virtual autism treatment; sensory processing, ADHD

brainconnex@gmail.com

Clinically proven online movement & sensory programs to improve development, learning, sensory processing, behavior, and attention & focus in children.

Brain Connex Therapy online primitive reflex & brain integrations program was created for children with developmental & neurological delays, autism, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and more. Our foundational programs provide a combination of primitive reflex integration, neurodevelopmental movements, sensory stimulation, and brain hemispheric balance techniques to bring optimal results…all in the comfort of your home. We focus on accelerated outcomes and greater access to care for all families in need.

Brain Connex Therapy is designed to develop:

*Balance;

*Muscle tone, stamina, and controlled motor movements;

*Posture and control;

*Body and sensory awareness;

*Gross and fine motor movements;

*Self-control, persistence and organization;

*Language, rhythm and communication skills;

*Attention, listening and processing of sound;

*Self-esteem and confidence;

*Improved reading, writing, and learning ability.

Children who demonstrate delays and/or difficulties in the following areas can benefit from our program:

*Concentration/Attention/Memory

*Speech, Language

*Written Expression & Reading Comprehension

*Social Communication/skills

*Behavior

*Fine motor delays

*Gross motor delays

*Anxiety, Depression, Decreased self-worth

*Processing Speed

*Sensory Processing

“Our mission is to improve as many lives as possible while empowering clients with knowledge, and passionately learning from continued research in neurological movement to continuously improve treatment methods for optimal results.”

Results seen with Specific Conditions

Autism

ADHD

Sensory Processing

Dyslexia & Learning

Dyspraxia

Vision Issues

brainconnextherapy

Primitive reflex integration is finally starting t

Primitive reflex integration is finally starting to get its time to shine. More and more people are learning about its importance.

Integrating reflexes is not the only treatment your child’s needs, but many times it’s the link that has been missing in their treatment to show great improvement.

DM us if you are ready to get your child’s individualized program started! 🤩

#movement #learning #behavior

Motor skills deficits are noticed in approximately

Motor skills deficits are noticed in approximately 83% of children along the autism spectrum.

Recent research wanted to determine whether the delay in gross motor skills had an effect on the social communicative skills in school-aged children diagnosed with autism.

The small study showed that there was a significant correlation between children who had weaker motor skills and poor social communicative skills deficits.

How do we help? Improve motor skills.

The way our motor skills develops is via movement, which develops the brain and develops social skills, communication, and learning potential.

Primitive reflexes are the very first movements a baby experiences. They are automatic movements that occur in response to sensory stimulation. During the first year of life, the infant experiences these movements over and over until they integrate into the system, developing into postural reflexes that allow us to stand tall, walk, learn, and control our movements independently.

If a child's primitive reflexes did not integrate fully, their postural reflexes will not be fully functioning leading to poor balance, posture, coordination, and learning ability. But this isn't a life sentence. We simply need to go "back in time" and re-create the movements of infancy to develop the proper motor skills and "fill in the gaps" of development. The brain will re-wire itself and create new connections that help improve motor skills, learning, social skills, and communication.

If your child struggles with social communication and motor skills, seek out a qualified therapist/practitioner that understands primitive reflex integration and how its connected to brain development. We are also happy to help with our virtual programs that have helped families around the world.

#learning #socialskills #socialcommunication #speechandautism

Behavior is thought to be cognitively-driven or ps

Behavior is thought to be cognitively-driven or psychological rather than what it truly is drive by: our physiology!
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Our body is constantly scanning the environment to determine whether or not we are safe. We look at facial expressions, non-verbal communication, listen for particular noises & tones, and a host of other variables. Our physiology then determines whether we should be in a state of calm, fight, flight or freeze.
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Not feeling safe affects everything from our cognitive processing to learning to our body's homeostasis. When our kids don't feel safe it affects the social-engagement system, making it more difficult to understand social cues and regulate their own bodies in order to play, learn, and interact appropriately.
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Children with sensory processing challenges are likely often experiencing feelings of fear driven by their physiology. They can be hyper-sensitive to noises, touch, taste, smells, and some movements. Fear or trauma should not be thought of as one experience, but rather several responses to situations over time.
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To help our children become more present, out of the fight-or-flight zone, we use modalities such as the SSP and reflex integration to help integrate the sensory systems, and calm the nervous system by tapping into the power of the vagus nerve --> the longest cranial nerve that regulates organs, swallowing, speech, and taste.
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Do you recognize your child in this post? Reach out to us for a discovery call to see what virtual program would be right for you. Brain Connex Therapy has several online programs based in neurological science to help children improve behavior, learning, and function; all guided & created by an Occupational Therapist.

