LuLu has started a daily neurodevelopmental/sensory integration program called Learning Breakthrough. Billed as a powerful at-home learning aid, we chose this particular program at this juncture for a not very scientific reason: a school we’re interested in for LuLu was offering it this summer at a very reasonable price. So we thought it was a good way to get to know the school personnel better.

Learning Breakthrough is based on solid sensory integration theory and uses balance... more

Society seems to expect all teenagers to experience a period of rebellion before eventually becoming mature, tax-paying adults. This rebellious transition period is being attributed to a physical change in brain operation that the scientific community has documented through brain scans. The teens' brain scans displayed more activity at the back of the brain in the superior temporal sulcus, while the adults' brain scans displayed more activity in the front of the brain in the medial prefrontal cortex. These brain scan results indicate that during... more

LuLu finished her FastForward for Language training in mid-March. Fast ForWord is a brain-based software that improves auditory processing, language processing and ultimately reading skills. Scientific Learning Corp, the makers of Fast ForWord, claim that their program helps 90% of all children. I’m happy to report that LuLu is in that 90%. On her initial post-test (there will be another post-test in three months), she showed significant gains in phonological areas, especially Word Discrimination and... more

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Ok, to recap, Drs. Purvis & Cross operate a camp for post-institutionalized traumatized children called “The Hope Connection” as part of their research for the Institute for Child Development at Texas Christian University.... more

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The unique twist to the work that Dr. Purvis and Dr. Cross do at the is that they test neurotransmitter levels of all the Camp Hope campers (and their parents) before, during and after the day camp. To day, Dr. Purvis reports she has reviewed over 900 neurotransmitter tests on traumatized children. She has seen some pretty definite... more

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I promised you some of the “meat” I learned from the Seeds of Hope: Promising Interventions for At-Risk Children presentation that Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross made at last fall’s ATTACh conference.

Well the first thing I found truly impressive was Dr. Purvis’ in-depth description and understanding of how neglect, maltreatment, lack of nutrition and lack of stimulation can impact sensory functions. Yes, I’ve heard... more

I have just finished listing to a CD set of recordings from last year’s ATTACh conference; a day-long workshop entitled: Seeds of Hope: Promising Interventions for At-Risk Children. The CD order form is here.

The speakers, Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross are the developers of the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Their research training and service are focused on special needs children who... more

One of the big changes we’ve seen as LuLu continues to use the Fast ForWord therapy to help with her auditory processing, reading abilities and other language and processing deficits, is that she is more keenly aware of what she’s not aware of. Before, so much information got by her that she didn’t realize in some instances what she was missing. When she did, she reacted with severe frustration.

While she still reacts with frustration, something... more

Here’s an interesting article from www.medicalnewstoday.com on new studies of the dyslexic brain. The prevailing theory of dyslexia is called the “magoncellular hypothesis” or belief that the neuron involved in processing fast visual information is responsible for dyslexia.

But researchers are challenging that, saying that auditory processing in noise and the ability to filter out and ignore distractions is much more likely a culprit. Three studies, conducted by the same team... more

Again, there is so much about Amy Eldridge’s open letter to those adopting from China that needs to be heard. And one of those things is that being raised in an orphanage changes who you are. And that being taken away from everything you know (even if it’s not a healthy situation, even if it’s an orphanage) causes further grief and trauma.

Now most people know that on the surface. We laughed during our recent viewing of A Night at the Museum, where Ben Stiller’s character confronted Attila the Hun, who ultimately broke down in sobs as Ben described Attila’s rough childhood and lack of love and affection and how that made him into... more