Archive for the ‘Neuro-Educational Approach’ Category

It Requires A New Approach

Learning can be made easy! How? With all learning problems there is a root cause that can be identified and remedied. When the brain and body are communicating efficiently then sensory input is improved and the learning process can become a joy.

Learning Disabilities has become an epidemic in the United States. Labels like Dyslexia, ADD/ ADHD, PDD (Developmental Delays), andAutism. These disability labels have invaded the lives of children and their families and have forever changed the landscape of education. Has the joy of learning been diminished? Yes, it has without a doubt. The professionals at Little Giant Steps are trained to utilize the Neurodevelopmental Approach and have had many years of success in making learning fun again!

We address these “symptoms” by using a two-fold assessment. First, using a battery of educational tests, a baseline for math, reading and comprehension is established. Next, a developmental evaluation where nine levels of development in six areas of function are assessed. This information gives the neurodevelopmentalist the basis for writing an individualized program. The program will address the root causes. The one common element in all learning issues, from our point of view, has to do with sensory dysfunction. Built into the brain is the element of neuroplasticity which is the natural ability of the brain to repair those areas that are deficient, incomplete, or damaged. If you are the kind of parent who is a true do-it-yourselfer, we’ve developed many “at-home” programs and we put the tools into your hands by training you how to make a difference in your child’s functional abilities.  See our success stories to be encouraged.

We know from experience we can make a difference in the lives of our clients because we’ve seen it over and over again. Learning can truly be made a joyful experience that will last a lifetime! Educate yourself as to how you can make a profound change in your child’s academic life regardless of the age or I.Q.  Review our website: www.littlegiantsteps.com.  Happy New Year!

 Start Today

I received a call from a woman in Arkansas early this morning. She’d seen the Little Giant Steps website and wanted to know if there were any of our services available in her area.  I explained that we provide services to families or individuals with learning issues/challenges all over the world. If a  professional evaluation was being requested and they were unable to come to Dallas; we can still provide services at-a-distance through the use of technology.  However, there are some things we recommend to do as a matter of gaining knowledge not only about our neuro-educational programs, but with our methods of working with learning issues, and our successes in working with a full range of learning issues regardless of whether an individual was gifted, typical, or challenged, but also take advantage of the many resources available as listed below:

1. Educating yourself so you know how our program works (THE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH ~a life-changing seminar 

2. Check your child’s processing abilities – FREE AUDITORY & VISUAL TEST KIT (a snapshot of short-term memory function)

3. FREELY VIEW and READ what people, who have used our services over the past 20 years, have to say about the realities of our success.

4. Then, as a parent, or an individual you can better decide whether WE ARE A GOOD SOLUTION for yourself or your child.  

5. You have several options when working with us. If you decide not to start with a professional evaluation, you may want to invest in our in-home programs, (DEVELOPMENTAL FOUNDATIONS, EARLY LEARNING FOUNDATIONS Level 1,  Level 2,   Level 3) designed to address basic learning issues, such as disorganized thinking, low auditory or visual processing, comprehension or reading difficulties, difficulty with memory recall, or specific areas where function is below ones grade level.  

Neuro-Efficiency is the Answer

Basically, our clients tell us after they have followed the neuro-programs, they experience their functional abilities going from what it’s like being on an Internet Dial-Up Line, to a High Speed Connection! A client told me, “Everything gets better, I can remember, do math, I even play sports better. It’s like my brain got a major tune-up!” One of our adults who was on program states, “For the first time in my life I don’t have sticky notes all over the place to remind me of things, and I can get in the car and drive to a destination without a map. My anxiety levels have dropped so dramatically, it’s like a miracle!”

