Munchkin and Bean: Learning Breakthrough Program Review

We had the opportunity to review A Life in Balance, which is a story about the personal journey of Frank Belgau that led to the creation of the Learning Breakthrough Program. I reviewed a PDF copy and read it on my phone (which was more convenient than bringing my kindle to the park). This book is a fairly quick read, just shy of 200 pages. Frank's son, Eric, wrote the book to detail his father's life's work and discovery of this method of treatment.

You will find three parts to the book. The first part is about Frank's childhood, with details about his life and what led to his decision to go down this path. The second part is about his career and how he developed this treatment. Frank Belgau moved around a lot and worked with many different children. He was on a quest to discover a way for children with learning disabilities to be able to read. And the third part is about how the Learning Breakthrough Program was formed and become what it is today. That is also where you can find the activities that this program uses.

Having grown up being told I had a learning disability, I can relate to the other students in this book. So this was a breath of fresh air! I wish they had used methods like this in school. I think all children could benefit from these methods, such as learning to balance to focus yourself. These methods help the brain organize your thoughts and improve your reaction time.

The Learning Breakthrough Program offers a medicine-free approach and treatment for ADD/ADHD and Dyslexia, as well as many other conditions, such as Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder and other speech and language problems. Their educational therapy is the result of 40 years of research that has led to an understanding of how the brain processes information. This program can be used by children, including the ones that do not have learning disabilities, and adults, especially the elderly who struggle with cognitive decline. Doctors as well as occupational therapists use these developmental strategies for treatment. You can now purchase the educational equipment to use at home!

At the end of A Life in Balance, there is a walk-through of several activities that this program teaches. I've read through them several times and I find them very interesting. While they make sense that they help, they wouldn't be the first activities I'd think it. This is probably why it took Frank Belgau so many years to bring together this assortment of tools to work together and make this treatment possible. These are the kind of physical activities that will help children with or without learning disabilities, people who play sports and people who want to "train their brain" to be more organized and quick-thinking.

Thinking back on my school days, I wish this sort of treatment had been available. Because I was one of those kids they labeled as having a learning disability. I learned at my own pace and I liked to take my time researching things so that I could fully understand it. And that meant the class often passed me by. And to be honest, I'm quite a distractable person. Myself, and many others in my school, could have benefited from these treatments had they been implemented. As my own children grow up I will keep this treatment in mind. Having read the book, I will be more prepared to help them, should they need it. And the thing I appreciate most is that this is a treatment that retrains the brain without medication. The brain is remarkable in that it adapts with just a few simple activities. We will definitely try them out!