Brain Balance Centers

At Brain Balance, we're dedicating the month of October to raising awareness and understanding of ADHD. This year's official theme is "Awareness is Key," and we’re diving deeper into what life with ADHD really looks like across all ages and genders.

Today, we'll be sharing a few tips for grandparents to spend time with their ADHD grandchild and provide them with emotional support along the way. Grandparents may find ADHD confusing, and while the diagnosis may be new to them, grandparents often want to support their grandkids in any way they can—that's why at Brain Balance, we're here to offer the right tools and information to help. Our guide will help you provide the strength and calm that your grandchild is looking for. Check out the link here and download the guide to find practical tips and strategies to support your ADHD grandchild: https://bit.ly/4doXhZK

We're dedicating October to spreading awareness and sharing helpful resources for individuals with ADHD. All month long we'll be sharing a few common myths about ADHD to help clarify the truth to provide better support to families working through the challenges of ADHD. Follow along for more!

🧠 Myth: ADHD is only about attention and hyperactivity.

🧠 Truth: ADHD affects more than just attention. It impacts mood regulation, task switching, executive functioning, and self-esteem. These challenges can create frustration, stress, and misunderstandings, both at home and school.

Let’s break the stereotype—ADHD is complex and requires a deeper understanding. By focusing on compassion and evidence, families can start to understand that ADHD isn’t a behavioral problem but a brain-based disorder that requires thoughtful, comprehensive support. ❤️

To learn more about the science behind ADHD and effective Brain Balance strategies for support, check out the link here: https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/adhd-five-common-myths.

🧠 Understanding the Environmental and Genetic Factors in ADHD Development 🧠

At Brain Balance, we're dedicating the month of October to raising awareness and understanding of ADHD! Today, we'll be breaking down genetic and environmental factors that may affect ADHD. Science has shown that ADHD develops through a balance of genetic and environmental factors. Family history often reveals patterns of ADHD, with research pointing to the role of epigenetics in its development. Environmental influences like prenatal exposure to smoking, alcohol, or toxins like lead can also raise ADHD risk, as can traumatic experiences or early life stress.

🧠 While the causes may vary, the good news is the brain can change! With the right support, ADHD challenges can be managed, improving learning, social skills, and self-confidence. Check out the link here to learn more: https://bit.ly/3U2YHSN

At Brain Balance, we're dedicating the month of October to raising awareness and understanding of ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. Today, let's talk about bullying. By recognizing the signs of bullying, fostering self-confidence, and working with your child on assertiveness and emotional regulation, you can help them feel more secure and empowered to stand up to bullies or avoid them altogether. Here are some tips to ensure your child feels safe and supported at school:

🧠 Build Your Child’s Confidence: Children with ADHD often face negative feedback about their behavior, which can affect their self-esteem. Help your child build confidence by focusing on their strengths and celebrating their successes.

🧠 Focus on Emotional Regulation: Helping your child learn emotional regulation techniques, such as mindfulness or breathing exercises, can give them tools to stay calm in challenging moments. Encourage them to take deep breaths, count to ten, or walk away when they feel overwhelmed.

🧠Encourage Healthy Friendships: Children with ADHD often have difficulty maintaining friendships, which can lead to social isolation—a common trigger for bullying. Encourage your child to form connections with peers who share similar interests, whether through clubs, sports, or hobbies.

🧠 Work with Teachers and School Staff: Advocate for your child by asking the school to intervene in bullying situations and ensure they have the necessary support in the classroom and during unstructured times, such as lunch or recess, where bullying often occurs.

At Brain Balance Achievement Centers, we are dedicated to helping children achieve success academically and personally. Check out our blog for more strategies on empowering kids with ADHD to take control of their behavior when faced with a bully. https://bit.ly/3ZtYV9a

🌟 Understanding the Developmental Challenges Faced by Children with ADHD 🌟

We often hear how ADHD affects the brain, but how does it impact a child’s day-to-day life?

