Brain Gym?

[cathmom]

My mil has been promoting this program to me for the last two years. I have looked over the info and the website and, honestly, it just seems like hooey to me. My mil is the type who is always promoting the latest thing she has found to us - oxycise, essential oils that cure anything, the Body Ecology diet, gluten free living, etc.

We just had our older dd evaluated for dyslexia - she also has dysgraphia. She just turned 12 and the recommendation was for 18-24 months of tutoring to get her to grade level, plus other accomodations and programs. And when sharing all this info with mil, again she offers to buy us Brain Gym, when there are so many other things she needs!

Has anyone used this? Does it actually work?

I hope I haven't offended anyone with my question!

[Perry]

You know, I blew this off for several years as snake oil, but I'm rethinking my position. It turns out there is some good data that kids with dyslexia are much more likely to have persistent primary reflexes. It's thought that Brain Gym and "educational kinesiology" helps integrate these reflexes, which should have been integrated during infancy. We did Brain Gym with my son for awhile this spring, and he thought it was fun. It was pretty easy to do, although I don't have any way of knowing whether we were really doing it correctly. His reading is improving, but we are doing so many different interventions it's impossible to know how much effect it had.

At this point, my belief is it can't hurt (except for the cost), it's kind of fun, and there is a good chance it might help. I'll try to find the articles after I get everyone tucked in for the night.

[Perry]

Okay, here (http://www.primarymovement.org/background/index.html) is some information about primary reflexes. The website is Primary Movement, which seems to be similar to Brain Gym. I don't know enough about them to compare, and I have been unable to find any specific information about Primary Movement. At one point, I read a couple of the publications, and it appears details about it are proprietary, so it is only described in vague terms. But I believe it includes exercises similar to those used in Brain Gym.

[Laurie4b]

Our first OT assigned ds some activities out of the Brain Gym book.
Is your dd's dysgraphia the kind that is dyslexic dysgraphia, or does she also have fine motor problems? (With dyslexic dysgraphia, the student's writing is fine for copywork, but with self-generated writing, the handwriting becomes illegible, there are all kind of spelling errors, language mechanics errors, etc.)
If it is dyslexic dysgraphia, I'd second the tutoring, with you doing what the tutor does on the days she's not working with dd. If the dysgraphia has a fine motor skills component, then occupational therapy would be the way to go. The OT will know whether any of the Brain Gym exercises would be right for your dd.

[GailV]

Like your MIL, I tend to hop on bandwagons.:tongue_smilie:

I got a Brain Gym book because I thought it sounded fascinating. At the time my older dd was about 6 and really struggling with reading. We did a few exercises, and suddenly she was reading smoothly and easily. I can't say exactly what happened (maybe it would've happened without the Brain Gym), but it really was like flipping a switch. From what I read, she had trouble crossing the midline. But she'd never been professionally evaluated.

It's really big in some segments of the homeschool community.

You know, if someone wanted to buy me something, though, I'd rather they buy me some sessions with a Brain Gym professional. On the other hand, if you get the book and do some of the exercises (which are easy and take just a few minutes), it doesn't take that much out of your life. Whether it works or not, you haven't invested much in it.

[CLHCO]

I have a brain gym book and it's a mixed bag. There are some exercises that do various mid-line crossing, coordination, etc. Such things can be very helpful. It has some strange focus point type things that probably are on the hooey side.

I remember reading that they mix a bit of science with a bit of eastern type religious energy theories. I'm sorry but I can't remember what it was referred to but it reminded me of feng shui.

Dianne Craft uses some of this in her therapies, which are more grounded, in my opinion. No energy theories, just exercises. She has a book as well.

diannecraft.org

[Laurie4b]

Yes, I remember the religious slant, too. I avoided those exercises. The "crossing the midline" ones do seem to help.