Heavenly Home and the Words We Use to Describe It
Author: Tsara Shelton
Published: 4 May 2024 - Updated: 8 Sep 2026
Publication Type: Instructive / Helpful
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content
Synopsis
This information shares how the online course Heavenly Home came to be named, drawn from the firsthand notes of Tsara Shelton as she sat in on early planning meetings with neuroplasticians and play therapists Lynette Louise and Louloua Smadi of All Brains Grow. It matters most to parents, caregivers, and educators who support people with autism, learning disabilities, traumatized brains, or other special needs, because it shows how thoughtfully chosen language and intentional responding shape the home environment where growth happens. The piece explains bio-play, a blend of biofeedback science, the learning value of play, and everyday living, and it makes the case that terms like special needs, neurodiverse, or learning disabled reflect the words we absorb from those around us rather than who is right or wrong. Its authority comes from the lived experience of a team that has spent years creating measurable change in families, and its value lies in the reminder that the person in front of us, not the vocabulary, is always the point.*
At a Glance
- 1 - Heavenly Home was named for the feeling of peace and growth it aims to create. The title emerged during a note-taking session as the team discussed helping families build a wonderful space.
- 2 - Bio-play blends biofeedback science, the learning power of play, and everyday routines. It turns daily home life into an easy lifestyle of learning and growth.
- 3 - The team focuses on environments and families rather than viewing any child as broken. This shift in perspective shapes how they teach neurofeedback and responding techniques.
- 4 - Word choices like autistic, neurodiverse, or learning disabled reflect the language people absorb from those around them, not a measure of who is right. The people in the conversation matter more than the terms, since words are simply an attempt to connect.
Topic Definition
- Heavenly Home
Heavenly Home is an online course created by neuroplasticians and play therapists Lynette Louise and Louloua Smadi through their All Brains Grow platform, designed to give parents and caregivers of people with special needs the knowledge and confidence to become experts in their own homes. The program draws on behavior science, neurofeedback, and bio-play - a blend of biofeedback, play, and everyday living - to help families know when to give attention, when to play, when to be structured, and when to be spontaneous. Rather than framing anyone as broken, the course centers on shaping supportive environments and thoughtful responding so that home becomes a place where every member can grow healthier, more skilled, and happier.
Overview
A few years ago I was taking minutes in a meeting for All Brains Grow...
Okay, I will be honest with you. I wasn't taking minutes exactly; I was taking notes. I wrote "taking minutes" because that asks you to picture me in a specific role; one where I am professional and potentially necessary, but not overly responsible for what is said or done. Taking minutes in a meeting is a requirement of many businesses, whereas taking notes is less professional sounding but a good idea.
In the meeting I was encouraged to be engaged, to include my thoughts and opinions, to recognize areas that were not being addressed or were hard to understand. Mostly, though, during those beginning meetings between Lynette Louise, Louloua Smadi and their team, my action was to take notes while they designed a website and online course meant to share the behavior, bio-play, and neuroplasticity knowledge they teach to families and schools around the globe. Responding techniques and brain science that effectively helps people with special needs and/or traumatized brains. All Brains Grow and they want to share with as many people as they can how to grow them with intention, confidence, and expertise.
I am Lynette's daughter and personal assistant. I have been her daughter since my birth (unlike several of my siblings who came along at older, sometimes even teen, ages) and her personal assistant fairly consistently since my teen years.
Louloua is not my sibling, and though I feel sometimes like she is I am kind of glad she isn't. If she were, I might have to be jealous. She is beautiful, trilingual, holistically intelligent, and ever so empathetic. More than that, she is enthusiastic about taking up the torch and partnering with mom while I am enthusiastic about being less hands on and more of a sideline cheerleader. I am not being self-depreciating, I do see my value from the sidelines, but I am also aware that my unwillingness to be in the hands-on position leaves me in a more comfortable less vulnerable space. Hence, I might be a little bit jealous of Louloua if she was my sister. (I recognize this because I am a little bit jealous of Brandessa, my hands-on leadership sister. I am also her enthusiastic cheerleader.)
Being invited to take notes and offer ideas to the All Brains Grow team as they began building an online course for parents around the world, using their combined experience and expertise, their delightfully different styles and cultures, I was full of gratitude.
As neuroplasticians, play therapists, moms, siblings, and individuals these women are aware and experienced in the art of caring about special needs and learning disabilities. They focus on environments and families. Never on a broken child. A broken person.
They teach the science and skills of neurofeedback and bio-play.
Bio-play takes the science of biofeedback, the learning enhancement of play, and the knowledge of everyday living, and brings it together into a lifestyle of easy living while learning.
They are gifted at giving parents and caregivers the understanding and information necessary to become experts in the lives of their children and the home they are building. As I said years ago in my notes: Making bio-play effortless so time at home is easy and everyone grows smarter and healthier. Heaven at home.
And now, Heavenly Home is the name of the course.
And it is names I want most to mention here.
