Episode 1: A Mother's Quest: My Five Year Journey to find the Real Truth behind my Son's Struggles

Welcome to a powerful new podcast series that's about to change the game for parents, families, and caregivers! Get ready to embark on an exhilarating journey as I reveal the untold story behind the birth of The Brain Heath Movement and the remarkable transformation it brought to my son's life.

Imagine a place where science meets compassion, where breakthroughs replace old-school methods, and where your child's boundless potential finally takes centre stage. This is it, my friend! In this debut episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on my personal odyssey — one of relentless determination, unconditional love, and ground-breaking discoveries.

Do you ever feel lost in a sea of contradicting information, wondering if there's a better way to help your child overcome behavioural, social, learning, attention and other developmental challenges? I've been there too. Join me as I recount my five-year quest, rejecting nebulous, contradictory, outdated and unhelpful advice and uncovering science-backed methodologies that transformed my 10-year-old son's life.

You will hear from the HERO himself, The Mighty Quinn, who will tell you in his own words what he has been through and the miraculous transformation he is enjoying since following the exercise programme consistently and triumphantly.

This is a beacon of hope for every parent who has ever felt helpless or alone in the face of their child's struggles. Through this podcast, I'm becoming the bridge between cutting-edge science and the heart of parenthood, empowering you to rewrite your child's narrative and unlock their true potential.

Are you tired of the same old information? Bored with cookie-cutter SEN approaches that yield no results? Then you're in the right place! Dive deep into a world where early intervention is key, where functional neurologists and innovative techniques are reshaping the landscape of childhood development.

Join me in revolutionising how we understand and support our children's neurological well-being. I'll share my journey from confusion to clarity, from frustration to empowerment, and from desperation to boundless joy. If you're ready to make a change, to be a part of a movement that's shaking up the norm, and to see your child thrive like never before—this podcast is your haven.

Get ready to uncover the science behind healthy brain development, the truth about neurological disorders, and the game-changing strategies that are rewriting the script for kids everywhere. Together, we'll pave the way for early interventions that lead to lasting success.

