Adam was like so many kids I work with. He felt angry, hopeless and stupid. He was thirteen and said to me, “I hate reading. It never gets better no matter how much I practice, and I feel like more of a loser every time I do it.”
Adam had been struggling with reading, writing and learning since he started school. By the time he was in grade 4 his difficulties in the classroom were misdiagnosed as ADHD.
The medication didn’t improve his academics – it only made him feel groggy and left him with so little appetite that he did not eat until dinner time.
The Poster Child of an Underdeveloped Left Brain
Adam had an incredible genius with construction. He was already working with his uncle who built houses and Adam could tell you just about any part of a car and what it did.
Adam was the poster child of a kid with a left brain delay and right brain overdevelopment – big picture thinking, 3D vision.
When he was properly diagnosed, it was determined he had dyslexia and dysgraphia. Adam’s ADHD-like behaviours only started when he had become so frustrated and disengaged with learning that he started acting out in class.
He and his mom hoped that now that they had a proper diagnosis he would get the help he needed with an IEP and the school’s remedial reading program.
Four years later and he had barely made any progress with reading. That’s because what Adam needed wasn’t more phonics drills or more practice. He needed an intervention that would correct the root cause of why he struggled so much despite his efforts. When I screened Adam he showed all the signs of a left brain underdevelopment.
We needed to stimulate the weak side of his brain.
Common Diagnoses of a Child with a Left-Brain Underdevelopment
When a child has an underdeveloped left brain, it’s not uncommon for them to be diagnosed with:
- Dyslexia
- Auditory Processing Disorder,
- Dyspraxia
- Dysgraphia
- General Learning Disability
- Dyscalculia
- Selective mutism
Because these kids are typically your run-of-the-mill easy-going kids, it’s not until these kids are in grade 1 and 2 that it becomes obvious that there are difficulties.
Typical Profile of a Left-Brain Deficient Child
These kids are often easier going than kids with an underdeveloped right brain whose hyperactivity and impulsiveness is noticed early on.
This is because the right brain is the breaks and kids with a left-brain deficiency more often than not have lots of ‘breaks’ when it comes to impulses and energy.
In early childhood the child with the left-brain deficiency is more likely to be shy or withdrawn but also eager to please. It’s not uncommon for them to be late talkers and if the left-brain underdevelopment is severe enough, they may even be a child of few words.
They might have difficult with expressive language such as mixing up words or clearly explaining their ideas (remember the language centre is on the left side of the brain).
The Gifts of Right Brain Overdevelopment (and a Left Brain Deficiency) Child
Since the right brain is ‘big picture’ and also connected to social skills if these kids can overcome their shyness, they can be quite perceptive of others and may have excellent social skills.
The right brain is responsible for gross motor skills so it’s not uncommon for these kids to be athletic and yet have poor fine motor skills such as in the case of dysgraphia. In other instances, both systems are weak, and these kids may also be dyspraxic.
In any case more often than not these kids are athletic, or they love being outside, crave movement and real, hands-on learning and experiences.
The right brain is where the visual cortex resides which is why many of these kids have incredible 3D vision and may be excellent artists, builders or future engineers.
The Promise of Brain Hemispheric Balancing
The best part of brain hemispheric balancing is that when we strengthen the weak side of the brain, kids don’t lose their areas of genius. That side of the brain is developed and there to stay – they just don’t struggle with everyday tasks like reading, remembering and writing.
After completing my 6-month program, The Full Potential Formula, and addressing the various factors that were contributing to weak connections in Adam’s brain, Adam was making progress like never before with his reading and writing.
His memory was sharper, and he finally felt like he was able to learn like the other kids in his class. Adam’s confidence soared and so did his motivation.
Want to learn more about how you can help your child rise to their full potential? Book a free Clarity Call today.
