Building Better Brains - Learning Clinic

Building Better Brains - Learning Clinic Targeting the ROOT CAUSE of learning and behaviour difficulties so children can become confident learners.

The ADHD debate is exhausting because both extremes oversimplify what families live with every day.​One side says it’s a...
11/26/2025

The ADHD debate is exhausting because both extremes oversimplify what families live with every day.
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One side says it’s a permanent, genetic brain disorder and the other says it doesn’t exist at all.
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Meanwhile, parents are stuck in the middle, dealing with real behaviours, overwhelm and chaos at home which cause strain on the parent-child relationship as well as marriages.
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Here’s what the research actually shows: Kids don’t struggle with attention and impulse control for one single reason.
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There are dozens of factors.
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We call all of this ‘ADHD’ as if it’s just how your child is wired.
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But it’s not one thing - it’s a system under strain.
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When you look beyond the label and address the underlying drivers, a child’s attention improves, impulsivity reduces and learning gets easier.
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So yes - the symptoms that are labelled ADHD exist, but your child doesn’t have to just learn to manage it.
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If this clicked for you, share it with a mom who you know needs answers.
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… and if you want to regulate your child’s system - grab my Regulated Learner Brain Kit by commenting KIT.

Parents are often told that an IEP is the solution.​And yes - IEPs can be incredibly important. They can keep a child sa...
11/24/2025

Parents are often told that an IEP is the solution.
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And yes - IEPs can be incredibly important. They can keep a child safe, supported and preserve their dignity while learning still feels harder than it should.
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But an IEP used the wrong way becomes a permanent life jacket instead of a temporary support.
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A principal once told me something I’ll never forget:
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“The goal of an IEP is to get rid of it.”
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This means we are supposed to be developing weak skills so we can eventually drop the IEP.
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But most schools aren’t doing that.
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Reading programs and assistive technology have value - I am not against them BUT we need to go beyond them.
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Because learning challenges are not just academic problems.
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They are neurological inefficiencies and biochemical imbalances in areas like:
➡️ Retained reflexes
➡️ Visual & auditory processing
➡️ Nutrition
➡️ Processing speed
➡️ Gut health
➡️ Working memory
➡️ Toxicity
➡️ Phonological awareness
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No amount of tutoring or reading practice can fully resolve struggles that originate in brain function like lack of connections or poor brain chemistry caused by factors like gut health.
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When you take these factors into consideration, relying solely on effort and IEPs feels like a cruel joke.
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It’s also why sequence matters:
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Build and Balance the lower brain levels then Boost cognitive skills like memory, attention, and processing.
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Our children deserve more than lifelong accommodations. They deserve the chance to grow out of what’s holding them back.
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Comment NEURO and I’ll send you the link to link to book a Neuro-Functional Assessment.

11/20/2025

I know this may come as a surprise since teachers are the ones executing IEPs, but they know.

They’ve got the inside scoop.

They know that classrooms are over-crowded, underfunded and that it’s absolute insanity to think one adult can meet the individual needs of 25-30 learners.

It doesn’t happen - no matter what the administration is telling you or how much the teacher loves your child.

Teachers know first hand their child will drown academically but will be thrown a permanent life jacket to ‘keep them afloat’ so that test scores and report card marks look good for the school and keep parents happy.

They’ve seen the kids who got the IEP in grade 2 or 4 and still struggle to read and write independently.

And it’s not that they think IEPs shouldn’t exist but they know how 9 times out of 10, they’ve become a crutch or even how a diagnosis becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

They know practice-practice-practice and tutoring aren’t sufficient for the brain to overcome these challenges because they are doing all those conventional things with their students and they are beyond frustrated with the progress.

Teachers see how a system that gives kids a label followed by band-aid approaches like assistive technology and longer time to complete tasks doesn’t make kids better learners.

They see how these approaches erode kids’ confidence, how they become the class clown to compensate for their feelings of inadequacy as their peers zip through work and they can barely get through a paragraph.

… and teachers don’t want that for their kids.

They want to address the root of the problem, for their kids to be independent learners and to have confidence so they don’t limit themselves in their career choices or life.

