Brain Balancing Act - Article from Austin Woman Magazine, August 2013

Austin Woman Magazine published an article about us in their August 2013 issue.  Check it out! 

 

Anna Bauereis and Brain Balance of Austin offer non-medical solutions to help children with ADD/ADHD, Tourette’s, dyslexia, Asperger’s and autism.

 

By Molly McManus, Photo by Elizabeth Shear

 Survival mode. This is a circumstance many families find themselves in when their child is battling an imbalance of the brain. These imbalances manifest in a variety of ways, often-times labeled as ADD/ADHD, Tourette’s, dyslexia, Asperger’s and autism. The day-to-day can be difficult: A jacket drops to the floor and your daughter breaks into an emotional episode; your son takes 20 minutes to tie his shoe, making everyone late; you receive a phone call from your child’s school reporting him or her as not meeting classroom requirements.
These scenarios are all too common, placing strain on the entire family. Although there are theories as to why brain imbalances happen, ultimately the cause is unimportant. It doesn’t matter how a child came to have learning or social disabilities; what matters is how to help overcome these imbalances. The Brain Balance Achievement Center of Austin offers a solution. The center is part of an educational franchise, with 54 locations nationwide.

The highly trained staff of teachers, sensory motor coaches and nutritionists follow the research and teachings of Dr. Robert Melillo, founder of the national Brain Balance program, providing a nonmedical, comprehensive and individual treatment plan to help kids age four to 21 overcome brain disorders. Spanning more than a year, the scientifically-based curriculum includes an extensive assessment to show any imbalances in the brain, 12-weeks of intensive training, nutritional counseling, follow-up evaluations to ensure treatment continues to work and invaluable support along the way.

“I sit down with parents and educate them on what’s going on with their child,” explains Anna Bauereis, center director and owner of the Brain Balance Center of Austin. “I don’t sell this or push this on parents. It is a commitment, and it’s hard.”

“One of my goals as an owner of Brain Balance is to support parents in the uniqueness of their child,” Bauereis continues. “We walk alongside parents and the schools to get rid of these imbalances and prove the child can do it.”

During the 12-week intensive program, a child comes to the center three times a week, working on the weakest parts of their brain. Parents do brain exercises at home with their child and report back to Brain Balance about breakthroughs.

Bauereis works with schools to offer an analysis of the student, to assist with any problems in the classroom and to try to get teachers to focus on weaknesses as well as strengths.

“Teachers promote the positives that somebody can do and what they are good at—I’m tapping into what they are weak at,” explains Bauereis, who knows that the only way to see improvement is to focus on these weaknesses.

Bauereis offers guidance to parents, so when a child finishes the program, new expectations are set in place. If a mother has been tying her child’s shoe to save time and continues to exhibit this tendency, the child will continue to not tie the shoe, knowing that his or her mom will. Brain Balance retrains parents to stop these practices.

“Parents are just surviving,” she says with a knowing smile. “They are just trying to get through the day-to-day. They have habits.”

Bauereis is all too familiar with survival mode and relates to these parents. A mother of five and grandmother to seven, Bauereis went through Brain Balance with her son prior to owning the center. He was 10 years old, had processing issues and couldn’t read. Bauereis witnessed and celebrated her son and other children’s successes.

“I sat on the couch for six months, watching kids come and go. Kids with dyslexia, Tourette’s…no longer,” she asserts. “I mean this stuff was gone.”

But it’s no walk in the park. Parents must put their ego aside and be okay knowing that although they might have done everything right as a parent, it wasn’t right for the unique needs of their child. Bauereis invites parents to partake in the program if they are open-minded and willing to work with others to help make change. The in-depth approach provides parents, children and schools the tools they need to be successful individuals, without the help of medication. Brain Balance offers a natural approach, fixing the issues once and for all.

Amazingly, 86 percent of children that are on medication and go through Brain Balance are off the medication in three or four weeks. Instead of suppressing undesirable behaviors, Brain Balance works specifically in the area of the brain that is causing these behaviors, addressing all underlying problems. One of the most difficult aspects for parents at Brain Balance is the nutritional component.

In addition to vision therapy, dichotic listening and occupational therapy, nutritional assessment and advice is presented. Nutrition is an important factor in regulating the brain, as food can drastically react with our processing capabilities. For many children with imbalances, major dietary changes must be made. Bauereis recounts one of her student’s who had a speech impediment. Within just a few sessions, the child no longer battled this impediment.

“For 12 weeks [the student] had to eliminate dairy from his diet,” Bauereis says. “In the 13th week, he could have milk. And he loved milk. Within 24 hours, he needed speech therapy again.” “For my son, it was peanuts. He would have a PB&J and two days later he was an emotional basket case,” she says, explaining that behaviors effected by food usually surface 24 to 48 hours later, and parents should monitor how children respond with food.

Brain Balance takes treatment extremely seriously and wants families to do the same. If you don’t follow the diet or show up for your appointments, you are not welcomed back. It’s the only way a child will fully conquer the imbalances within their brain. Bauereis and Brain Balance are there to help any family who is willing to take the next step, providing everything under one roof. The survival mode mentality will melt away, the bigger picture taking hold: a happy, motivated and well-rounded child, who no longer has to struggle.

Brain Balance Center of Austin, 3267 Bee Caves Road, Ste. 118, 512.328.7771.

Resources

Brain Balance recommends two books to help you better understand what’s going on in your child’s brain and aid you on your journey.

Disconnected Kids: The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders, by Dr. Robert Melillo
Creator of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers, Dr. Robert Melillo breaks down the science behind the Brain Balance program in this informative book. Melillo is an internationally known lecturer, author, educator, researcher and clinician in the areas of neurology, rehabilitation, neuropsychology and neurobehavioral disorders in children. Disconnected Kids is given in your initial visit, providing you with the same assessment offered at Brain Balance, but according to Bauereis, almost every parent comes back to the program, as trying to do it all at home can be extremely difficult.

Reconnected Kids: Help Your Child Achieve Physical, Mental, and Emotional Balance, by Dr. Robert Melillo
Reconnected Kids is given to families when they are ready to move forward with the Brain Balance program. The book discusses desirable and undesirable behaviors happening for a child. According to a child’s age, the book outlines what the child should be able to do in terms of social, emotional, physical and academic behavior.