Understanding Child Brain Development–a Review

I was recently given a copy of Understanding Child Brain Development, a production of The Family Hope Center, to view and review.  Having one child on the autism spectrum, I was especially interested to see how the things we have tried over the years to help him lined up with professional treatment suggestions. 

     Understanding Child Brain Development is a dvd version of a seminar for parents about brain development, developmental delays, other brain-related issues, and holistic treatment and therapies for brain issues.  While this is not a movie meant for entertainment, it is exceptionally interesting and enjoyable.  Matt and Carol Newell, the director and vice-president of The Family Hope Center, are the facilitators of the seminar.  Viewers of the dvd see the seminar slides as well as the Newell’s during the presentation.  As a perk to purchasing the dvd, you are given access to a printable document containing the slides from the dvd so that you can follow along without having to worry about getting all of the information down in notes.  I love handouts with seminars, so this was right up my alley!  I have a background in science and have studied neurological issues in great depth.  I can say unequivocally that the Newell’s are incredibly educated and well-spoken in the field of child brain development.

     I have been trending more and more toward holistic treatments and therapies over the past several years.  Because of that, I really loved to listen to the Newell’s approach to supporting, improving, and encouraging brain development in my children.  I can even see areas of activities that may be helpful to restoring connections in the brain of my brain injured husband.  I was very interested to hear how the Newell’s relate diet to brain function.  I have been trying for quite some time to make changes in the diet of my family and watch for changes in attitudes, behavior, and the like. Now I am working on eliminating (slowly) many processed and dyed foods from our diet to try and help my husband.  It is an excruciatingly slow process, mainly because he is a creature of habit and doesn’t like me removing some of his favorite foods from his diet; however, even if he can’t see results, I can. 

     This video would be an amazing gift to give to any parent, grandparent, teacher, or caregiver.  It has applications not only to children, but also adults.  It comes from the premise of focusing on the individual and his abilities instead of focusing on his disability.  I was really encouraged by the video.  As our Aspberger’s son was developing and maturing over the years, I learned (by trial and error) that certain foods and medications had huge impacts on his behavior.  My husband and I never told our son of his condition until he was almost 21 years of age.  We wanted him to focus on his abilities and not allow himself the luxury of hiding behind his diagnosis.  We treated his ‘quirks’ as areas where he looked at things just a little differently.  It was really neat to get some confirmation that a lot of what we were doing (and we know worked) were the same things that the Newell’s recommended in their seminar.  I will be watching this many times as I continue to search for things to help my husband.  I think that families with children, whether disabled or not, as well as families with members experiencing demetia or Alzheimer’s issues could really glean some great information from this video.

     One neat side note, Understanding Child Brain Development is available through IEW.  We have been using IEW for many months and love to watch Andrew Pudewa on the videos.  He actually is at the seminar that the Newell’s are conducting on the video and interacts with them during the video. 

To order the DVD, please call 610-397-1737 or you can order Understanding Child Brain Development from IEW.  You may also order by calling 610-397-1737.

     Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using this video and reviewing it.  To read their reviews, click on the banner below.