This is just the beginning! As we embark on this exhilarating adventure,

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Transcript

Lucia Silver: 2:33

A very warm welcome to the Brain Balance movements first introductory series my Mighty Quinn. I'd like to welcome and give a big squeeze to our devoted parents, families and caregivers, supporting the challenges faced by our beautiful children with learning attention, behaviour, and other developmental delays and difficulties. In this introductory episode, I want to take you on a journey, my personal and until now, very private journey of tenacity, devotion and love, where I continued to reject the clouded, contradictory and old hat information I was being given. Until I found answers, science and proven methodologies that produced extraordinary results for my 10 year old son. In sharing the story, and creating a platform and community called the Brain Balance movement, I want to be the bridge between science and parenthood, marrying cutting edge knowledge and compassionate support in relation to brain health. A place where parents can finally take back some power and start to see their children thriving with their birthright and boundless potential. This is my personal story. And if you permit me, I'd like to share it, as someone out there might be needing to hear this. It has taken the best part of five years of exhaustive searching, reading, researching, meeting and talking to find the true experts, the clear explanations and the science based remedial support for Quinn's struggles, and I don't want you to have to do the same. I understand your feelings of helplessness, overwhelm and constant worry, because I have had these for my son, an incredibly emotionally intelligent, quick witted kind and sensitive soul. Quinn was struggling with a very extreme and totally uncontrollable stim or tick, his wiggle, as he and I came to affectionately call it became apparent when he was a toddler. But as time went on, it developed into a larger flapping motion in his arms. And in recent years became such an extreme motion, that he would bend and double over with his head to his knees, completely inverted. He'd Raise one leg and flap his arms behind him like a chicken, go figure, quite a sight. And as you can imagine, a huge worry. And it was starting to happen so frequently, that he would do it almost continuously in certain environments in supermarkets walking to and from school through play time. I would worry about him crossing roads as he couldn't see the cars coming. And I miss being able to talk to him as we walked anywhere, as he struggled to simply stay by my side as he wiggled frenetically. At his local primary school, his friends just got used to it and bless them up and down. They would go as they tried to continue their conversation is Quinn flat like a bird, and it is best to stay engaged. Some found him weird, and were unkind. But school was in the main somewhere to Quinn still enjoyed being but it was exhausting for him, and was having an impact on his ability to socialise, and be with friends, he would withdraw and be by himself. And with a body and nervous system deeply fatigued, he would have no stamina to concentrate for any length of time at school. So this in turn impacted on his academic performance in its completion of any task. It was increasingly painful to watch, and school was unable to help. instead simply monitoring and commenting on ways to achieve the necessary academic results and providing a my plan instead of a focus on his more important wellbeing and mental health. I appreciate schools hands are tied as the head of Sen that Quinn school herself said. And with this, I became acutely aware that this was a far deeper problem with the educational system as a whole. I listened to the praise about how loved Quinn was, how kind lovely unique Quinn was. I couldn't help but feel frustrated. I know, I thought to myself, I'm his number one fan. I'm his bloody mother. But that doesn't address the real issue. He's undeniably a remarkable child. But there is clearly an underlying problem here. School had nothing else to offer. And the academic pressures kept mounting, further exacerbating Quinn struggles with emotional regulation in what was feeling like an ever increasing pressure cooker. I got nowhere speaking and meeting with the GPS, paediatricians, OTs and the countless educational psychologists and Sen experts, seven of those in total, and a couple of expensive assessments. They were unanimous in their total absence of clarity and scientific explanation, no support, nor any indication or hope that change was possible. Undefeated, but do equally disheartened, I followed a glimmer of hope and drove miles across the country to see a highly respected and pioneering female head teacher. I ended up breaking down in her office in confusion, frustration and disbelief. Why was the educational establishment seeming to turn a blind eye to this growing epidemic? The relentless and meteoric increase in children struggling in classrooms academically, behaviorally, socially and more cannot be accepted as the new normal. We cannot simply surrender to these pathologies, or allow allopathic medicine to numb them with drugs, especially not when children are also affected with mental health issues. These disorders do not disappear, they worsen. And what about the global statistics? Should we ignore those two, the CDC reported one in 10,000 cases of autism 30 years ago, they are predicting one in 10. Now, when it was one in 50, just one year ago, you can't cheat evolution, something is going wrong. Something is happening in the brains of our children that they are evolving in this way. This head teacher had been in education for over 30 years and agreed that this is a public health crisis. She did however, say that there was an organisation that I should speak to, she said Little else, but I grabbed the name and the number like water in a desert and contacted them immediately. The organisation was called EVO, and the brilliant man who eventually created the programme for Quinn is called sub k. He assessed Quinn looked at his primitive reflexes, don't worry, sounds complicated. It is not but it is so so important that you understand what these are more on this later. And there began a movement based programme that started to transform my child before my eyes into a calmer, confident, coordinated and connected child free from a life controlled by involuntary tics. for five months and counting. We undertook prescribed daily exercises and movements that were overseen by this incredible man. Seb understood every one of Quinn symptoms and assured us that we would start to see significant change if we persevered. We were literally embarking on the RE hardwiring of Quinn's brain back to birthright the neuro way. He called Quinn a warrior, and boy did that child rise to the challenge. It wasn't easy, but every day