The reason for the dramatic positive change for these folks is because our programs treat the root causes of dysfunction in the brain, rather than the symptoms associated with learning difficulties.  Jan Bedell, The Brain Coach, has developed curriculum, supplements, and many neuro-educationally-based programs that eliminate learning issues, all together! The secret of our success in the “way” these programs are applied.  They work from the core of our developmental basics.  They succeed because they are modeled from the way God created us and how our brains and bodies develop early on; with intensity, frequency, and short duration.  Everything we do is very natural, no drugs are ever needed, and the whole person is considered with the Little Giant Steps Neuro-Educational Programs.

As I hung up after speaking with this mom seeking a solution for her soon-to-be teen with many learning struggles; I was so glad each individual is treated with dignity, respect, and allowed to be in charge of their choices as to what is best for their own child, whether a full evaluation is where they want to start, or to try an in-home program and see the results they can accomplish through our DVD instructions.  We’ve tried to meet the needs of so many, because there are so many who know their child is smart, but for some unknown reason is failing instead of flourishing in their educational experiences. That’s why Little Giant Steps exists – to put a stop to the failing and to fix the problem, not to teach coping and compensating skills or talk about right or left brain. Learning issues, disabilities, struggles do not have to last a lifetime.  There is a solution.  Just let me know if you are looking for one.  God bless… and Happy New Year!

A Time For Hope, A Time For Learning Success

What a gift Christ has given to every soul on this earth, whether it’s embraced of not! All who believe shall have everlasting life!  It’s a matter of faith in Christ that we are all set free from the mistakes we’ve made, the wounds we’ve inflicted (intentional or not), the grief we’ve experienced, and the wounds we’ve suffered. With Christ, there is great hope, always!  Regardless of circumstances, with him we can overcome any problem.  It is in our spirit that the miracles happen, regardless of whether it is witnessed by others. But first, we must believe.  It’s ours, if only we believe in the beginning.  Then, it becomes self-evident, because there is a change.  A change no one can ignore, because it has become a truth for us and others to see.

Making Learning Easier

Little Giant Steps (LGS Services, Inc.), a neuro-educational consulting group, founded by Jan Bedell, the Brain Coach®, has had over twenty years of successfully turning learning disabilities, difficulties, and  issues into a thing of the past. For those children and families who have embraced our remedy for poor learning skills, followed the programs, and created a new foundation that can literally change the learning abilities of their child for the rest of their lives; there is great success and satisfaction.  Yes, it requires belief  when first starting with a Neuro-Educational Program.  However, typically within a few weeks we get reports from parents that things are changing with their child.  A mentally challenged teen begins to show signs of improved recall of sounds and words, as her processing abilities are developed.  A little ten year old boy diagnosed with Dyslexia after four weeks of program is doing better with his reading as his dominance issues are addressed. Or, an ADHD child who came to LGS because of uncontrollable intolerance to noise, inability to control emotions, etc.  begins to calm down and is less anxious in his world after experiencing the results of brain organization. That happens as a by-product of the neuro-activities that help organize the lower levels of the brain from the individual neuro-developmental program he’s receiving.  Or, when an Autistic child begins to function in a normal range of social and academic performance. Regardless of age, or I.Q., or where, in the range of disability, a child, teen or adult may be functioning – everyone can gain or regain a solid learning foundation when the brain and body can communicate with greater neuro-efficiency, improved processing (auditory or visual) abilities or organization occur, and when specific learning areas of dysfunction are remedied.

Making A Difference In A Child’s Life

The exciting part is that YOU, with the education LGS provides, the individual program, and professional assistance we give, can turn failure into success through the use of the services, tools, and neuro-educational programs that Jan Bedell created.  She’s even created a FREE test kit to help you get a snapshot of how your child is processing information! Learning disabilities do not have to last a lifetime!  We utilize a methodology that develops new connections within the brain.  If there are developmental stages missed in an infants life, that will affect one or more areas of learning, we build those missing foundations, so the dysfunction is eliminated. Over the last 50 years the Neuro-developmental Approach has grown, and become refined due to advances in technology and the neuro-sciences. Scientific discoveries keep confirming how and why the LGS Programs work so successfully.  To learn more, please read the free articles, the success stories, and the full range of products to address learning issues.  Yes, in the beginning it requires faith.  Then, as you begin to see your child gain skills and abilities, and as they learn how to handle themselves, the academics, and social experiences in their lives; you will become a believer, because you will know the truth, because it has become self-evident. Your child is confident, successful in what used to be a problem, and most importantly they are happy.

