Archive for November, 2011

 In Just A Month, I Can See A Difference!

“I have been so excited to see how Jason has improved in his ability to interact, remember and even pay attention after just a month on the Little Giant Steps Neuro-Educational Program!

We are playing the processing games and doing the crawling activities that are on the program and working with his eye tracking and it seems to be producing such fast results, it’s hard to describe!  He seems more content and not so frustrated at every little thing.  At first, I thought it was just that he was getting more attention from me, which can never hurt, but it’s more than that.  He actually seems to be thinking differently and is not so impulsive and jumping from one extreme emotional state to another as much.

I believe we may be seeing the “brain organization” you were talking about and I just wanted to tell you we are so grateful we found Little Giant Steps and your programs. Our whole family is amazed with some of the things he’s saying and noticing, which would never have happened before.  In fact, his siblings tried to avoid him, because of his foul moods.  All I can say is a big “THANK YOU”!  We finally are seeing the son we knew was there, but couldn’t gain access to!  God bless, Jason’s Mom.”

Note: While Little Giant Steps is delighted with the progress Jason has made in such a short time, we cannot predict how long it will take for the body and mind to respond to the Neuro-Educational Program. Each child is different.  It really depends on the status of incompleteness the neuro-development is at the time the program is instituted and how faithful the family or tutor is to the program.  It sounds like much of Jason’s neuro-connections were ready to grow, and the program is finishing the job.  He’s gone from what seemed like a brain working on a dial-up connection to one with high-speed connections. We call it “neuro-efficiency” and that is what we pursue with all of our clients ~ an organized brain and neuro-efficiency!  That’s how learning becomes easy! Life becomes much better!

A Thankful Mom Writes:

We are so thrilled and are praising the Lord today in our house.  We have had a major breakthrough!  I never thought I would see the day that I would witness our daughter pick up a book just to read for pleasure.  It is like something just “clicked.”

I had asked her in times past why she did not read (because she could) but she said it was hard.  Still, every time we went to the bookstore I allowed her pick out a book for me to purchase for her.  There were even times that she went out and bought books on her own.  I could tell she really wanted to enjoy reading but never could.  Last night she told me that she was on chapter 6 of a book she began reading that morning.  This afternoon she is on chapter 11 of that book!  I just thank the Lord for Little Giant Steps and how it has helped her.  I also thank the Lord for the new problem we will have -getting her to put the book down long enough to help with doing the dishes! ~ Mom of a new reader!

#Little Giant Steps #(LGS) loves hearing about the success of those who have committed to working our programs.  When learning is hard, LGS is there to provide evaluations, in-home programs  Developmental Foundations(5-college), (Early Learning Foundation)for ages 2 – 5, or even for seniors (Memory & Motion).

If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.  We want your child to discover how learning can become easy, too!

 One Word To Describe Experience with Little Giant Steps

“When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps (LGS), I said, “Freeing!” I knew Joseph was smart.   He had a hard time focusing and when he did math, he jumped all over the page. It took him hours to get school work done. Also, he would have little bursts of frustration with his brothers and was hard to reason with. I was tired of always having to keep my eye on him and everything.

After the improvement  in his brother’s life (from the LGS Neuro-Educational Program), we decided to have Joseph join the program. Joseph really took the initiative and wake up early and did his hour of therapy before his other school work. It has been very freeing to see him change.  At completion he is reading  at 10th grade level.  He is actually enjoying Algebra and he can focus and complete his work twice as fast.  He doesn’t skip around anymore.  I do not have to check on him constantly and he is trustworthy to get his schoolwork done.  He gets along much better with his brothers and will actually reason out situations.  He is much calmer, yet fun and still our comedian . R. Bradley, TX

  Infants Sitting Upright Most of Their Waking Hours = Developmental Gaps

 I learned the hard way about this.  I was a germ-a-phob (frightened of having too many germs around my children). Therefore, my son spent very little time on the floor where he should have had the opportunity to strengthen his muscles, establish strong efficient neuro-pathways between his brain and body and help map the brain as to the location, locomotion, and responses of his limbs and mobility of his body.  Thanks to the Neuro-Developmental Approach, (a methodology Little Giant Steps has implemented for thousands of children with learning issues) my son’s brain and body were brought into alignment as God intended and his future became very bright and still is today!

Without the pressure, tactility, experience of temperatures, textures, and all those experiencial factors being practiced each day, he was left with gaps in his development.  He was bright, but unable to do things like tracking sentences with his eyes. Color within the lines. Coordinate movements.  His brain was very disorganized as was evident when he talked and of course his constantly loosing his stuff and creating messes where ever he landed for ten minutes.  Even developing either his right or left handedness was still up in the air by the time he was ten!  Yes, his developmental status was leaving him in a dysfunctional position with his school work, trying to read, write, and achieve what he was capable of intellectually.

Sitting upright in swings, car seats, high chairs, etc. does not allow those little toes to push against the hard surface.  Nor, do the arms, elbows, hands, and fingers experience the weight of the body and the pushing up, which is crucial in developing the muscles that will allow the child to bring their heads up so the development of sight gets off to a good start.  It’s a cascading effect on physical and cognitive development and each year the child gets further behind if no intervention is implemented.

What Is The Solution?

The solution if you see them struggling with organizing their thoughts, struggling to remember, muscles being weak, reading and tracking objects with their eyes, comprehending, failing at phonics, is to get your child evaluated, put on a neurodevelopmental program and pick up all the stages of development they lost due to ignorance as to the cost of leaving them in all these “gadgets” that look great, but are really best for dolls, not living, breathing, developing infants!

