May 11, 2017

I spoke recently to Adeena Pelberg, holistic educator, about her experience with movement therapies for children with Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Make sure you catch the whole podcast episode to hear from her why movement therapies help our kids by addressing the underlying dysfunction in their brains.
Her story began twenty years ago when her husband suffered a spontaneous brain hemorrhage followed by a traumatic brain injury and paralysis due to a fall down a flight of concrete stairs. When the surgeons finally operated on his brain, they left a hole that was visible on MRI.
Adeena was a schoolteacher at the time but quit to become her husband’s caretaker. She worked with him as he relearned all his basic functions, things like how to dress, how to bathe, how to tie his shoes, and how to do two simple tasks at the same time. During this time, Adeena became passionate about training him. She realized that if a grown man with a hole in his brain could go from being unable to do anything for himself to relearning how to properly function in the world, then so might children who she had worked with in the past, who suffer from developmental delays. They just needed the right training.
Listen to the full podcast to learn more about Adeena’s work with children using movement therapies like Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI) and Rhythmic Movement Training (RMTi).
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May 4, 2017

I get excited at the prospect of attending a new conference either in person or online. Â I look at all the speakers and the things they are talking about and think of all the possibilities of some nugget I may learn or ah-ha moment I may have that could help my children. Â It is hard not to get excited, but when I first started attending conferences (real or virtual) I would be wowed with all the information and then on the way home or the after the online event ended a wave of overwhelm would wash over me. What did it all mean? Â How do I implement? Â Where do I go from here?
Eventually, I learned that if I had a plan before attending a conference they were one of the most important tools for learning how to help my child. Â Today, I will share with you how to maximize the value of attending a conference (in person or virtual) to help your child.
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April 27, 2017

Research and clinical findings show that our children are burdened with multiple nutrient deficiencies. Â Unaddressed, these deficiencies continue to impair many important metabolic functions in our children and impact their health, neurologic function and in the end their ability to heal. Â In order to address key nutrient deficiencies appropriately, we must identify which ones are most likely in our children, what impact this has on them, why they occur in the first place and how we can fix them.
On today’s podcast, I discuss the what, why and how to fix key nutrient deficiencies in our children.  I also addressed this subject in a previous blog post, Top Nutrient Deficiencies Found in Our Children – What You Need to Know.  Here is a snapshot of what you will learn today:
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April 20, 2017

On today’s podcast, I decided to revisit the topic of digestion.  Good digestion is a fundamental piece of the puzzle impacting our children's’ health.  Understanding how digestion is supposed to work and what happens when it doesn’t work properly will give you clarity on what is contributing to or is a roadblock to making meaningful progress in your child’s healing.
The importance of good digestion is one of the first topics I wrote about when I started My Child Will Thrive.  If you have listened to today’s podcast but want a written refresher, you can review what I talked about by reading Is Poor Digestion Sabotaging Diet Efforts With Your Child and The Sabotage of Poor Digestion and How To Fix It.
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April 13, 2017

I recently interviewed Susan Levin, mother of 14-year old Ben, who received an autism diagnosis at the age of five. Ben’s story is inspiring and revolves around the Son-Rise Program, a parent-led program that is helping to recover children on the autism spectrum. In today’s article and podcast 007 learn how Susan recovered her son from autism through the Son-Rise program alongside biomedical, and social development therapies.
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April 6, 2017

Last week we talked about functional neurology and how it’s important to address brain function directly in conjunction with our efforts to address the brain indirectly with biomedical treatments and nutrition. Neurofeedback is one functional neurologic therapy that can help your child with a neurodevelopmental disorder like autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorders.
I had the opportunity to interview a neurofeedback expert, John Mekrut, owner of The Balanced Brain Neurofeedback Training Center and a father of a daughter with multiple neurodevelopmental challenges, on the My Child Will Thrive Podcast Episode 006. Â Listen to the podcast for his full story and insights about the use of neurofeedback. Â This article outlines the basics about neurofeedback options you can investigate for your child.
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March 30, 2017

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, learning disabilities, and other related conditions often face a number of challenges for which there are an even larger number of therapies. Functional neurology is one therapy that works directly with the nervous system, helping to retrain the brain and peripheral nervous system to function appropriately. Functional neurology is the perfect complement to biomedical treatment.
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March 9, 2017

As a parent of a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder like ADHD, autism, sensory processing disorder, or learning disability, you are likely under a lot of stress. Supporting your child; keeping up with her appointments, therapies, and diets; and somehow staying on top of your own life leave you with little energy or time—and not enough quality sleep. You are not alone, and it’s likely your lack of sleep is taking its toll.  Sleep may not feel like a priority in your life, but by not giving it the importance it deserves, your health—and your child’s health—are at stake.  We are going to get to the heart of the matter and give you 10 ways to get more sleep and help your child sleep, too.
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March 2, 2017

I get asked a lot by parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders what the difference is between the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet and the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet), and how to choose which of these therapeutic diets is best for their child.
Both diets are similar in nature, so some people get confused about which one to try and why. The two diets are based on some of the same principles. Essentially, the GAPS Diet is built on the SCD Diet, but is more comprehensive in nature.
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February 23, 2017

Exposure to toxicants is a prominent contributor to the physiological dysfunction and resulting symptoms of many children with neurodevelopmental disorders. You have likely learned about it already, and you may already be taking steps to reduce your child’s exposure to toxicants, but what about those toxins that are already in her body? What to do before a detoxification protocol, preparing your child’s body, is just as important as the detox protocol itself.
Detoxification protocols are often recommended for our children. But before you dive headfirst into a detox for your child, you want to make sure that her body is ready for it. To prepare for detoxification, it’s crucial to support all of your child’s elimination channels, which are the organs and systems responsible for eliminating toxins from the body.
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