Flame Retardants linked to ADD and Autism

Numerous studies and agencies, including the National Toxicology Program and the California Environmental Protection Agency, have linked halogenated chemicals (a common flame retardant found in furniture, mattresses, homes) to cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, child autism and a long list of other ailments.

Toe Walking

Persistent Toe Walking may be a sign of neurological challenges. Many of the students that I see have a history of toe walking. Here are some links to check out on the subject.

Help our boys

I see 3 boys for every girl... why? Is there a connection here?  I believe so. What this must see video here, The Disappearing Male.  

A Collections of Links about retained infant reflexes.

Reflexes Learning and Behavior

I am greatly interested in integrating reflexes through modified IM tasks and have gathered a significant amount of information on the subject. Here are some books I recommend.

 Of course, IM hours are vastly  limited in relationship to family life time. Parents wanting to learn some 'play' forms that would be helpful for their child should check out this collection of information or google search your self.

Post IM - what to expect down the road.

Recently I've recieved two emails from mom's post IM  that made me smile. I would like to share them with you.

Lazy eye, Lazy ear - Early life experience impacts the brain

Relatively short-term hearing deprivation during childhood may lead to persistent hearing deficits, long after hearing is restored to normal. 

But the good news is: It is unlikely to be a permanent problem for most people," concludes Dr. Polley. "Even if the acoustic signal isn't corrected within the critical period, the mature auditory cortex still expresses a remarkable degree of plasticity

IM is all about brain plasticity - specifically impacting auditory, visual, proprioceptive and vestibular processes. Post IM, if auditory processing remains deficient, I recommend looking in a program called Fast Forward, a more fine tuned auditory processing program that impacts brain plasticity as well. I always recommend IM first, as IM is a bit less specific, more general  all over sensory processing, therefore more foundational. Fast Forward is more specific. Many IM providers offer both and the order I've heard everyone of the providers use is IM first, then Fast Forward. Logically and functionally this makes sense.

Read more here.

Squirrellies and Inhibition - A deeper look.

Wonderful question from a mom today (Nov of 2009 actually - when I began this post.) She had stayed during IM and watched her son in the squirrellies. He was swaying, moving his body non stop, looking out the window, etc - simply following every thought his brain had - NO INHIBITION what so ever.

Inhibition - Think about people you know who have good inhibition, versus those that don't inhibit anything.  What behavior is more 'mature' ? Take a few minutes and just think about this.

Here's a picture of a 7 yr old boy with in house 'squirrellies.' Today about every 1 to 10 seconds, this lad gave into some random sensory impulse, an overwhelming urge to move, much like an itch you just have to scratch.

Do Toxins Cause Developmental Delays?

Click here to read this New York Times article.