ADHD is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning it causes developmental delays in how the brain forms networks and structures. These delays lead to difficulties with attention, emotional regulation, and task completion—affecting both academic and social-emotional learning. ADHD isn't a choice or a behavior problem, but a structural difference in the brain that creates unique hurdles at school and at home. Check below

🧠 Academic Challenges 🧠
Children with ADHD face significant challenges in school. With their reduced ability to direct and sustain attention, they may struggle to focus in class, complete assignments, or follow instructions—especially if the subject doesn’t capture their interest. ADHD also affects executive functioning, making it hard to organize tasks, manage time, and plan. This often results in missed or incomplete assignments and frustration, even though they may be working harder than their peers. These struggles aren’t reflective of their intelligence but are signs of developmental differences in brain function.

🧠 Social Challenges 🧠
ADHD can also interfere with social interactions. Kids may misread social cues or act impulsively, leading to misunderstandings or social isolation. Their emotional regulation is also affected, which can lead to low self-esteem, feeling different, or internalizing their struggles as personal failures. They may have more frequent meltdowns, or find it harder to recover from frustrations, which can make them seem immature compared to peers. This isn’t a personality flaw—just another reflection of how their brain develops differently.

🧠 Physical and Behavioral Challenges 🧠
Children with ADHD are often labeled as disruptive due to hyperactivity, but this movement actually helps them focus. The Reticular Activating System in the brain, which controls alertness, is engaged through movement. As their brains mature, these children will gain better control over their bodies, allowing them to remain focused without needing to move as much. Unfortunately, immature brain functions can also contribute to riskier behaviors, including addictive tendencies or eating disorders, making it important to understand ADHD’s far-reaching effects.

It's essential to recognize that ADHD challenges stem from a brain that’s simply wired differently. At Brain Balance, we don't view individuals with ADHD as lazy or uninterested—they’re just facing obstacles that most of us don’t experience. With understanding and support, we can help children with ADHD overcome these hurdles, thrive in school, and build healthier relationships with themselves and others. 💛 For more insights on how ADHD affects development in children, check out the link: https://bit.ly/3U2YHSN

As it gets colder this season, we're here to offer a delightful warm baked apples recipe that captures the essence of fall without the added sugars. Check down below to see how to create a treat that's simple to make while being satisfying and delicious!:

Ingredients:
2 apples
1 tsp cinnamon, to taste
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg white
6 ounces dairy-free vanilla yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut the top and bottom off of apples and core - pour lemon juice over apples.
In a bowl mix oatmeal, egg white, cinnamon and honey.
Place the stuffed apples on a baking sheet and cover with foil.
Bake for about 40 minutes until tender.
Remove from the oven and top with dairy-free vanilla yogurt.

Follow along this month for more recipes from Brain Balance to keep your family healthy and happy.

Register for the next live conversation in our Parents Know Series: Navigating IEPs, 504s, and Special Education Needs

🗓️ Thursday, November 14th
🕰️10AM PT | 12PM CT | 1PM ET

Empowering Parents to Advocate for Their Child's Success in School

Join us for an insightful conversation with special education attorney Dana Jonson, hosted by Dr. Rebecca Jackson, Chief Programs Officer at Brain Balance. In the next webinar in our Parents Know series, Dana will equip parents with essential tools to take charge of their child’s education, particularly if they have an IEP, 504 Plan, or require special education services.

Dana, with over 20 years of experience, brings a wealth of knowledge as both a legal advocate and a parent of children with disabilities. She’ll discuss what parents need to know about IEPs and 504 Plans, how to ensure their child stays on track with goals, and when to seek outside support from an advocate or special education lawyer. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed navigating your child’s education plan, this webinar will offer clarity and actionable steps to empower you as the CEO of your child’s educational journey.

Don't miss this opportunity! Register at brainbalancecenters.com/webinars.

#504

At Brain Balance, we're dedicating the month of October to raising awareness and understanding of ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. ADHD is more than just difficulty focusing—it involves both developmental and structural differences in the brain that impact daily life. While it doesn’t reduce intelligence, these differences can make tasks like learning, planning, mood regulation, and completing activities more challenging.
Key brain regions affected by ADHD include:

🧠 Prefrontal Cortex: Responsible for attention, reasoning, and goal-oriented behavior. Those with ADHD may have reduced size and functionality in this area, making focus and planning more difficult.

🧠 Basal Ganglia: Manages motor control and executive functions. Differences here can lead to impulsivity and challenges in learning.

🧠 Amygdala: Involved in processing emotions. Reduced volume in this region may explain heightened emotional responses and frequent frustrations.

