In our office, we often see children with fine motor problems. Maybe you can relate to this - a child that "hates" to write and has to dictate or type his work; a child that has "rude" table manners because it's so difficult to make the fork and knife work together (it's so much easier to just pick it up, right !?!); an eager child who, try as she may, can't seem to connect foot to ball or bat to ball and your realize "maybe sports just isn't her thing."
The reality is that all of these activities are amazingly complex and unique to the human species. To perform these everyday tasks our brains coordinate a series intricate, minute, perfectly timed motor commands that are nearly impossible for the best computers we've been able to program and for all other living creatures on the planet. And to make this all happen seamlessly, there are multiple parts of the brain that must be working in concert together - like different instruments in an orchestra or each of the mechanical parts of an automobile.
What does this have to do with "Functional Neurology?" Well - a Functional Neurologist is trained to understand how all these parts work together and to identify which part might need repair to produce (in this example) better handwriting, proper table manners or adequate sports performance. Which instrument needs to be tuned to make this symphony harmonious? Which part needs to be replaced to get this car back on the road?
And just like there's lots of different reasons why a car might not start, there are lots of reasons why a child might have poor fine or gross motor skills, why he may not be able to focus and pay attention, why she might not control her impulses appropriately, or read that well, or make friends the way he'd like to, or . . . well . . . perform ANY aspect of our human existence the way we'd like to. And to correct the problem, knowing which part is dysfunctioning is the key to knowing what to do to fix it.
That's what Functional Neurology is - knowing how to examine the nervous system for weaknesses that are causing a problem, and applying therapies that are known to improve the function of that area.