I have worked with brain function and behavior for more than 30 years. Since early 2001, I have focused on issues of developmental disorders. My wife and I work with the whole range from ADHD, LD, and dyslexia, up through the auditory processing disorders and sensory integration issues, and up to the PDD spectrum. This also includes Non-Organic Failure To Thrive in children.
A New Perspective; A New Paradigm
I want to offer a new way of thinking about developmental disorders. Our paradigm is based on practical experience. Our approach is not medical or psychological. Nor is it a behavioral therapy. It would probably be best characterized as a cultural therapy.
In our experience, developmental disorders are a result of too many aspects of our modern world causing a reaction of sluggish development for some children. When we are able to work with these children and their families, we are successful in moving those children from whatever diagnosis they have to a point of recovery and normalcy.
If Symptoms Are Not The Problem, What Is The Problem?
The problem is clarified in the diagnostic distinction which is called a “Developmental Disorder.” There is something wrong with the developmental process. Something has caused the child’s developmental process to become sluggish or blocked. Development does not proceed normally.
The symptoms are a result of a variety of factors, including when this blockage occurred, how pervasive is the blockage, and how intense is the blockage.
What Is The Developmental Process?
All living things have a life-cycle. One aspect of that life-cycle is the process of developing the characteristics of a mature example of the species. This developmental process is clearly outlined for humans with a more-or-less agreed upon set of ages and stages which we call our developmental process. The developmental process is most often expressed as a developmental checklist in which we list the expectations that at a certain age, we expect a normally developing child to start performing a particular activity.
What Drives The Developmental Process For Us?
I’m not an expert in the science of our human developmental process. But, I have experience working with children which developmental problems and watching as they catchup with their peers. I am an observer as they start moving through their developmental stages after having been stuck without appropriate developmental movement.
Normal Development: My way of understanding about how the developmental process normally proceeds forward, is that there are some circuits in the brain which are not yet formed. As these circuits grow, the child starts having the capability to perform the actions which those newly grown circuits control.
Recovering from Blocked Development: My way of understanding this is that there are some circuits in the brain which are poorly formed and/or have been blocked from growing. As these circuits are permitted to grow, and encouraged to grow, the child starts having the capability to perform the actions which those newly grown circuits control.
What Causes Blocked Or Sluggish Development?
If we look at the plants in our gardens we can start to understand the overall aspects of what might be at work. If there is something wrong with the ‘culture,’ our plants will have sluggish or blocked development. Each type of plant has its preferred ‘culture.’ and if there is something wrong with the light, the temperature, the wind, the access to water, the growing medium, or the nutrition, the plant will not develop appropriately.
Also, there are other environmental aspects which could affect the development of the plants. For instance, if there is a herbicide being used nearby, sensitive plants might react to it and not develop appropriately. Or, if there is a chemical fertilizer being used, the chemical composition of that product my help certain plants and hurt other plants. This model can help us understand what might be blocking the development of our own children.
Genetically, we are designed to flourish and develop appropriately under certain conditions. But, the non-contaminated environment in which our developmental process was designed to flourish, is no longer common. Many of our more sensitive children are reacting to our environment and they need to be protected from it. The reactions of these hypersensitive children to their contaminated environment involves shutting down the developmental process.
How Does This Shut-Down Occur?
Our immune system has one category of reaction which is called Hypersensitivity. In my experience, hypersensitivity is a catch-all diagnostic category because there are so many different things people can be hypersensitive to and so many different reactions they have to the things to which they are hypersensitive.
From our experience lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia are all examples of this kind of Immune system hypersensitivity. These conditions have many and varied symptoms with a wide range of diagnostic criteria, there is no known cause, and there is no known cure.
All of the Developmental Disorders have a similar set of conditions: “many and varied symptoms with a wide range of diagnostic criteria, there is no known cause, and there is no known cure.” Based on this and some other experience we have, we are assuming that developmental disorders are a result of an hypersensitive immune reaction.
How Does This Happen?
Imagine how our immune system started out. It was when we humans were starting. Our immune system was designed to protect us from harmful situations in our environment. If we encountered something which our immune system considered harmful, it would reorganize our resources so that we could get away from that harmful stuff. When we were away from the influence of that bad stuff, it would recognize that were were safe and put our resources back to normal.
The immune system recognized that something was harmful for us when we had a certain kind of reaction when we touched, breathed, or ingested it. We call this reaction sensitivity and intolerance.
Part of the reorganization the immune system would do for us is to shut down some nonessential functions so that all of our energy was available to walk away from that which it recognized was harmful to us. When we were sensitive to something or intolerant to something, our immune system would recognize that were were in contact with it and let us know that we need to walk away from that substance so that we could be safe. After we had walked away, it would recognize that we were clear of that substance and it would put our body back into its normal state.
Which Non Essential Functions?
The facilities and the energy for survival is always the most essential resource. The energy and clarity to walk away from the offending substance is also very important. But, not much else is essential when in contact with something to which we are sensitive or intolerant.
What Gets Shut Down?
What does the immune system shut down when we are reacting to these things? One of the processes it shuts down is the growth of the circuits which drive the developmental process. As long as we are touching, breathing, or ingesting something to which we are sensitive or intolerant, our immune system will shut down the growth of those circuits.
This means that as long as we stay in contact with substances to which we are sensitive or intolerant, the circuits which grow and push us through the developmental process will not be permitted to grow.
How Does This Relate To Our Children With Developmental Disorders?
When we test children with developmental disorders, they usually have 8 to 12 things in their environment to which they are sensitive or intolerant. As long as they stay in contact with them, they will not be able to move forward through their developmental process. As long as they are reacting to what they are sensitive to, their immune system will keep those circuits stunted and the child’s developmental progress will be blocked or slow.
Imagine if one of the things a child is reacting to is the chemicals in the laundry detergent or fabric softener used by the family. There is no way the child can walk away from that exposure. All cloth the child touches contains residue from the laundry. The child is touching and breathing that chemical residue all hours of every day.
What Are The Kinds Of Things To Which These Children React?
From our experience it can be food, drink, and snack choices, laundry products, bath soaps and shampoos, air fresheners, carpet materials or glues, types of fabrics, types of plastic, types of paper, and types of inks.
How Can The Child Stop These Reactions?
From our experience the only way to stop these reactions is to stop all contact with those substances to which the child is sensitive and intolerant.
This requires testing to determine the child’s reactions to everything in the child’s environment. To determine which substances the child will have reactions, there are multiple testing procedures available such as blood tests, electronic tests, and even muscle tests.
What Happens When Those Reactions Are Stopped.
From our experience the child’s developmental process gets re-engaged and starts moving forward. This means that some developmental steps may be revisited and some steps will be started for the first time. As long as the child has all contact eliminated with all the environmental factors to which the child is reacting, the child’s developmental process will remain engaged.