started to bring rewards. Encouraged by what we started to see, Quinn and I persevered and hardly missed a day where we didn't complete three separate sets of exercises. It was all about consistency. And what a champion Quinn was even managing a set over lunchtime by himself at school. Even the teacher started to see an improvement with the wiggle disappearing during lessons and the start of more stamina and endurance in his concentration. Physically, Quinn was becoming stronger with more balance and coordination. He's a left hander and a left footer too. But it always had an awkward gait, no hand eye or bull coordination, and as such sculpt away from any involvement in sport, and would literally protect himself if you throw a ball to him. Now he wins his running races catches a ball with great pride, and is taken to football like a fish to water. astoundingly, after playing for only four months, he has just been accepted into a local football team, with boys who have been playing for seven or more years, go figure. And he is enjoying a totally new social group of friends who know nothing of the kid who flaps like a chicken. And best of all, I get to walk all the way down the street, talking into the eyes of my child who is more engaged and connected than I have ever known him. We laugh and laugh and laugh, mind blowing, and heart exploding stuff. So that's me, you, the devoted parents that I'm talking to tell me that you are feeling concerned worried confused and frustrated about the underlying causes of your child's challenges. And the lack of any clear guidance, scientific explanation or support from school said the NHS or anywhere else. Many of you attend repeated my plan meetings at school that lead nowhere. Some hear from the teacher almost daily about your child's so called bad behaviour, you feel your child is not understood. And in some cases for those of you with kids getting into trouble later in school medication is being offered as a way to control and continue. But you're aware that this is a numbing plaster and not a cure. You're finding that the increasing needs of your child or in some cases children are overwhelming, impacting the entire family dynamic and even yours and your partner's relationship. The ongoing roller coaster ride of stress is leaving you feeling isolated, tired and drained of energy. While you are not alone. Here are some astounding statistic Childhood neurological disorders, mostly described as behavioural social or academic dysfunctions are rising so sharply that the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC has declared the problem a major health threat. According to the CDC, one in every four or five children born today will be diagnosed with some type of behaviour or learning disability by the age of eight. A generation ago, you could go a lifetime without crossing paths with a child with autism. Today, it is rare if you don't know one. ADHD is increasing at a rate of 15 to 20% a year. And the CDC shows that one in five high school boys had been diagnosed with a condition and at least 60 to 70% have been given at least one other diagnosis as well, like dyslexia, or perhaps tics, that is something that it's becoming more common with all of these conditions. horrifyingly, here's some scoop on medication. ADHD medications are the most prescribed drugs for children. So commonplace, in fact that they are even being dispensed for children as young as three in the US. Doctors wrote an estimated 20 million prescriptions this year alone for Ritalin. And this estimate is considered conservative. These statistics are staggering. Yet there is a fact even more disturbing than the epidemic rise in the unhealthy mental state of our children. And that is the methods that doctors, psychologists and educational and behavioural specialists used to diagnose and treat these conditions have not changed in more than 50 years. So what is going wrong? Well, four things one, the widely held belief that all conditions are separate problems with no acknowledged or explainable root cause to the widely held belief that there is no cure. Three, the rampant use of psychiatric drugs that mask but cannot correct these problems for well, meaning teachers and other professionals who are using Academic approaches that can aggravate and make these conditions worse. So what next? Well, if you'd like to understand more about the underlying root causes, then in the next episodes, I want to introduce you to the one and only said cane and EVO, as well as select leading us functional neurologists are at the cutting edge of understanding healthy child brain development, these individuals are collectively changing the course of children's lives. And the more we know, the more we can prevent this happening. Rather than having to watch our children struggle unnecessarily when these disorders can be identified early and addressed. I have studied and I'm training with EVO, which began with their course that focuses on primitive reflexes. More on this or not, I continue to study more and more deeply. It's a huge and exciting subject. And I cannot wait to see this proven methodology, which is already positively impacting the lives of 1000s of children reach a wider and wider audience of parents and parents to be. For now, I hope you'd like to hear a handful of awakening critical and deeply empowering facts about your child's brain. These starter facts should explain quite a few things, and put to bed for good some of the nonsense we are told by those who mean no harm, but who have simply not been trained in the proven science and research that is available, but is obscured and too hard to find. And if you wait until the very end, you might even get to hear a few words from the Mighty Quinn himself. Thank you for listening to this point. It feels wonderful to have some company it's been pretty lonesome. Firstly, just before we share this information, I would just like to say that I have created the full and free guide for you which you can download and keep. You can find this in the footer show notes, or when you join the Brain Balance movement Facebook group here for now, our eight crucial facts to start you off with. Number one, different symptoms. One problem neurodiverse conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette's, tics, OCD, and anxiety and others are not what you typically perceive them to be. They are all labels given for a similar set of symptoms, and the symptoms are not the underlying problem. The lack of proper brain development is the problem. These are all disorders, meaning there is a delay in normal brain development. Typically, these symptoms are all born of a scenario where left and right hemispheres of the brain are unable to develop symmetrically, or areas of the brain are unable to connect efficiently. This can lead to a brain that is over connected in one area or side of the brain and under connected in another. This