Alternative Treatments For Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD, and ADHD
Childhood neurological disorders are so on the rise that in 2007 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called them a “major health threat”. These disorders are being described as behavioral, social, and academic dysfunctions. Ten years ago, Autism was a rare disorder, found in approximately 1 out of 10,000 children. Today, Autism is now affecting 1 out of 150 children!!! Affecting twice as many boys as it does girls.This year, 1.5 million children entering school will be diagnosed with some type of neurological disorder that affect the ability to learn and socially interact. That is 1 out of 6 five or six year olds! This is staggering!!!Why are these conditions becoming so prevalent? Well, there are numerous causes for this: maternal health, difficult delivery, genetics, environmental toxins, vaccines, injury, etc. The list can go on and on…what we do know is how these children are affected.So, lets pinpoint what is affected. Your brain is formed by two cerebral hemispheres, a left and right side. The left side is going to be coined as the gas pedal. The right side will be known as the brake. Within the first 2 years of life, emphasis on development of the right cortex (hemisphere) is given, a natural process for every person. After the first 2 years, the emphasis is switched to the left cortex (the right cortex is still under development, but the emphasis switches).In order to understand why these children are suffering from their behavioral, social, and academic dysfunctions, you must understand what the regions of the brain do and what they are responsible:Right Cortex
Big picture
Nonverbal communication
Large muscle control
Comprehension
Math reasoning
Interpreting information
Understanding abstract conceptsLeft Cortex
Small picture
Verbal communication
Small muscle control
Word reading
Math calculations
Processing information
Linear and logical thinkingIf the right cortex of the brain is affected during the first 2 years of its developmental growth, then the above functions will be affected. For instance, nonverbal communication is the foundation of verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is the ability to understand body language and interpret this. When nonverbal communication doesn’t develop properly, it makes learning verbal skills difficult or even impossible.These same children with right brain deficiencies may be good at reading words but will not be good at interpreting what they are reading. They may also be good with numbers but be bad at higher-level math skills.Children with the right brain weaknesses will have a poor attention span. They tend to be impulsive and anxious, along with being compulsive. Remember, think right = brake and left = gas!!!Since the right cortex controls the large muscles of our body, these children tend to have delayed and poor gross motor skills; for example: balance, coordination, and rhythm.Right brain deficiencies are often diagnosed as: ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, and OCD.Left brain deficiencies tend to affect children in just the opposite way. For reading sake, lets just say that the most diagnosed conditions caused by left brain deficiencies are: dyslexia, processing disorders, central auditory processing disorder, learning disabilities, reading disorders and selective mutism.Now that we know and understand what the two regions do, we know how to fix it. FIX IT??? Yes, if there is a right brain weakness (majority of the children with neurological disorders suffer from a right brain weakness…remember, right cortex forms during the first 2 years) we know how to fix it and vice versa.How do we do this? Through Brain Based Therapy…brain stimulation. Anytime you stimulate different regions of the brain, those regions of the brain light up = neurons are activated (neurons are what make up our brain). Think of it like this…if you lift a 1 pound weight long enough, what is going to happen to your muscle? It will strengthen! If you activate/stimulate a certain region of your brain, it will strengthen! Through specific neurological exercises you can strengthen the brain…specifically certain sides of the brain.So, if you have a right brain weakness…then we must perform certain neurological exercises to strengthen that region = Autism, ADD, ADHD, and Asperger’s Syndrome improved!!!This is all performed through non-invasive exercises…no medication or surgeries!This is half the battle…the other half of the battle is working with the children metabolically…