Still Talking....

We recently received this wonderful testimonial from a family with a little girl that won over all of our hearts. She came through our doors every day with a huge smile on her face, and a boisterous hello! She loved to share her toys with us, she brought a different one every day, and no matter what she worked her hardest. We are so proud of her and her family. They dedicated themselves to seeing this program through, and we are so thankful for the feed back they they were able to provide us with. We miss you guys! Hope to see you soon!

To the entire Brain Balance Team,

It’s been a few months now since we left Brain Balance after Maegan’s program and we are still talking about the great things Brain Balance has done to improve our lives.   I say our lives because what Maegan goes through we all go through.  Maegan has always been a happy-go-lucky girl.  She developed normally from infancy through early learning years, but we knew she was developing differently than her twin sister.  She was physically more active and less afraid of doing things that seemed risky or dangerous.  When we enrolled the girls in a preschool run by Franciscan nuns, the nuns would always tell us that they used every trick possible to keep Maegan from getting up throughout the day or during circle time. 

When she started kindergarten, she showed the same behaviors of fidgeting and disrupting the class with her constant need to keep moving, touching things or not following instruction and at times throwing fits during class.  She had to be removed from her classroom several times during the year and placed in the pre-school classes on those days.  Maegan would come home crying saying she was placed in the baby classes because she was behaving like a baby.   We would discipline her at home only to see her do the same thing over and over again with some good weeks and some very bad weeks. 

First grade was a lot like Kindergarten, but fewer bad weeks as she started to make friends and socialize more.  Challenges at home were similar to challenges in school.  She would often get frustrated when she could not figure out the answers to homework on her own.  She would throw fits and toss her books and pencil across the table and refuse to complete the homework.  Maegan would cry hysterically and it would take her hours to finish her homework assignments when her sister would do it on her own and in a fraction of the time.  This would frustrate Maegan even more.  Before 1^st grade was over we received Maegan’s Tera Nova test scores (these are the state-wide academic tests) and we were disappointed to see Maegan score in the 15^th to 25^th percentile of the average scores of a 1^st grader.  The teacher told us she never finished the exam because she got frustrated and simply stopped trying.  We were all worried about Maegan at that point and realized this was not a maturity problem, but that this was a much bigger problem so we took her to the pediatrician for an evaluation.  That’s when she was diagnosed her with ADHD.  Now we knew what the issue was and we went looking for help.  That’s when I found Brain Balance.   

When we started Brain Balance Maegan was often too afraid to try new things and was too afraid to read out loud.  She would read very slowly and often lose her place on the page.  She was easily distracted and was difficult for us to bring her back to continue the task of reading.   Maegan was skeptical at first, and honestly so were we, but we had to try something to help her.  We started her sessions during the summer break and she enjoyed going to each session.  Some days she would say she was working really hard and other days she would say she had a lot of fun.  Her twin sister Lauren would wait outside and play with the toys and she also enjoyed going to BB each day with her sister.  Mid-way through the sessions I could already see a change in Maegan.  She was eager to read and she was reading much better.  She was attempting to sound-out words when before she would wait for me to sound them out for her.   Maegan was also not afraid to do new things anymore.  I was amazed with her new found confidence in herself.   

Maegan continued BB into the early part of her 2^nd grade and she started the year with a better view of herself.  At this point she was assigned a school aide to her class as part of the school program.  Her aide happened to be the aide that was with her during Kindergarten.  After the first week in school, the aide pulled my husband aside and mentioned that she had seen a tremendous change in Maegan.  She said she did not fidget during class, she didn’t disrupt the class and that she was indeed a better reader.  She asked us what we had done to achieve such changes and we said Brain Balance.  We are now mid-way through 2^nd grade and Maegan still has her days but she and her teachers tell us she’s able to manage herself out of those situations better.  What would take her hours to get through an emotional breakdown now only takes 10 minutes at most.  She knows and is aware of those situations and tries her best to avoid them.  It’s a work in progress but we know this is now easier for her and us to deal with thanks to Brain Balance.  As she grows older and deals with different situations, I will always think back at what Brain Balance has taught us about ADHD and I would not think twice about putting her through another session with BB if we think it will help her again.  We enjoyed the teaching sessions with Dr. Milello and Dr. Scire – they both offered great learning and tips on how to deal with Maegan’s issues.

