Meet Jackie Beck | Cognitive Coach and Neurotherapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jackie Beck and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jackie, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
We are a developmental disability center. Our clients are children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and other social, emotional, behavioral, and academic issues. We correct the root cause of these issues using techniques developed by the worlds foremost neuroscientists in our field.

We know that the issues neurodiverse kids are facing is because of an imbalance in the two hemispheres of the brain. Essentially, the two hemispheres are not talking to each other properly; they are not in sync.

The imbalance is caused by retained primitive or infant reflexes, which should be gone by 18 months of age. They are generally retained because they are not used and when they stick around, the inhibit the postural reflexes from coming on line and impact the frontal lobe of the brain causing the imbalance.

The imbalance also can impact vision, hearing, fine motor skills, rhythm and timing, and so much more.

We correct the problem by integrating the primitive reflexes, stimulating the weaker hemisphere, and improving the vision, hearing, fine motor skills, and rhythm and timing. Using specific techniques, we not only correct the root cause, we also get kids caught up to their neurotypical peers.

Unfortunately, traditional medicine believes that these issues can’t be corrected, that there is no cure for Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Anxiety, OCD, ODD, or any other issue that neurodiverse kids face. The medical industry in the united states focuses on managing the issues instead of correcting them, despite more than twenty-five years of research, hundreds of research papers, and thousands of case studies and empirical evidence.

This causes a problem in partnering with the medical industry, accepting insurance, and getting our parents to set aside what they’ve been told and look at another approach. We don’t expect parents to blindly believe that our approach works, just to keep an open mind and check us out. We hope parents will talk to us, request the research papers, talk to the parents of our kids, and ask questions.

We sunk our life savings into NeuroFiT Connections because we’ve seen the results first hand. We’ve helped kids get caught up to their peers. We’ve helped non-verbal autistic kids talk, walk, and act like neurotypical children. We’ve helped dyslexic kids read and comprehend at a level above their peers. We’ve helped ADHD kids go from failing in school to the honor roll. We are proud of the results we’ve seen and excited by the prospect of helping more kids because there is no shortage of kids with neurological issues.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Neurodiversity has become more and more prevalent over the years with a rise in the occurrence of Autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and more. In fact, according to the CDC, almost half of the children born in 2025 will be somewhere on the autism spectrum. The increase in the number of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy locations, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other therapies is a testament to the increase in the neurodiverse population.

Unfortunately, traditional western medicine would have you believe there is no cure for these disorders and the best you can hope for is to manage the issue. More unfortunate is the fact that traditional treatment options have limited success.

NeuroFiT Connections uses a different approach; one that was developed by Dr. Robert Mellilo and his colleagues who have pioneered the research into the brain as it relates to neurological issues such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Learning Disorders.

In fact, we are the only center in Eastern North Carolina that uses his methods.

Research has shown that the core issue with the developmental disorders we work with is a hemispheric imbalance, meaning that one hemisphere of the brain is underactive and one is overactive. Think of it like a movie where the sound and picture are not in sync. If it’s a little off, like in ADHD, it’s troubling but we can usually watch the movie. If the sound and picture are way off, like in severe autism, it’s impossible to watch the movie.

Like the movie, for us to function at our best, both hemispheres of our brain must be communicating with each other properly. When one hemisphere is overactive, the hemispheres are out of sync.

To correct the imbalance, we have to first know what caused it. Research done by Dr. Mellilo and his colleagues demonstrates that children who have an overactive hemisphere also have retained primitive or infant reflexes. These are reflexes we are born with to help us through the birthing process and for the first few months of life. When they remain past the first few months of life, they impact the frontal lobe of the brain and inhibit the ability of the postural reflexes to come on line.

A primitive reflex most people are familiar with is the rooting reflex when you touch a babies cheek and they turn towards the touch looking to nurse. As long as the primitive reflexes like rooting remain, the brain can’t develop properly.

The NeuroFiT Connections approach is to integrate the reflexes, stimulate the weaker hemisphere, and sync up the two hemispheres. We also look at and correct other issues that might impact a child’s ability to get caught up to their neurotypical peers such as hearing, vision, cognition, and fine motor skills.

It’s not a temporary fix. Once the primitive reflexes are integrated and the hemisphere’s are in sync, the brain can continue developing normally. Unless a child encounters severe trauma, their brain will develop normally without any issues.

The method and tools we use sets us apart from others in the same industry, because we get results. We’ve seen ADHD children who were failing school get straight A’s as a result of the program. We’ve seen children who can’t read at all or struggle with reading, overcome those challenges in a very short time. We’ve seen children with Autism who regularly struggled with emotional regulation stop throwing tantrums.

Truthfully, there are too many success stories to count. And that’s what we’re most proud of, and it’s what our parents are happiest about; the growth of their children.

The process itself is easy, but implementing it can sometimes be a challenge as we navigate our way through a child’s issues to deliver treatment. I’ve learned to do the work in little bursts … an exercise, followed by some play, then another exercise, and more play. That way the child stays engaged.

What I want most for our parents is to have hope, then to see that hope manifest itself into reality. As their children let go of the negative aspects of their disorder and get caught up to their neurotypical peers, I want parents to realize they can have the children they dreamt of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in the Capital County and only a few miles from the Capital City, I would take my best friend to visit downtown Raleigh, to see the Governors mansion, to visit the museums, to dine at places like Oak City Grill and Whiskey Kitchen.

One of the most fun things to do is get the Let’s Roam app and do a scavenger hunt in downtown Raleigh. It combines fun and education while directing you to all of the interesting things to see in Raleigh. After that, I’d likely take my friend to Whiskey Kitchen for a meal followed by the Architect speakeasy for a drink. After that, we might take in a Durham Bull game, do an escape room, or visit Harris Lake.

There are quite a few great parks in Wake county, so we might visit them. Of course, there is no shortage of places to eat. Some of my favorites include Eggs Up Grill for breakfast, Macgregor Draft House for lunch, and Wassabi or OSHA for dinner. Then there’s Wine 100 for drinks.

One of my favorite things to do is walk the downtown area, not only of Raleigh, but Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, and Fuquay Varina. There’s plenty to do, see, and eat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support of my children, my husband, my sisters, and my mom. They encouraged, funded, and supported my passion for helping kids become the people they were meant to be.

I also wouldn’t be where I am without the education and support of Dr. Robert Melillo and his staff. They’ve not only provided me with an excellent, hands on education, they’ve been available to answer questions and support me.

Finally, Dr. Peter Scire, whose has spent countless hours educating me and others in my field in immunology and how it impacts the brain. He taught us about the brain – gut relationship and how important a healthy gut is to a healthy brain.

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