#neurological #vagusnerve #calm #nervoussystem #vagus #occupationaltherapist #virtual #online #sciencebased #movement #primitivereflexintegration #sensorysystem #fightorflight #freeze #trauma #fear #sensoryprocessing #autism #asd #spd #behavior #challenges

Emotional regulation and behaviors....two of the h

Emotional regulation and behaviors....two of the hardest things to deal with during the younger years -- and if it's not dealt with then, it becomes a nightmare as they get older.

But how can we help kids? Do they truly understand mindfulness, breath work, or movement-based activities like yoga?!

The short answer: NO

Those types of emotion lregulation tools are top-down techniques. Meaning the child needs to have cortical control to understand and utilize the techniques for their benefit. But majority of the kids I work with do not have top-down control yet. Their brain stems are not fully developed, which leaves the cortical brain immature. Can we still do something to help improve behaviors and emotional regulation?

The short answer: YES!

We can use passive pathways to help reduce anxiety, reduce fight-or-flight symptoms, and improve mood, regulation, and attitude. Passively we are able to create change in the autonomic nervous system, shifting the child away from sympathetic tone (fight or flight) and into a more balance place with parasympathetic tone (calm & happy). Our favorite tool for this is an auditory vagal regulation tool that consists of 10 days of listening to modulated music. It's simple to do and has profound effects. There are also simple passive movements that are rhythmical in nature you can do to help calm the body.

When the child's brain is not fully developed and they have behavioral issues, the BEST tools to help emotional regulation are PASSIVE.

DM us or comment below with questions.
#vagalstimulation #vagaltone #behaivors #emotionalregulation #kids #pediatrics #brainstem #bottomup #fightorflight #freeze

The cortical brain literally grows out of the moto

The cortical brain literally grows out of the motor system as we develop in infancy.
When we think of the motor system, many simply think of muscles that help us run and jump. But our muscles do so much more.
* Muscles help us speak -- we need good oral-motor function to talk, articulate, and speak.
* Muscles help us understand non-verbal communication. If our muscles don't know how to frown, furrow the brow, wink, etc then we won't understand the same movements on someone elses face.
* Muslces help us learn. When we move our body we think better. We work through problems. Our brain needs movement to process information.

The majority of children struggling with behaviors and learning challenges (although not all) also have low muscle tone, poor coordination, and were delayed in their developmental milestones.

Improving motor function will improve cognitive function.

#cognition #movement #movetolearn #muslcememory #braindevelopment #socialengagement

⭐️ Friday Funday ⭐️ If you can’t be ou

⭐️ Friday Funday ⭐️

If you can’t be outdoors (because it’s 105 out like us ☀️) it’s time to bring the fun indoors.

⭐️ BRACHIATION: hanging from monkey bars. Works on hand strength and reflexes ✍️ and gives great proprioception to the upper body.
⭐️ HANGING BALL: hitting a hanging ball is a fun way to work on convergence and divergence.
⭐️ JUMP CIRCLES: (video in stories) vestibular input in all directions plus strong proprioception to the lower body.

When you work with kids it has to be fun 🤩 Play some music 🎶 in the background or bring your dog 🐶 to participate, lol!! We all learn best when we are motivated and WANT to participate.

#playbased #movementbasedlearning #brainhealth #brainbody @brainrichkids @brainabcs

Did you know there is a link between speech develo

Did you know there is a link between speech development and integration of reflexes in your hands....and even your feet?

