Welcome to the Family Hope Center

We are grateful to be part of your family’s journey. We believe that teaching you about the brain and how to implement brain-based therapies with your children at home is the most effective and enduring way to help them reach their potential. The Parent Training Course is the first step on that path: it contains foundational knowledge that guides you through the completion of a neurodevelopmental assessment of your child and the development of an individualized treatment plan based on the results.

The Family Hope Center Approach and Methodology

An introduction to who we are, the principles that guide our approach, and our core mission: to partner with parents like you from around the world by sharing the practical science of neuroplasticity and brain development, and support you in designing and implementing individualized, home-based treatment plans that will improve your child’s neurological and functional abilities.

How Brain Injury Happens

There are many different (and sometimes quite complex) ways a good brain can get hurt. In this lesson we outline the basics of how the brain works and discuss the different ways brain function can be improved or injured. We also discuss how understanding the effects of an injury is hard if we only pay attention to its symptoms. We discuss how brain injuries should be defined and measured, and how assessing a person’s abilities (rather than disabilities) using a neurodevelopmental framework leads to a far greater understanding of them and how best to support them. We also address seizures: what they tell us about the brain, common misconceptions, and proven strategies to eliminate them. Finally, we describe how understanding the brain and basic neurology allows you to do two important things: to pinpoint the areas or systems in the brain that need support, and to develop a comprehensive and individualized strategy to directly stimulate the brain and improve its function.

Measuring Your Child’s Brain Development

Dr. Carl Granger, a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation medicine once wrote, “if you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.” To figure out how to get somewhere, you need to start where you are. In the same way, developing a successful strategy to heal the brain first requires understanding what your child’s current capabilities are. This contrasts with the medical model of disability, in which the focus is on identifying and remedying deficiency – on what the brain can’t do. However, it is only possible to build on abilities, not disabilities. Measuring the developmental and functional abilities of your child is the first and most vital step towards building a successful plan to help them. In this lesson, we introduce a comprehensive assessment tool, the Integrative and Developmental Progression Chart (IDPC), to help you do this. The IDPC maps abilities in each developmental domain to the neurodevelopmental stages in which they typically emerge. Next, we guide you through using this tool to assess your child and help you interpret and understand the results. By the end of this lesson, you will have a holistic developmental picture of your child and will be able to pinpoint the exact areas in which your child needs the most support. You will also know the degree of your child’s injury, the extent of that injury, and the regions of your child’s brain that are most affected. This assessment will form the foundation upon which you will build an individualized plan to help your child throughout the rest of the course.

Clinician Support Call 1

Now that your child’s assessment is complete, you are ready to schedule your first individual support call with us so we can help you make sure it is an accurate representation of your child’s neurological capabilities.

Neuroplasticity: How the Brain Grows

Many people are confused about the brain: it seems intimidating, incredibly complex, and a great mystery. In this lesson, you will begin to learn about how this magnificent organ operates and the basic principles of brain development. One of the most powerful properties of the Integrative and Developmental Progression Chart is that it helps pinpoint the areas of the brain that have the most significant challenges. In this lesson, you will learn how neuroplasticity works, and how you can use it in conjunction with your child's assessment to create lasting, sustained brain growth and healing.

Getting Yourself and Your Family Ready to Help

Your child needs help in so many areas. There is so much you could do but deciding what therapy to spend your precious time on is hard. Traditional therapy is led by a multidisciplinary team of experts who, despite their expertise, do not – cannot – have the same knowledge of and commitment to your child as you, the parent. In this lesson you will aggregate what you have learned from previous lessons and use it to begin formulating an effective plan for your child and family. We discuss best practices for home therapy and how to set yourself up for success: creating structure, setting long term goals, and approaching each day with joy.

Respiration, Nutrition, and the Fundamentals of Healthy Living

Our physiology has a huge impact on the brain's neurochemistry and, consequently, its ability to grow and heal itself. Our respiratory and digestive systems play particularly important roles in neuroplasticity and overall brain function. The gut, for example, is known as the second brain: it has its own network of more than 100 million neurons and can perform many functions without input from the rest of the central nervous system. It also creates a significant proportion of the brain’s neurochemicals, including an estimated 50% of dopamine and 95% of serotonin. This lesson details ways to optimize the physiological systems of the body to create the best environment for the brain to thrive.

How to Develop the Sensory Pathways

We experience the world through our sensory pathways; however, for children with sensory sensitivities, certain sounds, textures, smells, or tastes can be incredibly overstimulating. For others, visual and auditory processing issues make taking in information harder and learning confusing. In this lesson, you will learn how to improve the areas of your child’s brain that are critical to sensation, sensory integration, and information processing.

The Principles of Learning

Children with sensorimotor challenges often have strong cognitive abilities, but either struggle to process information or to demonstrate what they know. As a result, they are often underestimated or taught in ways that do not support their specific needs. In this lesson, we review the different ways we learn and express information, from early visual and language development to higher order functions such as reading, writing, mathematics, and self-directed learning. We also discuss social-emotional development, from early bonding with a primary caregiver to the social intelligence needed to successfully navigate complex relationships and different social groups. Finally, you will learn to use your child’s assessment to identify, create, and adapt activities to address their needs in areas such as learning, communication, and social development.

Mobility: The Key to Brain Development

Motor activities are the most important pieces of a comprehensive neurological treatment plan. They are the most effective way to stimulate and develop lower, more foundational areas of the brain (such as the brainstem) and to integrate brain areas (such as between the two hemispheres). Overall, research has shown that different forms of mobility improve memory, cognition, learning, sleep, relieve stress, and increase levels of neurochemicals and proteins important for neuroplasticity. In this lesson, you will learn about the importance of mobility to neurodevelopment, how to use your child’s assessment to identify the areas of the brain that need support, and the motor activities that will strengthen them.

Organizing Your Child’s Treatment Plan

Now that you have assessed your child, you know the areas of the brain to focus on. But you also need an organized way of carrying out the therapeutic activities you’ve chosen on a daily basis so that your child’s brain heals. In this lesson, you will create that daily plan. You will also learn how to measure your child’s progress and track their results so that you can modify your plan as your child improves and develops.

Clinician Support Call 2

Now that Your Child’s Plan is complete, you are ready to schedule your second individual support call with us so we can answer any questions and help you get organized, prioritize areas of need, and create a plan you feel you can implement consistently and successfully.

Course Resources