Dr Dane

How Can Learning Disabilities Be Treated?

Everyone learns differently, but some struggle more than others. For some, their struggles aren’t merely the result of personal differences, but diagnosable learning disabilities.

It should be noted that learning disabilities have nothing to do with intelligence, so those who suffer from them should not be misconstrued as being “less smart.” Learning disabilities are, in fact, neurological dysfunctions that disrupt the way a person’s brain processes information.

Unfortunately, there are no “cures” for learning disabilities. However, early diagnosis and treatment can reduce their negative effects. Having a learning disability does not automatically disqualify an individual from achieving academic success. Studies show that children who receive treatment for learning disabilities early in life are better equipped to cope with disabilities and often develop ways of “working around” them.

How can learning disabilities be treated? What are some common types of learning disabilities and childhood developmental disorders? And how can educational efforts be optimized to give our children the best chance at overcoming these obstacles?

Common Disabilities & Disorders

There are many different kinds of learning disabilities and developmental disorders with many different types of symptoms. Some of the more common learning disabilities are dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia.

Dyslexia is a disability that makes reading and writing difficult by affecting how a child’s brain processes language. It is not always expressed through spelling issues, as many people assume; it can also manifest as issues with person-to-person communication, grammar, and reading comprehension.

Dysgraphia is related to dyslexia in that it specifically inhibits a child’s writing ability, although unlike dyslexia, it does this in part by affecting their motor skills. It shares this with dyspraxia, which can inhibit a child’s coordination and balance, leading to difficulties in writing and typing, speech problems, and hypersensitivity to sensory data.

Finally, dyscalculia affects a child’s ability to comprehend numbers and solve math problems. This can be expressed through difficulties with things as simple as basic counting, number recognition, and times tables memorization.

Each of these disabilities can manifest differently from child to child, and they’re far from the only information processing and developmental disorders that make learning problematic. Other conditions, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and even Tourettes syndrome, can qualify as learning disabilities.

The Role of the Educational System

Since 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has entitled all U.S. children with learning disorders to free special education services through the public school system. Ideally, each child is evaluated individually so that their unique issues can be pinpointed. An individualized education program can be drafted to help develop their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

Unfortunately, this process often requires special training that can be expensive. Many schools don’t have the resources to fully accommodate children with learning disabilities.

If possible, parents should try to build their child’s confidence and self-esteem by finding what they’re good at—whether it be a school subject, athletic activity, or creative endeavor—and encouraging them in it. Looking for ways to relate other academic lessons through the “language” of something your child already understands is a good way of helping them learn.

Ultimately, though, treating learning disabilities is not something any parent can do on their own. Parents need to be willing to seek outside help, especially from experienced healthcare professionals.

Recommended Forms of Treatment

Treating a child’s learning disabilities as early as possible is essential to providing them with the best possible chance to improve their abilities despite neurological dysfunction. It can even go a long way towards reigning that dysfunction in so it doesn’t become worse.

Both prescription medications and behavioral therapy can help certain children. However, at the Carolina Brain Center, we know that other forms of treatment can be just as effective, if not more so. Our unique holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to treatment focuses entirely on functional neurology, biochemistry, and nutrition. In other words, instead of treating just individual symptoms and conditions, we work to treat the underlying causes.

Often, childhood learning disabilities such as dyslexia, OCD, and ADD result from weakened neurological pathways in either the left or right hemisphere of the brain. By identifying specific weakened pathways, we can create a customized treatment plan—including neurological stimulation and dietary recommendations—to help strengthen them. In conjunction with specialized education efforts, this form of treatment can help make permanent, positive changes in your child.

Don’t waste thousands of dollars on expensive but ineffective treatment options that never get to the root of the problem.  If you have a child who requires dyslexia, OCD, or ADD treatment in Raleigh, NC, or help with any other developmental disabilities, the Carolina Brain Center can help. Contact us today for more information.

by Dr Dane

How Too Much Screen Time is Bad for Developing Brains

Computers. TVs. Mobile phones.

