Free Downloads Disconnected Kids: The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program For Children With Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, And Other Neurological Disorders
The proven, drug-free program to treat the cause-not just the symptoms-of autism spectrum disorders and related conditions. Each year, an estimated 1.5 million children-one out of every six-are diagnosed with autism, Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Dr. Robert Melillo brings a fundamentally new understanding to the cause of these conditions with his revolutionary Brain Balance Program(tm). It has achieved real, fully documented results that have dramatically improved the quality of life for children and their families in every aspect: behavioral, emotional, academic, and social. Disconnected Kids shows parents how to use this drug-free approach at home, including:Fully customizable exercises that target physical, sensory, and academic performanceA behavior modification planAdvice for identifying food sensitivities that play a hidden roleA follow-up program that helps to ensure lasting results
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: TarcherPerigee; Rev Upd edition (March 3, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399172440
ISBN-13: 978-0399172441
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #16,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #26 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs > Disabilities #440 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Parenting
You may be that reader who, like me 2 weeks ago, will be considering whether to punch 'buy it now' and, for 13 odd dollars, add yet another 6" by 9"-sized trade paperback on behavioral issues and solutions among youth to your book shelf. I think it's well worth reading at that price, but for many, and certainly for myself, I doubt it will offer a silver bullet for addressing our needs.This book follows a standard format of providing vignettes that encourage the reader (for better or worse) to point into the page and say, "yeap, that's my kid!", followed by a stream of periodically-included similar ones, all with happy outcomes, to motivate the reader to keep reading by creating reserved hopefulness. The book provides substantial anecdotal and statistical background on the importance of the problem that it is addressing, as well as scopes out pretty well what behaviors, age groups, etc., are included. It provides ample checklists and assessment techniques to narrow down the problem to be solved, and finally, it provides very detailed therapeutic procedures for parent and practitioner to use with the subject. Having read many books in a similar format, I have to admit I breezed through this one in a couple of hours, but I do see myself going back to it once I try to apply its techniques to my particular case.In my case, I am trying to help a young family member who has a range of behavioral issues that don't fit neatly into standard DSM definitions, or into Dr. Melillo's taxonomy. I'm not a medical or psychological practitioner and have no training in the area. I have half the common sense of my wife, but a reasonable amount of patience. That probably makes me similar to any dad who's reading this review right now. I read these kinds of books with increasing skepticism, but any knowledge is useful, and this book may be more useful than most.Pro's/what I like about this book:1-Dr. Melillo explains that his methods are clinically proven to be successful on statistically large groups of subjects. This is very compelling, as many books (and approaches) in the help-thy-child genre cannot claim this.2-The diagnostic checklists are very detailed.3-The diagnostics are not limited to checklist, but also include the assessment of a large range of physiological reactions and observations (hearing, eyes, right/left-handedness). This makes sense to me.4-I detected nothing in my two hour reading of the book that seemed like it could do any harm. The therapies may be helpful in their intended ways (reduce the disconnectedness, which is the premise of the book), but also at least in other ways such as: helping the subject feel more cared for or better understood, building self-confidence, and building trust and relationships between subject and parent or practitioner.5-The therapies proposed by Dr. Melillo would appear to be have been very successful for many people; Dr. Melillo has defined a disorder in his own terms (I believe) and a treatment approach outside the DSM-V framework. Such innovation is much needed. I agree with him that the recent epidemic in behavior challenges facing children is being dealt with in outdated ways--at least in academic circles if not in clinical circles. In my case the top-rated local public school system just never "got" the challenges facing our child, and their cluelessness is a big risk that Dr. Melillo has put his finger on.4-Having so many techniques at hand, as described in the book, is great. They're easy to try out and implement consistently if they seem to work.Cons/the reasons I am skeptical whether this book will help in my particular case, or for many other readers:1-These diagnoses and methods probably work best for the archetypical (most extreme) manifestations of autism, Asperger's, etc. However, many of us are facing situations that are 'on the spectrum' (or perhaps 'spectra') of multiple disorders, and this book probably isn't going to help me diagnose, put a name to, scope, and address the ambiguous and confusing issues that we are facing. This is not the fault of the book, but I do get the feeling from Dr. Melillo that he has a hammer, and now everything looks like a nail. Many of the markers for disconnected kids apply also to kids suffering from borderline personality disorder (which, admittedly, is diagnosed at a later age than the ages he seems to be targeting), and I think he could have spent more time describing what's NOT in the scope of his defined syndrome, rather than just what's in. Many symptoms, --explosiveness or anxiety for example--would appear to be consistent with disconnectedness, but also consistent with other diagnoses (e.g.,Borderline personality disorder). I didn't see 'borderline personality disorder', 'schizophrenia', 'dialectical behavior therapy' (just to name a few terms) in the appendix. So, it's easy to read the book and say 'this is meant for my child!' when it may not be. As noted earlier, the therapies describe in the book probably don't create any problems, but they might distract you from identifying the real issues at hand.2-In a similar vein, the diagnostic checklists don't provide any weighting. Any human will exhibit behaviors that correspond to the markers listed in the many checklists provided in the book. However, I'm sure some of these markers are more significant than others, particularly if in combination with others. So I think the many pages of diagnostic tools does create a risk of lulling a new reader (one who doesn't already have 10-20 similar books on his/her shelf already) into thinking this diagnostic provides a definitive analysis. Dr. Melillo reminds the reader to get the help of a trained diagnostician and treatment specialist. And I guess I'd much rather have all the diagnostic tools at hand than not, but at the end of the day, But I'm skeptical what insight they provide to those of us dealing with ambiguous cases. As I noted earlier, if you have a child who is definitely autistic or definitely has Asperger's, the therapies presented in this book may be much more effective than for a less pronounced case.3-the vignettes may give some readers a false sense of hope...both in thinking that it actually matches the reader's child, and that the results will be equally probable; these vignettes have been hand-picked to tell a success story in a simple way, and there's a risk that they give the reader false hope.
