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· Arousal · Exercise · Posture
· Sleep
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The Cause of Internet and TV Addiction? www.causeof.org |
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Neurodevelopmental Delays
· What are Neurodevelopmental Delays? · Summary · Problems with Proprioception · Problems with Differentiation · Laterality: Problems with Lateralisation · Laterality: Correcting Laterality · What is Interhemispheric Integration? · Problems with Interhemispheric Integration · Improving Interhemispheric Integration · Other Influences on Development
What are Neurodevelopmental Delays? Development of Neurological Pathways in Children "The development of the neurological pathways in the brain that make the integration of sensory information possible, increases as children grow. If children do not have the opportunity to do activities that correspond with each stage of development, then they will not reach their neurological potential. Examples of these necessary activities are using both eyes at the same time, recognising and distinguishing symbols, understanding words, touching things, crawling, walking upright, running, swinging arms, skipping, other activities that require coordination and balance, communicating with speech and picking up and manipulating small objects."
Development of Learning in Children "Sensory input and motor activities develop the proper sequence of neurological functioning and are essential for the development of learning. Learning is a sensory process that must be reinforced by motor functioning."
Problems with Sensory Input "If input is nonexistent, limited, or confused, the sensory pathways will not develop correctly."
Rehabilitation "The person has to begin again with activities and sensory inputs that have proven beneficial in promoting effective neurological organisation from early infancy on."
Misdiagnoses and Labels "Children are often inappropriately labeled as Dyslexic, Dysgaphic, Autistic, ADD, ADHD or with some such syndrome as the Gerstrom Syndrome or the Edison Complex. These labels often are merely cover-ups for the root cause of the educational problem, which begins with Developmental Motor Delay. Developmental Motor Delays are presently unaddressed in the educational process."
The Vestibular System "It is the unifying system in our brain that modifies and coordinates information received from other systems."
Some of the functions governed by the vestibular system are:
Proprioception "Proprioception refers to the brain’s unconscious sense of body-in-space."
Information from the following sensory systems is used to determine where our bodies are in relation to their environment: · Inner ear · Eyes · Tactile, kinesthetic and proprioceptive sites · Smell · Hearing
"If any of these functions [the five systems] are irregular, we either have a diminished sense of body-in-space or place greater reliance on another system (such as vision) to compensate which in turn causes us to use our eyes inefficiently for broader or higher level visual functions."
Differentiation and Lateralisation "Differentiation of response is the inhibition of primitive reflexes and more. It is the ability to direct one part of the body to move according to plan while all other parts remain still."
"It is the precursor to the development of lateralisation, and helps the brain establish specialised centres."
Vision "Vision exerts strong and sometimes supreme command over our other senses, as optical illusions demonstrate, and it exercises similar effects on our posture and locomotion (movement). With one’s eyes closed, standing soon becomes difficult, and, unless by luck, we would find it impossible to thread a needle [e.g. vision affects proprioception]."
Interhemispheric Integration "Interhemispheric integration refers to the communication between the left and right cerebral hemispheres [hemispheric communication]. To function efficiently, we need to integrate information from various specialised centres and to coordinate a planned response."
"Efficient binocular functions require interhemispheric integration of the two hemispheres."
"Interhemispheric integration is interdependent ondifferentiationand lateralisation."
Differentiation "Differentiation of response is the inhibition of primitive reflexes and more. It is the ability to direct one part of the body to move according to plan while all other parts remain still. It is the precursor to the development of lateralisation, and helps the brain establish specialised centres."
Differentiation and Children · "Children with immature differentiation may demonstrate overflow movements. This means that when one part of the body (e.g. a hand) moves, other parts move as well. · Immature differentiation also accompanies an apparent weakness in kinesthetic memory (the memory that the muscles have for movement), since overflow movement defocuses the brain’s processing of the intended movement."
"The following are some of the issues that may occur in a person experiencing difficulties with differentiation:
∙ overflow movement to the head or jaw when eyes are tracking (e.g. reading)
∙ overflow movement to the opposite hand when one hand is engaged
∙ overflow movement to the legs when one hand is engaged
∙ tics that involve more than just the eyes, including Tourette’s Syndrome
∙ inability to sort out each finger for fine-motor coordination
∙ overflow movement to the tongue and/or mouth when concentrating
∙ knocking things over at the table
∙ startle reactions
∙ difficulty ‘turning off’ obsessive compulsive thoughts and actions"
Interhemispheric Integration What is Interhemispheric Integration? What is Interhemispheric Intergration? "Interhemispheric integration refers to the communication between the left and right cerebral hemispheres [hemispheric communication]. To function efficiently, we need to integrate information from various specialised centres and to coordinate a planned response. Efficient binocular functions require interhemispheric integration of the two hemispheres."
