Oh crum, I missed Brainbeat on sale 20% off for Cyber Monday.

[drjuliadc]

Brainbeat is the $250 home use version of Interactive Metronome.  Not made by the same people. I have heard good things about it from other chiropractors who use it.  I am kind of glad I didn't know about it now because I probably wouldn't have time to compare them anyway.  I already have an interactive metronome (around $4000) but the Brainbeat game looks like it might be more fun for the kids.

 

I have been recommending to some people who would like to try BrainBalance center who either can't afford it or are too far away from a center to do some food allergy testing, attempt to remediate their kids primitive reflexes, do creeping and crawling and use Brainbeat.

 

I say attempting to remediate the reflexes because the two patients who I referred to BrainBalance were very happy with the results, but we all notice that the primitive reflexes return.

[Heathermomster]

Were the patients with returning prim reflexes diagnosed autistic or have cp?

My kid's prim refexes did not return (after working with a ped PT), but neither is on the spectrum. Reintegration exercises for the spinal galant, ATNR, and STNR helped DS to learn to swim and sit at a desk without slumping or extending his legs. They both worked with an OT and ped PT.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Heathermomster

[drjuliadc]

One is autistic and the other two have no diagnoses, but the mom is an OT and she knew her two girls had issues. The autistic boy is from a different family.

 

One thing I heard though, is that brainbalance only teaches one remediation for each reflex. I don't know the reasoning behind that, but it sounds limiting.

[drjuliadc]

It was two families with a total of three patients, not two patients like I previously posted. They are the only three patients I ever referred there.

[Heathermomster]

Well, it is my understanding that kiddos with autism can literally take years of OT to sort out their developmental motor issues.

I've been thinking more about what you ask.

 

My DS worked with an OT for six weeks completing IM.  He saw her 1 hour per week and then completed 20 minutes daily IM homework.  He was identified to have the spinal galant, ATNR, and STNR.  After OT, I thought we were done.

 

Years later, I took DD to see the same OT, and after watching her work with my DD, I was less than impressed.  I spoke with a local O-G teacher who rec'd a ped PT.  I decided to get DS rechecked by the ped PT, and he still had one reflex.  DS worked with the ped PT, and she focused on strength, posture, balance, and bilateral coordination using a variety of exercises and weights.  DS was periodically assessed until all of his motor goals were met, and then we stopped.

 

Our experience was that IM alone did not remedy my son's developmental motor issues.  I feel like ped PT worked because DS immediately learned to swim afterwards, his posture is better, he now sits properly at a desk, and the ped PT tells me that son's reflexes are integrated..  

 

 

Edited December 1, 2016 by Heathermomster

[Heathermomster]

sorry...

Edited December 1, 2016 by Heathermomster

[drjuliadc]

Thank you for sharing your experience, Heathermomster.

 

I am often not clear in my writing because I only have moments before one of my twins starts climbing me. I listed IM along with remediating reflexes because BrainBalance centers do both separately.  They don't attempt to remediate the reflexes WITH the IM.  They do exercises for remediating the reflexes similar to what some OTs or PTs do.  They do many other things too, but those were some high spots to hit for those who didn't have access to a center.

 

I figured remediating the reflexes just takes a while or maybe needs to be handled in a more "cross training" for lack of a better word, sort of way.  The dad of the autistic boy had already been working on the son's reflexes for two years when he told me that they still come back. He'd been through more than one treatment protocol with brainbalance, but this conversation was two years after his first round.  His son's improvement was dramatic anyway.

 

The mom, who is an OT, of the two girls had been working on her girls' reflexes for a while too.  Maybe a year when she told me they still come back.  These are girls who I couldn't tell there were any issues with, but I really trusted the mom that she knew.   I just don't think they fit the criteria of any diagnosis at the time. The mom was very happy with her results.