🧠 Default Mode Network (DMN): Active during rest and daydreaming, DMN pathways in ADHD are often overactive, making it harder to stay focused, especially on less interesting tasks.

🧠 Cerebellum: Responsible for motor coordination. ADHD-related differences can impact coordination and fine motor skills.

These differences in brain structure and function highlight the unique challenges faced by individuals with ADHD. It’s important to understand that these challenges aren’t due to lack of effort but are part of how the brain is wired.

To learn more about ADHD and how it affects the brain, check the link here for more: brainbalancecenters.com/blog/adhd-neurology-affect-the-brain

We're dedicating October to spreading awareness and sharing helpful resources for individuals with ADHD. All month long we'll be sharing a few common myths about ADHD to help clarify the truth to provide better support to families working through the challenges of ADHD. Follow along for more!

🧠 Myth: Kids Can Choose to Do Better, and the Right Parenting Will Help Them Overcome ADHD Symptoms

🧠 Truth: ADHD is caused by structural and functional differences in the brain, not behavior choices. It’s easy to feel like we’re failing as parents when consequences or incentives don’t "fix" behavior. But the reality is ADHD isn’t caused by parenting styles or discipline. Understanding this allows us to offer the right kind of support and compassion.

Let’s break the stereotype—ADHD is complex and requires a deeper understanding. By focusing on compassion and evidence, families can start to understand that ADHD isn’t a behavioral problem but a brain-based disorder that requires thoughtful, comprehensive support. ❤️

To learn more about the science behind ADHD and effective Brain Balance strategies for support, check out the link here: https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/adhd-five-common-myths.

With fall festivities just around the corner, we are sharing this fun and simple recipe to enjoy the comforting flavors of pumpkin spice without the sugar crash that comes with meltdowns and poor focus. Check below for our delicious and nutritious Pumpkin Spice Smoothie recipe that can be taken on-the-go!:

Ingredients:
4 oz pureed pumpkin
pinch cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove
2-3 drops pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple syrup
Ice
8 oz almond milk
8 oz cold filtered water
Small handful pecans (15-20)

Directions:
Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
Add water if a thinner consistency is desired and top with a dash of cinnamon.

Follow along this month for more nutritious Brain Balance recipes!

All month long we're dedicating October to spreading awareness and sharing helpful resources to individuals with ADHD!

ADHD symptoms vary based on the individual, here are some common signs of ADHD in adults:
-Frequent forgetfulness: It may seem that an adult with ADHD is always losing things or forgetting important appointments or commitments.
-Procrastination: Procrastination compounds the time management issues for those with adult ADHD. Boring tasks are put off in favor of something more interesting. Focusing on the past or future can be difficult, as the present moment may feel overwhelming.
-Feeling rejected: Adults with ADHD can be highly sensitive to criticism and feeling rejected by others.

Want to learn more about signs of ADHD in adults? Check out our blog for more information: https://bit.ly/4gSDyoa.

Let us know in the comments below, what’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced with ADHD?

At Brain Balance, we're dedicating the month of October to raising awareness and understanding of ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. Reading and spelling may not be the only thing affecting children with dyslexia, it can also take a painful toll on a child's self-esteem. This year's official theme is "Awareness is Key," and we’re diving deeper into what life with ADHD looks like across all ages and genders. For those with dyslexia, here are some key strategies to support learning:

🧠 Get a Dyslexia Profile: Identifying individual learning styles can unlock new strategies to strengthen weaker areas. Get a Dyslexia Profile: Identifying individual learning styles can unlock new strategies to strengthen weaker areas.
🧠Use Reading Techniques: Tools like the phonic alphabet and word recall techniques can help improve reading skills.
🧠Boost Memory: Memory games, visualization, and teaching others can sharpen recall and build confidence.
🧠Cope Positively: Encourage positive coping strategies and avoid avoidance behaviors to build self-esteem.
🧠Talk About It: Communication with teachers and peers can lead to better understanding and support in school and at work.

Dyslexia may bring challenges, but with the right tools, individuals can thrive. If you have a child or teen with dyslexia, maintaining a daily routine where they feel confident enough to overcome challenges is crucial for development and learning. Check out more tips to help your child thrive in the classroom and at home in our blog here: https://bit.ly/4a5BEfN.

