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KINGSFORD -- Children who suffer from learning disabilities such as ADHD or dyslexia often struggle in school and have behavior problems.  In fact, 35 percent of kids with a learning disability end up dropping out of high school.

Now, however, there is a place where kids can not only get help for their disability, they can also be rid of it forever.

It's all about balance; that's what they teach at the new Brain Balance Achievement Center in Kingsford.  The children that come in for treatment are considered students, since they're learning how to use their brains correctly.  But how can simple activities such as balancing on one leg or stretching help cure a learning disability?

"These children have what is known as a functional disconnection, which means they have an imbalance in their brain that prevents them from learning at their optimum level," said Dr. Robert Melillo, co-founder of the Brain Balance Centers.  Through years of research, he discovered exactly what activities stimulate areas of the brain affected by learning disabilities.  "What matters to us is what area of the brain is weak and what areas of the brain are strong and what can we do to balance that out."

The idea is to get both hemispheres of the brain to work together.  Once a student can do that without the need for stimulation, their learning disability often disappears.  This translates to better social skills and more success in the classroom.

"Function is improved and when function is improved, academic performance improves," said Barbara Hicks, owner and executive director of the Kingsford Brain Balance Center.

Melillo's cutting edge approach has seen over a 95 percent success rate in treating students with learning disorders.  That's a trend that Hicks wants to continue in the Upper Peninsula.

"There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a child's function improve," Hicks said.

The Kingsford location will start seeing students next week.  It's one of only thirteen Brain Balance Centers in the country.