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    Joined: Dec 2011
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    Just looking for others that may have gone through the Brain Balance program. We did the assessment on DS and of course, his right brain is weaker. They said his left side was on par with a 19-20 year old while the right is more at 4-5 years old (my DS is now 9).

    The program basically combines OT and visual therapy together with some cognitive work to target the weaker side and mature it to match or at least get closer to the stronger side. Most parents seem to think it works well.

    My DS has already done some OT and a year of vision therapy but it was't targeted like this to one side and I'm wondering if this would help even more. It is very, very pricy however (3 months is twice as much as a year of VT and of course they say most kids need to do 6 months).

    I could probably manage do some of the things recommended in the Disconnected Kids book this program is based on but probably not at the same intensity.

    Anyway, wondering if anyone has done this? Thanks.


    Mom to 2 kiddos - DS 9 with SPD and visual processing issues and DD 6 who is NT
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    I have done research and think it is quackery. Yes, I think some aspects of it might be helpful but I just don't believe it is worth the money. (Can't remember specifics, but remember deciding against it.)

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    Thanks. Yes, they let me know about that study but I haven't looked it up yet. I'm definitely more skeptical because of the cost. The activities they do aren't weird - they are already done in OT and VT which is why I tend to think that it probably does help but there is a lot that bothers me about their approach. Trying to gather all the info I can!


    Mom to 2 kiddos - DS 9 with SPD and visual processing issues and DD 6 who is NT
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    Anyone who promises to cure that many things is undoubtedly blowing smoke.


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    I agree with DeaconGirl and DeeDee.

    Plus, the whole left brain/right brain thing is a myth. Examples:

    Left/right brain debunk #1

    Left/right brain debunk #2

    As with most scientific ideas, absorbing the information in these articles takes careful reading and a bit of time (10-15 minutes each?).

    IMO, this is one reason why pseudoscience myths are so easy to create and so hard to remove from popular belief. It's easy to say, Right brain = creative! Left brain = analytical! But it takes time to explain why these ideas are wrong, and people often aren't interested in a long explanation ("Eyes are just WAY too complex to have evolved!").

    I am NOT accusing anyone here of not wanting to take time to understand why the right/left brain thing is a myth. I'm simply trying to provide one reason for why pseudoscientific ideas get become widely accepted in the general population.

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    The Broca's area and Wernicke's area, related to speech/language, are located on the left side of the brain.

    Pseudo-science may arise based on early research in an area, and/or misapplication of an idea or set of ideas which are correct (there is the possibility of some being focused more on growing an industry and less on serving needs); A grain of truth may get coated in extrapolation and/or commercialization.

    Some may say that detractors, opponents, and/or de-bunkers may, at times, use a strawman rather than explanations actually provided by proponents.

    It is wise to consider both supportive and opposing opinions, anecdotes, and research to determine what the preponderance of the evidence suggests. The forums can be a great place to cast a wide net for information, however responses can sometimes be a bit one-sided as those who express an alternate view or minority view on a topic may experience unpleasantness.

    Neuroscience For Kids seems to explain the functions of the brain hemispheres, and experiments about them, well.

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    Indigo, you crack me up. SsTtRrAaWwMmAaNn', indeed. laugh

    Were you trying to hide a secret message about the importance of maintaining a balanced brain in your post?

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    While I agree that the intensity and combination of therapies is an appealing aspect of brain balance, I wonder if you get a shortchanged with parts, especially the neurofeedback. Your son is now 9 yrs old and I'd also wonder how much the gains would be at this point. I'm not saying that you wouldn't get some gains or results, but I would try to pin down what your objectives are with brain balance and if they're feasible with them.

    My ds9 has done years of ot, vt, and neurofeedback, but I stopped neuro a year ago after I had ds's visual skills re-evaluated with a developmental/behavioral optometrist. At that point, I felt we had reach a sort of plateau.

    At the end of the day, ds is spatially gifted but with he was also born with visual deficits. Although at times I wish neurofeedback could help rewire his brain to remedy the visual deficits, that's not going to happen. And my son has learned to compensate with his visual deficits since birth so who even knows where those neural pathways now go.

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    Thanks for all of the input. It's been hard to really assess the program because people either seem to love it or think it's total garbage. Honestly, researching and dissecting scientific journal articles is not something that appeals to me so I will probably never fully understand the science. I'm OK with that.

    Yes, the combination therapy is appealing but I do understand that is it not as personalized. My son already did a year of intense VT and about 6 months of not so intense OT (which was my fault because were were trying to do both at the same time and I just couldn't keep up at home with the exercises). I work FT - there are only so many hours in the day.

    His vision improved greatly with VT but what remains are some coordination/body issues, some social issues and emotional intensity. Do these things apply to highly gifted kids? Yes, they do. So I am still trying to figure out if these issues will improve with maturity or not.

    I did at least get some WIAT-III test results out of the process, which is good. I can see improvement in the fluency subtests which he did not do well on in the WISC-IV 3 years ago (I think due to his vision issues). He is still showing a big discrepancy between certain areas so I'm not sure what we should be doing next. It's been about 9 months since VT ended and we haven't been doing any therapies at all.

    I hate seeing him struggle in some of these areas but I'm not sure what our next move should be.


    Mom to 2 kiddos - DS 9 with SPD and visual processing issues and DD 6 who is NT
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