The Brain Development Podcast

What do you do when your child simply cannot cope with school?The morning anxiety starts. Getting dressed becomes a battle. They refuse to leave the house—or manage to hold everything together at school only to completely fall apart when they get home.It can look like defiance, avoidance, rigidity or challenging behaviour.But what if we stopped asking:“Why won't my child just go to school?”and started asking:“What is making school so difficult for my child to cope with?”In this episode of The Brain Development Podcast, Lara Barnes is joined by Vicky Finlayson of Happy Healthy Unicorn to explore school refusal through the lens of sensory load, nervous-system regulation, physical development, nutrition and a child's individual capacity to tolerate stress.Vicky shares her own experience of home educating and discusses children she has worked with who found the demands of school extraordinarily difficult. Together, Lara and Vicky explore just how much a school day can demand from a child: noise, lighting, smells, sitting still, social interaction, transitions, instructions, learning, visual attention and the constant requirement to adapt to somebody else's timetable.Lara then looks at the developmental systems involved in functioning within such a complex environment—including balance, postural control, sensory processing and visual control—and shares the story of a highly intelligent young girl who became so overwhelmed that she couldn't make it from a London station to Lara's clinic.Instead of forcing the assessment, Lara went to meet her where she felt safe.Once the pressure was removed and the young person was given choice, explanation and control, she engaged brilliantly. Her assessment subsequently identified specific postural and visual-control challenges that could make some everyday tasks more demanding.It's a powerful reminder:Capability and capacity are not the same thing.A child can be exceptionally bright and completely capable of understanding the schoolwork while still finding the sensory, physical, emotional and social demands surrounding learning overwhelming.Vicky and Lara also discuss why behaviours described as “rigid,” “non-compliant,” “oppositional” or “demand avoidant” may sometimes need to be understood in the context of the child's stress, sensory environment and capacity to cope—not simply as deliberate bad behaviour.One of Vicky's most useful analogies is to imagine your child's capacity as an elastic band.When a child is already operating close to their limit, continually stretching them further may result in greater distress rather than greater resilience. The goal is therefore not simply to push harder. It is to understand what is contributing to their difficulty, support them appropriately and gradually increase the range of situations they can manage.This episode is for the parent who has been told:“They're just trying to get out of school.”Or:“You need to be firmer.”Or who simply knows that their child is struggling but doesn't yet understand why.Featuring: Lara Barnes — Brain Development UKwww.braindevelopment.co.uk Vicky Finlayson — Happy Healthy Unicornwww.thehappyhealthyunicorn.comAnd if you'd like to continue learning with Lara and Vicky, join them inside Thrive Hub, their parent community offering weekly sessions, Q&As, masterclasses and practical education for families supporting neurodivergent children.One small editorial point before you publish: I would keep the public description centred on overwhelm, sensory demands, anxiety, regulation and individual assessment rather than repeating some of the stronger causal claims in the recording around “pyrol disorder,” toxins/vaccines causing reflexes to return, or specific dietary changes stabilising the nervous system. Those claims need considerably more qualification than a podcast description allows. The core message of this episode is strong without them.

Understanding Tics and Their Connection to Stress

Explore the biology behind tics and how parents can help their children.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Brain Development Podcast newsletter. In our latest episode, Lara and Vicki tackle a pressing issue many parents face: understanding why their children experience tics, especially when stressed or unwell. 

The Biological Underpinnings of Tics

Vicki Finlayson from the Happy Healthy Unicorn joins Lara to delve into the complex biology behind tics and neurodiversity. Vicki emphasizes the importance of recognizing that many symptoms often get dismissed under broad diagnoses, leaving parents without answers. She passionately advocates for a more nuanced understanding:  

"Every single symptom gets lumped under the label that your child has been given, and there's no curiosity or questions or investigations into what could potentially be happening."

Rather than accepting the narrative that autism is purely genetic, Vicki highlights that many symptoms are reversible with the right interventions. This perspective encourages parents to seek deeper investigations into their child’s health rather than accepting a fate defined solely by genetics. 

The Role of the Immune System

A significant part of their conversation centers around PANS and PANDAS, neuropsychiatric conditions that can lead to regression in a child’s functioning. Vicki explains how these conditions arise from immune system dysregulation:  

"When your child's immune system is infiltrating or creating antibodies towards that area [of the brain], it's obviously very unhelpful from a functional perspective."

She describes how a child’s immune system can misfire, particularly when stressed or ill, exacerbating symptoms such as tics or OCD behaviors. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of understanding these biological responses, which can empower parents to take proactive steps in their child’s care. 

