Neural Connections founder Hsiao Bond chats with us about supporting neurodiverse children and witnessing the change in their lives.
Here at Honeycombers, we’re all about celebrating talents in Singapore and shouting out amazing businesses. This month, we’re shining the spotlight on Neural Connections by founder Hsiao Bond. Read on for insights into her work and her entrepreneurial journey.
Tell us about your business and why you do what you do.
Neural Connections supports neurodiverse and special needs kids and families. We offer one-to-one therapy sessions focused on nervous system regulation through sensory and reflex integration and group classes for kids, tweens and teens – especially those who are neurodiverse or have special needs, as well as their siblings. In addition, we offer courses, education and training for parents, educators and practitioners in the Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI) – the main modality that we offer.
As I’ve walked, and am still walking this path, I feel profoundly in my gut that I want to show families there is a better way. I do this because I am driven to make a difference in the lives of these kids and their families.
How has your business evolved over the years, and what have you learned from that?
At first, I was doing this part-time while supporting my neurodiverse child. As she became more independent and word began to spread, I started the journey as a solopreneur. In the last year, I worked on expanding my team and transforming our operations to a team approach.
What I’ve learned is to prioritise fostering collaboration and teamwork. I value each member of my team and their unique and individual contributions – Neural Connections is a team effort!
Share with us the most rewarding and challenging parts of your work.
The most rewarding part of this, and what drives me every day, is the satisfaction in witnessing the change in the kids that we work with – whether it’s an improvement in emotional and behavioural regulation or an increase in cognition and language. What we absolutely love is when parents tell us that other people within the child’s network like their teachers or grandparents are noticing the changes in the child – it’s the most amazing feeling to hear that.
Although what we offer is holistic and grounded in rigorous research – it’s still fairly niche and not so mainstream, especially in Singapore. What’s challenging is spending time, energy and effort to educate and market our services especially when we are a small team.
Where do you draw inspiration and ideas from?
My two teenage daughters and my family are my biggest inspirations. Just spending time with them, being their mum and seeing their interactions with each other inspires my work. I’m a people watcher – ideas come from my observations of families as they go about their lives – so going out and about informs and inspires my work.
What sets you apart from others?
Being a mum who has walked, and is still walking, this path sets me apart from others. I’m constantly learning from various fields whether it’s nutrition, gut health or sleep, and pulling from my personal life and professional training. Because of this, I have a wider and more holistic perspective when working with our clients.
I think of myself as a case manager who investigates and probes through each situation, as well as coaches parents to consider new ideas and solutions. While my specialty is working with sensory integration and integrating primary reflexes, I also have a wider awareness of more specialised therapies that might be needed. For example, if I notice that the child is mouth breathing, I will refer them to other specialists. It definitely takes a village.
Anything exciting coming up in the pipeline?
This year, we’re offering an entire suite of new group classes for kids, as well as a Holiday Camp happening in March. We love the group classes and the camps because they’re such great ways for the kids to benefit from the repatterning and reflex work that we do in a group setting. These are inclusive spaces as well for siblings of neurodiverse or special needs kids. We also have courses happening for parents, educators and practitioners in February and April.
What’s the best feedback you’ve ever received?
It’s hard to pick one because all the feedback we get is so meaningful for each family and deals with a specific issue they have, like helping with regulating emotions for meltdowns. One of the most heartwarming feedback that we’ve received is when parents tell us they are starting to enjoy family time together again with the kids.
One thing I tell parents is that behaviour is often an unconscious one, and kids are not being “naughty” on purpose. There’s a lot of discomfort and challenge happening within the child and this causes stress and pressure on the nervous system. We come in to help at the level of the nervous system and the brain, to relieve the stress or pressure that often cannot be articulated.
If you were to be remembered for one thing, what would you want it to be?
That I made a difference in a child’s life. The work that my team and I do targets the root causes rather than simply responding to current symptoms. The symptoms guide us but we delve deeper, going back to the foundation, and this allows us to make meaningful changes. This helps improve and makes a difference in a child’s life and that of their family. We help them move through current challenges and also slow down or stop new issues from arising in the future.
Get in touch with Neural Connections online.
Want in on an entrepreneurial community? Check out Launchpad, our comprehensive digital networking platform (with IRL benefits) for members to connect through events like masterclasses, member networking roulette, small-business mentoring and more.
