Does your child exhibit signs of a Right Brain Delay?
Please read this and pass it along. Even if you think your child is perfect :) There may be something that you have missed. I did for awhile and many other parents do. When a child is more severe and non-verbal it is easy to see there is a problem. But when they appear to be a typical child, often times we miss the fact that there may actually be something going on that we didn't realize. I was actually SO relieved when I realized WHY Brody acted the way he did. I had always known he was smart, but why did he still dart in front of cars or avoid homework like the plague? Why couldn't he ride a bike? Why did he have emotional outbursts as if he were 3 years old? It changed the way I viewed and dealt with
everything when it came to him.
Note: The majority of children suffering from a Functional Disconnection are right brain delayed. Right brain delays are typically characterized as: ADD, ADHD, Autism, Asperger's, OCD, non verbal learning disorder, and Pervasive developmental disorder. There are still many children with left brain delays and I will try to go over those symptoms in another post. However, because the majority of children, including my own, suffer from right brain delays, that is what this post will be focused on.
At Brain Balance, they don't use labels. The typical labels out there like Autism, ADHD, etc. are just lists of symptoms. These symptoms are better described as a right hemispheric delay. In fact, there are many, many children out there that don't come near to meeting the typical criteria for Autism, Aspergers or ADHD. These labels create a situation where so many kids fall through the cracks just because they may not have all the symptoms of one of these disorders. In fact, these children may have many of the symptoms and have significant issues or deficits in some areas but are not getting the help they need. Sometimes this is because parents don't even realize what is going on and why their child is acting the way they are, why they are struggling in school or socially, etc. On the other hand, if a parent does see that their child needs help, if they don't have an official diagnosis, they are not able to get services through the school or state.
The very best thing to do is to get Disconnected Kids and read it! Go through the checklists and see if things sound familiar when it comes to your child. *The information and symptoms below came directly from the book.*
After reading this and/or the book if you are concerned about your child and even think they might benefit from the Brain Balance Program, take them to the nearest center and have them assessed. It is totally worth the small price you pay for the VERY comprehensive assessment. You will then sit down with the Center Director and they will explain to you exactly where your child is at developmentally, cognitively, etc. They will tell you their strengths and their weaknesses and exactly what they can do to PERMANENTLY address those problems. If any investment is worth it, this one is. Especially where it can help you address problems before they get worse and/or may find problems that you didn't know existed yet - i.e. visual processing, auditory processing, sensory issues, etc. For example: Brody was a good reader, but he HATED to read. He never read for fun. However, he tested at a 7th grade reading level BEFORE entering Brain Balance. They found that he had visual processing issues and other problems with eye muscles and with his eyes working together which made reading VERY laborious and not fun at all. Now, he will NOT stop reading. He reads during meals, in the car and in bed. At summer school his teacher told me that he will ask "how many more math problems do I need to do before I can read". I LOVE it! It is so amazing to see him completely turn around like that.
Okay, so here is the list of symptoms/red flags, warning signs or whatever you want to call them. If you notice that your child has even some of these issues, it is worth looking into it. The longer problems are left untreated the harder they are to correct. Also, the heartache, stress, financial strain, etc. that goes along with trying to correct these issues in ways
- that only make a dent - in treating the symptoms could be shortened or avoided. I am so extremely grateful that there is a real solution to these problems and that it is safe, permanent and SO fast. Even though some children with more severe imbalances could need multiple sessions, it is still SO much faster than the years and years or maybe lifetime of therapies that they would need and still never achieve these results. Why?
Because no other program actually CHANGES and "rewires" the brain.
I tried to put these in categories, but it is a bit scattered. There are also some things that are repeated... I decided it was better to get it posted for you to read rather than worry about how organized it was :)
Final note: This list applies to children of ALL ages. In fact, I find things on this list that apply to me :) Also, your child does not (and WILL not) have to have ALL of these symptoms. You will read it and see many that don't apply to your child. But, if you notice they do have some of them, or a lot of them, there is cause for concern.
Here we go!
the brain is not developing properly some symptoms are:
- Inappropriate laughing and giggling
- lack of fear, especially in the face of danger
- risk taking
- an aversion to being cuddled or held
- sustained unusual or repetitive play
- avoiding eye contact
- a preference to play alone
- difficulty in expressing needs
- making wild gestures
- insistence on everything being the same
- difficulty interacting with others
- difficulty setting goals and prioritizing
- difficulty controlling emotions
- difficulty learning, remembering and paying attention
- poor motor control
- inability to monitor own actions
POOR BODY AWARENESS
- They have a poor sense of gravity and are not very good with balance.
- They are clumsy and walk into things
PROPRIOCEPTION
- They can be physically awkward
- walk oddly,
- be unusually clumsy.
- lean to one side or
- be unable to ride a bike.
POOR GROSS AND FIND MOTOR SKILLS
- Bad posture
- Awkward gait
- Uncoordinated and have no sense of timing or rhythm
- May have crawled or walked late or crawled strange like scooting.
- They may have skipped crawling altogether and start walking earlier than usual.
- Clumsiness and odd posture
- Poor coordination
- Not athletically inclined and has no interests in popular childhood participation sports
- Poor gross motor skills such as difficulty learning to ride a bike and/or runs and walks oddly
- Repetitive stereotyped motor mannerisms
- Fidgets excessively
- Poor eye contact
- Walks or walked on toes
- They have a hard time manipulating their hands, fingers, toes and feet. Often displayed later as poor handwriting
* Some kids have motor problems very subtle like a head or body tilt in one direction, a foot that turns in and legs that appear knock-kneed are other signs of improper postural muscle growth.
