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Building Better Brains - Learning Clinic

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Ottawa, ON
Building Better Brains - Learning Clinic

Targeting the ROOT CAUSE of learning and behaviour difficulties so children can become confident learners.

01/06/2026

I don’t say this to be alarmist, but it does need to be said.

Many kids aren’t developing the foundational skills they need not because parents don’t care and not because kids are lazy or distracted, but because the way childhood and education are structured has changed faster than development can keep up.

When you look at this list, notice what stands out to you.

Not academic performance, grades or school related stuff but SKILLS.

Skills that used to develop naturally through movement, repetition, boredom, play, handwriting, memorization and real-world interaction.

These aren’t “old-fashioned” skills. They’re foundational ones and parents are being led to believe that these aren’t needed because we live in the age of technology.

It’s not that it’s crucial to know cursive or how to read an analog but the brain connections these skills develop.

When these skills are weak, learning becomes harder, emotions run higher and kids burn out faster - even very bright kids.

I’m curious: Which of these do you notice most in your child… or in other kids?

Drop it in the comments.

12/29/2025

Moms don’t need more strategies and accommodations for their kids - they need clarity.

By the time families find me, they’ve usually tried multiple interventions, followed school recommendations and done everything they were told should work.

When it doesn’t, the assumption quietly becomes: this is just how it is.

But diagnoses, IEPs, tutoring plans and strategies were never meant to explain why a child is struggling.

They describe what we see on the surface, not what’s happening inside the brain.

When you understand how the brain actually develops and what holds kids back at the root cause level - you can finally take a sigh of relief and stop chasing quick fixes or stacking interventions.

You stop waiting for things to get worse before acting.

And instead, you start working in the right order, with the right focus, for your specific child.

That’s what ‘Beyond the Labels’ is about.

It’s not about adding more to your plate. It’s about finally understanding what matters most, so your effort leads somewhere.

If you’ve ever felt that something deeper was being missed, you’re probably right.

And there is a better way forward.

If you’re ready to understand your child beyond the diagnosis and take a more corrective, effective path forward grab my mini-class ‘Beyond the Label’ by commenting BEYOND.

hyperactive melillomethod dyslexiaproblem dyslexiamemes adhdmemes adhdproblems momlife dyslexia primitivereflexintegration primitivereflexes odd auditoryprocessingdisorder auditoryprocessing adhdawareness adhd readingdisabilities

12/24/2025

Here’s the truth: you don’t need a whole new grind for 2026.

Sometimes you just need to leave a few things behind.

The things that don’t work, the things that just create more frustration and are impossible to stick with or make you feel like you’re walking through mud.

For me, it’s all about knowing the brain can change and doing it in a sustainable way by working on the foundation instead of chasing symptoms known as diagnoses.

Those aren’t the real problem. The real issue is what’s causing the breakdown.

And honestly? Naming it is half the shift.

The other half is deciding you’re not taking it with you into the new year.

Save this if you’re ready to walk into 2026 lighter.

Comment ‘2026’ and I’ll send you the Regulated Learner Starter Kit that makes this shift 10x easier.

12/22/2025

When a child interrupts constantly, most adults assume it’s impulsivity, rudeness, or poor self-control.

Often, it’s none of those.

For many kids with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, or weak executive functioning, interrupting is a working memory issue - not a behavior issue.

Their brain doesn’t trust that the thought will still be there in 10 seconds.

So they blurt because forgetting feels worse than interrupting.

This is especially true for kids with:

• weak working memory
• slow processing speed
• auditory processing differences
• anxiety around losing their train of thought

Telling them to “wait their turn” without giving their brain a way to hold the thought is setting them up to fail.

Working memory strengthens, the interrupting often fades on its own - without constant correction, shame, or power struggles.

This is what it looks like to address root causes instead of managing behaviors.

If this resonated, save and share.

12/18/2025

Is your child really reading at grade level or just sounding words out?

Fluent reading has two parts:

• Decoding the words
• Retaining and understanding what was read

If a child can “read” a passage but can’t tell you what it was about, that’s not true fluency.

It usually means the brain is working in manual mode.

When reading is effortful, slow, or exhausting, the child is relying heavily on the right side of the brain to piece words together one by one. That works short-term but it steals energy from comprehension, memory and meaning.

True reading automaticity happens when decoding shifts to efficient left-brain pathways, freeing up mental space for:

• Reading comprehension
• Inference and critical thinking
• Retelling and discussion
• Learning from text independently

This is why so many bright kids are labeled “at grade level” yet still struggle with:

Dyslexia
Reading comprehension
Learning disabilities
ADHD and attention during reading
Written expression
Fatigue and avoidance

This is rarely fixed with more reading practice alone.

If you’re wondering whether your child’s reading struggles are about decoding, comprehension or how their brain is processing language, start with clarity.

Take my free Learning Challenges Quiz.

It helps you identify which brain systems may be holding reading back and what actually helps build automaticity instead of reinforcing struggle.

