Ollie the Octopus (Paperback)

Ollie the Octopus™ wants to be the best juggler in all the Seven Seas, but he is so clumsy sometimes!

Ollie can’t sit still, gets frustrated easily, and when he has a tantrum – watch out! Ollie’s friends have some problems, too.

When Dr Robert Melillo (a world-famous specialist in childhood neurological disorders) meets Ollie one day, he thinks he might know how to help Ollie and his friends reach their potential. Dr Rob can help them all become truly magnificent! With easy-to-understand language and charming illustrations, Ollie the Octopus™ and His Magnificent Brain teaches children about complex topics like neuroplasticity and brain development.

This delightful book helps children understand what retained primitive reflexes are, how these reflexes might affect their behaviour, and what they can do to integrate their reflexes – and change their lives.

The book includes a special section for adults with information and exercises to help children integrate their retained primitive reflexes. Dive in and follow Ollie’s journey!

DR ROBERT MELILLO (USA) is a respected specialist in developmental functional neurology, brain imbalances, hemispheric integration, and the diagnosis and correction of most neurobehavioural disorders and learning disabilities in the United States. His clinical experience, research, and success with patients in his private practice led Dr Melillo to create the Brain Balance Achievement Centres in 2006. There are now over 100 centres across the USA. Dr Melillo is a prolific researcher and author. In 2004, he published Neurobehavioral Disorders of Childhood: An Evolutionary Perspective, a working-theory textbook on developmental disabilities. He has published a number of other books on childhood neurobehavioural disorders, including the best-selling Disconnected Kids, which has since been translated into eight languages. Dr Melillo has also published numerous scientific papers, and contributed chapters to textbooks on topics such as dyslexia, attention, and frontal lobe development. Dr Melillo is an adjunct professor at the National University of Health Sciences and is a senior research fellow with the National Institute for Brain and Rehabilitation Sciences. He holds a master's degree in clinical rehabiltation neuropsychology, a doctorate in chiropractic, and he is completing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience. He is also the co-founder and past president of the International Association of Functional Neurology and Rehabilitation. 'Dr Melillo also serves on the advisory board for Grammy-award-winning musician Zac Brown's inclusive camp, Camp Southern Ground. Dr Melillo and his wife, Carolyn, are also the creators of the web series Disconnected Kids, Reconnected Families, a documentary-style series helping families face and overcome childhood neurobehavioural issues.

GENEVIEVE DHARAMARAJ is an Australian allied healthcare practitioner with over 25 years' experience. She holds a bachelor's degree in science, a master's degree in chiropractic, and a master's degree in paediatric chiropractic. She has been awarded a Fellowship in Childhood Neurodevelopment Disorders from the International Board of Functional Neurology. Noticing a spike in children experiencing learning and behavioural difficulties, Gen began to explore and study functional neurological concepts not normally associated with the field she was currently in. Dr Robert Melillo's work inspired Gen to study and travel to Europe for face-to-face conferences. She was lucky to shadow Dr Rob in Bulgaria where he saw children with severe autism. This inspired her to open a separate business for functional neurology, launching Nurturing Brain Potential - the first therapeutic clinic in Australia to utilise the work of Dr Melillo. Nurturing Brain Potential is the result of lifelong learning, passion and determination to help children with difficulties rise to meet their potential. When Gen isn't working, she enjoys training for triathlons, spending time with her family, or shopping in her favourite precincts with her friends.

Sydney-based artist and illustrator KAT SMIRNOFF has had a fascination with painting and creating art from an early age. Growing up in the Lithuanian countryside, she developed a deep love for the outdoors and nature; which then became the biggest inspiration for her work. Kat's connection with the natural world, plants and animals is represented in her vibrant, colourful and detailed designs, illustrations and murals.In 2017, she created Kat's Mural Art. Since then, she has been successfully applying her art on the walls of numerous childcare centres, hospitals, clinics, restaurants and cafés, as well as private residences in Brisbane and Sydney. Kat's preferred art medium is watercolour and acrylic. More recently she has also developed a passion for digital painting, a skill that has been applied to Ollie the Octopus and His Magnificent Brain(TM).