Interhemispheric Integration and Cross Dominance "Children who are cross dominant (e.g. right handed but left eyed) require very efficient interhemispheric integration to compensate for additional demands to integrate information from two competing or differing perceptual and operational modes. Sucking and crawling are two activities of infancy that assist in developing interhemispheric integration. Furthermore, interhemispheric integration is interdependent on differentiation and lateralisation."
Problems with Interhemispheric Integration "The following are issues that may occur in a person experiencing difficulties with interhemispheric integration:
∙ Delayed language acquisition
∙ Difficulty understanding directions
∙ Significant difficulty with reading
∙ Problems of word finding
∙ Perseverative behaviours [e.g. hand-washing, food rituals, lining up objects]
∙ Lack of crawling in infancy
∙ Weak or limited sucking in infancy
∙ Delayed accomplishment of tying shoe laces
∙ Immature dressing skills (e.g. pulls on pants, two legs together, needs help getting arms into sleeves)
∙ Great difficulty learning to swim; to pedal a bicycle
∙ Difficulty with organisational skills
∙ Diminished concept of consequences
∙ Impulsivity"
Improving Interhemispheric Integration
Other Influences on Development "It is also possible that other influences may be contributing to the problems We follow a truly holistic approach to helping children overcome barriers to learning. So we also consider nutritional and environmental factors."
Proprioception What is Proprioception? "Proprioception refers to the brain’s unconscious sense of body-in-space."
Five Systems "Essentially we use five systems to determine where our bodies are in relation to their environment and where various parts of our bodies are in relation to one another:
1. The information received by the brain from the inner ear regarding the position of our heads, the pull of gravity, the speed and acceleration of our movement.
2. The interpretation of messages received by our eyes about both the space and our position and posture
3. The assorted information received by our brain from tactile, kinesthetic and proprioceptive sites located throughout the body
4. The messages received by the brain through smell, a sense on which we unconsciously rely to discern direction and distance from objects and events in our environment
5. The interpretation of the messages we have received through hearing, which also helps us orient to specific objects and events in our environment."
Proprioception vs. Kinesthesia "Proprioception differs from kinesthesia in that kinesthesia is the sense of relative muscle, joint and tendon position in specific situations. Kinesthetic memory involves learning these positions and the sequence of shifts in these positions for rote, repeated movements (such as gymnastics). Proprioception is a dynamic sense, allowing continuous accommodations and adaptations to a shifting environment (such as in dance, or moving through a crowded room)."
"If any of these functions [the five systems] are irregular, we either have a diminished sense of body-in-space or place greater reliance on another system (such as vision) to compensate which in turn causes us to use our eyes inefficiently for broader or higher level visual functions."
"The following issues are some of those that may occur in a person experiencing proprioceptive weaknesses and irregularities:
∙ A need as a baby to be held, swaddled, snuggled
∙ Unusual need to have physical contact with another person; clinging.
∙ Hysteria over hair washing or pulling tee shirts over the head
∙ Avoidance of eyes closed activities (such as Pin the Tail on the Donkey [e.g. Bates' palming exercise, sunglasses or tinted glasses])
∙ Discomfort or disorientation in the shower
∙ Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
∙ Sleep walking
∙ Falling out of bed
∙ Feeling as if he/she is floating in space or tipping in space while in bed
∙ Extreme restlessness while sleeping
∙ Difficulty getting up and moving after sleep
∙ Need for heavy covers or clothing or a back pack to feel grounded
∙ Need to have the light on to sleep
∙ Avoidance of team sports
∙ Aversion to crowds
∙ Preference for and greater skill in swimming than in other sports
∙ Clumsiness, tripping over own feet, bumping into things
∙ Swinging between pieces of furniture
∙ Unusual degree of stretching and yawning
∙ Difficulty grasping mathematical concepts
∙ Inability to accept physical (and social) boundaries"
Vestibular System Vestibular System: Improving the Vestibular System
Hearing "Lack of good quality input, that is, excellent language, music, etc, can result in lack of ability in auditory function." Hearing, Learning and Listening: The Role of Auditory Function in Academics and Everyday Life
· Ear Plugs: Chronically Plugging the Ears
Diminished sense of smell is caused by: · Allergies: Similar or Related Conditions · Greater reliance on vision? · A decrease in alpha waves? · Some sites claim that there have been studies which prove that the smell of lavender increases alpha waves. More information about alpha waves can be found in the research topic Brainwaves
"Moisture…increases sense of smell. (Page 26)" Book: Heller, Sharon, Ph.D. Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight. Quill, 2003.
Tactile, Kinesthetic and Proprioceptive Sites · Vestibular System: Improving the Vestibular System: Muscle Tone, Balance and Proprioception
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