🌟 Change Your Brain, Change Your Life 🌟

We have a few favorite mantras at Brain Balance...phrases that shape our team's mission and daily purpose. We love this one — "Change your brain, change your life," because it underscores our simple, yet transformative mission: to help individuals of all ages improve brain connectivity and unlock their full potential. 🧠✨

We believe that when you change how the brain functions, you can change how you learn, grow, and live. Whether it's boosting focus, improving behavior, or finding new ways to overcome learning challenges—our holistic approach helps each person achieve a better, more balanced life.

What's one of your favorite mantras? Comment below!

At Brain Balance, we're dedicating the month of October to raising awareness and understanding of ADHD. This year's official theme is "Awareness is Key," and we'll be sharing resources for individuals with ADHD, no matter their age.

We’ve curated a collection of resources to help families better understand and support loved ones living with ADHD. At Brain Balance, we are dedicated to empowering families and helping children thrive. Explore our resources to learn more about ADHD and discover strategies to foster success and well-being: brainbalancecenters.com/adhd-awareness-month.

ADHD can affect everyone differently, from childhood through adulthood, and recognizing these differences is crucial to providing the right support. Join us this month as we share insights, stories, and resources to help better understand the many faces of ADHD. Let’s raise awareness, foster understanding, and empower each other along the way!

Check out these study habits for high school students from the Brain Balance team.

We recently published a new blog - How to Improve Study Skills for High School Students. We pulled some important tips below for students. Whether your teens are back in school or starting soon, the following study tips can help enhance learning skills, and improve understanding of classroom material:

🧠 Formulate a Study Plan: Plan your study sessions ahead of time. This allows you to allocate specific time blocks for each subject, ensuring a balanced approach.

🧠 Engage in Active Learning: Techniques like summarizing, teaching others, or drawing diagrams can enhance your comprehension and recall of the material.

🧠 Practice Regular Review: Consistently revisiting material reinforces learning and helps embed knowledge in your long-term memory.

🧠 Use Different Resources: Don’t rely solely on textbooks. Supplement your learning with online resources, videos, podcasts, and more.

Follow along this month for more effective strategies to help with study habits to boost overall academic performance, and check out the link here: https://bit.ly/4gnrfQD, for improving study habits for high school students.

Thinking about homeschooling your children? We're offering tips from a Homeschool Dad before parents dive straight in. Every child's needs are different and homeschooling may affect their emotional and social development. Swipe to explore if homeschooling is the perfect fit for your family and check the link to download the free guide and see what homeschooling method works for you! https://bit.ly/3ATjPV0

After a long summer of sleeping in and staying up late is over, it can be challenging for kids to go back into a normal sleep routine once school begins. Get your child ready for their back-to-school sleep schedule by implementing the below sleep recommendations before the school year starts! You know your child best, so adjust as needed.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, this is how much sleep a child needs each night:

🧠 Ages 3–5 years: 10–13 hours (including naps)
🧠 Ages 6–12 years: 9–12 hours
🧠Ages 13–18 years: 8–10 hours

Limiting screen time, providing a calm sleep environment, and getting enough exercise to help them fall asleep and relax, are all great habits to introduce to your child to stay energized through the day and ace the challenges and fun the school day brings. Check the blog for more: https://bit.ly/3DXzDEf

"We came to Brain Balance for help with outbursts and temper tantrums at school that typically ended with our child in the principal’s office or being sent home. He loves coming to program. After three months, he rarely, if ever has these behaviors anymore. It has not only helped at school but at home as well. We are so grateful to Brain Balance." Thank you so much, Theresa, for sharing your child's Brain Balance journey. ❤️

We are proud to announce that the Brain Balance® School Pilot Study received the Outstanding Paper Award 2023 for the category of Applied Educational Research from the Journal for the Study of Education and Development! The study analyzed student outcomes for the Brain Balance program conducted in a school setting.

The results of the study demonstrated marked improvements in attention, behavior, and sensory-motor development for students who completed the Brain Balance program. Shining new light on the efficacy of the Brain Balance Program’s effect on behavior in a school setting not only adds to a continually growing body of evidence for the program's effectiveness but also illustrates the potential for new community and school evidence-based partnerships to fill those gaps.

To find out more about the study, go to https://bit.ly/3Wp6zQ9!