God bless all!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Early Brain Stimulation Is Key In Development

 Little Giant Steps is dedicated to provide the most comprehensive and research-based services possible. The study I’m sharing confirms our philosophy and validity of the services we provide. It confirms the knowledge we share and the basis for all the learning tools, aides and curriculum developed.  See what we have to offer to Infants and Preschoolers

Twenty-year research project shows that most critical aspect of cortex development in late teens was stimulation at age four.

An early childhood surrounded by books and educational toys will leave positive fingerprints on a person’s brain well into their late teens, a two-decade-long research study has shown.

Scientists found that the more mental stimulation a child gets around the age of four, the more developed the parts of their brains dedicated to language and cognition will be in the decades ahead.

It is known that childhood experience influences brain development but the only evidence scientists have had for this has usually come from extreme cases such as children who had been abused or suffered trauma. Martha Farah, director of the centre for neuroscience and society at the University of Pennsylvania, who led the latest study, wanted to find out how a normal range of experiences in childhood.

 Farah took data from surveys of home life and brain scans of 64 participants carried out over the course of 20 years. Her results, presented on Sunday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans, showed that cognitive stimulation from parents at the age of four was the key factor in predicting the development of several parts of the cortex – the layer of grey matter on the outside of the brain – 15 years later.   More…..

Nature Plays A Big Part

It may or may not come to a surprise to you, but our children’s processing ability, short-term memory, and lower level brain organization is not up to par these days! Teachers are telling us, even day-care centers have contacted us, because of the “gaps” they are seeing in cognitive, language, fine motor skills, and comprehension difficulties in so many children! Up to par, means our children, would be effectively functioning at grade level. Especially their auditory processing abilities, which effects their learning ability globally.  Little Giant Steps (LGS) does screenings to give that information to parents and teachers throughout the State of Texas, and offers you a free opportunity to discover whether your child is functioning at grade level with our FREE AUDITORY TEST KIT! (ages 5-adult for the test).  Select Tiny Tots Auditory for Preschoolers. Little Giant Steps (LGS) has helped improve the lives of thousands of children, teens, and adults through the Neuro-Educational Approach. This methodology does not teach coping and compensating skills.  Instead, we work at the root level (foundational level) of function by following what nature has provided with the use of neuro-plasticity of the brain. We can change a struggling child labeled by the symptoms they display into an individual that functions at grade level or above.  We address the symptoms, we alleviate them and do away with the label and dysfunction permanently!

What’s Causing This?

I’ve said it so many times, mainly because it is true….With the invention of car seats, carriers, walkers, jumpers our infants have been left out of the required developmental stages.  Each stage creates significant neuro-pathways and connections between the brain and body. Developing strong connections is an important part of mapping the brain to the experiences of the body, limbs, vision, hearing, thinking, storing and recalling information.  God created the baby’s central nervous system to develop mostly after birth.  Initially there are just reflexes, and necessary bodily functions to live.  The brain doesn’t come with all the sensory system to manage all required bodily (visual, tactile, auditory) and cognitive (thinking) functions. The brain has to learn through experiencing their arms, legs, toes, fingers, all of their parts, sensations, and stimulation the world has to offer for the baby to grow and develop as intended.  Miss the foundational steps and stages, and there is gaps in function. Gaps that can be remedied!

