Posted on March 16th, 2011

Our basic neuroscience classes have long taught us that our brain communicates to our body through electrical impulses along our nervous system. We also understand the left and right hemispheres of our brain perform different functions and each side must also communicate to the opposite hemisphere.

Recent research has demonstrated that when the two sides of the brain mature at different rates, the electrical impulses go out of balance and communication is affected. Recent evidence this imbalance can lead to behavioral and learning disorders: autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, depression, and others. The name of this imbalance of electrical activity between the hemispheres of the brain is Functional Disconnection Syndrome (FDS).

Much of the research comes from leading functional neurologists and chiropractors Dr. Ted Carrick and Dr. Robert Melillo. in his book Disconnected Kids, Dr. Melillo states:

“in order for the brain to function normally, the activities in the right and left hemispheres must work in harmony, much like a concert orchestra. when a certain function can’t stay in rhythm, it can throw the entire hemisphere off key so the other side tries to tune it out. this can cause disharmony to such a degree that the two sides can no longer effectively share and integrate information. The brain becomes functionally disconnected.”

The symptoms of FDS depend on which hemisphere has the dysfunction. for example, a child with a slow-developing right brain may develop autism, ADHD, or Asperger’s syndrome. a left brain dysfunction may result in an inability to read words or stay focused on reading. this imbalance, if left untreated, will continue into adulthood and may progress to other disorders.

Just how does this imbalance occur? it is important to understand how the brain develops from birth to infancy and adulthood.

Though the brain is reliant on the left and right hemisphere balance to function optimally, it doesn’t grow or develop at a balanced rate. in the womb and during the first years of life, brain growth is primarily in the right hemisphere. The right brain drives big muscle tasks, such as moving arms, legs or head.

Around the age of two, growth switches primarily to the left brain. this is the hemisphere where the first words are generated. from then on, development switches back and forth between the left and right brain until approximately age ten, when the brain reaches adult size.

If a child isn’t exposed to the proper stimulation (not too much or too little) of the sensory pathway, the brain’s growth patterns can get out of sequence and cause a delay in a key growth area. Meanwhile, the opposite side stays on track, leaving the other behind.

This delay in development most often occurs during the most crucial times of right brain development: birth through the first two years of life. The consequence of a right brain delay shows up later as ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, or other disorders.

The symptoms differ according to when the delay in development occurred, but the result is the same: Functional Disconnection Syndrome.

You may be wondering what causes the delay, how do we measure it, how can it be corrected? these and other questions about FDS will be reviewed in future blogs. make sure you don’t miss them by signing up to receive our posts by e-mail in the “subscribe” section above.