Is NDD Therapy for my child?

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You have browsed our website, you have also reviewed the "Red Flags for NDD" page and see some of the symptoms listed in your child, but you are still not sure if NDD therapy is right therapy for your child.

 In that case, let me encourage to get a copy of the book "Miracle Children" by Anna R Buck

 Why?  For Four  main reasons:

1.        In layman's terms, Miracle Children describes how dysfunction in the brain stem can affect children in varying degrees and through diverse manifestations.    The book also  includes captivating stories of children who benefited from NDD Therapy.  Some who showed minimal difficulties and others who demonstrated significant dysfunction in multiple areas of the central nervous system. 

Children with previous labels such as ADD, ADHD, SEID, Dyslexia, Perceptual Communication Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder and more, have overcome their difficulties and experience transformed lives."  

2. Parents who read the book before coming to our office get a discount on the comprehensive assessment.

3. The Late Dr. Peter Blythe Founder and Director   of the Institute of Neuro Physiological Psychology (INPP) from 1975-2001 wrote the forward in the book and had this to say " I consider Miracle Children a book that tens of thousands of parents throughout the Western world have been waiting for, because it proves that their dreams and hopes as parents can become reality. "

4. Parents who read the book before coming to our office for the initial comprehensive assessment, receive a discount on the assessment.

When parents observe difficulties or abnormalities in their child’s development they typically seek interventions based on the child’s specific symptoms. If a child has a vision (not sight) problem, parents may decide to take their child to an optometrist for vision therapy. If balance and/or gross or fine motor skills are delayed or impaired, parents may be inclined to pursue occupational therapy. Children with speech delay or enunciation difficulties typically undergo speech therapy.   

As you the parent seek help with the different symptoms you observe, it will be helpful to ask yourself these questions:
Are the problems or the symptoms being addressed? Might the symptoms be indicators of a larger problem(s)? What if the root problem lies elsewhere? 
There are several things you, as a parent, can do in your search for answers to your child’s struggles: 

Observe behaviors. Even if others tell you it’s something your child will outgrow, rely on your instincts. You know your child better than anyone else. Observe moods, sleeping and eating habits, play activities, sensitivities, bedwetting, bathroom issues, fears, obsessive-compulsive behaviors – any and all things that seem to you to be atypical. 

• Does your child recognize body-space or have body awareness? 
• Is your child able to control appropriate versus inappropriate behavior? 
• Is your child over-reactive or overly emotional? 
• Do you see difficulties with balance and/or gross or fine motor skills? 
• How is your child’s balance not just when moving (as on a skateboard or ice skates), but also when standing still or standing on one foot? 
• Does your child have poor hand-eye coordination? 
• Do you observe unusual sensitivities (or lack thereof) in any of the senses, such as emotions, touch, taste, smell, sight or sound?
•  Is your child a picky eater? Can your child process information well? 
• Can your child follow multiple directions? 
• What is your child’s posture like when walking, sitting, at the dinner table, while watching TV? 
• When your child stands up straight, is the head straight and aligned with the spine or is it tilted? 
• Do you notice articulation or enunciation problems? 
• Does your child react negatively to certain clothes or textures? 
• Does it seem like your child is constantly moving – fidgeting, spinning, twirling, etc.? 
• Do you see difficulties in any areas of academics or information processing? 
• Does your child show frustration, fatigue or lack of interest after reading for a very short time? 
• Do you often see blood-shot eyes or eye fatigue/stress when your child reads, writes or draws? 
• Is spelling poor in writing, but perhaps better on spelling tests? 
• Does your child struggle with demonstrating good writing skills, i.e., simultaneously maintaining spelling, creativity, punctuation, grammar and syntax? 
• Does your child struggle with multi-tasking? 
• Does your child show very poor copying abilities, whether from a blackboard or from a book? 

Categorize everything you observe : behavior, fears, listening, processing, each of the senses, balance, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, posture, speech, eye movements, hand-eye coordination, academics (note specific struggles), body space and body awareness. Ask yourself why your child might be demonstrating atypical behaviors. 

• Does noise, light or movement trigger reactions of any kind? 
• Does your child struggle with loss of control of physical movement or balance? 
• Are you able to determine what might trigger atypical fears?
• If your child struggles academically, do you sense that it is not just a lack of understanding of a specific subject, but your gut instinct says it may be a deeper problem? 

 If you observe that your child shows only one specific area of difficulty, seek testing in that specific area.  

However, If you find difficulties in several areas, you may be observing symptoms of a larger problem . Some children show very slight dysfunction in several areas, and so initial observations are difficult, but if your child shows even slight symptoms in several areas of functioning, you may want to consider an NDD Assessment. Neuro-Developmental Delay usually manifests itself through multiple symptoms across several areas of functioning.