One Of The Most Important Requirements

It is through the baby being on its tummy all waking hours that the grand scheme of development is to occur.  First, the baby must be allowed to “experience” the sensations, temperatures, movements, textures, pressure against its body, arms, legs, face.  It is in learning to raise their head the required muscles are strengthened to begin that long  journey to balance, eye tracking, rolling over, sitting up. It is through cross patterning by belly crawling and creeping (up on all 4 limbs) so the lower levels of the brain is organized, and eventually standing erect, walking, skipping, running, racing, playing competitive sports where coordinated thought and action can reach its fullest potential. It is in the fullest state of foundational development that the greatest abilities each person has can reach the maximum design created by God.

Jan Bedell, the Brain Coach®, has developed many tools and programs that will take what may appear as a learning issue, and turn a neuro-deficiency  into an asset of neuro-efficiency or “LEARNING MADE EASY”!  That’s what the Neuro-Educational Programs such as DEVELOPMENTAL FOUNDATIONS is all about.  It allows you, the parent, to change the course of your child’s academic life.  You can make things so much better for your child when you assist them to process information at their grade level, to have greater, faster, accurate cognitive abilities, motor skills (fine and gross), improved language skills, expression, retention of information, fast recall of events, memory, and mind/body integration with superior sensory integration!

Discover What’s Possible

Can you imagine when you can take your child from experiencing what it is like to be on a dial up Internet connection to a high speed line? Everything works so much better, the ability to function at a high capacity is available, and the brain and body can respond with full force in physical, cognitive and appropriate emotional response.  Leave behind the emotional component of frustration in learning, discouragement, anger, and lack of self-esteem, because all these symptoms go away for good!

 Experience Each Module (+, -, x, ÷)

If you ever wanted to see your child, teen, or even adults become confident about their math skills, then give them the opportunity to permanently secure the basics (math-facts) in the brain by using the fun, and confidence-building Rapid Recall System.  Every part of this program addresses not only basic mathematical requirements, but it is crafted with neuro-pathway building techniques.  Input is king with this program. It takes a total of 7 minutes a day! (9 minutes for multiplication) to create a long-term solution for those struggling or hating math.  Little Giant Steps founder Jan Bedell, the Brain Coach® and creative force with the Rapid Recall System, has over 20 years of teaching experience and has specialized in the area of Neuro-Education.  This program has been serving her private clients since 2005, but as schools were finding more and more students coming to school with poorly developed processing skills, short-memory deficits, and disorganized brain function; they requested our services.

Jan took on the challenge to bring this wonderfully successful math facts program to all. There are public and private schools utilizing this system, because it works!  There are home school families, and regular families who want their child to succeed in math who use it, because it works!  It works for students who are gifted, typical, and challenged. Why is it so successful?  Because it works at the lower levels of the brain where organization occurs, it stimulates the brain to create new and more efficient neuro-pathways.  With greater speed and accuracy of the connections between the brain and body, the visual, auditory, tactile abilities are improved.  Therefore, learning becomes easier!  Order NOW!

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.

Here is the second part of the article by a math teacher, be sure and check out the 1st part, if you’ve not seen it.

Right after lunch, the students were given a discovery game card/speed drill sheet. The students listened again to the same track as earlier in the day.same as the top students in the other classes.

This time they had to hunt for the correct problem on the row and write down the answer. This was the first time we asked for something back from them, but they were hearing the math facts on the CD, so while it was more intense, it was also easy for them. Upon completion of the CD track, they would turn their papers over and do the speed drill. The problems on the speed drill only included problems that they had been exposed to in the previous weeks. That made it easy to complete the page quickly because they knew all the answers.

Even one student who didn’t know his numbers at the beginning of October was feeling successful. He was able to keep up with the rest of the class. Later in the day I would flash the same cards again or I would use the Smart Board and run the Input DVD on it. The Input DVD is divided into tracks so that I could easily find the math facts we were working on that week or I could use the review track for a student that had been absent or needed a little more practice with a set of facts. We completed the addition program in a total of 14 weeks. My students were excited about math! For the first time, they had high math scores and were able to quickly remember all their facts.

