Archive for the ‘special needs’ Category

 Little Giant Steps Makes Life Changing Programs

I read a story today about a mom who had a daughter that couldn’t read, she was reversing her letters, she couldn’t organize her thoughts, let alone organize anything in her environment.  She looked high and low with no results.  They have a large family, so finding a solution they could afford was another hurdle to mount.  Then, as God will always provide, she was ranting to a friend about her dilemma of finding the right kind of help for her child who was fast slipping away from being a confident, curious little girl. She was anxious, frightened, and depressed because she recognized she couldn’t do what she should be able to due. She saw how lacking her performance was in comparison to her classmates. The friend then mentioned Little Giant Steps and she’d heard they really had done wonders for children with the same kinds of symptoms and disabilities.  The mother saught information on the Christian Neuro-Educational Consulting and Training Group out of Plano, TX.  She read about the neurodevelopmental programs designed to bring about function in academics for children who were struggling.  She scheduled an appointment for an evaluation. She was given an individual neurodevelopmental program for her daughter.  She witnessed her daughter coming up one and a half years grade level in four months!  She can’t wait to see the rest of the story.  And I’ll give you the rest of the story soon!  God bless.

 Ready To See LGS Up Close and Personal?

As Little Giant Steps has grown in our manner of serving those with learning disabilities, we have also grown into new technology and I realized I’ve not encouraged you to take advantage of all the things you can watch, so you can see first-hand from those who have experienced our Neuro-Educational Programs utilizing the Neurodevelopmental Approach. It’s a natural way to improve the ability to think, remember, increase processing abilities, improve lower level brain organization and much more than will be discussed here today!  Today, get some popcorn and watch our movies. 

If you are new to Little Giant Steps (LGS) we have articles we usually recommend.  However, on YouTube Little Giant Steps Channel I’d recommend you watching “Our Heroes” a 6 part overview of who we are, what we do, and what others have gained by working our Neuro-educational Programs.

Some of the most recent information regarding Rapid Recall being used in Kindergarten. See the reaction to them taking a speed and accuracy test on math facts, it’s really neat.  The Principal of Summit Christian Academy has a few recommendations to other teaching professional, as well.

Another school who has been with us, going on three years because they’ve seen such dramatic improvement in their students academic scores and learning improvement is Jone Elementary School. I’d invite you to review what the teachers and administration has to say.

A mother with a son who was suffering from dyslexia describes her and her son’s journey from him feeling he wasn’t smart enough to his moment of truth.  Also, there are other mothers who share about autism, sensory disorders, reading dysfunction, and many others.  Each is worth a listen.  Please let us know if you liked what we have to offer in our video library.  God bless.

P.S. The good news is that is doesn’t matter what your age or I.Q. is when it come to the Neurodevelopmental Approach!  All brains can be trained to do better!  We just fix some of the functional problems, as well.

 It all started when a mom of an autistic daughter decided this:

“It is my heart’s desire to encourage others as a family to directly affect their children and their children’s future.  After all, we all start out as children and all end up as adults.  Other recent events in our family have taught us that the best thing we can do is to “pay it forward” in all we do.  As you get older you see all the times God has used someone to move you forward and I just want to do the same for others.”  Kimberly, Amy’s mom.

What The Neuro-Educational Approach Has Brought About

“I am still singing Little Giant Steps praises to family and friends and loving what we see happening in Amy’s life and consequently as a whole family.  Two things happened just on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  One was a “twilight zone” type of experience  with a neighbor’s dog.  While walking by on just a daily walk I realized, “ Oh, the neighbor’s dog is here wanting to play with our dog.”  Their garage door was open, no one was answering the door, then I made the connection that it was the time of day for her to be at the bus stop, etc.  So we just waited ‘til they came home (it was a wee bit crazier than this brief descript…) but through it all Amy stayed calm, followed directions, met the other kids without any fears, and when I told her okay lets go on with our walk she came right to me without lashing out!  This was the first time I felt a “normal” feeling (I think ever) with her!  And I’m not exaggerating.  It hit me when we got home how what could have been disastrous and totally exhausting for me was “a piece of cake!” 

