Neurology for Learning and Processing
Gail J. Richard, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Eastern Illinois University
gjrichard@eiu.edu
Emotional Basis to Cognitive Skills
Learn through emotional feeling
Purposeful, intentional, meaningful interactions pre-requisite to language
Critical point in intervention for children with developmental disabilities
if agree with emotional - 99% of world applying intervention in wrong way
if cognitive - drill behavioral approach OK
if learn in rote way - try to apply million rules to life
Stanley Greenspan
Individual Differences
Need to understand how neurological system is reacting & comprehending
Challenge = Individual Differences
sensory modulation
processing
motor planning & sequencing
Nature vs. Nurture Dance
Brain only partially wired at birth
Rest occurs after birth through environmental interaction; emphasis on interaction; genes &
environment interact together
Plasticity through puberty
Support biology to overcome /compensate for deficits
NEUROPLASTICITY
Brain only partially wired at birth; rest occurs after birth through environmental stimulation
Puts emphasis on interaction
More plasticity than thought - through puberty (13-14 years of age)
Nature/Nurture Dance: genes and environment interact together; can’t separate at a certain point
Need to support biology to overcome & compensate for deficits
Functional Developmental Capacities
Can’t evaluate motor, language, emotional, etc. all separately/ segmented off
Child expresses abilities functionally - with all pieces together
Behaviors tell you the degree of neurological deficit
Need to connect affect to component parts for learning
Pleasure Principle
Appeal to child through enjoyable activities; natural motivation for learning
How Do We Learn?
Learning changes the brain
Brain rewires itself after each new stimulation, experience, or behavior
Stimulus to the brain starts the process
Stimulus is sorted and processed at several levels
Formation of memory potential
Amazing Malleability of Brain
Brain grows new connections with environmental stimulation
This can happen with 48 hours of stimuli
Process of making connections = learning Increased neural stimulation
Brain modifies itself based on type and amount of usage
Brain modifies itself based on experience – amount & type –Meaningful & Intense
“Getting smarter” means growing more synaptic connections between brain cells and not losing existing
connections
LEARNING OCCURS AT THE SYNAPSE
Neural pathways become more efficient through myelination: process of adding fatty coating to axons
Cell body sends electrical discharge outward to axon
Stimulates release of stored chemicals in synaptic gap (space between end of an axon and tip of dendrite)
Once in gap, chemical reaction triggers/inhibits new electrical energy in receptors of contacted dendrite
Electrical to chemical to electrical energy
Promotes dendritic branching - more neural connections
New synapses appear after “learning”
BRAIN’S WIRING: Nature vs. Nurture
Heredity provides 30-60% - Nature
Environmental impact provides 40-70% - Nurture
Difference dependent on specific trait being measured
Educators influence “Nurture”
SCHOOL READINESS
Are Children Today Different?
Fewer natural foods and more additives
More exposure to medications, drugs, chemicals
More children raised in single parent households with fewer resources
More exposure to passive babysitters and sedentary entertainment (TV, video)
Less early motor stimulation due to safety and liability concerns
Effect of Experience on Neurological Maturation
As system matures, overt responses differ
Interacting developmental process
Foundation; Raw materials
Experience fills in; adds to base
Increased integrated & complex interactive relationship
Developmental & Socioeconomic Differences
School “readiness”
Preschool / Headstart programs
Exposure to print; literacy
Cultural / Linguistic Differences
Different interaction patterns
Different learning styles
Curriculum and instructional style need to adapt
How the Brain Works
Brain Stem Area
Social Conformity (hairstyle, clothes)
Territoriality (defending my room, stuff)
Mating rituals (touching, flirting)
Deception (subverted aggression)
Ritualistic display (trying to get attention)
Hierarchies (leader dominance)
Social Rituals (predictable daily behaviors)
Middle Brain – hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala
Attention & sleep
Social and parent bonding
Hormones
Sense of space and location
Emotions – both positive and negative
Formation of memories
True, valid, feel strongly about
Cerebrum & Neocortex
frontal, occipital, parietal, temporal lobes
Thinking, reflection, consciousness
Processing emotions
Problem solving, computations
Language , writing, drawing
Reading, translating, composing
Long range planning, forecasting
Creativity, visualizing
Four Lobes of Brain
Occipital
Middle back of brain
Responsible for Vision
Frontal
Area around forehead
Responsible for purposeful acts - judgment, creativity, planning, problem solving
Parietal
Top back area
Responsible for processing higher sensory functions
Temporal
Above and around the ears
Responsible for hearing, memory, meaning, language
Neurological Connections
Children with neurological differences - look for connections between structures
skin’s relationship to neurological system
relationship with teeth
relationship with hair
TACTILE SYSTEM - 3 skin receptors
Light Touch
reactive, protective, primitive, very sensitive
can’t be ignored (e.g., itch, hair)
Discriminative Touch
under-developed; ability to differentiate by feel
densest in oral cavity
oral exploration, chewing
hypersensitive = picky eating, oral defensiveness
Temperature - cold, heat, pain
hyposensitive; hard to discriminate
often feel the same initially
VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
Inner ear; responds to gravity, weight changes, position in three planes
Stimulate by moving head; don’t have to move whole body
90% of cells in visual cortex also respond to vestibular system
85% of material presented for learning is visual in the early years
VISUAL SYSTEM - optical
Peripheral Vision versus Focal Vision
Peripheral = primitive, early vision; fight or flight
Focal / Central = higher level visual development
Developmental
Watching marble in a maze helps develop focal vision
Watch to see if child using eyes together or alternately - need both eyes for depth
perception
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Receptive understanding precedes expressive output
Stimulate oral motor neurological connections
Stimulate neurological coordination with automatic speech
Expand into higher level experiences for vocabulary and concept development
Motor Development & Learning
Vestibular (inner ear) and cerebellar system (motor activity) first sensory system to mature
Movement and learning have constant interplay
Spinning (vestibular activities) led to increased alertness, attention, and relaxation in the classroom
Sensory motor integration fundamental to school readiness
Incremental Model of Personality Development
Survival
Self-Awareness
Sensory Integration
Perceptual Constancy
Social Interaction
Before adding Positives to Environment - Eliminate Negatives
Embarrassment
Humiliation
Finger pointing
Sarcasm
Unrealistic deadlines
Missing Recess
Critical Elements to Enrich Brain
Learning must be challenging, with new information and experiences
Must be method to learn from the experience through specific feedback
Maximizing Brain Growth - Ways to Enrich the Brain
Reading and Language
Motor Stimulation
Thinking and Problem Solving
Arts
Surroundings
Teaching with the Brain in Mind – Eric Jensen
concrete ideas and suggestions for the school setting
SENSORY SYSTEM
Neurological Connection
ABBERRANT SENSORY SYSTEM RESPONSES
Biochemical Balance & Teeter-Totter
Pendulum of Emotions
How is your sensory system?
