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1.
What are the Brainwave Programs? The Brainwave Programs
are a series of several hundred effective brain exercises performed
on balance boards. They tackle processing deficits related to
learning and uncontrolled behavior.
2. Where does the balance idea come from? In
Europe, balance has been considered to be of vital importance to the
healthy development of physical and scholastic competence. Balance
exercises were used in school physical education programs and
military gyms there since the 1900s.
3. What is the scientific background behind
the programs? The research of the connection between the
inner ear/balance and brain function has been studied in-depth and
findings are becoming increasingly pertinent, given the crisis in
which our succeeding generations have found themselves.
4. What
are your qualifications? Having studied language and
literature and the principles of neurocognition and naturopathy,
(Wichita, Tel Aviv, Toronto), I opted for a career in teaching
Special Education after graduating from York University. When
working with Special Education students, I was met with the
challenge of trying to solve learning problems of endemic
proportions without there being seemingly effective tools or
resources. I did not consider the responses of the available
methodologies adequate to the needs of learning disabled children
many of whom seemed mislabeled.
5. Why did you develop the programs?
I studied different theories of scholastic and occupational
intervention extensively, but found that what was available mostly
lacked practical applicability to the parent/caregiver who is
“living with the emergency.” In the school system, I spent
endless days with some off-the-wall kids who would have called it a
splendid day to get through recess without causing injury to
themselves or their classmates.
6. Who are your clients? They
are mostly parents of troubled children who are at the end of their
rope, and dedicated teachers who are overwhelmed by the lack of
workable options in their classrooms. We do offer enhanced programs
to gifted children who are not learning disabled.
7. How do you advertise? Over
the last 25 years, I have given many public lectures for charitable
organizations and for fundraisers to learning disabilities
associations, written articles, spoken on radio and television shows
and my web site has attracted many clients. Mostly, the Brainwave
Programs have spread by word of mouth and by referrals of former
program participants.
We have been in business for a quarter century and have seen
hundreds of clients who rely on our absolute confidentiality.
8. Do you deal with victims of trauma? Yes.
It is gratifying to participate and witness the beauty of the
recovering human spirit.
9. What is your objection to medication? I
do not believe that learning is “fixed” with a pill. The brain
is a complex chemical factory and to add chemicals with adverse side
effects without exploring other options is a dangerous trend from
the 60s.
10. What do you think about drugs to
correct learning disabilities? The jury is still out on
many commonly prescribed drugs while the medical and pharmaceutical
industries will surely come up with convincing arguments in favor of
drugging children when their “condition” (whatever that is) can
not be given the adequate ‘attention’ it requires.
I know about the serious side effects. Through my work, I meet
plenty of kids with shriveled skin, stunted growth, insomniacs,
depressed and unmotivated. Their parents tell me these are all
changes since their children have been on medication. But their
children do manage to do their homework and they do argue
less....so, I guess you could say that some ‘Stepford’ children
do well on it. By the way, drugs do not increase intelligence.
11. Is it not dangerous to withhold
medication? I am not advocating the withholding of
medication nor do I encourage self-medicating or making changes
without consulting the child’s physician. Parents do tell me of a
steady decrease in medication when their children are participating
in my programs.
12. How
do you know a client needs your program rather than medication? We
do take all of the client’s background information into
consideration, preexisting medical conditions, handicaps, diet, et
cetera during the initial interview. We mostly give referrals to
healthcare professionals and if our programs are not suitable, we
certainly, under no circumstances accept the family into our
programs. Quality control enhances the success rate, as well.
13. How can your programs be used for
intervention? A couple of years ago, I read a study that
the average one-on-one interaction time between parents and their
children is a whopping fifteen minutes a day. Our programs take about thirty minutes a day of child-parent interaction including pertinent discussions during the exercises which provides an opportunity to get reacquainted with one another using deliberate direction from their program.
14. How do you prove that your programs
work? Pre-testing and Post-testing are important parts of
The Brainwave Programs. The tests results back up parents’ glowing
emotional testimonials.
15. What is your success rate?
Everyone who has followed through the program as instructed has
benefited greatly, and we have plenty of testimonial letters, cards
of thanks and touching personal telephone calls from parents who say
they “have their child back.”
16. Who is your competition? There
is no competition; I am grateful to learn about any organization
dedicating their efforts to help. We have experienced a fair bit of
plagiarism which concerns me because someone without the proper
training and understanding of the intended applications of
individual exercises is using the material and can obviously only
give amateurish quality of service and results based on luck.
17. Who are your critics? I have
not met any, besides, unless they can improve my work, I’m not
interested. Any losers can shoot off their mouth to create doubt and
increase self-importance, which is often the non-thinker’s
contribution to society. Everybody has a critic in their family,
circle of friends or work. Go there for a moment: how constructive
are they and what does it do to your enthusiasm?
18. Do you have testimonials? Plenty,
read a few on this web site.
19. Are the programs covered by insurance? Yes,
some private plans.
20. What schools do you recommend? Private
and charter schools offer a great variety of options.
21. What do you think about home schooling?
My experience with home schooled children has been exquisite. They
are not “socialized” daily and cowed by the political flavors of
New Age thought.
22. What about the home schooled child’s
learning social skills? A healthy sense of self and a grasp of what
is pertinent are largely cultivated in the family framework. In
general, home schooled children are not obsessed with peer consensus
or popularity contests.
23.What educators and philosophers have
impressed you? The works of Maria Montessori and Ayn Rand
teach disciplined thinking, the joy of effort, the desire and
necessity of achieving a constructive conclusion in a problematic
situation. Responsibility and duty are learned and they perfect the
life and learning arsenal of the achiever. The quotes on this web site are by Ayn Rand.
24. Have you worked with autistic children?
Yes, with good results. Initially, we offered the programs on a pro
grata basis for research. The work was a humbling experience after
dealing mostly with kids who are given drugs for daydreaming and
doodling in their uninspiring classrooms. My hat goes off to those
families for their love, dedication and the amount of character that
needs to be mustered to stay on task.
25. How is your program for adults
different from the students’ program? You mentioned
depression and anxiety. Usually, it is much more labor intensive
because adults’ long time emotional and social distress have added
to their learning challenges.
Motivation and ambition can be restored with guidance from the
individually-tailored exercises of Brainwave Program2©.
26. Aren’t you afraid of playing with the
brain?
Am I afraid of teaching disciplined organized thinking and
self-control? NO!
27. What guarantees do you give?
The exercises have been proven to work when instructions are
followed properly. A ‘carte blanche’ guarantee is not feasible
because the exercises are done at home and we have no control over
the accuracy, attitude, timing, et cetera, with which they are
performed. As a means of quality control for my requirements, there
are numerous office visits scheduled throughout the duration of the
programs to adjust and modify the exercises as well as refresh the
training for those new tasks.
28. If one would want to know more about
the topic, where do you suggest one should start? Request
a recommended reading list through this web site.
(For in-depth information, please consult our recommended reading
list on our Parent/Teacher
page.)
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