Darren’s favourite topic is Developmental Neurology, which he is fortunate to incorporate into his teaching and practice. He lectures to health care professionals across Europe, presenting the research into the causes of learning and behavioural disorders and the effectiveness of various interventions; medications, manual therapies, exercise & rehabilitation, diet & nutritional, lifestyle and psychological, click here to read more.
Darren has over 20 years of clinical experience, during which he has been studying and applying functional neurology in his practice. His post-graduate learning has been mainly through the Carrick Institute the Interdisciplinary Association of Functional Neurosciences and Rehabilitation and the Institute of Functional Medicine. He has focused on developmental neurology through Robert Melillo and Robin Pauc’s seminars both are clinicians, researchers and authors on the subject.
In 2023 Darren became the Director of Academic Affairs for the Royal College of Chiropractors, Paediatric and Pregnancy Faculty.
Additionally, to broaden his perspective he has learnt from Behavioural Optometrists, Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Audiologists to further understand how children learn and how to assess and support their motor, visual, auditory and cognitive abilities. Over the years Darren has become a certified provider of:
Interactive Metronome is an in-clinic or at-home brain rehabilitation program using movement and timing with feedback, there are few clinics using this in the UK, and over 4,000 Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists working in developmental and neurological clinics with it in America.
Tomatis® Method auditory stimulation equipment that delivers music and language via combines air conduction and bone conduction headphones at alternating, independent frequencies, mainly used by speech & language therapists and psychologists.
Mente, a neurofeedback device that monitors brainwave activity and plays strange sounds via earphones which are binaural beats; the frequency of the sounds differs specifically in each ear which entrains or alters the listener’s brainwave patterns.
Reading Plus a silent reading fluency intervention through tablet or pc, it monitors comprehension and gradually reduces the time the user has to process the text (requiring faster reading) once the comprehension is good. It also has vocabulary, visual processing and comprehension sections and is used in many schools in the USA.
RightEye is a computer with cameras that. As a child watches the moving dots or reads text on the screen it assesses the quality of their eye movements which assists in identifying dysfunction. The device is very sensitive, providing normative data (how the child is doing compared to others their age) and if they are improving or worsening over time.
There is also a rehabilitation component, it has visual processing, reaction time and eye muscle training “games” children can “play” before their appointment.
Cambridge Brain Sciences is a cognitive assessment program. Children can use a tablet or PC at home or in the clinic. it’s 12 tests assess different aspects of cognition (attention, memory, planning and reasoning). Combinations of different tests show if a child has a cognitive profile consistent with ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism and if there is any meaningful change over time. Darren invested in this because this software is used by pharmaceutical companies and psychologists conducting research into how effective their medication or interventions are.
Dyslexia Gold is a UK made PC program giving eye exercises and auditory support with phonics and spelling. It is used in over 200 UK schools following being approved by the British Dyslexia Association and Dyslexia Action in 2019.
TAVS Test of Auditory and Visual Skills from Advanced Brain Technologies screens how a child is paying attention to, listening, processing and remembering different sounds. It doesn’t use language
Fast ForWord also works on tablet or PC, the interventions are mainly auditory with “games” that require the child to decode, segment, blend and manipulate sounds to progress through the levels. It is used in some schools and by private speech & language therapists and specialist educational tutors.
He also uses the following equipment
ForBrain is a headset that amplifies a child’s speech, playing it back into the child’s brain via bone conduction headphones to assist with their awareness of their pronunciation and use of language.
He applies this knowledge in his practice, the changes seen in some of these children were observed by their teachers and led to Darren working in some local schools. He was assigned children who the teachers had identified to be struggling, he consulted with the children and their parents at the school. He prescribed each an individual neurological rehabilitation program consisting of eye, balance, coordination, and cognitive brain exercises, physical exercise, computer programs and dietary advice, these were regularly overseen by a teaching assistant at school.