The people on the inside always know. I know - I was one of them.

Don’t settle for compensations when a root cause approach can help your child reach their full potential. Ready to learn how?

Comment KIT and I will send you a DM to my Regulated Learner Brain Kit for a clear starting point to help your child feel calmer and more focused.

When Oscar’s mom first reached out, she had been on the ASD hamsterwheel for years. ​A year later, she sent me this mess...
11/14/2025

When Oscar’s mom first reached out, she had been on the ASD hamsterwheel for years.
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A year later, she sent me this message.
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This is what happens when we stop treating symptoms and start acknowledging the decades of research into the science of neuroplasticity and start building the brain from the ground up.
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When kids struggle with learning or self-regulation - there are underlying factors like gut health, nutrition and weak brain connections that need to be addressed in the correct order.
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If your child is still struggling despite tutoring, therapies or accommodations, it’s time to look deeper - at the root causes inside the brain and body that traditional approaches miss.
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Join me in my free masterclass, “Beyond the Label: The Real Reasons Kids Struggle with Learning,” and learn how to help your child make the kind of transformation Oscar did confidently, naturally and for life.

11/12/2025

When kids rely on assistive technology to read or write instead of being taught how, the system is bypassing literacy and bypassing brain development.

Reading and writing aren’t just academic skills; they’re full-brain workouts that wire together memory, processing speed, coordination, language and executive functioning.

When those circuits don’t develop, the ripple effects reach far beyond schoolwork.

We see it in the child who struggles to follow instructions, stay organized or remember details.

We see it in coordination, balance, and even emotional regulation - because the same areas of the brain that control movement and rhythm also support focus and self-control.

Technology may help a child access learning, but it can’t replace the neurodevelopment that comes from doing the work.

Without targeted interventions that strengthen the cerebellum, reflexes, hemispheric balance, and biochemistry, those weak connections remain.

If your child has dyslexia, ADHD-like symptoms or slow processing speed, and the school’s solution has been a laptop or speech-to-text - you need to go further.

Your child’s brain isn’t broken - it just has weak connections and neuroplastic interventions can correct that.

Learn how to build the foundational systems for reading, focus and confidence inside my on-demand masterclass, “Beyond the Label: The Real Reasons Kids Struggle with Learning.”

Comment BEYOND and I’ll send you the link.

11/10/2025

Executive Functioning & Frontal Lobe Issues - Why They are Rarely Permanent

11/10/2025

When a child is given technology to read or write for them instead of being taught how, we aren’t empowering them.

We’re teaching them their brain can’t and the cost of that belief runs deep not just in literacy, but in confidence, career options and mental health.

Assistive tools can help in the short term, but when they replace true intervention, the brain’s weak areas never develop.

That means the same child who struggles to read will continue to struggle with focus, memory and processing because those systems are all connected.

It’s not that tech is bad but it should never be used as a way to avoid the ‘trouble’ of developing a weak skill.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child’s struggles go deeper than what the school system is addressing - they do - and it’s not too late to strengthen those weak connections.

Join me in my on-demand masterclass, “Beyond the Label: The Real Reasons Kids Struggle with Learning,” by commenting BEYOND and I’ll send you a DM link.

11/09/2025

The problem with tunnel vision is that it doesn’t feel like tunnel vision.

It feels like you’ve finally found the answer - and that gives you hope as well as a sense of certainty.

You finally find something that works - a diet, a supplement, a therapy and you think, “This must be the missing piece thst everyone is missing.”

When I see well-intentioned practitioners or parents evangelizing their magic cure because it worked for them, for their child - it makes me nervous.

I don’t doubt it likely worked for them because it matched their child’s unique biology and brain.

And they want others to know.

But every child’s wiring, gut health and chemistry are different. So the solution has to be, too.

That’s why I take an integrative approach - looking at brain development, gut and nutrient balance, environment and nervous system regulation - to see the full picture.

If you want to understand what’s really going on beneath the label -and why one-size-fits-all approaches fail, watch my masterclass Beyond the Label.

This goes beyond singular or overly-simplistic answers.

It’ll help you step out of tunnel vision and finally see your child clearly.

