Transformative Neurotherapy Podcast

Brains in Balance: Neurotherapy and Learning Challenges

• Dr. Heather Putney • Episode 20

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0:00 | 11:48

How Does Neurotherapy Help With Learning Disabilities?

What if learning could feel lighter because the brain itself runs better? We take you inside a practical, science-backed approach to dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning challenges, showing how targeted neurotherapy can speed up processing, improve communication between key regions, and make practice finally stick.

We break down why traditional tutoring sometimes plateaus when the underlying networks are slow, and how pairing stimulation with real-time exercises turns a short window of heightened plasticity into measurable gains. You’ll hear about the “glow” period after each session, when blood flow, oxygenation, and neurogenesis are elevated, and why reading aloud, tackling math facts, or refining handwriting during that window can unlock faster progress. We also talk through what shapes response rates—sleep, metabolic health, toxicity, and coexisting anxiety—and how we adapt protocols with EEG insights to meet each person’s brain where it is.

A standout success story brings it home: a bright elementary student with ADHD features and dyslexia moved from dread and meltdowns to grade-level reading and genuine enjoyment, once the temporoparietal decoding systems received focused training. Along the way, we outline the conditions we commonly support—dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, auditory and language processing disorders, sensory challenges, executive function issues, and memory difficulties—and map the care path from scan to symptom tracking to graduation.

If you’re curious about brain-based learning, attention training, and evidence-informed strategies that complement tutoring, this conversation offers clear steps and hopeful momentum. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a lift, and leave a review to help more families find a path forward.

To learn more about Transformative Neurotherapy visit:
https://www.TransformativeNeurotherapy.org
Transformative Neurotherapy
570 Lincoln Ave.
Bellevue, PA 15202
412-204-7397

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to the Transformative Neurotherapy Podcast with your host, Dr. Heather Putney, founder and executive director of Transformative Neurotherapy. This is the place where healing happens faster. Because let's face it, your brain doesn't come with an owner's manual until now. Here we take a holistic approach to brain health, bringing together science, mind-body harmony, and the tools you need to optimize your well-being. Whether you're a high performer, executive, athlete, longevity hacker, or just someone tired of your brain working against you, Dr. Putney is here to help you unlock your full potential. From brain fog to chronic stress, we're covering it all. So you can finally experience brain health, mind harmony, and total well-being. Ready to get on stock? Let's get started.

SPEAKER_00:

Discover how innovative brain-based therapies can unlock new pathways for learning and growth. Welcome everyone. I'm Julie Schwenzer, co-host and producer in the studio with Dr. Heather Putney, the founder and executive director of transformative neurotherapy. Dr. Heather, it's always a pleasure to join you. Thank you. Same here. Oh, thank you. Today we are diving into a really important topic. How does neurotherapy help with learning disabilities?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we actually work with this quite a bit. Learning disabilities is something that comes into the office usually as a comorbid disorder, meaning it's mixed in with some of the other presenting disorders that we see. So we see it a lot with ADHD, where they will have ADHD plus a couple of different learning disorders or disabilities with autism spectrum, that you also see a lot of overlap there. But also just some of the, you know, other mental health conditions. Anyone could have, you know, depression or anxiety. We see a lot of actually there's a lot of anxiety overlap with uh learning disabilities as well. So we see this a lot, but like I said, usually it's not, we're not the first thing that people think of to go to for learning disabilities. That a lot of times there'll be like coaching and and tutoring and other things like that. And what's interesting is, you know, even though we're not what I like I said, what people I think think of as the first go-to, it's really amazing what we can do with learning disabilities. So all the coaching and all of the tutoring in the world doesn't necessarily like strengthen your brain's ability to process information. You know, the more you repeat, you I mean, it it does get a little bit better. But if the issue has to do with networks not communicating well, or some of the some of the regions of the brain that like decode language or you know, parts like dyscalcula, you know, the parts that that decode numbers and you know, the ability to process numbers, if those regions of the brain just are not, you know, communicating effectively or running as quickly as we'd like them to, um, then it it just doesn't work as well. So one of the most amazing things is just the ability to kind of speed up and you know enhance those areas so that they function better. And when they function better, then all of a sudden the kid's able to do the thing or the tutoring that they may they may have to go back and you know learn something that they missed, but their ability to catch on increases like that. So one of the things that we do when we're working with some of these kiddos is um while they're actually doing the neurotherapy treatment, depending on whatever the learning disability we're working with, we'll actually have them bring some exercises that that relate uh to the subject. So, and what happens is while we are actually doing the treatment, and for about 90 minutes after the treatment, we're increasing blood flow, you know, the oxidation, uh, neurogenesis in those areas and so forth, and also reducing any kind of inflammation. And it has about a lasting effect. So while it's it's happening obviously during the treatment, while we're sending the energy into the brain, but it also has this kind of like glow effect afterwards for like 90 minutes. So their ability to learn during that session increases. So if we have them getting the treatment and then also practicing the thing that they struggle with, it will help them. It'll be like a double whammy, you know, it's it's a win-win. So, you know, you can have them, you know, bring a book and read out loud, you know, with the technician while they're sitting there, the therapist while they're sitting there, or their parent can sit there. The cool thing about neurotherapy is that it's a passive treatment. They just, you know, need to let the brain, you know, receive the energy, the stimulation that we're doing. But then they can be doing an activity while they're doing that. So it's really cool to kind of maximize that impact to you know, to help out with the um, you know, with the the learning.