can result in phenomenal skills, or so called superpowers but also weaker, less mature areas as seen in some of the challenges your child may experience. Recent research shows that when The two sides of the brain do not mature at the same rate. The electrical impulses between the two sides get out of balance and interfere with communication. Proof now exists that this communication problem is responsible for a myriad of behavioural, social and learning difficulties. Children with these disorders, most notably, autism, ADHD, dyslexia in Tourette share a large number of symptoms, and these are not a coincidence. They differ only in terms of the side of the brain that is out of balance and the severity of the imbalance. Number two, this problem has a solution, the brain can change. It's called neuroplasticity, and at one time, scientists believe that the brain was hardwired at birth, that it cannot grow change or correct and Aaron growth pattern. Neuroscientists have proven over the last several decades that the brain is quite plastic, meaning it can change both physically and chemically if given the proper stimulation, this ability to change is called neuroplasticity. Brain imaging scans show that when given the proper stimulation, the weak side of the brain will get larger and faster, and the spaces between cells will get smaller and new connections will grow. As a result, the new connections on the weak side of the brain can then reconnect with the more mature cells on the functioning side and get back into rhythm. The weak areas of the brain can be rewired to catch up to the stronger areas and reconnect, the brain begins functioning again as a whole. So unless there has been irreversible brain injury, we have the ability to address and dramatically improve or even correct this imbalance and mature correctly through the right developmental movements, a nutrient rich environment and certain lifestyle modifications. Number three, the brain needs to grow as Mother Nature intended milestones, milestones, milestones, you can't cheat evolution. The Kodak moment milestones parents anxiously await are exact markers of specific brain development and as such are signs of normal planned intended growth. These connections do not happen by magic, they are dependent on fuel, that's oxygen and glucose and stimulation. When two neurons are excited together, they become linked functionally, allowing to assemble repeatedly as long as they continue to be activated. Without stimulation the brain will not grow, brain cells will simply degenerate and die. The brain has a very exact sequencing in the way that it needs to grow and develop healthily. It builds from the bottom up and from side to side, the left hemisphere and the right. What you may not realise is that the two sides do not grow in unison, but do need to click into action at precisely the right time to build the neural pathways the way mother nature intended. One new skill crawling leads to another new skill walking in a plan sequence and at an expected point in time. Nothing is random or casual. Everything is specific and intended. If a child crawls very early or not at all before walking, this is not a special talent. It is a warning sign that something is amiss in the orderly formation of the brain. If a child is not exposed to the proper stimulation at the right time, or if a sensory pathway is too weak neurons destined to build a new site and set a new milestone miss their time to connect. If this happens too frequently, or during a critical moment of brain development, their brains growth can get out of sequence and cause a key slow down that side of the brain that missed the connection then slows down while the opposite side stays on track, leaving the other behind, causing the other side to miss even more timed connections. So milestones are actually the checkpoints that the brain is or is not developing. According to nature's timetable. The first two years of life are critical for right side brain development. This often becomes apparent only later when the child starts to exhibit symptoms that we see as ADHD, autism, dyslexia and other neurological disorders, but some are evident in infancy. But you need to know what to look for when key milestones such as rolling, crawling, walking, speech, development, balanced development, etc, are not met. This is therefore an indication that there is an under development of the central nervous system. If this is caught at the time, it can be quickly addressed. These areas can still be addressed at a later date, and massive improvements can be made with the appropriate exercises and lifestyle changes. The earlier this is done with a child, the easier it gets. Number four, get the world moving and stimulated. While this fact totally blew my mind. Did you know that the brain actually grows from movement. Scientists now know that the body and mind are codependent the brain is dependent on the body Need to provide stimulation necessary for growth. In fact, the definition from Webster's dictionary is stimulate, verb to excite to activity or growth. This is the essence of what brain development is all about. Studies have shown that without proper stimulation, a child's brain suffers a heartbreaking example of this as the orphanages in Romania were abandoned babies left alive in cribs without being held, smile that whatever hearing a lovely coo experienced underdeveloped brains almost at the point of retardation, these children had stunted brain growth because they were deprived of their sensory world in order to spark in order to spark neural growth. The brain needs outside sources like gravity, light, sound, vibration, odour, taste, temperature touch, just like a light switch starts the flow of electricity that turns on a lamp. So to the receptors of the sensory system, act like a switch to start the flow of stimulation that activates the brain. The more brain cell is stimulated, the more it will increase in size and processing speed, strengthen its connection and form new synapses. There is one constant source of stimulation from the environment, and that is gravity, we are continually compelled to use our muscles to resist gravity. Therefore, every movement we make stimulates the brain. Repeated muscle activity is the single most important element of brain development. This tells you something of how dreadful iPads phones and screens in general are for our kids. Don't worry, we'll have dedicated episodes on this later. Fact number five, there are two sides to every brain, how our kids get disconnected. The human brain is not only unique in size, but also unique and structure. specific duties reside on the right or on the left side of the brain, meaning that each side does half the job of the whole, that in order to function, the brain must work as a whole, just like an orchestra, in order to function as a whole. And for the left and right hemispheres to communicate effectively, they