If your child has a speech delay and you have not looked into primitive reflex integration, this is the time. It is often we see children with speech delays that also exhibit retained reflexes in their hands and even their feet. The hands, feet, and tongue represent the largest number of sensory receptors in our body. This is why we have more sensation in this "sensitive" areas vs somewhere like the back of our thigh.

Stimulating the reflexes in our hands, feet, and face will help improve speech, along with other brain-based movements and natural interactions. Start by checking your child's palmar reflex. Have them rest their hand gently on their thigh or the table. Stroke their palm from the base of the fingers down towards their wrist using a blunt object or vibrating toothbrush. Use a quick and firm stroke. If their fingers close or bend inwards towards a fist this reflex is unintegrated.

This may be one piece of the puzzle that you haven't discovered yet.

#palmarreflex #handfootmouth #speechdelay #retainedreflexes #minimallyverbal #autismspectrum #autismspeaks

Chronic stress. I think we all have it. Kids and a

Brain 🧠 asymmetry in a child can be easily iden

Brain 🧠 asymmetry in a child can be easily identified via the face and head. A crooked smile 😃 or head tilt can mean there is a imbalance in the brains hemispheres.

Because our hemispheres have different jobs to do, we need to have a proper balance between right and left, in order for the brain to work effectively and efficiently.

When the brain 🧠 is much stronger on one side the traits of that side become intense. For example, if the left hemisphere is super strong 💪 overshadowing the right we may see a child who is stuck in the details, is not connected with their body, loves routine, has little empathy for others or doesn’t understand non verbal communication, has poor memory and tends to have more withdrawal/negative emotions.

But this isn’t his about kids. As adults if we don’t maintain proper posture, we will create asymmetry in our brain 🧠 leading to things like depression, anxiety, poor memory, etc. The brain learns and changes from the input the body gives it. Imbalanced posture = imbalanced brain.

We help to fix this by first assessing which hemisphere is stronger. Then strengthening the weaker hemisphere. When the brain is balanced the communication between right & left sides flows.

#properposture #postureforbrainhealth #brainhealth #brainasymmetry

Hands Supporting Reflex is one of the most importa

Hands Supporting Reflex is one of the most important ones for children on the spectrum. We need hands supporting reflex integrated for our own protection and personal space. We often see children on the spectrum unable to defend themselves from others and can easily be pushed around. It's also imperative to have this reflex integrated to catch ourselves when we fall!
Integration of hands supporting reflex will be important for gross motor skills, eye/hand coordination, and dealing with emotional stress.

Often a child with unintegrated hands supporting reflex, will naturally have a bend in their elbows all the time.

*On a personal note, this is the very first reflex I realized my son did not have. I brought it up to his "top" neurologist who said it was no big deal. Well....you know where that led. Never went to see him again and started down the path of learning everything I could about reflex integration.*

The image depicts how I like to "activate" the reflex after we work on isometric integration techniques. Rolling a child prone on a ball with a quick movement to help them initiate catching themselves. Ideally I'd have another person in front helping to open the child's hands for full support.

#primitivereflexintegration #emotionalsupport #protectyourself #protection #autismspectrum #autismreflexes

The head righting reflex is also known as ocular h

The head righting reflex is also known as ocular head righting and labyrinthine head righting reflex. These are important for our safety and developed throughout an entire lifetime. The ocular head righting reflex responds to both vestibular & visual information; while the labyrinthine head righting reflex responds to vestibular information only. The reflexes help to stabilize the head with and without visual cues.

Symptoms you may see if unintegrated include:
* underdeveloped vestibular sense
* low muscle tone
* poor gross and fine motor skills
* learning challenges specific to reading & writing
* poor coordination
* poor handwriting skills
* clumsiness with sport activities

I like to assess and treat this reflex using a therapy ball. Support the child seated on a therapy ball. Tilt them one direction (right-left is easiest to see) about 15 degrees, then 30 degrees, then 45 degrees. To assess stop at each point and note whether their head "rights" itself towards midline - meaning the head will turn the opposite direction of the tilt - or if unintegrated the head will remain in line with the spine.

For treatment you'll do the same thing but hold each position for 7 seconds. Typically you'll notice the head starts to right itself after being held in an angled position for a few seconds.