Due to their combined years of making change happen in lives that were desperate for it, making miracles happen with behavior science and persistence, knowing what needed to be taught and exampled in the course they were building wasn't as hard to hash out as knowing what words to use in their lessons and literature.
And this is the thing: they work and live in different places around the world, languages change and people they work with most often struggle with communication, yet people are easily emotionally charged and ready to react unnecessarily strongly to word choices.
It is not the opinion of thinking people that we should not discuss the power our language has. Indeed, Lynette and Louloua are wonderful at pointing out how the language you use in your home will indicate deeper meaning and influence behaviors. However, whether you use terms like special needs, learning disabled, autistic, brain dysfunction, or neurodiverse, does not mean you are more or less "right" but more likely means you have adopted language based on what you hear and see around you. The names and words we use are worth examining. They are always worth considering, and changes in the way we speak of and to each other do make changes in the way we see ourselves and each other, leading to changes in our ability to gain skills and grow healthy.
But arguing about the words is not the point: considering them is. As I took notes that day, I listened to the women consider and care about the language. Not to pander or push back but as a result of how much they consider and care about people.
This is the part we want to hold onto and take the strongest action on: the people we are talking with while we use our words. The people are the point, the words are our attempt to connect.
Those conversations and my notes are a few years old now. Since then there has been much filming, transcribing, consulting, and teaching. All Brains Grow is now a website with an online course for parents and caregivers of people with special needs that is being utilized by parents around the world. It is a beautiful way to use technology in order to help families in their homes, in the space they spend most of their time and where intentional informed responding most needs to happen.
Heavenly Home is about creating a heaven at home by knowing what to do to help your family grow healthier and more skilled. Happier.
Heaven at home is knowing when to give attention and when not to give attention, knowing when (and what) to play and when not to play, knowing when to punish and when not to punish; knowing when to be scheduled and strict and when to be free and spontaneous. Heaven at home is being armed with knowledge so you can be a quick effective responder.
The name of the course is Heavenly Home. Heaven is used because that is the feeling they want to create, the feeling the word evokes. It would not be impossible for people to choose to be angry at the heaven inference. They could decide it is blasphemous. Or they could infer that there is religion involved and choose to avoid it. Even scoff at it.
But Heavenly Home got its name on that day I was taking notes when the team talked passionately about wanting to help families create a space at home that was wonderful. Where they knew how to encourage growth, acceptance, and skill acquisition and be their own experts. Where they would know what to do when challenges presented themselves.
Knowing what to do is a heavenly gift.
However you choose to say it.
The Heavenly Homes course can be found at allbrainsgrow.com
Frequently Asked Questions
NOTE: Researched FAQs by Disabled World (DW)
Who created the Heavenly Home course
Heavenly Home was created by Lynette Louise and Louloua Smadi through their All Brains Grow platform, combining their experience as neuroplasticians, play therapists, and parents.
Where can I find the Heavenly Home course
The Heavenly Home course can be found online at allbrainsgrow.com, where it is offered as an online course for parents and caregivers.
What is neuroplasticity in the context of this course
Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to change and form new connections throughout life, which the course draws on to help traumatized or special needs brains grow with intentional responding.
Is Heavenly Home a religious program
No, the word heaven refers to the feeling of peace and wellbeing the course aims to create at home, and it is not tied to any religion or faith practice.
Who is the course designed to help
The course is designed for parents and caregivers of people with special needs, learning disabilities, or traumatized brains who want to support growth at home.
What is the difference between biofeedback and bio-play
Biofeedback is a science that gives information about body functions, while bio-play combines that science with play and everyday living to make learning feel easy and natural.
Does the course require any special equipment
The course focuses on knowledge, responding techniques, and family environment, teaching caregivers how to respond effectively rather than relying on specialized tools.
How does home environment affect a childs growth
Home is where people spend most of their time, so informed and intentional responding there has the greatest influence on how a child gains skills and grows healthier.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: What gives this reflection its lasting weight is its refusal to turn word choice into a contest, offering instead a practical and compassionate lens that caregivers can carry into daily life - the idea that language influences behavior and self-image, yet connection with the actual human being remains the goal. Families managing complex needs at home will find reassurance here, since the course behind the story, available at allbrainsgrow.com, is built on the belief that no child is broken and that parents can become the most capable experts on their own children when armed with the right knowledge. For seniors, disabled readers, and the people who care for them, the takeaway is both gentle and useful: knowing when to give attention, when to play, when to hold structure, and when to allow spontaneity is a skill that can be learned, and that knowledge is what transforms an ordinary house into a place where everyone has room to grow healthier and happier.*
Author Credentials: Tsara Shelton, author of Spinning in Circles and Learning From Myself, is a contributing editor to Disabled World. She is also the oldest daughter of international brain change and behavior expert Dr. Lynette Louise ("The Brain Broad"). Explore Tsara's complete biography for comprehensive insights into her background, expertise, and accomplishments.
* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.