Empowering Parents

Both Lara and Vicki stress the necessity for parents to advocate for their children, urging them not to accept a diagnosis as a definitive endpoint. Vicki states,  

"Your child doesn't have to suffer... they still have the right to a healthy happy life like everyone else."

This episode serves as a reminder that understanding the underlying biology of behavior can lead to more effective interventions and a better quality of life for neurodiverse children. 

Join the Conversation

As we wrap up this insightful discussion, we invite you to reflect on your own experiences and the narratives surrounding neurodiversity. For more insights and to hear the full conversation, tune in to our latest episode. 

Lara Barnes – Brain Development UK

www.braindevelopment.co.uk

Vicky Finlayson – Happy Healthy Unicorn

www.thehappyhealthyunicorn.com

And if you'd like to learn more from Lara and Vicky and join a community of parents exploring child development, nutrition, health and practical ways of supporting their families, you can find them inside Thrive Hub at Thrive-Hub.com.

What happens when you begin to recognize some of your child's struggles in yourself?

In this episode of The Brain Development Podcast, Lara Barnes is joined by Vicky Finlayson from The Happy Healthy Unicorn for an open conversation about something that is often overlooked when supporting neurodivergent children: the wellbeing of the parent and the wider family environment.

Lara and Vicky explore how family history, inherited predispositions, physical health, stress tolerance and emotional regulation can all influence family life. Importantly, this isn't a conversation about blaming parents. In fact, Vicky repeatedly stresses the opposite: understanding patterns within a family can give parents greater insight into their own needs and help them create a more supportive environment for themselves and their child.

They also discuss co-regulation—how children and parents continually respond to one another—and why looking after the parent's own capacity to cope with stress can be an important part of supporting a child. Vicky reflects candidly on her own family history, mental health and experience raising her daughter Rose, while Lara discusses what she observes when working with families in clinic.

But the conversation goes much deeper than biology. Lara and Vicky talk honestly about the enormous emotional load that can come with parenting a child who is struggling: exhaustion, frustration, guilt, comparison with other families and even feelings of resentment that parents may be frightened to acknowledge.

Lara describes how a child's difficulties can sometimes become the catalyst for change across an entire family—from food and lifestyle to relationships, self-understanding and the way parents view their own health.

Vicky also challenges parents to think differently about how they see their child. Rather than constantly comparing a neurodivergent child with a typically developing peer, she encourages families to consider the child's individual experience, strengths and capacity, particularly when a child is non-speaking or unable to communicate easily.Supporting your child doesn't necessarily mean focusing exclusively on your child.

Sometimes parents need support too.Understanding your own stress responses, looking after your physical and emotional health, recognising the patterns that exist within your family and learning how to create moments of safety, connection and co-regulation can change the environment in which your child is developing.

And none of this requires parents to be perfect. It is about becoming more aware of what both you and your child need.

The episode finishes with a discussion about communication and why connection matters especially for children who are non-speaking or communicate differently, before Lara and Vicky share how parents can find further support through Thrive Hub, their community for families navigating neurodiversity.

❤️ Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE this episode with another parent who may need to hear this conversation.

🌱 Join us inside Thrive Hub Our parent community brings families together for weekly support, masterclasses, webinars and conversations about neurodevelopment, nutrition and helping you better understand your child.

As Lara explains at the end of the episode, members have regular opportunities to learn and ask questions directly.

www.thrive-hub.com

What happens when your child is struggling with severe anxiety, OCD, school refusal, emotional dysregulation or dramatic changes in behaviour — but the conventional mental-health pathway isn't giving your family the answers you need?

In this episode of The Brain Development Podcast, Lara Barnes is joined by Vicky Finlayson from Happy Healthy Unicorn for an important conversation about looking beyond behaviour and asking a bigger question:

What else could be contributing to what we're seeing in our children?

Lara and Vicky discuss families they have encountered who have been through the CAMHS pathway but continued to search for answers when their children were still struggling.

They explore why physical health and mental health shouldn't always be considered in isolation, and why factors such as illness, infection, nutrition, sleep, blood-sugar regulation and other biological or environmental factors may sometimes warrant appropriate medical investigation alongside psychological and mental-health support.

Vicky shares examples from her practice of children experiencing profound changes including school refusal, anxiety, OCD, severe behavioural changes and mental-health crises, and discusses the questions she believes parents can take back to their healthcare professionals when a child's behaviour changes suddenly or dramatically.