Then yesterday we realized our doggy had a cut on one of her pads.  Two part (Praise The Lord):  I had the energy to want to take both girls and go alone to the vet and both girls where wonderful.  I didn’t have Amy sliding on the floor, twirling away, fighting against me to go “look” at something and they were quiet little “audience” members while in the exam room. 

We Don’t Need To Be Perfect To Get Results

Now, we missed program yesterday; mom didn’t have it all together or the energy to do both yet!  But what this said to me is if just getting through the neurodevelopment part of our Individual Neurodevelopmental Program (INP) once was turning out these results then  how I long to get to everything twice!  So the prayer request becomes Lord grant me the strength and give both girls the desire to get to the frequency and duration of our program.” 

Raising an autistic child can be an exhausting, frustrating, demanding, and “testing to your limits” experience.  Please read the the experience of other parents who are learning how to make a difference in their autistic child’s life through natural brain-based techniques. They have worked and triumphed by utilizing the Neurodevelopmental Approach, an approach that is loving, kind, fun and effective.  God bless!

 Everything Begins With Gaining Knowledge

Little Giant Steps has many free articles that can give you insight into sound brain-based methodology to  assure improved learning abilities. The premise of this is that God’s natural order is perfect. However, in an infant’s early experiences, there can be vital steps missed, or distorted due to environmental conditions, health issues, trauma, or just plain lack of stimulation that was needed.  In the case of most of our children today, they are placed in seats, jumpers, walkers instead of having enough “tummy” time, which is how God intended for the brain and body to become neurologically wired for efficient communication between the brain and body.  If a baby does not receive enough stimulation to all the parts of his body (trunk, limbs, eyes, ears, mouth, muscles, hands, and feet) then they continue to develop, but they carry with them unfinished connections between their brain and body. Sometimes parents are aware of these “glitches” as early as two or three years of age. Some just think, “Oh, this is just the personality of this particular child,” and ignore it. But, typically these “unique” features are usually revisited after they get into school and it surfaces that they are struggling for some mystifying reason! These children also learn to cope and compensate in order to perform in a way the world is telling them they need to do, either by example or language. Some of these coping skills are very sophisticated and almost genius by design, but they all take additional energy (emotional and physical) to run. Typically we see the gaps showing up when they are in their first or second year of school. Some children reach the “wall” or limits of their coping and compensating skills at age 9 as the complexity of their curriculum will no longer work, therefore we see them “falling” off academically.

What Can Be Done?

First, gain knowledge of the problem.  I would suggest you read Learning Disabilities in our article library.  Next, read about the Neurodevelopmental Approach.  I would encourage you to spend some time with our videos.  Our Heroes is an excellent place to start.  Next is to understand what we have to offer.  Check out Evaluations Tab on our website.  Scroll down and you’ll find more videos there.

What If I Can’t Afford A Professional Evaluation?

Jan Be-dell, M.Ed., Certified Neuro-Educational Specialist, understands many families have limited resources.  With a heart for those who home school and have only one income, or for those who have different circumstances, she has developed two programs that can provide remedies from Tiny Tots to Seniors.  Remember, improving function by training our brain is always possible regardless of I.Q. or age.  The three programs to serve needs at-home are as follows:

