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"Challenges
and Changes"
Submitted 9/15/99 to
the IAHE Informer for the November/December 1999 issue
By Marcia B. Blackwood Phone (317) 375-1775 Fax
(317) 375-1785
An Approach to
Remediation
Several times over the
last year, I have been asked to explain the general approach that I use as
a neurodevelopmentalist. I have written several articles on different
aspects of my approach but have not given an overall picture of it. This
month I will attempt to do so.
The very foundation of the neurodevelopmental approach is an understanding
of the brain structure and capacity. The newborn child possesses all the
brain cells he will ever have. These brain cells are not replaced if they
are injured or die. The brain has approximately 100 billion cells
(accounting for approximately 3% of the brain mass), and 100 trillion
connections (97% of the brain mass).
God has perfectly designed the container here-the more you put in, the
more the brain will hold. There is generally more than one area of the
brain that can assume the same function, and the brain is able to modify
its structure and its performance in response to the environment.
The increase in the weight and size of the brain of a maturing child is
due to the production of connective tissue. Stimulation increases the
number of connections within the brain, and, as these increase, so does
the efficiency and organization of the system. The endless variety of
specific stimulation accounts for the great differences among individuals
in the development of the sensory pathways, motor pathways, and function.
Function, then, is a reflection of how well the brain is organized or how
efficient it is in taking in information and using it. Function can be
greatly reduced if the brain does not receive the stimulation and
opportunities that enhance its production of connective tissue. At any
time in the life of a child, the process of neurological organization can
be stopped or at least slowed by injury or environmental deprivation. But
the process can be greatly increased and enhanced by carefully planned
activities that stimulate connective tissue production.
How then do we go about approaching the planning of specific activities
that will ultimately lead to neurological organization? One of the tools
of the neurodevelopmentalist is a developmental profile against which we
can evaluate the present function of an individual (child or adult). We
look at and evaluate the receptive areas of tactile, auditory and visual
competence, as well as the expressive levels of language, fine motor
competence, and gross motor skills. Thus we know where a person is
functioning as each level of development is identified from birth to the
accelerated or mastery level. We can then identify the next specific step
in the child's development and proceed to provide the child with specific
activities or input to accomplish that next step.
The function or lack of function we observe is so rooted in development
that as development progresses, function improves. We can prompt the
development to occur by using specific stimulation with appropriate
frequency, intensity, and duration. These are the keys to change for the
neurodevelopmentalist.
Stimulation needs to be specific for development to occur. A brightly
colored and vividly decorated preschool room may be stimulating, but
without direction to specific activities, the stimulation is random rather
than specific. The stimulation needs to be specific to the skill needed or
connections to be made to improve function.
Frequency refers to how often the child will participate in that specific
activity. The more frequently one addresses the activity, the more
frequently the brain must also address the new stimulation. Thus, it is
more likely to affect changes within the brain and for learning to occur.
Intensity refers to the strength of the input during the activity. I feel
that it is by far the most important of the three, yet is the most
difficult to maintain. I have found myself pushing on to
"finish" when intensity has dropped to zero, and realize that
I'm not going to get productive or positive results if I continue. We may
be able to make a child stay in one place for an extended period of time
(duration) while we go over and over the material (frequency), but the
child has much control over the intensity of the input. If the child is
"turned on" he learns rapidly; if "turned off",
learning may never occur.
Duration is the length of time of input. We try to keep the times of input
short so that the child will respond positively to the more frequent and
intense times of activity. Activities of long duration are
counterproductive.
The processing skills of children are very important. If processing skills
are low, children often do not discriminate the sounds of phonics and
although they are being taught phonics, they LEARN to sight-read. These
same children are often impulsive, as they do not always connect effect
with cause until after they have carried out their impulses. They are
sometimes socially immature and do not always fit in with their peers-they
are not aware of "personal space", don't read body language, and
don't understand all the aspects of humor so do not "get" the
jokes told in groups. They are often on the outside, looking in when in
their peer groups, but will often interact very well with younger
children. For further information on processing skills, see the May/June
'99 issue of the Informer.
Hemispheric dominance is another important factor in helping children with
the neurodevelopmental approach. Dominance refers to having one hemisphere
of your brain that is in control. In order to have dominance established,
you need to have a dominant hand, ear, eye and foot on the same side of
the body. If your child is cross dominant or mixed in dominance, he will
have a great deal of trouble with long-term memory. The dominant
hemisphere is where logical and analytical thought is.
When a child is working in his subdominant hemisphere, when something
happens, his reaction is going to be emotional rather than logical or
analytical. To read more about dominance as an issue in learning, see the
Sept/Oct.'97 issue of the Informer.
We believe that parents are the most effective teachers and are the
experts on their children, so they are an integral part of any evaluation.
Their observations and insights are invaluable in determining how to
remediate any learning inefficiencies. For children who are not learning
well under their present circumstances, that is not in any way a
reflection of their potential. It is, rather, a reflection of the
inefficiencies they have today. If we can identify those inefficiencies
and address them with appropriate stimulation on a regular basis, we can
eliminate or remediate those inefficiencies. For more information on the
neurodevelopmentalists' approach or for article copies, please contact me
at (317) 375-1775 or marciablackwood@juno.com.
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