We also discuss some simple foundations families can consider with appropriate professional guidance, including nutrition, hydration, blood-sugar stability and investigating potential deficiencies or medical contributors where clinically indicated.

This isn't about telling parents to reject CAMHS, medication, psychological therapy or conventional medicine. Mental-health treatment can be essential and lifesaving. It's about encouraging a broader conversation and empowering parents to keep asking questions when their child is still struggling.

Because sometimes the behaviour we see on the outside is telling us that we need to investigate more deeply.

If you're a parent who feels you've reached the end of the road and still don't understand what's happening to your child, this episode is for you.

❤️ Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE this episode with another parent who may need to hear this conversation.

🌱 Join us inside Thrive Hub Our parent community brings families together for weekly support, masterclasses, webinars and conversations about neurodevelopment, nutrition and helping you better understand your child. As Lara explains at the end of the episode, members have regular opportunities to learn and ask questions directly.

www.thrive-hub.com

Important: If a child is suicidal, experiencing psychosis, at immediate risk of harming themselves or somebody else, or is acutely medically unwell, seek urgent professional/emergency medical help. The information discussed in this podcast is educational and is not a substitute for individual medical or mental-health assessment.

Walk down any grocery store aisle today and you will notice how bright packaging, cartoon mascots, and convenient snacks have completely redefined childhood nutrition. What was once treated as an occasional birthday treat has quietly transformed into the daily baseline of what our children consume. For many families, navigating mealtime has become an exhausting battle against ultra-processed foods, hidden additives, and rising health concerns.Health practitioner, author, and devoted mother Vicky Finlayson joins the conversation to pull back the curtain on the modern children's food industry. Drawing from deep personal experience and rigorous scientific training, Vicky shares an eye-opening look at what our current food culture is doing to developing brains and bodies, and how returning to compassionate, whole-food nourishment can transform a family's wellness from the inside out.Breaking free from the ultra-processed trap is not about shame, guilt, or seeking unattainable perfection. It is about understanding the root causes behind chronic inflammation, mood fluctuations, and sensory overload, and gently shifting the family table back toward nourishing, biologically supportive foods. Vicky shares practical, heartfelt wisdom to help parents navigate picky eating, support neurodivergent development, and build a lasting foundation of vibrant health and deep resilience for their children.Reclaiming our children’s health isn't about guilt or perfection; it begins with understanding how modern food impacts developing minds and bodies. By shifting from ultra-processed conveniences to compassionate, root-cause nourishment, we can give our kids the foundation they truly need to thrive. As Vicky Finlayson’s journey proves, real healing starts when science meets unconditional love right at the family table.#children #junkfood #food

Society tends to equate speech with intelligence, mistakenly assuming that if someone cannot verbally speak, they have nothing meaningful to say. For non-speaking and non-verbal neurodivergent individuals, this narrow assumption builds a painful wall of dismissal and misunderstanding. In classrooms, social circles, and healthcare systems, brilliant, perceptive human beings are routinely talked down to, underestimated, and ignored simply because their nervous system and motor planning pathways do not translate thoughts into spoken words.

True intelligence has never been defined by vocal cords. Behind the silence lies rich internal worlds, intricate analytical thinking, deep emotional depth, and acute awareness of everything happening in the room.

In this powerful and perspective-shifting discussion, we pull back the curtain on the harmful myth of the non-speaking mind. We explore why motor apraxia and sensory-motor disconnects prevent the body from cooperating with the brain, how alternative and augmentative communication tools unlock profound self-expression, and why assuming competence is the fundamental baseline of human dignity. If you are a parent advocating for your child, an educator striving for true neuro-affirming inclusion, or someone ready to see past surface labels, this conversation serves as an essential reminder that everyone has a voice—we just need to learn how to listen.

https://www.thrive-hub.com/

Led by Vicky Finlayson and Lara Barnes, Thrive-Hub is a membership platform supporting parents of neurodiverse children with expert guidance, practical strategies, and a clear path forward for families navigating similar challenges with their children.

It offers a safe, supportive space to connect, share understanding, feel truly heard, and move forward together, guided by Vicky’s and Lara’s expertise and best-practice advice.

Stop Searching, Start Understanding: The Parent Community Helping You Understand Your Child

Late at night, when the house is finally quiet, countless parents find themselves staring into the glow of a phone screen, frantically typing questions into search bars. When raising a child navigating developmental hurdles, sensory sensitivities, behavioral hurdles, or neurological differences, modern parenting can quickly become an isolating maze of clinical jargon, contradictory advice, and overwhelming uncertainty.