Here is the article that will more fully address this issue:  Teaching Babies .  But simply what is the best you can do for your new born?  Have them on a hard surface (floor so they won’t fall) and allow them to “root” and “scoot” around for as long as they will. I know it’s not as convenient for you, as you can’t see their face quite as easily as when you’ve got them in a car seat sitting on the counter, but the dividends in creating a neurologically efficient child who’s body and brain are truly in sync allows them to reach their full potential!  Don’t just think about this….Do It! Your child’s future is the most important thing you can affect positively and establishing an efficiently functioning brain that will last him/her a lifetime is worth more than gold!

There Are No Saints In Raising Children

Little Giant Steps is aware that traumatic events during early development can change to course of some areas of the brain.  We see this phenomena occur with our clients who have been exposed to verbal abuse, trauma and deprivation.  There are areas of the brain that respond to “Fight or Flight”.  When a child is threatened daily by an exposive parent who yells and hollers at them, their developing brains are impacted.  Typically, the result shows up as learning issues later on.  The trauma to the central nervous system is repairable, but a parent needs to be aware of the dynamics their behavior when it comes to younger children.

One way I can relate is, I still go ballistic over an event that is prevalent with children under age five.  What is the trigger?  Spilling drinks at the table!  Why does this send me into (as my son would say,) “The Red Zone?  I really don’t know for a fact, but I suspect it was something that sent my dad (who was no longer in our household after I was four years old) into a rage when I was little.  I have no recollection of any specific time it happened, I only remember the horrible feelings of “Fight or Flight”  he could produce in a heart beat. He had a very powerful demeanor and thank goodness I was the youngest and the only girl in the family, as I witnessed very harsh punishment occurring with my brothers. I do recall having a hard time learning anything during the tumulchuous time before he left.

I am not unique in this experience.  Whether parents stay together or divorce, a child suffers long lasting repercussions not only on an emotional level, but the development of all those connections stop when the “Fight of Flight” response is in play.  We all must be aware it is during the early years when the brain is  paring down all unused connections.  In fact, over 50% of the connections a baby is born with will be pruned from the system if left unused and what mother nature thinks is un-needed!

We All Have A History

The details of our history is not as important as the resolve to stop that vicious cycle that not only make us behave in ways we do not desire, because it has a critical impact on those little ones with whom we are to be an example.  If an adult is out of control, then the child will emotionally close down, but also learn to pattern his or her behavior after what they experience.

Several Ways To Go

First, just stop!  Counting to ten can be very helpful to get past that initial flash of rage, which most likely is way out of proportion to the incident and for the child.

Next, breath at least five deep slow breaths.  Get some blood to that brain of yours so you can think, rather than just react.

Finally, use your head.  Did the child accidentally spill the glass of milk? (Or, whatever was done that has you so disturbed.) In all the times I recall my grandsons spilling things, it was never malicious, therefore the corrective action needs to reflect a solution to the accident and a discussion about how you and the child might avoid it happening again.  In fact, it’s amazing if you will view this situation as it really is:  The child has a problem that needs some help in solving.  If you take on the ownership of the problem, nothing good can come out of that…. you’ve already learned how to avoid spilling things!  Understand?

Children Are Capable Of Solving Problems, If You  Help

Recount the (after you’ve gotten yourself over your rage) what’s happened.  Even express to the child how distressed you are, if you need to.  They can handle it, because they tend not to take on other peoples problems!  Then ask them to help you. Ask how they think we can stop the spilling?  Coach them to brain storm with you over this situation.  It can move you out of the place of just being in “The Red Zone” and releave the child’s fear of you and stop with the impulse of Fight or Flight response.  In fact, this kind of constructive problem solving can turn out to be a way to allow them to express their solutions very creatively.  Once, my grandson and I drew a picture together showing the spilt milk and what we were going to do.  It didn’t look like anything when we finished this “action” drawing, but he and I were both on the same side of the situation and solving something that made “Nana hit the fan”!  Try to be creative. Move yourself and the child into a constructive bonding experience, rather than an explosion which can last a life time!

                                               TWICE HIT, ONCE BITTEN

When a child has a learning issue (ADD,  ADHD,  Dyslexia, Developmental Delay, Downs syndrome, mental challenges), they are hit by a one-two punch.

First, there is the difficulty in engaging with the subject matter that is being presented to them.  School is not the first place this has been noticed, by the way.  Parents typically have been dealing with a child that can’t follow directions, remember or retain information they’ve been given, show signs of disorganization in their thinking and play habits, don’t comprehend many concepts, and habitually looses stuff!  Unfortunately, many parents think, “Oh that’s just (name). They’ve been like that since they were little. They’re always in trouble, because they just don’t listen, or are never careful about anything!”  So, this child’s frustrating patterns have been logged into the parents awareness, but most will just dismiss it as the “child” not conforming, and most parents just deal and accommodate the situation.  Few, unfortunately, have a clue that there is a rather simple, natural solution to what the entire family is struggling with by now.

The second punch is the debilitating slow erosion of the child’s self confidence in him or herself, the loss of curiosity and interest in the world around them, the anxious frustration that often times get turned inward to self-loathing which leads to very self-distructive behavior as they approach their teens and beyond.  Is it any wonder 80-85 percent of the inmates in prison have learning disabilities?

THE SOLUTION

Little Giant Steps has been treating thousands of children, teens and adults.  Please for the sake of your child, yourself, and both of your future, read about the Neurodevelopmental Approach.  Read the Learning Disabilites article, as well.  Investigate, Learn, and set your child free!  There is affordable help now.  See all about the professional evaluations and the in-home programs!