• Early Learning Foundations (used in Pre-schools-Level 1, Kindergarten-Level 2, and First Grades- Level 3) typically for 2-5 years of age. It is also very effective for challenged individuals whether brain trauma, physiological limitations, or mentally challenged. This program provides brain stimulation, plus addresses readying the individual for reading, writing and math.
• Developmental Foundations- (used for school age through college) It is based on The Neurodevelopmental Approach and is beneficial for people of all ages but especially for families with children who are struggling academically, behaviorally, or with low self-esteem. The activities included in the Developmental Foundations program are a very fundamental level of neurodevelopment, chosen from thousands of neurodevelopmental activities proven to address brain inefficiencies. Working on root causes of inefficiencies, these brain stimulating activities advance many areas, from fundamental brain organization which controls what we are able to do, to increasing abilities in short term memory, as well as reading and math.  For an overview of Developmental Foundations benefits — click here.  Unfortunately, there is no “magic pill.” It takes consistent effort to reap the rewards that The Neurodevelopmental Approach has to offer. Developmental Foundations may be only the first step toward academic success for some individuals. Please see Frequently Asked Questions for more details.

• Memory & Motion - by Ruth Young,ND,  An Adult/ Senior ND Program. Keep It Simple ~ Keep It Fun. We are healthier when our lives are balanced and the confidence in our abilities is strong. Little Giant Steps (LGS) is an organization that has worked, for close to two decades, in helping individuals discover improved brain function, better long term retention of information, accelerated short term memory skills and most importantly a reduction in stress and anxiety that often robs our dignity and confidence.

Hearing Is Believing

Some of us need to have those professionals who are in the thick of the solutions in school let us know the truth about possibilities and potentials of programs for our children.  Little Giant Steps has been creating multi-sensory Neuro-Educational Programs for 20 years. Why? Because we are in and have been in a slow decline in our children’s learning abilities.  In fact, we actually are experiencing an epidemic within the U.S.  The ranking of our national academic scores is in 9th place worldwide!  What happened?  Our society has changed from an auditory society (listening to people talking, high verbal interactions several times a day with family, gaining instructions verbally) to a visual society.  The rub comes in the fact humans are set up neurologically to retain short term memory via our auditory system. Each person’s auditory processing ability has a global affect on their lives and functional capabilities.  Auditory processing is vital for picking up on social cues, following conversation, reading comprehension skills, following directions, attending, ability to read with a phonetic approach and many other skills needed to be successful in school and life.  For instance, behavior is greatly influenced by one’s auditory functioning.  If you have a 12 year old who is functioning (processing) on a 4 or 5 year old level, he is developmentally more like a 4-5 year old. He will be socially more immature, getting along better with younger children and interrupting conversations so that he won’t forget what he wants to say, because he has trouble retaining information in his short term memory. (We have free auditory test kits so you can check your child.)

Look, Listen and Learn

I would invite you to view videos from a school as to what an impact our programs have made in their students lives.  First let me introduce Liz Sweet, Dean of Curriculum.  She has insights you will enjoy hearing that reflect their school’s results and responses to the Little Giant Steps Neuro-Educational Programs.   Next, listen to the principal’s remarks.  Now let’s drop into a classroom taking their 2 min. speed test.  Why are the children excited?  Because it’s always a confidence builder when you get the answers right!  Once these children have mastered (integrated these math facts into their brains) they will have rapid recall for a lifetime.  Now that’s exciting whether you are a student or a student’s parent!

 Working With The Brain Pays Big Academic Dividends

“From the beginning, EVERYTHING about Little Giant Steps has been exactly what we needed. Jan Bedell, The Brain Coach, has been a tool in God’s hands to literally begin to transform my son’s life in a few short months. Luke has struggled from day one with an array of challenges from physical to learning (dysgraphia, dyslexia, processing issues and at age 9, he still was unable to read). Once evaluated, we began our Individualized Neurodevelopmental Program (INP) and within 6 weeks Luke was reading. His retention seemed to double, his tactile issues lessened and over all our son’s confidence began to change.”

Little Giant Steps has been seeing these kinds of results for the past twenty years with thousands of children.  Typically we see every four months a full year gain via academic testing. 

