Welcome to a new year and a new series on Connect My Brain! For the next few episodes, I’m going to be teaching you all about reflexes. If you’ve listened to any of my previous episodes, you’ve almost certainly heard me talk about some of these reflexes before. That’s because they are such an essential part of child development. However, if these reflexes don’t properly integrate, they can cause real problems for both children and adults. In this series, I’ll be covering three different types of reflexes.

In today’s episode, we’re going to be looking at withdrawal reflexes. I talk about what exactly a withdrawal reflex is, why it’s important, and what happens if it doesn’t properly integrate. If the withdrawal reflex has been retained, it will change the whole way an individual perceives their world. This reflex is actually the beginning of how you interpret safety. I hope you’ll take a listen and I hope you’ll learn something!

In this episode, we cover:

- The essential role of reflexes - The consequences of retained reflexes  - A closer look at withdrawal reflexes 

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode55

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone: 678-501-5172

Today’s episode is the last one in our case study series. My hope is that this series has helped you see places in your own child’s life where a behaviour might actually be caused by a brain that didn’t get wired up correctly because the good news is that you can retrain a brain! I want parents to know that there are people like me who really focus on development and help children (and adults!) navigate the path to get things back on track!

Today I will be focusing specifically on chronic stress and the stress-response evaluation. I started using this evaluation in 2008 as a way to quantify stress in an individual and see how the system is actually working. In this episode I go through the stress-response evaluation in detail, explaining how it works and what it can tell me and I talk about how chronic stress literally changes the brain.

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode54

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today on Connect My Brain, I’m continuing our case study series, sharing stories of some of the patients I’ve worked with. My hope is that these case studies will bring awareness to some of the problems that can occur during a child's development and that you, in turn, will be able to recognize similar problems in yourself or a loved one. 

Today’s case study is a seven-year-old girl who first came to my office with ADHD, hypotonia, processing problems, behavioural problems, and a plethora of other issues. I’ll share how the circumstances of her birth may have caused some of the problems she’s facing today and what I discovered when I assessed her. I also talk about the dedication it takes to help your child long-term and how long it actually takes for a child to go through the program. 

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode53

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

In today’s episode, I will be sharing the case of a ten-year-old boy who was having problems with frustration and impulse control and who had suspected anxiety and depression. As I take you through this case study, I will also be giving you a deeper look at brain mapping - what I'm looking for and what it actually tells me. Brain maps are an amazing tool I use when assessing a patient, but I never just look at the brain map. I also do other assessments and ask lots of questions to try to figure out what might be going on so that I can actually get to the root of the problem. After working with me, this boy made amazing progress and even asked to continue with some of the therapies for a few more weeks because he could see how much of a difference they made. Remember, it’s never too late to change your brain! 

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode52

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today we’re continuing with our case study series. If you’re joining me for the first time, my hope for this series is that as you hear about some of the children I have worked their stories will validate what your gut is telling you if you see similarities in your own children and that you will feel empowered to get the support you need to help your child turn things around. 

In today’s episode, I’ll take you through the case of a ten-year-old boy who was struggling with emotional dysregulation, lots of meltdowns, and trouble focusing. When it came down to it, I discovered that the two sides of his brain weren’t communicating properly with each other and as we worked to improve that, we saw some big changes. As we explore this case study together, I’ll share some red flags in the patient’s personal and family medical history and what I discovered when I evaluated him and ran various tests. Then, I’ll connect the dots for you and show you how all of those pieces fit together and how I was able to help this child. 

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode51

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 678-501-5172

Today I have a very special guest on my show, Debbie Spicer. 22 years ago, after 8 years of infertility, Debbie and her husband were living in Africa and had the chance to adopt an amazing little girl whom they named Kgakgamatso or KG for short. KG’s name means miracle and as you hear her story you will realize what a miracle her life really is. At just ten days old, KG was in a car accident in a remote area. The adults with her were killed on the scene and KG wasn’t found until the next morning. KG sustained serious brain injuries from the accident but it took years to understand the full extent of her injuries. Each time KG and her family travelled back and forth between Africa and the states, it got more and more difficult for KG to get on the plane to the point where she couldn’t fly anymore. This is when I met KG and started working with her and she really made incredible progress. KG’s story is truly a miracle and a message of hope that many families so desperately need.

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode50

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today on Connect My Brain we’re going to be looking at another case study. My hope is that these studies will help you understand how everything is connected and hopefully give you a starting place if you’re going through something similar with your child. In today’s case study I’ll be sharing about a patient of mine who had a history of the streptococcus bacteria but who came in to seek help for their ADHD. When I see strep in somebody’s history, I always want to get a strep antibody test and when I ran this child’s numbers, they were through the roof. In this episode, I will talk about how the immune system gets developed and explore the link between strep and neurological disorders.

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode49

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and the introduction of mandatory masking by many countries and organizations, speech delays (and other developmental delays) have been emphasized more than ever. Yes, I did see these types of delays before the pandemic, but it’s not just genes that influence who we are and how we behave - our environment plays a big role. In light of all of the events of the past two and a half years, it’s not surprising that our children have been impacted in drastic ways. However, if you have noticed delays in your own children, the time to act is now. The longer you wait, the harder it is! In this episode, I’ll explain a bit about early child development, explain the dangers of an overactive stress response, and share how I approach the treatment of young children. My desire is that this episode gives you the information you need to advocate for your kids and get them the help they need for the challenges they face. 

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode48

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Welcome back to the Connect My Brain podcast. Today I’m going to be sharing another case study with you, this time of an 8-year old boy who struggled with anxiety, a suspected attention deficit disorder, and all kinds of other health issues such as asthma, eczema, and poor balance. As we explore his story together, I’ll talk you through everything from his mom’s pregnancy to his infancy and toddler years to now. It’s remarkable how a child’s circumstances and environment have such an impact on development. My hope is that these case studies will help bring awareness and hope to some of the struggles you might face with your own children. When I first met this boy, he had all kinds of struggles, but his story of change, healing, and health will definitely give you hope!

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode47

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today we’re continuing in our brand new series where I go through some case studies of real patients that I’ve worked with. In this episode, I’ll tell you about a ten-year-old boy who first came into my office with ADHD, dyslexis, and a motor tic. Our goal was to help improve this boy’s focus and resolve hyperactivity without using medication. 

In this case study, I cover more about what symptoms the child was experiencing, what kind of events in his patient history could have played a factor in how his brain got wired, and what kinds of assessments I used. Using a variety of assessments with my patients allows me to see how their brains have been wired up and figure out what kind of program might help their brains change and create new pathways. I truly love what I do and am so honored to be able to empower others with this kind of information. I hope this story will give you hope for your own child!

SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode46

What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/

Phone the office: 678-501-5172