DISCONNECTED KIDS BY DR. ROBERT MELILLO THE GROUNDBREAKING BRAIN BALANCE PROGRAM

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1 DISCONNECTED KIDS THE GROUNDBREAKING BRAIN BALANCE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM, ADHD, DYSLEXIA, AND OTHER NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS BY DR. ROBERT MELILLO

2 Table 1: Normal Vital Signs Table 2: Curl-Ups Table 3: Right-Angle Push-Ups Table 4: Hemispheric Assessment Identification 2

3 Characteristics of a Right Brain Delay 3

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8 Characteristics of a Left Brain Delay 8

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13 Reading the Results Your child has an imbalance in the left hemisphere of the brain if the left brain score is higher than the right brain score. Your child has an imbalance in the right hemisphere if the right brain score is higher than the left brain score. An imbalance on either side is the classic unevenness of skills that is the hallmark of FDS. The difference in the scores does not have to be significant to indicate FDS. Even a difference of one or two points may still indicate an imbalance. However, if the score is this close, it is best to go through the checklist a second time and consider each response carefully. Even a slight imbalance has the potential to affect daily activities and behavior. To determine the severity of the imbalance, tabulate the number of positive responses from the entire checklist, both left and right. The higher the number, the greater the imbalance: Right brain total: Left brain total: Grand total: The general guideline of the severity of imbalance is based on the total number of checks on both sides combined, as follows: Mild: 50 or below Moderate: 50 to 100 Severe: 100 or above This should be considered with the level of the imbalance, meaning the greater the difference in the two totals, the greater the imbalance, and the more time it may take to correct. Remember, the weak hemisphere is the side with the most checks. Hemispheric weakness is on the side of the brain. If you have a lot of checks in both left and right brain scores, it most likely means that the whole brain is immature and growing too slowly. Do not let this alarm you. It is possible for your child to have both a left brain and a right brain deficiency, something we are seeing more and more in children who are brought to one of our Brain Balance Achievement Centers. So, what does it mean? It still means your child has FDS and most likely one side is still lagging behind the other. However, both sides are not maturing at a speed that corresponds to the child s chronological age. Just as with a right or left brain deficiency, this type of whole brain immaturity does not mean the brain is damaged. It just means the brain and its neural networks are not getting proper and adequate stimulation for the brain to grow in timed sequence. In young low-functioning children, we find the brain is so immature all skills are deficient for their age. Brain growth is out of sync. Like an out of tune orchestra, it is playing out of harmony. And we re finding this to be much more common in boys than in girls. 13

14 Mother's and Child's Health Profile 14

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16 Milestones 16

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19 Vestibular Function Checklist The vestibular system is all about balance and spatial awareness. These are signs of a problem in this area. Read each of the following symptoms and place a check in the box that most closely describes your child. A 1 indicates doesn t apply at all, and a 10 is almost always. Add up the numbers and record the total. (The lowest possible score is 10, and the highest is 100.) 19

20 Auditory Function Checklist These are the symptoms of a problem with the auditory sensory system. Read each of the following symptoms and place a check in the box that most closely describes your child. A 1 indicates doesn t apply at all, and a 10 is almost always. Add up the numbers and record the total. (The lowest possible score is 10 and the highest is 100.) 20

21 Visual Dysfunction Checklist This checklist focuses on symptoms that make reading difficult. If you are not sure, talk to your child s teacher or go through some reading exercises with your child. Read each of the following symptoms and place a check in the box that most closely describes your child. A 1 indicates doesn t apply at all, and a 10 is almost always. Add up the numbers and record the total. (The lowest possible score is 10 and the highest is 100.) 21

22 Proprioceptive Function Checklist This checklist will help judge how well your child feels his or her body in space. Read each of the following symptoms and place a check in the box that most closely describes your child. A 1 indicates doesn t apply at all, and a 10 is almost always. Add up the numbers and record the total. (The lowest possible score is 10 and the highest is 100.) 22

23 Tactile Function Checklist These symptoms indicate either under- or oversensitivity to touch. Read each of the following symptoms and place a check in the box that most closely describes your child. A 1 indicates doesn t apply at all, and a 10 is almost always. Add up the numbers and record the total. (The lowest possible score is 10, and the highest is 100.) 23

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25 Olfactory Function Checklist These two checklists will help you ascertain if your child has a deficiency in the senses of smell and taste. One list checks for oversensitivity and the other for undersensitivity. Read each of the symptoms in both lists and place a check in the box that most closely describes your child. A 1 indicates doesn t apply at all, and a 10 is almost always. Add up the numbers and record the total. (The lowest possible score is 10, and the highest is 100.) Total each list. 25

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27 Academic Assessment Checklist Following is a list of thirty challenges that typically confront a child with either a left brain or a right brain deficiency. Consider them carefully and check off those that you feel describe your child. Discuss some of them with your child s teacher if you are not sure. You should not expect to check off only left or only right brain issues. Nothing is ever that pure. But if your child has a brain imbalance, the results will definitely lean toward one side. Add this to the other evidence you have already collected in the other assessments. 27

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30 Academic Milestones Assessment Because signs of a brain deficiency often show up early in some children even before they are born many clues can be found when looking back. These milestones pertain exclusively to language and verbal development. Read through them and recall the age at which your child achieved these specific skills. You don t have to write anything down or keep a tally, but it is good to mark them off, so you have a record for your own use. It is just one more assessment that will help you determine if your child has FDS and if it is due to a left or a right brain delay. Consider them as best you can remember. 30

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35 Common Signs of Learning Disabilities Again, think back and see if you recognize any of these traits as they pertain to your child. Mark off those that pertain, though it is not necessary to do a tally. 35

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37 Behavior Assessment Checklist The following are common behaviors that indicate that your child may have either a left or a right brain deficiency. As before, you will find something familiar in both lists, but if your child has FDS, it will decidedly lean either left or right. Check off those that apply. 37

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