#headrightingreflex #reflexintegration #brainconnex

It's super helpful to have a "Neuro Morning" routi

Vestibular input is one of the core elements of se

Vestibular input is one of the core elements of sensory integration therapy. Our bodies’ vestibular system is the sensory system that provides the primary input about movement, balance, spatial awareness and positioning. It (along with the proprioceptive system) helps us prepare our posture, maintain our balance, properly use our vision, calm ourselves and regulate our behavior. The vestibular system is housed closely to the visual & auditory systems making them all affect each other.

All three systems must combine together for effective learning, behavior, and attention/focus. When one area of our sensory system is "off" either hyper- or hypo-active, our ability to understand the world and our body in space is affected -- affecting everything from social interaction, to higher-level learning, and eye contact.

The most effective treatment includes a therapeutic plan that includes ALL elements needed to stimulate multiple senses, foundational reflex work, and hemispheric integration. Doing just one treatment that is aimed towards improving a symptom (such as vision exercises alone for visual perceptual challenges, or listening program alone for auditory processing) does not work -- this is where individuals do not get lasting benefits. And parents jump from treatment to treatment, doctor to doctor, hoping this *next* treatment is the answer.

You must incorporate therapeutic activities that engage the horizontal access as well as the vertical access. Which means working the top-down approach (primitive reflex integration + hemispheric sensory input) and right-left approach (hemispheric integration or balance between right/left hemispheres). It is a treatment such as the above when we see real, lasting changes.

If you're curious whether your child has symptoms of an under- or over-reactive vestibular system, check out our blog post: http://www.brainconnextherapy.com/the-under-reactive-vestibular-system/

Our Online Primitive Reflex & Brain Integrations Program teaches you how to incorporate both the horizontal and vertical development with therapeutic actvities that can be done at home. P.S. Our biggest Black Friday Sale is happening this Friday!

In a state of fear or emergency, the brain does no

In a state of fear or emergency, the brain does not grow nor repairs.

We tend to see more fears, stress, and anxiety in children whose lower level brain areas are not fully developed. They lean more towards a "sympathetic tone" which is our fight-or-flight nervous system, creating this chronic stress in the body.

Being in a chronic state of emergency decreases the ability of the brain to repair itself, create new connections and become balanced.

You'll see in schools and therapies the use of strategies like yoga, zones of regulation, and mindfulness. These are all wonderufl idea although a child with an underdeveloped brain stem will not be able to fully use their cognitive brain to understand this type of help.

The best way to reduce stress is by developing the lower level brain centers and balancing the nervous system. We can achieve this by first integrating primitive reflexes while stimulating the weaker brain hemisphere and challenging the cerebellum through specific, purposeful movements. Add in a good gut health diet, more time outdoors, more vitamin D & magnesium, and calm parents and your child's brain will be ready for change!

#stress #chronicstress #stateoffear #fightorflight #safeandsound #zonesofregulation #symmetry #brainoptimization

Our online programs now have *NEW* pricing!! We kn

Our online programs now have *NEW* pricing!! We know how hard it has been to navigate life with a child who struggles during a time where we are less connected. It's become more and more imperative to have good quality virtual programs to help. We wanted to help by decreasing our pricing while keeping the quality high!!

We often get asked, "Where do I Start"?

If your child has not done reflex integration before, or has done some but you don't think they are integrated, then you should start with our Online Primitive Reflex & Brain Integrations Program ($275). The program will teach you how to assess your child's reflexes & brain hemispheric weakness, and provide you with the exact exercises to help. All movements have written & video instructions. Coaching calls can be purchased separately to help guide you in the program.

If your child struggles significantly with behaviors, refusing to do exercises, has outbursts or is extremely fearful, I would consider starting with the Safe & Sound Protocol Listening Program ($225). This listening program is a passive pathway to the vagus nerve, helping to calm & prep the nervous system for neurological change with reflex work after. *Not all children need this, nor do they all benefit.*

If you are looking for an individualized approach, I also work with clients virtually via ZOOM ($525). The individualized treatment includes an initial assessment and programming where I provide your child a specific activity plan for the movements that will best help them. Also included in the price is a back office with video & written instructions of each movement, plus a follow-up appointment 4-6 weeks after evaluation for modifications/progressions/questions, etc. Additional coaching calls can be purchased separately.

