We came across a program called Bal-A-Vis-X® as we researched information about children's challenging behaviors and techniques that teachers and parents could easily implement to help children sustain attention, increase visual acuity, and follow verbal and written directions. The exercises use sand bags, racquetballs and balance boards with combined elements of juggling, the Mozart effect (rhythm), Brain Gym (another series of exercises to help the mind and body integrate), the Belgau Board, and the work of Carla Hannaford, Ph.D., about body dominance.

Sometimes children may have missed key opportunities to develop lower parts of the brain. If so, these children enter school with a "disorganized" brain. They must now rely on the higher centers of the brain to compensate for what the lower parts of the brain are intended to do automatically. Such disorganization is often why so many children struggle with reading, writing, and paying attention. If early brain development opportunities are missed the first time around, the brain has the capability to re-organize itself at any time in the future. But in order for this to happen, children need to participate in activities that focus on specific movements and sensations.

Early childhood BAVX promotes the integration of both right and left brain hemispheres for optimum learning. Most human activities cross-reference between right and left, so it's imperative that both sides of the brain are developed simultaneously in young children. The right hemisphere of the brain is the seat of emotions and intuition. Right-side brain functions can be stimulated through music, song and exercises that involve paying attention to timing, acting out stories, or similarly structured movements. The left hemisphere of the brain houses logical skills such as math, language and speech. Left-side brain functions can be developed by movements that utilize spatial memory, hand-eye coordination or exercises that involve hand gestures.

As new research has been published about brain/body integration it is evident that children under the age of five benefit from the same type of BAVX exercises that older children have participated in. Adapting the exercises to a developmentally age appropriate level is one of the goals of Innovative Connections.