Learning Difficulties & Allergies

Are your child’s allergies playing a role in their learning difficulty?

At the Neurolink Clinic we see many children who are coming for assistance with learning difficulties. This “umbrella” term can have many manifestations and particular problems for the children who are struggling with these issues. Aside from the many ways this issue can present, there can also be a combination of underlying causes that can exacerbate the issue.

While some treatments will focus on this issue as being a purely neurological issue – and the sole focus of treatment – we look at all issues that can be a contributing factor in limiting a child from attaining their true potential.

This means helping them realise their optimum potential to be able to rationalise, multi-task and co-ordinate as well as perceive what is concurrently being visualized, heard and sensed.

If different areas of the brain aren’t completely “integrated” a child can struggle in various ways with different tasks (to name a few);

• Not being able to concentrate and focus if something else is happening around them, i.e. other people talking, television in the background etc.
• Not being able to hold on to a visual image while undertaking a coordinated activity involving fine motor movement. This commonly manifests itself by having a hard time putting thoughts down on paper.
• Not being able to read aloud fluently.

The above issues are all items that are normally looked at initially in the first visit at the Neurolink Clinic, but this is not necessarily the total picture of what can be happening.

It is not uncommon for us to hear that aside from the learning difficulties or behavioral issues, the child may also have a history of allergies, asthma, skin, sinus or other problems that can seem totally unrelated to a child struggling at school or at home. The above issues all relate to inadequate food breakdown and the bodies subsequent response (immune) as well as the secondary issues that arise from this – control of blood sugar levels. A lot of recent research is showing a strong link between these “inflammatory” issues (allergies, asthma etc) and the way the molecules released by the immune system – called cytokines – can have an effect throughout the body even as far reaching as the brain. These inflammatory molecules have now been shown to be able to cross over and get into the environment of the brain and effect cognitive thinking, mood and behavior.

The issue of blood sugars addressed by NIS investigation at the Neurolink Clinic is fundamental to ensuring a child’s concentration and focus is physiologically viable. Glycogen or blood sugar levels are a basic consideration in the nutritional guidance that is given with the NIS system.

The last, and certainly not the least aspect that is considered and investigated concerns the emotional aspect of a child’s learning and behavior and the effects these emotions can have on the different glands of the body. All glands have a unique relationship with specific ‘emotional triggers’ e.g. stomach – anxiety.

Through the NIS system, the involved gland is rapidly identified to be failing to retain its function and control when emotionally challenged. Once the emotional centre of the brain and its various pathways are linked and made aware of the glandular breakdown no further reaction occurs with that gland. Any continued anxiety will be controlled and contained without neurological confusion. The child’s confidence and self esteem will become additional benchmarks to confirm progress.