Thank you to the team that was so patient and kind with Maegan.  Maegan continues to ask me to bring her back to say hi to her teachers.  She has her star posted to her wall to remind her of all the great things she’s achieved!   See you all soon…

Yours truly,

Sharon B.

A Happy Family!

Today at Brain Balance of Summit we received a heartwarming testimonial, from a very happy family. Their son, was one of the first kids through the door when we opened last summer, and since then he has only flourished! This young man and his family took what Brain Balance gave them and really emulated a star student! They rarely missed a session, they were diligent with doing their home exercises, and they were all troopers when it came to the specialized elimination diet. We could not be PROUDER of this graduate! Please read along to see what this mom has to say about her son's sessions with us.

"Nicholas was a healthy 9 year-old boy the March he was injured. That night he began making noises that I assumed were a soothing mechanism. Within a few days he sounded like a car horn. It was at that point that Tourette’s Syndrome became all too familiar to me. In June of 2011, he was officially diagnosed. Within a week, I saw an ad for Brain Balance Centers in a magazine. I mentioned it to him, and he was all for trying it. In August 2011, he began his first program term. By the time the 12 weeks were up in November, Nicholas had made great improvements in regards to the exhibiting of tics, as well as improved confidence and socialization.

Because tics have been known to peek during the middle school years, we decided to enroll him in a second session to try to “get ahead of the game.” At that time, Nicholas was only exhibiting some mild grunting, unnoticeable to others around him. In March 2012, he began his second program term at Brain Balance. Throughout this session he continued to improve functionally, as well as socially. He also continued to perform well in school.
During a class game on his second day of school this year – new school, new classmates, new teachers – Nicholas told his class something unique about himself: he has Tourette’s Syndrome. He did this on his own, his decision, his way. It was a huge difference from me having to be in the room the prior year and explaining it to his classmates while he sat quietly next to me, looking down. His confidence had grown over the year in that he wasn’t ashamed of having Tourette’s and wasn’t letting it get in his way. I had tears in my eyes when he told me after school. Tears, because this disorder is not my friend, but also because my little boy has accepted this disorder into his life and he is giving it his all to overcome it. That has been our philosophy since day one – this is not going to stop him from doing anything that he wants to do.
For any parent who sees the ad for Brain Balance and thinks it’s going to be a quick & easy fix: I’m telling you that you’re wrong. It is not going to be easy. What it is going to be is an intense 12 weeks for you & your child. The home exercises need to be done to enhance the program; the music needs to be listened to; the elimination diet needs to be followed without cheating; the positive reinforcement needs to be there; the patience needs to be there; your child needs to see that you believe in this program. The progress may be slow in the beginning but then all of a sudden you will blink and see that positive changes have been made right before your eyes. Your child will balk at the idea of the elimination diet (you may, too – you need to get creative!), but the differences you may see as a result of it all will be your reward. Quick, easy – not at all – but so worth it.
We enrolled my son in two 12 week sessions because we saw such a positive change and knew that there was room for more growth & development. We took the challenge full force both times, had the blood work done again as our choice and followed through with the elimination diet again as our choice. Yes, it was tough. Yes, he fought going to the sessions at times because he wanted free time. Yes, he cried at times during the elimination diets. Yes, it was worth it. Yes, I would do it again.
Looking back at our time with our Brain Balance family, I am so happy that we gave the program a chance. It has made such a positive impact on Nicholas. As of today, he is ‘tic free’ with the exception of the pencil twirling that is just sticking with him and some very seldom, random noises – but I’ll take it! He is still the same happy child that walked into the program making noises, but he walked out with the confidence to speak about Tourette Syndrome for himself and continue his journey to overcome it.
The staff in the Summit Center has been so amazing from that first day we walked into their office. The support from each and every one of them as Nicholas gained success was genuine and unconditional. Once he was there, he enjoyed his sessions and built a relationship with each one of them throughout our 24 weeks with them. Nicholas finished the program months ago, yet their support is still there if I need it. It’s a great feeling to know they are vested in each and every child who walks through their door."