SPEAKER_00:

And have you noticed patients with certain types of learning disabilities being more responsive or having uh, you know, a quicker uh success rate when it comes to the neurotherapy treatment, or is it just depending on the the actual client or patient?

SPEAKER_01:

It really depends on the client or patient, and it's really just depends on what we're treating. So, you know, sometimes the client or patient may have a learning disability or something like that. And if they have metabolic issues or if they have any kind of toxicity issues, maybe they have limes or a black mold exposure or some sort of environmental thing that is also compromising their brain, they though they are going to respond slower than you know a client that's got really great energy, but just has a little bit of slowing in that region. So there's not a specific learning disability that responds better than another per se, but it really just depends on that client, that client's brain, how you know, how impaired the brain is, you know, and whatnot. We tend to see with learning disabilities, there's, you know, there can be two or three different ways. I mean, you've got a genetic component that can be part of it, that, you know, there could be some environmental factors. It can be also an injury. So they used to be, they used to have it. It can be so it can be an acquired learning disability, so a traumatic brain injury, you know, a mold toxicity, let um, and like I said, limes or something. Like sometimes these things can kind of create issues in the brain. And so they they lose the abilities that they used to have, and we have to kind of rehab them. Or sometimes, like I said, it's just more of a genetic predisposition. It's something that they struggle with developmentally from the get-go. And so then in those situations, you know, we're, you know, coaching the brain to something it hasn't done, and other in other situations we're rehabbing the brain to something it used to be able to do, but lost the ability, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, and are there any success stories that you'd like to share in particular um regarding one patient?

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. Um yeah, I'm thinking about a client that had ADHD and also some um autism features. I'm not they weren't officially diagnosed with autism, but they had some autism features. But they also had they also had dyslexia. And the student, I think when she came in, she was in like second or third grade, and she was just in the really lower reading, reading levels at school, and she felt a lot of you know embarrassment, but she also experienced a ton of frustration and she was just really avoidant to do the homework that the parents um had assigned and or were assigned, you know, to the parents. She would, you know, have meltdowns when the parents would try to do the homework with her because it was so challenging for her. Her brain just did not want to process the information well. And like I said, she would also feel embarrassed about it. And so we were working with her. We saw uh, you know, some some difficulties in, you know, in the trim parietal area, which is where you're gonna see some dyslexia issues. And, you know, we kind of really worked on worked on strengthening, you know, the the this area of the brain. And it was amazing how much traction she gained. She went from hating reading and being the lower levels to being completely at grade level and and starting to really enjoy reading because it was no longer hard for her, you know. And this is a really bright kid, you know, she was uh, you know, had high grades, except she struggled in this one area, you know, and so you know, just by targeting that, and we were also targeting some other ADHD symptoms and some different things, but we we also kind of went over and and targeted that area as well. And we were shocked at how fast she responded. And the parents were thrilled because there's there's not been any, you know, regression in this, you know, since she got there, she we got her up to speed, and now she's just doing great and coaxing along and enjoys reading now. And also her confidence has increased a ton. So it's just been amazing to see what that could do for her.

SPEAKER_00:

Dr. Heather, and the last question for you can you highlight some of the learning disabilities that you treat and um, you know, uh walk us through what that's like when they come in the door?

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. I'd say the the most common one is ADHD, you know, followed by dyslexia, which is, you know, uh difficulty with, you know, reading and so forth. Uh dysgraphia is another one, which can be difficulty with some motor functioning, especially with the causing problems with writing. Discalculate dyscalcula, and so that's an impairment in the ability to understand and work with numbers. Um, and dyspraxia is a little bit with more coordination. And so the ability to kind of plan and coordinate executive, you know, and execute movements. And then we also have like auditory processing disorders, some sensory processing disorders, language processing disorders, just basic executive function struggles or memory disorders. So it can be the whole gamut as far as the major learning disabilities. And like everything, we start with an EEG and we just look at that person's brain and how and how it's communicating and what kind of sticks out as maybe kind of being the weak link in the in the chain, and we tend to focus on that, and then you know, after and we treat, we track symptoms, and then we rescan, and then we kind of shift to the next thing until the symptoms resolved and everybody feels like we kind of got to where we want to go, and then they clients graduate.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh, that's amazing. I really appreciate all the help that you're providing to all these patients. It's it's really seems like a breakthrough.

SPEAKER_01:

It really can be.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Dr. Heather, thank you again for walking us through how neurotherapy helps with learning disabilities. It's inspiring to hear how these approaches truly change the way people learn and thrive. And thank you again. We'll see you next time. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

You've been listening to the Transformative Neurotherapy Podcast with Dr. Heather Putney. Remember, your brain isn't supposed to hold you back, it's supposed to power you forward. So stop letting it crash your party and start letting it do its job. If you're ready to optimize brain health, sharpen your focus, and age like a fine wine, schedule your free consultation today at transformative neurotherapy.org. Or call us at 412-204-7397. Because here, healing happens faster. See you next time!