Incremental Success Builds The Base

One thing that has been so much fun working with Jan Bedell’s neuro-educational programs, is seeing the children improve and succeed each day as we see the lower levels of their brains get organized (they begin to think and comprehend in organized ways ~ a big advantage especially in gaining math skills). While her programs provide curriculum supplementation, like Rapid Recall for math facts, they really ready the child for better processing of what they hear, see, say and touch.  Their short-term memory improves with the practiced design of ”The Brain Coach’s” educational programs.  These programs deliver life-long imprinting on the brain, because they actually create new neuro-pathways.  They close developmental gaps that may exist.  It is exciting to see more and more learning disabilities being remedied via the use of neurodevelopmentally focused supplemental curriculum and educational tools. 

Seeing Is Believeing 

This past year we had the pleasure of working the the Summit Christian Academy.  It is an elementary school (NAUMS) and therefore we had a great deal of participation not only with the teachers, but parents.  We kept hearing reports about how the kindergarten loved doing their Rapid Recall (Math Facts) each day.  So, here it is for you to see for yourself.  Kindergarten 2011 Math Speed Test!

If interested in more information on our work at schools, go to Little Giant Steps’ YouTube Channel.

 There are two kinds of people… 

 There are those who are always skeptical and really don’t believe in much outside themselves.  What they don’t know about is outside their realm of tolerance in many cases.  Then there is the other individual who is a believer, and their biggest cross to bear is being discerning enough to keep their life on track with their faith and beliefs.

I must say we see both kinds of individuals.  Some time it is the wife who is the believer, and often will notice and recognize things are NOT  going quite right for her child. Then, we often see the husband a true skeptic.  What I have noticed is that when a child is struggling with school, often times it is seen by the skeptic that his or her child is just misbehaving or hasn’t developed a good ethic and is seen as lazy or disobedient.  Being a mother, having worked as a nurse therapist with children and family services, I’m still astonished that at the root of many of these father’s perception of the situation lies in denial, “There is nothing wrong with my child.”   Regardless of which which your propensity seems to be, your child will change in relation to the parent stepping back, and looking objectively at their children when they’re struggling in school.  Expect lots of questions to be asked and answered as you seek out what’s happening.

How Do We Find A Way To Help Everyone In The Family?

A few things are important at the outset: 

First, we must agree if your child is struggling in school, failing to remember from one day to the next things he knew, seems disorganized in thinking, doing chores, is super emotional and melt-downs are a part of his/her M.O., and is having  bad days associated with learning new things; it makes sense to me to look at the root causes. Our brains come into this world in a pretty under-developed state.  God made us that way so we can get our brains and bodies efficiently wired neurologically during those early years as random movements signal the brain where the arms and legs are, then with each month that refinement of functional movement improves, and helps to develop sight, focusing abilities, and on down the line our language skills become a useful tool for us. Each year of a toddler, is an act of refining the neuro-pathways, mind/body interaction, organizing the brain, and preparing children for learning from experiences.  We are very complex creatures! 

Secondly, we want each parent to fully investigate resourcesavailable for children with learning issues. It doesn’t matter whether your child is gifted, typical, or challenged.  Anyone (child, teen, adult) can all have a gap in their developmentthat renders them helpless in some learning environments.  See these test results of many of the children we’ve worked with over the past twenty years.  Then look at the test results of the work we’ve done in schools these past few years.

Third, when you find a methodology, or resource that makes sense to you pursue it with all your heart, mind and soul. You hold the keys to your child’s academic future.  Gain as much knowledge as possible.  That is why Little Giant Steps has provided free articles that contain enough information if you studied what has been set before you, there is enough information to help your child in the next 4 months! 

Fourthly, parents must commit to solving this problem with their child.  Our intervention is natural, no drugs, it will cost you some time, and if you were to check our costs verses some of these other “learning programs” on the market today, you will see we have a mission first to God. We make our services available and priced so home-school families can participate.   No one knows your child better than you.  Only a parent has enough compassion to look beyond the bad behavior to seek something new and effective. Only a parent will hear from his/her child’s heart what the daily toll  of being unable to learn (even some simple things) costs your child day after day and basically feeling like are a failure.  Often these children will drift along until a real crisis come up and then we’ll see parents begin to mobilize.  If your child is better, your life will become amazing and wonderful, as well.