When we finished the addition module, we moved on to subtraction. My students were pre-tested for subtraction at the same time as they were tested for addition. Most of them scored zero. The highest score was a 3 in a three minute test. We were only on week nine of fourteen when we were asked to take the post-test on addition and subtraction. In comparison to other classes that hadn’t used Rapid Recall, the three-minute addition post-test showed amazing results.

I had one student that even finished 30 seconds early and scored 100%. Two others did all 70 problems in the three-minute time limit. The bottom three students scored the

On the three-minute subtraction post-test, my students showed an even higher percentage of improvement than they did in addition and we hadn’t even finished the program yet!rapid recall of math facts!st  While mastering math facts is vital to being successful in math, there were other benefits to this system. My students were confident. They were begging to do math, but even more remarkable, they were begging to do math homework!

They wanted to be able to show their parents how easy it was for them and how quickly they could get homework done. Rapid Recall is an amazing product and I would recommend that you use it with all students to gain

Tanda Trussell, 1st Grade Teacher, West Texas Elementary, Stinnett, TX

Yesterday I received a note from another neuro-educational specialist colleague in Canada.. She shared information a client of hers had noted about a math facts program (Rapid Recall System) that had been designed by Jan Bedell. The program will help any student gain lifelong rapid recall of their math facts, but is especially helpful for students who struggle with learning math facts.  The program is an excellent curriculum, but has the added bonus of a neurodevelopmental approach.  What that means is that anyone learning on this program will have specific stimulation of brain-based technology that will create neuro-efficiency while the child or adult is learning their math facts.  Here’s what this parent out of Canada had to say:

“Just wanted to let you know that one of my families said this “Rapid Recall System” was the best program for math facts-it is excellent.  Thanks for all your work.”

As we close our week long annual meeting and re-certifying conference, we are so thankful for our leadership in Jan Bedell, (also known as The Brain Coach). She is the President and founder of Little Giant Steps (LGS).  Jan has had 20 successful years as a neuro-educational specialist. Her success has changed the lives of thousands.  She and her team of neuro-educational specialists intervene daily in the lives of children, teens and adults with learning disabilities.  This week of professional education made all of us recognize how blessed and grateful we are to work in the field of  Neuro-development and at LGS with Jan.   Jan also is a certified and experienced teacher who has created products and curriculum to help set those with learning disabilities free. As we, the team, have witnessed in our own children’s lives, and in the lives of our clients, “Learning Disabilities (ADD, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, PDD, Down syndrom, and other labels) are not life sentences.”   See our testimonies.

Currently LGS is providing a “Dyslexia Workshop”  for $14.97 that you can download or receive a DVD. This is an hour-long training session for parents, teachers, day-care, and after-school providers.  You will get knowledge on “how to” fix dyslexia and how you can make a significant difference in your child’s life. The symptoms of dyslexia can be eliminated, and without symptoms, then dyslexia no longer exists. The statements, “You must accept your Dyslexia,” or “Concentrate on improving your coping & compensating skills, instead of “curing” Dyslexia” are no longer true.  There are new modalities, the brain can change!

Two other “at-home-programs” she has created are:  # 1.  For pre-school typical children (ages 2-5) or for older children who are mentally challenged, the ”Early Learning Foundations “. This program provides readiness for school in math, reading, writing, but most importantly it will assure your child is neurologically efficient and functioning efficiently, as well.

# 2.  For 6 yr. olds to college age the “Developmental Foundations” has been successful in helping individuals eliminate learning gaps. Academic scores go up, behavior can improve and their ability to organize themselves is much improved.

We’re thankful for parents who recognize there is something  “not the way it should be” or “quirky in the learning area” and choose to seek answers where the root causes (in the brain) can be changed so the function & development is completed and normal.  See the our test results of what happened to these struggling individuals.  The door for success was opened and they are on their way to functioning in the range of their true, God-given potential.