I am a parent who, 5 years ago, read Disconnected Kids in its first edition (at the recommendation of a teacher, I might add), said "yup, that's my kid!", enrolled my child at a Brain Balance center 1.25 hrs away from my home, and his life was permanently changed for the better after 3 months of work using Dr. Melillo's approach. My son had a whole range of issues - Asperger's symptoms, anxiety, motor skill issues, constipation, skin irritations, uneven academic skills, inability to see the big picture / intense focus on narrow subject matter, extremely picky eater, etc. - and now he's a completely typical high school student. I'm aware of numerous families with the same fantastic results. This approach is what quirky kids need to even out their development. It works for kids with one or multiple diagnoses as well as for kids with no diagnosis and simply a general sense that they're not meeting their potential. Do a child in your family a favor and give him or her a chance to address his issues, even if he doesn't exactly match one of the profiles in the book.
While the jury's out on left/right hempishere balance (see also Top Brain, Bottom Brain: Surprising Insights into How You Think), the book is filled with case studies, actual exercises, and tests that help you clarify what might be happening in your child's brain function. Armed with this info, you can talk intelligently with your child's teacher, counselor, therapist, or any other professional regarding the best way to improve developmental issues.Our child's therapist recommended this book, and I was skeptical about the whole "brain balance" issue in the first place, since I knew the research had debunked left/right brain hemispheric separations. However, after conducting the tests, we were able to pinpoint some areas of deficiency that we've been able to improve and correct. Whether or not it stems from an actual hemispheric imbalance was essentially irrelevant for us. We were able to identify several neurological issues that we've been able to improve through the exercises in the book. I gave it 4 stars because of the heavy leanings on hemispheric science that's been debunked, but the exercises and tests can help you pinpoint issues that can be improved, treated, or even eliminated with proper care, nutrition, and oversight from your professional health team.
Finally someone gets it! I wish more educated people would speak up and help. I knew my son could be helped without drugs. I just had to dig long enough to find the answer. Pediatricians are clueless. I wish every parent would read this book.
Disconnected Kids: The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders The Disconnected Kids Nutrition Plan: Proven Strategies to Enhance Learning and Focus for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders Autism: 44 Ways to Understanding- Aspergers Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, and Special Needs (Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, Special Needs, Communication, Relationships) Youmans Neurological Surgery, 4-Volume Set: Expert Consult - Online and Print, 6e (Winn, Neurological Surgery) Neurological Rehabilitation, 6e (Umphreds Neurological Rehabilitation) The Autism Discussion Page on the core challenges of autism: A toolbox for helping children with autism feel safe, accepted, and competent The Autism Activities Handbook: Activities to Help Kids Communicate, Make Friends, and Learn Life Skills (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Books) The Insider's Guide to ADHD: Adults with ADHD Reveal the Secret to Parenting Kids with ADHD Self-Regulation Interventions and Strategies: Keeping the Body, Mind & Emotions on Task in Children with Autism, ADHD or Sensory Disorders Autism Breakthrough: The Groundbreaking Method That Has Helped Families All Over the World The Autism Discussion Page on anxiety, behavior, school, and parenting strategies: A toolbox for helping children with autism feel safe, accepted, and competent The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids What to Expect When Parenting Children with ADHD: A 9-step plan to master the struggles and triumphs of parenting a child with ADHD ADHD Without Drugs - A Guide to the Natural Care of Children with ADHD ~ By One of America's Leading Integrative Pediatricians Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level Books For Kids: The Misadventures of Mischievous Missy (KIDS ADVENTURE BOOKS #9) (Kids Books, Children Books, Kids Stories, Kids Adventure, Kids Fantasy, Mystery, Series Books Kids Ages 4-6 6-8 9-12) 101 Games and Activities for Children With Autism, Asperger's and Sensory Processing Disorders The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children With Autism and Related Disorders Autism: What Does It Mean to Me?: A Workbook Explaining Self Awareness and Life Lessons to the Child or Youth with High Functioning Autism or Aspergers