The movement our body does during infancy and beyo

The movement our body does during infancy and beyond helps to grow, change, and shape our brain. First, babies move in an asymmetric pattern with homologous movements, then homolateral type movements, then cross-lateral movements --engaging both sides of the body at the same time. Every stage is necessary in development of the brain. Our primitive reflexes help to develop and mature the brain through these stages.

Our bodies are naturally asymmetrical but both sides of the body and brain work together to create symmetry. Because the left side of the body sends signals to the right side of the brain and vice versa, it is important that our body is moving symmetrically to give "even signals" to both sides of the brain.

Symmetry is necessary to create coordination of function between the left & right brain hemispheres -- optimizing the corpus callosum. Symmetry within the body front/back, side/side, and top/bottom strengthens the core; improves postural control; and strengthens the midline coordination needed for organized movement. One of the first things we look for in an infant exam is symmetry.

This is why when we see a child who crawled and one leg dragged behind we are concerned. Or when a child walks and one foot points outwards or one arm doesn't swing as much. This means the opposite side of the brain is not getting the same signals and there is asymmetry.

Quick ways to see if your child has symmetry is by looking at their features. Is their smile crooked? Does their head tilt? Can they do activities in midline easily? Can they coordinate cross-body movements easily?

Optimizing your child's brain function is key to improving symptoms, behaviors, social skills, sensory issues and learning.
#brainoptimization #brainhealth #behaviormanagement #symmetry #balancedbrain #balancedbody

Primitive reflexes keep us safe and secure as infa

Primitive reflexes keep us safe and secure as infants. They help us learn how to build motor skills and integrate sensory information. But what happens when they don't integrate fully?

When children or adults do not have proper integration, they often exhibit the following:

* Compensatory movements
* Extra effort needed to complete tasks
* Too much tension in muscles
* Emotional dysregulation
* Fatigue
* Decreased cognitive processing

Primitive reflexes are the foundation that builds our nervous system, creating balance between the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest & digest) systems; as well as integrates our sensory systems.

They are an important piece in treatment when we work with children who have developmental delays, learning challenges, behavioral issues, and sensory integration problems. If you have not incorporated reflex integration into your child's treatment plan, now is the time to check it out!

Our free download: GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF YOUR CHILD's LEARNING, BEHAVIOR, & SENSORY CHALLENGES explains more about how reflex integration can help --> https://brainconnextherapy.podia.com/root-cause

#reflexintegration #learningthroughmovement #movementbasedlearning #cognitivedevelopment #behaviormanagement #sensoryintegration #sensoryintegrationtherapy

Back to School means back to homework, reading, an

When a child has trouble with reading, typically t

When a child has trouble with reading, typically the first treatment is reading intervention. Struggling with reading is a symptom. When we start treatment for a symptom, we are using a top-down approach. An approach that works for management of symptoms and post-injury or surgery, but does not work when the origianl symptom is coming from a developmental or neurological issue.

Dyslexia and other reading troubles are developmental in nature. Having trouble reading is a symptom that we can use as a clue to understanding what is going on in the brain 🧠

Head to the BLOG on our website to read the rest 📚 www.brainconnextherapy.com

#troublereading #doublevision #dyslexia #dyslexiaandcerebellum #cerebellum #delayedmilestones #readingintervention

✈️ Flying into the week ✈️ We strive to h

✈️ Flying into the week ✈️

We strive to have our children strengthen their back/extensor muscles 💪 in order to have proper posture and core stability. Posture and imbalances in posture are often over looked when working with children.
The brain 🧠 relies on a balanced body to send & receive signals optimally.

An easy strengthening exercise is the “Superman”. Lifting the body off the floor from a prone position. Try adding in 5 reps, holding 5-7 seconds, 3x/day. If your child struggles to get their chest off the floor, prop them up (pictured) on a ball or pillow.

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