must be in synchronisation, they must be in perfect rhythm, perfect harmony, perfect timing, just like a couple of dancing, or the two legged control of a world class athlete running a race. Imagine if one leg trips and the whole body is out of sync, the good leg can get her to the finishing line, but she'll fall behind. This is in essence what is happening in school to a child with a brain imbalance. To fully understand the world and react to it, a child must use both sides of the brain. If one half is significantly slower than the other, the two halves cannot compare or share information accurately. The faster side will take over and begin to ignore the other underactive side. When this happens, a child's interpretations of and reactions to the world around him will be off, so to speak, and his behaviour will appear abnormal, a little disconnected or out of sync. And it is this that is responsible for many, if not all mental, physical, behavioural, social, emotional learning and developmental difficulties related to the whole spectrum of neurological disorders. Number six symptoms are the clues that tell us if the delay resides in the left or right brain. When you hear this list of symptoms, you may start to identify strongly with some in your child. We are only touching the surface here, but we will be able to guide you to more information via the Brain Balance movement group, poor body awareness, poor muscle tone, poor gait, poor gross and fine motor skills, poor balance, rhythm and coordination, persistence of primitive reflexes, these are explained a little later. Poor eye coordination, poor social skills, abnormal emotional reactions, sensitive sensory system, compromised immune system, a rabid heartbeat and an immature digestion system, digestive issues and food sensitivities, academic struggles, and poor cognitive awareness. These are the symptoms that most people associate with learning and behavioural disorders, and the ones that we as parents and professionals focus and worry about the most. We think of ADHD as an attentional and regulation problem. We think of autism as a communication and socialisation problem, and dyslexia is a reading problem, only they are not. There is no question that these skills may be lacking. But this is not the problem. They are only symptoms of the real problem, which is an imbalance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Fact number seven, it all starts with primitive reflexes. I've never heard of those. I hear you say that neither head I or anyone I I've asked so far, but you won't believe how important they are. They keep our babies alive in the womb. And once out. A baby survives thanks to this series of reflexes, primitive reflexes or automatic movements that require no thought and are present at birth to support vital functions. They give the baby the instinct to breathe to feed or suckle when hungry, that's called the rooting reflex, or even earlier to help the baby make the trip down the birth canal. They play a crucial role in the development of our motor skills of our sensory integration and our overall neurological development. But by age three, the cerebral cortex should be taking over. Now remember that muscle movement and sensory stimulation prompt the genes to build the brain and grow neurons and connections that advance a newborn from one milestone to the next. As the brain gets larger, with more connections formed, higher levels of brain function are ready to come into play. primitive reflexes are then for the most part, no longer necessary, and the brain inhibits or deactivates them, allowing for more complex postural motor reflexes to emerge. But if a child does not move enough to stimulate the genes to build the brain, these reflexes will not become inhibited. And if the primitive reflexes are not inhibited, the brain cannot build in an orderly fashion. This is how an imbalance begins throwing off the timing for development of the large muscles and generating further problems down the line. So as you can imagine, looking at your child's primitive and postural reflexes, is a key, very important diagnostic tool. Most of these should be active at birth, but then disappear at specific times over the next year to be replaced by consciously controlled movement. primitive reflexes are a well documented crucial stage of childhood development. And yet, paediatricians, health, visitors, GPS, and so forth, rarely check them in a physical examination. More complex movements cannot develop efficiently if the primitive reflexes are still active. So if your child is struggling with more complex movements, such as balance, riding a bike, tying their shoe, eating without being messy or catching a ball, it is likely that the reflexes are still present and causing a delay in the development of this movement. So what can you do I hear you ask? Well, the earlier this is done with a child, the easier it is, and the good news is that it can be addressed by some simple consistent exercises, which will inhibit the reflexes, you will see a significant positive impact in your child's overall development. And this work can contribute to improve motor skills, learning abilities, and emotional well being seven EVO, and many of the functional chiropractic neurologists in the US see between 50 to 100% improvement in a child's symptoms when working purely on the primitive reflexes. So here we conclude the introductory episode of my Mighty Quinn. Our first foray together into the world of brain health and Brain Balance. Quinn's remarkable transformation, along with the countless other children who have benefited from the scientific method serves as a powerful testament to the potential for growth and change in conditions like ADHD, autism, ticks, Tourette's, dyslexia, and other neurological disorders. But hold on tight, because there's so much more to unravel and explore in this fascinating realm. This is just the beginning of a profound awakening to the true potential of our brains. Are you ready to unlock your child's hidden potential just like I'm doing with Quinn, I firmly believe that you can. I'll be bringing you the brilliant minds and exceptional individuals to guide you and your child. And there are courses like the one I have taken to study brain health, in more depth if you wish. I also believe you can find time as a busy creative entrepreneur with multiple ventures. I know how busy life gets, and I intimately understand the challenges of being a single mother myself. I've been where you are. And I assure you that finding time in the right support is possible. I've experienced firsthand, the roller coaster of struggles and triumphs on this path, consistently implementing the programme that changed my child's life. So let's join hands and embark on this voyage together. Please share your experiences, challenges, thoughts, hopes and questions. And let's set sail and change the course of this epidemic.