“We are experiencing an alarming escalation in the number of children who cannot fully function in the world because they don’t have fully functioning brains,” warns Dr. Robert Melillo at the beginning of his book, “Disconnected Kids: Revised and Updated Edition.”

 

This 2015 edition updates the 2009 original where Melillo introduces his Brain Balance Program.

 

Basically, Melillo states there are over 20 million children suffering from severe problems such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, Tourette Syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, among others.

 

Melillo believes there is a single problem behind all of these—he calls it Functional Disconnection Syndrome (FDS)—one condition but with many different symptoms.

 

What FDS amounts to, in layman’s terms, is when the left and the right hemispheres of the brain don’t balance each other out. You may have heard of this idea; Melillo approaches it as a breakthrough in dealing with the aforementioned disorders.

 

“The brain is functionally disconnected. Fix the disconnect—that is, get the immature side of the brain to catch up to the other side—and the symptoms go away,” Melillo claims. “So does the disorder.”

 

Basically, “Disconnected Kids” is Melillo’s thorough exploration of FDS and his guide to applying the Brain Balance Program.

 

Much of the book is devoted to tools to help parents figure out if their children are suffering from FDS and a guide to helping them, from things such as how to help them with their homework to, literally, what are you supposed to feed them.

 

This approach prides itself in being applicable at home without the use of drugs. “Disconnected Kids” has a step-by-step guide—exercises, checklists, testimonials and worksheets.

 

Clearly, there is no single book that can really solve the problems associated with the same neurological problems, but “Disconnected Kids,” regardless of how much you buy into the FDS angle, can be a commonsensical aid to parents dealing with various disorders, or even the fear of them.

Melillo’s grounding is basic in that the left and right hemispheres need to be equally developed, that children’s brains be allowed to grow, that each child is different from another, and that parents play a supremely important role in dealing with these issues.

 

Melillo claims that over 20,000 children have benefited from his Brain Balance Program. That may well be true and it may be very effective in some cases.

 

But parents don’t have to engage themselves completely in this approach if they don’t want to. “Disconnected Kids” can help in several ways, not just the all-in Brain Balance method.

 

“Disconnected Kids” has many helpful and sensible insights into raising a child who could be suffering from a learning or behavioral condition. Parents and kids need all the help they can get and another sensible book won’t hurt.

 

Available at National Book Store branches.