How do we give parents the ability to look at a “root cause”? 

Like so many of our “Neurodevelopmental and Neuro-Educational Programs,” it’s simple. If you can follow directions, work with your child daily for a short time in their lives, you can literally begin to see their full academic, reasoning, and curiosity potential emerge.  Where do we recommend you start?

• 1. Order An Auditory and Visual Test Kit. Read all the benefits and when you give your child these two tests you’ll see and know their processing abilities and whether  they are functioning up to grade level.  It takes two minutes each.

 2. Read All The Articles.  Not only will you gain knowledge, but you will soon understand our Neurodevelopmental Approach, Philosophy and Methodology.If you are looking for an answer, we have the solution.  Oh, and don’t forget to read about our services in “Evaluation Overview“     If an “At-Home Program” appeals more to you than a professional evaluation, the check out our curriculum.  There are two complete programs Jan Bedell, The Brain Coach, has created for different age groups. These kits have access to our online resources available we use with our client Early Learning Foundations (ages 2 – 5, and good for those challenged). For students (from first grade through college) The Brain Coach create Learning Foundations.  These are rich in instruction, optional ways to complete the activities (some on the computer, some done with the parent).  If you decide you recognize your child needs more professional help…. there is even a discount coupon enclosed!

3. Stick With The Program Until They Achieve Freedom From Their Learning Disability.  We work with our students on one program for four months, then re-evaluate and adjust the activities based on what the child need.  One thing that always makes me smile when parents who’ve worked diligently with their kids and they discover that for ever four months on the program, the child has come up one full school year.  One mother just used recommendations from one of our seminars she’d attended. When she began to talk to me about the success she’d experienced with her 7 year old son, her eyes welled up with tears.  She said, “He was such a disruptor everywhere he went. He couldn’t sit still, learn what was being taught at school, or anything.  I listened and took notes while Jan (The Brain Coach) gave a seminar about the Neurodevelopment Approach.  I went home and started doing what Jan had told me to do twice a day 5 days a week  for two minutes.  It’s been four months and he’s like a different child. He’s compliant, gone is all the disruptive behavior, and most important was he had seemed like a little kid that hated himself…..no confidence, difficult to communicate with….  Now, he’s excited about learning. His curiosity about things outside himself haveexpanded immensely!  Finally, we have the son we always knew was there.  Little Giant Steps just had to help us discover him and discard the learning issues.”   

 Smile!  I am so glad I write this blog as a part of my daily act!  There are so many stories from parents who found “this right answer”.  I thank God it’s something I witness each and every day!  Now, go get’em tiger.

 At Little Giant Steps (LGS), nothing makes us happier or more satisfied than seeing parents gain knowledge, skills, and confidence in why their child is having difficulty learning, why certain behaviors are occurring, and how they can be a part of a lifelong intervention that can eliminate destructive symptoms and learning issues. The Neurodevelopmental Approach has brought peace, pride and happiness to thousands of families.  For which, LGS is as grateful as the parents to see the success in learning that had alluded this family prior to becoming a client.

Here is a mom who discovered how she could lead her child out of the failure he was experiencing with dyslexia.  Another parent discovered there was help for her children with autism.

Then, there is Kathy, an educator who had a son totally unable to cope, OCD, auditory processing issues and more.  While her training as an educator had not prepared to for this dynamic paradigm change; she felt lost with little hope of helping her son.  She hung in there and worked the Neuro-Educational Program…. well let’s let Kathy tell you her story.

Have a blessed day and if things look down, just look up and ask for God to sustain, train, and love you as you pass through a difficulty!  See you next time!

 It’s Education, Not Medical

Jan Bedell, The Brain Coach

 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 Neurodevelopmental 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, U-tube Testimonies.