POOR SOCIAL SKILLS
Very common and a significant problem. Most of these kids are very friendly and motivated to have social relationships but they don’t know how to go about it and do it all wrong.
Normal development of social skills is dependent on the normal development of the area of the brain that controls nonverbal communication. That is the ability to read body language and understand people’s emotions and intentions by observing their facial expression, tone of voice, etc. This is not a skill that can be taught, it develops naturally.
ABNORMAL EMOTIONAL REACTIONS
- Spontaneously cries and/or laughs and has sudden outbursts of anger or fear
- Worries a lot and has several phobias
- Holds on to past “hurts”
- Has sudden emotional outbursts that appear over reactive and inappropriate to the situation
- Experiences panic and/or anxiety attacks
- Sometimes displays dark or violent thoughts
- Face lacks expressions; doesn’t exhibit much body language
- Too uptight; can’t seem to loosen up
- Lacks empathy and feeling for others
- Lacks emotional reciprocity
- Often seems fearless and is a risk taker
SENSORY PROCESSING SYMPTOMS
- Fussy eaters due to an under sensitive (or oversensitive) sense of taste and smell.
- Some children cover their ears because they cant stand a noise that sounds normal to everyone else.
- Some don’t like to be hugged.
- Poor spacial orientation, bumps into things often
- Sensitivity to sound
- Confusion when asked to point to different body parts
- Poor sense of balance
- High threshold for pain - doesn’t cry when gets cut
- Likes to spin, go on rides, swing, etc. anything with motion
- Touches things compulsively
- A girl uninterested in makeup or jewelry
- Does not like the feel of clothing on arms and legs, pulls off clothes
- Doesn’t like being touched and doesn’t like to touch things
- Incessantly smells everything
- Prefers bland foods
- Does not notice strong smells, such as burning wood, popcorn, or cookies
- Avoids food because of the way it looks
- Hates having to eat and is not even interested in sweets
- Extremely picky eater
COMMON ACADEMIC PROBLEMS
- Poor oral and written expression
- Poor reading and written comprehension
- Poor writing skills
- Inability to organize
- Lack of focus
- Reading and spelling problems
- Inability to follow directions
- Lack of concentration
- Difficulty understanding cause and effect
- Poor sequencing ability
- Confusion when presented with multiple bits of information
- Poor social skills
- Cognitive symptoms
BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A RIGHT BRAIN DELAY
- Logical thinker
- Often misses the gist of a story
- Always the last to get a joke
- Gets stuck in set behavior; can’t let it go
- Lacks social tact and or is antisocial and or/socially isolated
- Poor time management; is always late
- Disorganized
- Has a problem paying attention
- Is hyperactive and/or impulsive
- Has obsessive thoughts or behaviors
- Argues all the time and is generally uncooperative
- Exhibits signs of an eating disorder
- Failed to thrive as an infant
- Mimics sounds or words repeatedly without really understanding the meaning
- Appears bored, aloof, and abrupt
- Considered strange by other children
- Inability to form friendships
- Has difficulty sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people
- Inappropriately giddy or silly
- Acts inappropriately in social situations
- Talks incessantly and asks the same question repetitively
- Has no or little joint attention, such as the need to point to an object to get our attention
- Didn’t look at self in mirror as a toddler
ACADEMIC PROBLEMS OF A RIGHT BRAIN DELAY
- Poor math reasoning (word problems, geometry, algebra)
- Poor reading comprehension and pragmatic skills
- Misses the big pictures
- Very analytical
- Likes slapstick or obvious physical humor
- Is very good at finding mistakes (spelling)
- Takes everything literally
- Doesn’t always reach a conclusion when speaking
- Started speaking early
- Has tested for a high IQ or is above normal in verbal ability and below average in performance abilities
- Was an early word reader
- Is interested in unusual topics
- Learns in a rote (memorizing) manner
- Learns extraordinary amounts of specific facts about a subject
- Is impatient
- Speaks in a monotone; has little voice inflection
- Is a poor nonverbal communicator
- Doesn’t like loud noises like fireworks
- Speaks out loud regarding what he or she is thinking
- Talks “in your face” - is a space invader
- Good reader but does not enjoy reading
- Analytical; led by logic
- Follows rules without questioning them
- Good at keeping track of time
- Easily memorizes spelling and mathematical formulas
- Enjoys observing rather than participating
- Would rather read an instruction manual before trying something new
- Math was often the first academic subject that became a problem
IMMUNE CHARACTERISTICS OF A RIGHT BRAIN DELAY
- Has lots of allergies
- Rarely gets colds and infections
- Has or had eczema or asthma
- Skin has little white bumps, especially on the back of the arms
- Displays erratic behavior - good one day, bad the next
- Craves certain foods, especially dairy and wheat products
AUTONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A RIGHT BRAIN DELAY
- Problems with bowels such as constipation or diarrhea
- Has rapid heart rate and /or high blood pressure for age
- Appears bloated, especially after meals, and often complains of stomach pains
- Has body odor
- Sweats a lot
- Hands are always moist and clammy
I think that is it!
It is SO important that we are all aware of these symptoms for our own children, and for our friends and family. The numbers of these disorders are rising at an incredibly terrible rate and those are only the ones that are diagnosed. There are many, many children out there struggling and many parents who are trying to find answers. For those of you looking, Brain Balance
IS the answer. I promise.
Goodnight!
