Healing Your Child's Brain

Book excerpt: Diagnosis is not destiny. Autism. ADHD. Learning difficulties. Epilepsy. Cerebral palsy. Traumatic brain injury. From the moment your child is diagnosed with a special needs condition, you are plunged into a world of doctors, specialists, and therapists. But the most important person on your child's care team is you. In Healing Your Child's Brain, child development experts Matthew and Carol Newell arm parents with the knowledge, confidence, and tools they need to help their special-needs child flourish. The Newells have treated more than 20,000 children and are the parents of two special needs children. They know firsthand, as both parents and practitioners, what works—and what doesn't. Most treatments focus on managing symptoms but don't address underlying neurological issues. This book guides readers through the stages of brain development and how they affect functioning, showing what wellness looks like at each level and how to identify—and tackle—problems. In these pages, parents will learn: • The seven key developmental areas that contribute to how well your child functions in daily life. • How to evaluate your child's capabilities and challenges. • How to create an environment tailored to your unique child, meeting them where they are, rather than where they are "supposed" to be. With insight into how your child's unique brain functions, you can move beyond managing symptoms to establishing a home regimen that fosters neurological growth. It is possible to transform the structure of your child's brain—from the cells themselves to the connections between them. By harnessing the brain's ability to grow and change slowly and steadily over time, your child can and will make progress.