Brain Balance centers are popping up across the country, claiming to help kids “overcome” autism and other disorders, but critics say there’s no hard science to back up the approach.

Those behind the new centers say that autism in addition to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome and other conditions are all triggered by an imbalance between the right and left sides of the brain. Through a therapy program designed to fix this imbalance, they say children can improve.

The centers charge upwards of $6,000 for a 12-week program which involves various physical and mental exercises along with dietary adjustments. This, despite just one study of the approach, which was conducted by the founder of the Brain Balance centers.

Supporters of the Brain Balance approach tout positive outcomes for children who’ve completed the program. Critics, however, argue that there’s no research to support the idea that the conditions the centers target are caused by one part of the brain developing more quickly than another, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. To read more click here.

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