To be honest, I'm a little tired of her doing better in physical abilities and not improving on her auditory processing and visual processing. I'm paying $6,000 for her to do better academically and to recognize social cues better, not for her to be able to say, "Look at me! I can do push-ups!" I haven't taken her to do the nutrition lab part of it yet because of the money, but it is time for me to suck it up and pay the $500 to have her assessed. I hear rumor they charge even more for the supplements. I know it is not right of me to judge a program if I don't do everything they ask. I just hate those red numbers.
Interesting post. I am following your blog because I am curious about Brain Balance. We went through a program via Occupational Therapy using the ILS (Integrated Listening System). I felt like my child improved on the physical ability but never on the auditory processing. We completed the program and it was very costly, even more than Brain Balance. I am skeptical to spend more money again. Thank you for this blog, I will follow it and recommend it to others!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! If there are any questions you want me to get answered let me know and I will see what I can do.
DeleteI will be bookmarking and following this post as I just returned from a meeting at Brain Balance and we have not yet decided if we want to enroll our 6 year-old daughter who has (of course) been diagnosed with ADHD. I'm a bit skeptical, but I do understand a bit of the science behind it. The problem is that there isn't really much online or anyone I can talk to that's been through Brain Balance. My daughter is very strong academically (right hemisphere-weak, they say) and you seem to have talked to a couple of people that say that it's helped in cases similar to hers.
ReplyDeleteI'm hopeful that this can help her since I don't really feel that she's an extreme case, but she certainly needs help in keeping still so as not to distract other students in class and attract the attention of her (very old-school) teacher. Thank you for taking the time to make this blog, off to do some more research.
We have been blessed for her to always have awesome teachers who expect kids to be kids so I didn't notice she was ADHD until third grade. Between kindergarten and third grade she also suffered three major head injuries (car wreck, PVC pipe swing to head needing 23 stitches and a concussion on the school playground). So I'm not sure if she has always been ADHD or if it was caused by all the head injuries. In kindergarten she played with the boys because the girls were boring and thought recess was a time to sit around and play school. I didn't think that was a sign of ADHD because we aren't boring people.
DeleteI love it when her fourth grade teacher who was retiring that year told me that too many people over react when children are young and that many of them will just outgrow it. I have three nephews who are medicated for it and I decided against that route and all of her schools have thoroughly supported my decision. At six years old I think I would have just tried to do the eye exercises and infant reflex exercises at home. My daughter did not start having trouble with school work until third grade when all the testing starts. Of course she has always passed the end of year tests, but barely. Best of luck and I hope you find your answers!
Thanks for the reply. I went back to Brain Balance today to pick up the Disconnected Kids book that they offered but forgot to give me yesterday. I has just picked my daughter up from her mother, so she was with me and was excited and wanted to come in to say hi to her "teacher" (the lady she tested with.) I'm glad that she's excited and happy to be there and I think we're leaning toward enrolling her, we just have to figure out how to pay for it. Luckily, she has great grandparents that are willing to help us financially, so I think it will work out.
DeleteHer 1st grade teacher is retiring this year and we don't think that we'll see much help from her school this year because I think the teacher just doesn't care (I could be wrong, but she doesn't seem like the most pleasant individual in the few dealings that I've had with her.) I'm glad that my daughter is picking up on it and she seems to like her teacher. I can't wait until next year and hope that we get a teacher that's a little more receptive and willing to work with my daughter's needs, though I feel guilty for feeling this way. I have such respect for the amazing teachers out there, they truly deserve higher pay, but that's a subject for another day.
I will still be checking your blog daily and hope to be as involved in this process as I can be as a working dad. I will definitely be taking my own notes on her progress.
I'm not much of a book-reader (understatement), but I just closed Disconnected Kids at the beginning of the 3rd chapter and hope that the book can keep my interest throughout. My friend's wife (a school psychologist) is anxiously awaiting my thoughts and I plan to lend the book to her when I'm finished. This is the first she's heard of Brain Balance, but says she knows of the methods they mention on their site.
Thanks again for keeping up with the blog!