MOVEMENT & LEARNING
Vestibular (inner ear) and cerebellar system (motor activity) first sensory system to mature
Movement and learning have constant interplay
Spinning (vestibular activities) led to increased alertness, attention, and relaxation in the classroom
Sensory motor integration fundamental to school readiness
Physical exercise triggers the release of a brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) that enhances neural
communication, elevates mood, and assists in long-term memory formation. (Kinoshita, 1997)
Benefits of Exercise on Learning
Exercise triggers release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) which enhances cognition by
boosting ability of neurons to communicate with each other
Exercise increased number of connections among neurons
Exercise reduces stress
Exercise fuels brain with oxygen
Today’s brain, mind, and body research establishes significant links between movement and learning.
Educators ought to be purposeful about integrating movement activities into everyday learning.
Goal setting on the move
Drama, Theatre, Role Play
Energizers
Measurement with body
Ball toss for spelling, vocabulary review
Simon Says with content
Cross Laterals
Stretching
Strategies for Proprioception: Contractions of muscles and joints to mediate appropriate body
movements
Improve body awareness in space
Therapy in front of mirror – provides visual
Pair speech production with motor movements
Jump on mini-tramp, say sound/words
Clap out spelling words
Climb stairs reciting alphabet
T-stool, therapy ball, stand at desk
Strategies for Vestibular: Information about body in space; mediated primarily in balance centers of
inner ear
Modify/shape self-stimulatory behaviors
Engage in bilateral and cross lateral games and activities
Movement exercises and activities
Isometric and aerobic exercise breaks
Walking, running, treadmill, stationary bike
Sit and spin
Rocking chair, scooter board
Swinging
Strategies for Visual System: Stimuli received in the retina; relatively concrete for interpretation
Develop central focal vision
Use slant board to present material
Monitor and modify aversive stimuli
Poor visual perception leads to distortion
Handwriting - poor letter formation and orientation on page
Reading and interpretation of diagrams
Strategies for Auditory: acoustic stimuli defined by decibels (volume) and frequency (pitch)
Music
Desensitization to environments
Barrier noise to control aversive stimuli
Teach alternative behaviors to outbursts
Use positive to avoid negative
Strategies for Tactile: density and type of receptors in the skin
Use deep pressure for calming
Cape, hat, weighted vest, mat
Bean bag, “pizza pocket”
Water play, water table, ball pit
Wrap up in blanket
Identify problematic touches
Desensitize
Strategies for Olfactory/Gustatory: Smell based in chemical receptors in nasal passages;
taste based in chemical receptors of tongue
Identify pleasant / like vs. unpleasant / don’t like
Desensitize in gradual steps
Use likes to approach dislikes
Teach alternatives to inappropriate outbursts
Sensory Motor Research
Sensory processing abnormalities
Cross-sectional study examined auditory, visual, oral, and touch sensory processing as measured by
Sensory profile
104 subjects with diagnosis of ASD
3-56 years of age
Gender and age matched to community controls
ASD had abnormal auditory, visual, touch, and oral sensory processing significantly different than
controls
Lower levels of abnormal sensory processing in later ages
Conclusion: Global sensory abnormalities in ASD involving several modalities; potential to improve with
age
Oral Motor & Sensory Toys
Whole Language: Basic Concepts
Learning proceeds from whole to part
Children learn meanings, functions, and forms of language through use, not in isolation
Constructive, self-generative process while engaged in experiences with feedback
Highly social and collaborative
Allows for individual differences in learning
VIDEO
COMPUTER
Issues for the Educational Setting
 Understand Developmental Disorders
 Provide comprehensive evaluations to determine strengths / weaknesses
 Understand effect on teacher-pupil relationship
 Act as buffer for student
 Provide mix of social experiences
 Balance multiple services / needs
 Work to insure carry-over outside school
Holistic Planning for Success
 Early identification, intervention, and treatment
 Education of parents, teachers
 Possible medications
 Language intervention on functional communication
 Social skills training / group therapy
 Behavior modification techniques
 Concrete, problem-solving therapy
 Vocational counseling
Looking at Learning Problems in a New Way -Sample Cases