& BODY
Welcome to The Brain Broad Blog!
This is where I get to take off the doctor’s coat, tie it around my waist and share autism tips, brain science, personal stories, and clues regarding the strange appearance of dirty dishes in the sink that seem to only be seen and attended to by me. Well, maybe I’ll avoid that last one. Regardless, I hope to offer insights and invite the same while enjoying a cup of coffee with the autism, neuroscience, psychophysiology, parenting, spiritual, thinking, comedic, curious community! If that leaves you out, I’m sorry and suggest you try on one of the many hats. One is bound to fit!
Be True To Your Wants
Saturday, May, 11, 2024
This Mother’s Day grab a hold of it and be true to your wants. My son takes great pleasure in music. He is asking everyone to play music for their moms or, better yet, buy her her favorite musical and watch as a family. (We watched Grease, though my favorite is actually Moulin Rouge.) So
Love in the Right Direction
Monday, May, 23, 2022
A friend of mine asked a question which led to an answer that I have refined for this post. I hope it helps someone. Love alone isn’t enough to heal brains and bodies. Love alone isn’t enough because some people’s idea of a loving act is incorrect for the circumstance and is actually going to
Let Your Child Use and Choose The Music
Tuesday, April, 26, 2022
Music entrains the brain and, as such, can make a huge difference during a much needed moment, easing the ups and downs of life by reinforcing and then shifting the person’s emotional state. So let it roll! And while rolling, note that… If your child plays the same song repeatedly it may be a great
Not an Idiot Child
Friday, October, 22, 2021
Sometimes the people doing a job make things harder. Sometimes it is the job itself. Yesterday I had to sit on my son and hold him by the hair to get his COVID test done. (One of the downsides to traveling.) Dar is super cooperative with the deep nasal test but in Canada they swirl
Speech Therapy and Autism – The Problem and a Solution
Saturday, September, 18, 2021
The problem with speech therapy and autism is speech therapy is generally aimed at teaching sound production to the muscles and building one sound upon another in a predetermined pattern of progression. However, autism and speech is more about communication than word formation. Teaching communication, as opposed to speech, requires a greater level of sophistication
Depression – Making a Difference
Monday, May, 24, 2021
When a person is in a state of depression, and any other mental illness that has depression included, one of the things happening in the brain is brain wave activity is moving at slower pace – firing at a lower frequency. The response to early childhood trauma, or trauma of any kind really, is often
Parents: Model Patience During the Pandemic
Tuesday, April, 13, 2021
Q: How can parents model patience to children while we wait out this pandemic? I am often posed this question, by parents and reporters, with phrasing that is some version of “while we wait this out.” Here’s the thing: The solution, the answer to this question, is buried in the question itself. Children of all ages
It’s Important to Move: The Brain Broad on Staying Motivated
Friday, October, 30, 2020
It’s important to move. For some, waking up, getting motivated, and meeting a brand new day with intention isn’t as much of a challenge as staying motivated and clear on goals and intentions throughout the day is. Particularly for folks finding themselves at home and entirely responsible for keeping themselves motivated and clear on their
Why All Leaders, Teachers, and Parents Should Model Themselves after my Singing Coach
Monday, August, 17, 2020
I never wanted to be a whiner but I was. He asked me to breathe from the diaphragm and I laid out all my excuses. Complained of pain near my liver where scar tissue and adhesions glued my diaphragm to my rib cage. He smiled and said, “Let’s do Mee Meh Maw.” I felt silly
Choosing a Counselor
Friday, November, 15, 2019
The weather is changing, family-oriented holidays are around the corner, our atmosphere and environment are charged with an assumption of happiness and supportive gatherings. Yet for far too many this time of year, infused as it is with manipulative marketing campaigns and shifting weather patterns, can exacerbate or even create exactly the opposite feelings