Comment CLEAR to get a DM link.

11/06/2025

You can use every planner, checklist, or color-coded chart in the world but if your child’s brain can’t organize information efficiently, it’s like trying to tidy a room with no shelves.

Executive functioning challenges aren’t just behavioral or motivational - they’re neurological.

These surface strategies help your child get through the day but lasting progress happens when we address the root causes behind poor focus, emotional regulation and task initiation.

That means strengthening the neural pathways responsible for organization, working memory and attention.

Better brain connections means your child isn’t reliant on strategies and charts and even more - it means they can learn and self-regulate better.

Book a Neuro-Functional Evaluation to find out what’s underneath your child’s challenges so you can address the root of the problem and help your child move beyond their current limitations and become an independent, focused learner.

When a child has a learning disability that isn’t properly treated, it doesn’t just make reading, writing or math harder...
11/04/2025

When a child has a learning disability that isn’t properly treated, it doesn’t just make reading, writing or math harder - it makes everything harder.
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Because the harder the brain has to work just to decode, spell, or process numbers, the more it drains the very systems that control attention, motivation and emotional regulation.
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That’s why so many bright kids with dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia also struggle with executive functioning.
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When every simple task demands triple the effort, working memory burns out fast as do other skills like processing speed, auditory and visual processing … and focus drops as your child is overloaded.
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Confidence starts to fade and eventually, your child starts to believe they’re lazy or broken - when really, their brain is just under-supported.
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Temporary strategies can help (like breaking tasks down or adding rewards), but until we strengthen the root causes, the weak connections, retained reflexes, cerebellar underdevelopment and biochemical imbalances - the same patterns keep repeating.
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If your child has executive functioning issues - there’s a reason and there’s also a way to rebuild those systems from the ground up.
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Join me in my free masterclass, “Beyond the Label: The Real Reasons Kids Struggle with Learning,” and discover how to help your child move from exhaustion and frustration to confidence and flow.
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Comment BEYOND to get a DM link for instant access to my masterclass.

🎃 All that Halloween candy can spell disaster for kids who are uniquely wired.​Ditching sugar and detoxing the cells is ...
10/31/2025

🎃 All that Halloween candy can spell disaster for kids who are uniquely wired.
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Ditching sugar and detoxing the cells is the first step to get back on track, end cravings, and have calmer kids.
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Below are my top strategies 👇
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Water & Lemon
Hydration curbs cravings and detoxes cells. Lemon water before breakfast cleanses the liver and stimulates a bowel movement, improving mood.
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Activated Charcoal
If your child is still eating their ‘holiday diet’, activated charcoal helps pull toxins from the body.
Since it can cause constipation, pair it with magnesium citrate and vitamin C to move bowels and flush toxins out.
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Substitute Sugar With Protein & Fat
A crash in blood sugar triggers cravings. Stabilize with protein and fat—replace carb snacks with meat, nuts, seeds, lentils, and healthy fats.
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Increase Magnesium, Chromium & Minerals
Sugar depletes key nutrients like magnesium and chromium.
Magnesium promotes calm and sleep; chromium stabilizes blood sugar, preventing mood swings and improving focus.
Take foods or supplements rich in these. A trace mineral supplement for a few weeks helps curb sugar effects.
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Green Juices
Give smoothies packed with nutrients. Spirulina and chlorophyll are my favourites.
Buy green powders or ready-to-go green juices with superfoods to recharge cells and reset the body.
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Detoxifying Foods
Foods that open detox pathways: cauliflower, kale, broccoli, radishes, sprouts, arugula, grapefruit, berries, and ferments.
Spices like turmeric, ginger, cayenne, and herbs like parsley, cilantro, plus dandelion tea, support detox.
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Curb Cravings
L-Glutamine can stop sugar cravings by addressing neurotransmitter deficiencies. Under the tongue can halt a craving fast.
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Comfort
When I specialized in Eating Psychology, I often said: focus on comfort and nourishment, not restriction.
Satisfy cravings with healthy flavours—spices, sauces, fats, nuts, fruits—or non-food comforts like baths or movie nights.

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Ottawa, ON

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+16133309254

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