guateangel Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Very nice lady, but........... A little history. DD qualifies for Brain Gym through her private service plan through the public school (I pulled her last year from PS and she was on an IEP.) We had our first appointment last week. DD has visual processing issues, crossing midline, clumbsiness, and a possible math disibility, etc. Brain Gym seemed perfect for this. So we go to our first appointment... Lady offered dd a soda pop. ACK! DD doesn't handle sugar well. I politely diclined the offer. Lady was not prepared, she hadn't read dd's IEP, paperwork, etc. She thought DD was in 4th grade. Sigh. Since this is our first appointment she gave dd some 'tests'. One being "Write a paragraph about your favorite toy". ACK! She said she was looking for proper spelling, punctuation and creativity. DD is 8 and we do it TWTM way. She could only write 1 sentence with lots of errors and was very nervous (wants to please everyone.) They then do fun excercises, great. Dd enjoyed this part. We go to set up our next appointment and she informs me we will need to meet at her school since the Brain Gym office is in the process of moving (we met at the lady's house). She explains she's a 6th grade middle school teacher at the public school. ACK! She says I can just 'drop dd off' for future sessions. ACK! I explain I would like to sit in on them in order to learn how to do the brain gym excercises with dd at home as well as see how she tutors dd in math. She says she totally understands and this would not be a problem. So today, I receive a long, drawn out email from this lady's boss defending Brain Gym's sucess and why I can trust them with dd and a list of supportive links. She also offers to give me the names of other parent's in the area who could "share testimonials and who have trusted us with their children." Whoa! Where did this all come from???? Unknowingly I must have offended this other lady since the boss felt the need to defend Brain Gym. I hate to throw in the towel because I could really use the 3rd party help in the math department and the exercises seem perfect for dd (plus the cost is covered.) I just can't help but feel it's not going to work out. Am I being to judgmental, it's only the 1st appt.? Would these things turn you away? I just want to do what is best for dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I don't know if this will help, but just the other day we were discussing the book Brain Gym here http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236406 . I ordered the teacher's edition though it hasn't arrived yet - I expect it any day now. http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Gym-Teachers-Revised-2010/dp/0942143027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301883337&sr=8-1 26 exercises, I think, which is what is mentioned on that website you linked, so it's likely the same program. I ask myself, how hard could it be?? There are numerous youtube videos also. It seems to me that it is not as intricate as a custom-fit OT program with a real OT - in other words, I don't get the sense that professional expertise is necessary to use this Brain Gym program. Why not give it a try yourself? I believe the book gives specific information about each exercise, so I'm hoping I'll be able to pick out the best ones for dd fairly easily. I'll let you know what I think when I receive the book. Has your dd had OT? What about VT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinNY Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Very nice lady, but........... So today, I receive a long, drawn out email from this lady's boss defending Brain Gym's sucess and why I can trust them with dd and a list of supportive links. She also offers to give me the names of other parent's in the area who could "share testimonials and who have trusted us with their children." Whoa! Where did this all come from???? Unknowingly I must have offended this other lady since the boss felt the need to defend Brain Gym. I hate to throw in the towel because I could really use the 3rd party help in the math department and the exercises seem perfect for dd (plus the cost is covered.) I just can't help but feel it's not going to work out. Am I being to judgmental, it's only the 1st appt.? Would these things turn you away? I just want to do what is best for dd. It would give me pause..but I would not throw out the baby with the bath towel. I did BrainGym with my dtr last year using a manual..but I wish she had her OT doing it with her. We couldn't afford OT last year and she suggested this to me in the interim. I would try to nip whatever they are thinking about you in the bud. I would respond to the boss's e-mail that there was never a question about trust in the program. You are the primary teacher now, and you want to get a handle on the exercises and math tutoring, that is all. I sat in on my dtr's first month of OT and Speech because I was desperate to see what I could do at home and what she was capable of. Another thing, your child is 8 and is being seen in a middle school. You have every right to keep your eyes on your child until you feel comfortable with the situation. PS teachers are very used to children being left in their care all day so she may have felt slighted that you didn't come to that automatic place of trust with her. My dtr sees an OT, ST and Special Ed Teacher at the PS every day. I do not accompany her into the room..sometimes I go home, but I have familiarity with them and vice versa. So long story short, give this another shot or two for the long run benefits of the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guateangel Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Thank you for all the advice. After my phone converstion today with the 'boss', I kindly turned down services. She had a BIG problem with me wanting to attend sessions with DD. She said it was protocal for parent's to drop off their children. Plus, they were going to be doing a batter of tests (gentle and fun, I'm sure) and requested that I not be present because it would cause dd 'pressure to perform.' :glare: I will be buying the book and trying it out at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 You can also view many of the Brain Gym exercises by searching Youtube for videos. I have found many wonderful videos on there that I was able to see the exercise performed so I could repeat it with my child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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