We spend a lot of time interacting with digital screens every day—even more so now that COVID-19 has necessitated a rise in teleconferencing and distance learning. But how often do we consider the effects of too much screen time on our brains? What about the brains of our children, whose minds are still growing and maturing? 

When you sit back and think about it, it makes you wonder: does prolonged screen time affect children’s brain development? When should we introduce screens into a child’s learning process, and what are the effects of doing it too early?

What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Your Brain?

At the Carolina Brain Center, we’ve made it our life’s work to study and treat neurological dysfunction in patients, both young and old. As technology becomes a larger and more significant part of our everyday lives, we believe it is crucial for parents and patients alike to be well-informed about the consequences of spending too much time in front of a screen. 

Digital devices of all kinds are powerful tools for learning and communication, but they can also disrupt vital neurological progress. For example, too much screen time has been linked to childhood obesity, irregular sleep, behavioral problems, and impaired academic performance. 

Below, we’ll explain why and how too much screen time is bad for developing brains, as well as what steps parents can take to protect their children from the effects of too much social media, television, and video games.

The Neurological Effects of Too Much Screen Time

Although not yet believed to be among the leading causes of developmental disorders in children, prolonged screen time has been found to have a profound effect on their neurological maturation.

The National Institute of Health’s Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study found that children ages 9-10 who had more than two hours of screen time each day got lower scores on thinking and language

 tests. Furthermore, MRI scans of children with more than seven hours of screen time a day showed premature thinning of the cerebral cortex, a part of the brain that allows for critical thinking and reasoning.

We all know how addictive smartphones and social media apps like Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat can be, but using the word “addictive” isn’t quite the hyperbole many assume. Another study conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Diego found that adolescent social media use triggers the brain’s dopamine reward center. This creates a feedback loop wherein the more time a young person spends using electronic devices, the more they want to continue doing that.

Children who experience this kind of “tunnel vision” often suffer developmental shortcomings, as the time they would typically spend building neural pathways through other types of interactions is instead spent repeating the same digital interactions over and over again. Too much screen time can impede their ability to learn new things, communicate with others, stay focused on other tasks, and even sleep properly.

To help recover from the effects of too much screen time, it is important to increase your daily exposure to nature, fresh air, greenery, and sunlight.

Parenting Advice for Moderating Screen Time 

As worrying as the above research findings can be regarding the effects of too much screen time, the fact is that any child growing up in modern society cannot avoid coming into contact with digital screens. Nor should they. As with anything, a key component in staying healthy, both physically and mentally, is moderation. When leveraged correctly, electronic media can be a beneficial tool in one’s life, especially with the current environment of social distancing and quarantines.

To help parents concerned about the negative effects of too much screen time on developing minds, here are some helpful tips and guidelines to make moderating your child’s screen times easier. 

Avoid Early Screen Exposure 

For children aged 18 months or younger, avoid introducing them to tablets, smartphones, and TVs altogether. This age is when a child’s brain is the most sensitive and malleable, and normal cognitive development depends on freedom from digital distractions. Children older than 18 months up to two years old should similarly have their screen time kept to a bare minimum.

Limit the Amount of Screen Time

Between ages 2-5, a child’s screen time should be limited to about an hour each day unless absolutely necessary—such as in the case of pandemic-mandated online classrooms—and parents must be present throughout. Parental presence ensures that the programming/interactions children are exposed to are high-quality and educational and also helps them understand what it is they’re seeing and doing.

Supervise Your Child’s Screen Time

From ages 6-12, parents should implement specific times when screen usage is appropriate and when it is inappropriate, such as during family meals, designated homework hours, bedtime, and the like. Ensuring that a child balances their screen time with adequate physical activity, social interaction, and undisturbed sleep is essential.

By following these guidelines, you will help to ensure that your children are not exposed to too much screen time while their brains are still developing. 

The Carolina Brain Center Provides Holistic Healthcare in Raleigh, NC

With more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Dane and the Carolina Brain Center team are committed to helping patients achieve the highest standard quality of life through a unique multi-disciplinary approach to neurological treatment.

