By ARIELLA MONTI
"And as a parent I became concerned. I felt that I needed to know more about this."
Melillo immersed himself in research and began to notice the children around him, including his own son, exhibiting symptoms of the disorder.
"As I started asking around, what I found frustrating was nobody could tell me what ADHD was," said Melillo, a Rockville Centre resident. "They couldn't describe what was happening in the brain."
Subsequently, Melillo became devoted to finding a way to help the problem. After four textbooks and creating Brain Balance Centers, Melillo has released his first parenting guide, "Disconnected Kids," which outlines his theories and exercises to help treat children with neurological disorders including ADHD and autism.
"We started using an approach called the hemispheric approach," said Melillo of the method that is used in his centers which are scattered around the country, including Rockville Centre. "It's the idea that there's an electrical imbalance between the two hemispheres of the brain and this creates a communication imbalance between various areas, known as a functional disconnection."
Melillo and the therapists in his centers use different exercises to stimulate the "weaker" side of the brain. Exercises include listening to music in only one ear and watching television with one eye. Patients also adjust their diet and parents are taught how to handle any behavioral issues their child may have.
"It changed my daughter's life," said Dianne Clark, a Rockville Centre resident who's daughter, Tara, was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when she was four. Tara attended two 12-week sessions at the Brain Balance Center in Rockville Centre. Tara, now 13, attends middle school in the Freeport School District and is a member of the National Junior Honor Society. "It's like they turned her on," said her mother, who noted that Tara is very conversational and self-sufficient.
Melillo said that one of his main reasons for writing the book was to create awareness of the increased numbers of children who suffer from neurological disorders. He said that the book and his centers are not a substitute for care from a child's doctor, but they give parents an alternative treatment tool.
For more information on the Brain Balance Center, located at 220 Maple Avenue, parents can contact Dr. Christopher Tice or Dr. Michael Orlando at (516) 763-2200. Parents can also visit brainbalancecenters.com.