Searching for answers in isolation often leaves devoted mothers and fathers feeling exhausted, misunderstood, and carrying the silent fear that they are falling short.

In this heartfelt and empowering episode, hosts Lara and special guest Vicky Finlayson open up about the profound realities of raising neurodivergent children and introduce a desperately needed lifeline for families: Thrive-Hub.

Dr. Steve Williams: Pioneering Excellence in Pediatric Chiropractic Care For over thirty years, Dr. Steve Williams has been a leading authority in pediatric chiropractic care, craniopathy, and Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT). As the principal practitioner of a thriving family practice in Southampton, UK, Dr. Williams specializes in gentle, evidence-based care for infants, children, and pregnant mothers, focusing on how early physical stress and birth trauma impact long-term health.A widely respected educator, Dr. Williams delivers more than twenty keynote lectures a year across Europe, the United States, and Australia. He regularly shares his clinical insights with interdisciplinary audiences of chiropractors, medical doctors, and dental specialists. He is also the author of the acclaimed 2005 textbook, Pregnancy and Paediatrics: A Chiropractic Approach, which remains a cornerstone resource for pediatric healthcare providers globally.Dr. Williams’ contributions extend deep into professional leadership and regulation. He is a former Vice President of the British Chiropractic Association, served on the UK General Chiropractic Council from 2003 to 2011, and is a Past President of both SOTO Europe and SOTO International. As a co-founder of the Royal College of Chiropractors' Faculty of Paediatrics, Dr. Steve Williams continues to shape clinical standards while providing hands-on care to families [email protected] https://www.stjameschiro.co.uk/

Ever feel like you’re doing all the right therapies, yet your child remains stuck in a persistent state of fight-or-flight? In this eye-opening episode, host Lara sits down with Dr Cedrick Noel, a seasoned clinician with over 25 years of experience in chiropractic neurology and neurodevelopmental rehabilitation. Dr Noel challenges conventional approaches by advocating for a "gravity first" model. He explains why the cerebellum and vestibular gravity receptors act as the brain's master calibrators, and how miscalibrations in these systems keep the autonomic nervous system constantly dysregulated. From discussing the instant resolution of movement tics in his own son to explaining the mechanics of translational movement over rotation, Dr Noel offers a groundbreaking, bottom-up framework for restoring neurological harmony. If you want to take the "foot off the gas" of your child's nervous system, this conversation is an absolute must-listen.

Key Takeaways

Gravity First: Establishing proper calibration of the four otolithic gravity receptors is the foundational prerequisite before higher-level therapies can succeed.

The Cerebellar Hub: The cerebellum contains 80% of the brain's neurons despite making up only 10% of its mass, making it the master calibrator for motor, sensory, and autonomic functions.

Translational over Rotational: Linear translational movement (up-down, side-to-side, diagonal) recalibrates gravity receptors far more effectively than rotational or spinning exercises.

Taking the Foot off the Gas: Vestibular miscalibration hard-wires the body into a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) drive; resetting it relaxes the nervous system without needing to force parasympathetic braking.

VOR Cancellation: Matching head, eye, and target alignment (time-zero strategy) directly activates the cerebellar flocculus, calming overactive reflex loops.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Dr Cedrick Noel: 25 years of functional neurology and the foundational approach.

04:12 – The Cerebellum as the Master Calibrator: Why cerebellar neurons drive brainstem integration.

07:40 – Vestibular Gravity Receptors: The difference between canals and otoliths in translational movement.

11:05 – Sympathetic Drive & Taking the Foot off the Gas: How vestibular input controls fight-or-flight.

16:20 – Early Warning Signs: Identifying structural asymmetry, head tilts, and gait compensations.

20:45 – The Time-Zero Strategy & VOR Cancellation: Using target alignment to calm the flocculus.

24:30 – Case Study: Eliminating Tics in One Session: Dr Noel’s personal experience with his 7-year-old son.

28:15 – Environmental Factors & 5G Frequencies: The impact of modern technology on otolithic sensitivity.

31:10 – Gravity First, Function Follows: Final words of hope and advice for parents navigating dysregulation.

SOCIAL/IMPORTANT LINKS

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@braindevelopmentuk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/larakelly/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https:/www.braindevelopment.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thrive Hub

Lara Barnes a successful woman in tech found herself managing behavioural, learning and speech difficulties with her son, she learn functional neurology and how to change the brain to correct his symptoms and build his left brain. The Building the Brain Podcast is for parents needing to understand how to help their children and show them what can be done to change little lives to allow them to shine and be their best version.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