Early Learning Foundations“.   For those older children (even adults) the “Developmental Foundations” will do the trick.  For those who have more complicated situations, then we recommend a professional Neuro-developmental Evaluation.  The important part is get busy.   Educate yourself, investigate and then get with the program.  Let’s get these learning issues dealt with so your child, teen or even yourself can experience being free from learning disabilities!  Let Independence Day have a special meaning this year, one that will last for a lifetime of freedom!

 ”My Son’s Smart, But He Can’t Read!”

This lament is heard in almost every school these days.  Why is it we are seeing so many learning disabilities in our children?  Why is the ranking of educational abilities in the U.S. in 9th position worldwide?  More money is being poured into education, yet the results are showing decline rather than gain.  In 2008 Little Giant Steps (LGS) began doing research in public schools to see if our educational programs based on the Neuro-Educational Approach could make a difference. The results were dramatic!  Statistically significant!  See those results on our LGS Educational Services Site.  Our prayer is that more school systems will embrace our foundational programs that work!  And they work without costing the taxpayers an arm and a leg!

Little Giant Steps has held the view that the problem is so basic when focusing on the student, and totally overlooked when focusing on the schools.  It has to do with what we as a society have done over a period of the past forty-some years.  We have tried to dismiss what an infant needs in their early stages of development.  First, we’ve been putting our babies in upright positions in all kinds of seats, swings, walkers, jumpers…. you name it, we’ve neglected the importance of what an infant’s body and central nervous system needs from day one.  They need to be on their tummies most of their waking hours.  Why? Because the body is the vehicle by which the central nervous system is “mapped”.  The brain must have stimulation from the body, hands, feet for it to develop the neuro-connections to initially let the brain know where the fingers, toes, and all those areas of the body really are and gain the sophistication whereby those action responses are intentional, not just random and unorganized.  The lower levels of the brain must be organized early on, and without solid and frequent stimuli of the many systems (sight, hearing, motor) its figuring out (developing and organizing) there will be gaps in the ability to learn later on.

We Are Fixers Of Foundations

One of our Neuro-Educational Specialists stated the other day, “Little Giant Steps is in the foundation business!”  What we do with our screenings, evaluations, consultations, and educational programs is to address problems with the foundations of development.  It has nothing to do with the I.Q. or age of the individual.  It has to do with how solid the connections are between the brain and body, and how organized the brain is based on the developmental experiences or “missed” experiences the individual has had.  What our curriculum/program does is to stimulate the brain with educational programs embedded with specific  neuro-developmental activities to address learning deficits by creating new connections.  Over the last two decades we have seen learning disabilities and the symptoms of learning disabilities eliminated by addressing these fundamental developmental needs.  The brain is 3% cell bodies, and 97% connections.  Without the connections, the brain cannot respond to the challenges of  many educational requirements from approximately third grade on.  As one expert stated, “After doing imaging studies of the brain, we can see those areas of the brain where the connections have not developed, the firing is either non existent or weak.  However, with intervention and stimulation it comes alive with action. It’s as if that area has just been sitting there waiting to be tapped and developed.”

Dyslexia has been treated successfully through the Neuro-Educational Approach at Little Giant Steps for several decades. Parents utilizing these programs with their children can and do change the course of their child’s academic life.  Regardless of I.Q. or age ones abilities can be improved to ones potential! 

Once the symptoms are eliminated, dyslexia goes away! Please see this video of “John’s mom“, as she explains their journey to wholeness.  Save an academic life and pass this on to those who have Dyslexia. And, if you know of someone who has learning disabilities, the Neuro-Educational Approach works just as well with other deficits just as successfully.  Have a blessed day!

Helpful Products:

Stretching a hyper-flex ball for a minute two times a day will build up the flex-or muscles of the fingers.  Consider products like putty-eye creatures, squirt fish, poppers, puzzibits and button on a string to develop cortical opposition (index and thumb touching pad to pad) which is important for manipulating a pencil.  A “claw” can train muscle memory for holding a pencil correctly. 

Learn more about utilizing developmental advantageous toys to make the best opportunities available for your child as they get ready for their academic future!    Little Giant Steps offers free articles that instruct you in how to make a big difference in your child’s learning experience.  We back up this instruction with a wide array of products to make the most of the opportunity you have in helping your child’s brain get organized, insure mind-body connections that in turn gives them improved processing abilities, better thinking and comprehending abilities and most important is neurological efficiency for ease of learning that develops curiosity and a true love of learning!

ADD and ADHD Can Be Left Behind With The Neurodevelopmental (ND) Approach

Children and adults have been given labels of ADD and ADHD in sky-rocketing numbers in the past few decades. As all labels, they are to describe an object or, in this case, a set of symptoms. LGS, Little Giant Steps, is an educational consulting group who is responding to the “root causes” of ADD and ADHD with life-changing methods utilized in The Neurodevelopmental Approach. We rely on the use of natural features of the brain to repair itself through specific brain stimulation techniques that any adult or child can do. See our website and learn more about this exciting technology that only God could have provided.

Articles on ADD

ND program results for Reading Comprehension

ND program results for Math

ND program results for Word Recognition