Comment READ for a DM link.

12/17/2025

You wait months - even years, pay thousands and your child sits through hours of testing and when the results come in - you’re told what you already knew.

The diagnosis feels so final and you have that sinking feeling that there must be something deeper.

Here’s what most parents don’t hear: Psych-ed assessments explain the WHAT but almost never the WHY.

They measure outcomes, not why those brain systems are weak in the first place.

They miss reflexes, sensory processing, brain hemisphere balance, neural timing and the core cognitive skills your child actually needs to develop for reading, attention, memory and learning.

Psych. Eds don’t look at gut-brain chemistry, nutrition or toxicity.

And they definitely don’t offer corrective approaches to strengthen those weak connections or optimize brain chemistry.

They don’t uncover underlying factors - they only describe the problem.

So kids come out with a diagnosis, but no real solutions which leaves parents thinking the struggle is permanent.

It isn’t.

Decades of research on neuroplasticity has shown otherwise.

Your child’s abilities are not fixed. Their brain can grow, change and rewire - but only if the RIGHT systems are evaluated and if brain-based interventions are used.

That’s why I offer the Neuro-Functional Evaluation.

It looks at the brain-body systems standard assessments ignore, why they are weak and how to address it.

…Because you want more than a label or an accommodation for your child.

If your child has had an IEP, a psych-ed assessment or years of tutoring and is still struggling… the missing pieces are deeper.

A Neuro-Functional Evaluation finally shows you what’s actually breaking down - so you can stop guessing and start strengthening the brain.

No 18-month waitlists, generic labels or “just practice more.”

If you want real answers and a plan that works, I can help.

➡ Book a Neuro-Functional Evaluation by commenting NEURO.

12/15/2025

If this past year felt like endless school emails, homework battles, or tears at bedtime - you’re not failing.

You’re parenting a child whose brain needs a different kind of support.
The holidays are magical… but for many children who struggle with learning or self-regulation, this season can feel like a sensory storm.

To help you find clarity, I created a free Learning Disability Screener. It helps you identify:

🔍 Red flags often missed in school settings
🧩 Patterns linked to dyslexia, dysgraphia, APD & more
💡 Whether further evaluation or support may be needed
🧠 Underlying systems that affect how your child learns
📘 Insights to advocate confidently

It takes just 3 minutes, and for many parents, it’s the first time everything started to make sense.

👉 Start the screener here: https://resources.lorrainedriscoll.com/learning-disability-screener

You don’t have to guess anymore. You don’t have to wonder if it’s “just behaviour.”
You deserve clarity - and your child deserves support that actually works.

The brain can change 🧠

📞 613-330-9254
🌐 lorrainedriscoll.com
📍 1390 Prince of Wales Drive, Unit 515, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3N6

12/10/2025

When a child is constantly interrupting even after they’ve been told not to, working memory or processing speed issues may be at play.

Constant interrupting can be one of two things.

#1 Working memory overload and slow processing speed which is common in kids with learning difficulties and developmental delays.

When memory storage or processing speed is weak, kids fear the thought will disappear unless they say it right now.

The reality is they can’t hold information long enough to wait their turn.

#2 Processing Speed is too Fast - This is common in kids with ADHD. These kids are usually bright but their mind works so fast, they’ve blurted something out before they’ve had the chance to realise to wait their turn.

That’s impulsivity because their brain is overwhelmed and interrupting is a result of a brain that has too much gas and not enough ‘brakes’. This is common with left brain over-developed kids since the left brain is the ‘gas’.

What You Can Do Now:

Encourage them to jot down or draw their thoughts

Create an image their mind so they don’t forget and use verbal holding strategies like “Hold that thought - we’ll come back to it.”

Long-term support:

Strengthen working memory, improve processing speed, and address the root causes in the brain with brain-based exercises.

Bottom Line is that interrupting can be a sign of a brain that’s working too hard or overwhelmed - not a child who’s misbehaving.

Want to strengthen your child’s memory and processing speed? Comment KIT to get my Regulated Learner Brain Kit.

12/09/2025

Does your child seem “not to listen” unless you repeat yourself several times or speak right in front of them?

It may not be defiance.
It may not be attention issues.
It could be Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) — a challenge in how the brain interprets sound, not how the ears receive it.

Common signs include:

🎧 needing instructions repeated
🎧 mishearing similar words
🎧 trouble in noisy classrooms
🎧 difficulty following multi-step directions
🎧 appearing to “tune out” during verbal lessons

APD is incredibly common in the kids I work with - and once identified, we can use targeted neuroplastic strategies to help the brain process sound more efficiently.

Comment “APD” if you want access to my APD workshop.

The brain can change 🧠

📞 613-330-9254
🌐 lorrainedriscoll.com
📍 1390 Prince of Wales Drive, Unit 515, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3N6

Address

Ottawa, ON

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+16133309254

Website

http://www.lorrainedriscoll.com/

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