Whether you or a loved one suffers from epilepsy, Parkinson’s, ADD, developmental disorders, or the aftermath of a stroke, concussion, or another traumatic brain injury, we can help. For more information about receiving holistic healthcare in Raleigh, NC, contact the Carolina Brain Center today!

by Dr Dane

What is Functional Disconnection Syndrome?

Every child develops at a different rate. Sometimes, a delay in development can occur and may require early intervention. While many of these delays improve over time, a child may also be diagnosed with a developmental disorder or disability. When a child is diagnosed with a developmental disorder, such as ADHD, Asperger’s, or Autism Spectrum Disorders, it can be a significant adjustment for the child and their family.

Though these developmental disorders are all complex and offer their own host of symptoms, they all share a common root cause: a brain imbalance. This imbalance often results in a diagnosis of functional disconnection syndrome. Functional disconnection syndrome is where the right and left hemispheres of the brain are developing at different rates. Due to this difference in maturation, the brain is unable to connect, communicate, and share information appropriately.

Symptoms of Functional Disconnection Syndrome

The symptoms of functional disconnection syndrome vary depending on which side of the brain the imbalance is on. Learning disabilities, social disabilities, behavioral disabilities, and attention problems are all different symptoms that may manifest from a disconnection in the brain. These symptoms can include:

• Difficulties paying attention
• Impulsiveness
• Negative behaviors
• Anxiety issues
• Inability to quickly process information
• Reading issues
• Social awkwardness
• Failure to pick up on non-verbal cues
• Unable to read people well

Treating a Hemispherical Imbalance

At Carolina Brain Center, we will conduct a thorough neurological evaluation to determine which hemisphere is underdeveloped. This may include testing primitive reflexes, cranial nerve functions, cerebellar function, frontal eye fields, and routine bloodwork. These symptoms affect multiple systems of the body, so a comprehensive assessment is essential.

Once we have collected the necessary data, a treatment plan will be developed to stimulate and promote hemispheric integration and synchronization. We will tailor this treatment plan to each patient’s needs to ensure the brain can work as a whole.

Treatment for a hemispherical imbalance is crucial. Otherwise, the weaker side will continue to get weaker, and the stronger side will take over as the dominant part of the brain. Our goal is to get both hemispheres working together to ensure the patient can access all parts of their brain.

Improving Communication in the Brain

The brain responds best to environmental stimuli, such as movement, sound, touch, and taste. To treat functional disconnections, the first step is to identify where the functional weakness is occurring. By using primitive reflex assessments, we can get to the underlying cause of the disconnection. Then, if a child has a weakness in auditory processing, for example, we can utilize auditory stimulation to help improve this disconnection.

As the best neurologist in NC, we provide a variety of treatment approaches depending on what the patient needs. These approaches can include:

Hemispheric Integration

Hemispheric integration is a rehabilitative therapy that incorporates stimulation and training of certain parts of the brain. This approach works to strengthen the weak and under-functioning neurological pathways that are not communicating with each other. The process encourages neuroplasticity, resulting in improved academic and social behavior.

Neurosensory

The neurosensory approach stimulates sensory pathways to improve motor and cognitive behaviors, focusing on environmental stimulation to improve the weaker areas of the brain. Primitive reflex training, movement stimulation, and other specific stimuli are utilized in this method.

Functional Biochemistry

Functional biochemistry is the use of natural compounds that are proven to support neurological, immunological, and digestive processes. As a more holistic approach, functional biochemistry helps us find the underlying cause of the disconnection, not just treat the symptoms caused by it.

Nutritional Counseling

Eating habits affect your entire body, and patients with functional disconnection syndrome are no different. Through nutritional counseling, we will help you implement the best diet for your child’s needs to promote optimal brain function. Our team will conduct clinical research and tailor a nutritional plan based on the results.

When your child is experiencing developmental challenges, contact Carolina Brain Center for an evaluation. We understand how difficult this time can be, and will help treat your child’s brain imbalance so you can watch your child achieve their full potential at school and home.

by Dr Dane