Dyslexia Awareness 354 South Road
, Walkley
, Sheffield
, S6 3TE, United Kingdom
info@dyslexiaawareness.com 079449 10016
info@dyslexiaawareness.com 079449 10016
|
Dyslexia Awareness 354 South Road
, Walkley
, Sheffield
, S6 3TE, United Kingdom
info@dyslexiaawareness.com 079449 10016 |
|
Theory We are often asked how an exercise programme can have any impact upon the individual with regards to their ability to read and write for example. In order to begin addressing this question, we must take a brief overview of the cerebellum and sensory processes involved in learning. We are born with millions of brain cells that are capable of forming literally billions of connections to produce a highly complex network. The normal development of this complex structure holds the key to the acquisition and consolidation of the skills and processes that most of us take for granted. The ability to crawl, walk, talk, read and write for example are external behavioural demonstrations of a neural network that is forging increasingly complex connections/pathways. It is becoming increasingly able to facilitate the ever more complex thoughts and behaviours that the maturation process demands of us. The major driving factor in the continued development of this intricate network is the cerebellum. The cerebellum plays a number of pivotal roles with regard to monotoring and co-ordinating the huge amounts of sensory information that travel across and are stored in the neural network. Without this input, incoming information may be misinterpreted, misunderstood or simply lost. Prior experience, which forms the basis for much of our development, would be inaccurate or simply unavailable. In real terms, our responses and performance would be seriously compromised. The following is a brief outline which may help to increase our understanding of how and why a sensory integration programme which encourages development of the cerebellum, can have such a profound effect upon performance. THE CEREBELLUM The cerebellum is a fist-sized structure located at the lower back of the brain that plays a fundamental role in our ability to learn and consolidate skills and knowledge. Function Traditionally, the size and location of the cerebellum has led us to underestimate its role and potential. Contemporary research has now demonstrated that in spite of its comparatively small structure, the cerebellum does in fact contain more than half of all the brain’s neurons (Beatty J., 2001). Furthermore, this same research is demonstrating that the cerebellum makes contributions to both our motor and mental dexterity. Listing the functions of the cerebellum suggests that they operate independently of each other. This is not the case; there is a great deal of overlap. However, in this instance for reasons of clarity the areas of function that are of direct relevance and interest to our position will be outlined below. Balance & posture. The Cerebellum co-ordinates and balances the actions of muscles so that the body can move smoothly and efficiently or simply maintain equilibrium. It receives sensory impulses from the muscles, tendons, joints (proprioception), eyes (visual), and ears (vestibular), as well as input from other brain centres. It integrates and processes this information, calculates our position and controls posture by keeping skeletal muscles in a constant state of partial contraction. Automaticity Experimental evidence has shown that the cerebellum is involved in the process by which novel motor tasks can, after some practice, be performed automatically. Learning to drive for example requires a great mental effort initially, however, within a relatively short space of time we reach a level whereby we may arrive at our intended destination with little conscious awareness of the actual journey itself. Fine Tuning The cerebellum acts as a 'comparator'; i.e., a device that compensates for errors by comparing intention with performance. It monitors the central motor commands initiated in the cerebral cortex (intention), with sensory information produced by the actual movement (performance). This information is then processed and fed back to the cerebral cortex so that ongoing motor signals can be adjusted in order to fulfil the desired outcome. Again, this feedback loop centred on the cerebellum will operate many times each second. Motor Function Summary Every movement we make starts in our brain. Once we've decided to make a movement, the motor cortex in the brain sends out a command via the cerebellum to the appropriate muscles to make them move. Within 60 milliseconds, a message is sent back from the body's sensors to report back on how the movement went. The cerebellum then integrates and analyses this information. Was the initial signal right, did it achieve its intention etc? The cerebellum then passes on this information and the brain responds by sending an updated command to improve the movement which generates yet more feedback. This cerebella 'loop' system - message out, message in and so on - is how we control movement, make it more accurate, more precise, smoother and more elegant. The more frequently the required action is repeated, the more able the cerebellum becomes to process the required information rapidly until ultimately the response becomes automatic. Cognitive function Because the cerebellum is connected to regions of the brain that perform both motor and mental/sensory tasks (sequencing, emotions, memory, attention, pattern recognition etc), it can automatise both motor and mental sensory skills. As with motor skills, there are huge benefits to be had by learning to perform other skills automatically, without conscious attention to detail. Not least of which is that the conscious part of the brain is freed to attend to other mental activities, thus enlarging its cognitive scope. For example, the story line in a piece of creative writing may suffer if the individual also has to constantly interrupt the thought processes to consciously think about the spelling and/or structure of the letters and words being used. How many children have you worked with who are verbally intelligent and creative, yet find it incredibly difficult to get their ideas onto paper. In Summary By integrating and processing all sensory information, the cerebellum improves sequences of thoughts or movements, which in turn can then be made with greater speed, greater accuracy, and less effort. Sensory Integration Programmes These programmes provide targeted stimulation to the sensory system. They are presented in such a way as to stimulate the individual function of each sense, the speed and accuracy at which it carries information. The combination of exercises performed also encourages the development of our ability to rapidly process, integrate and respond appropriately to all the sensory information (the cerebellum's input). The repetition element of the programme initially helps to develop and then reinforce the positive changes that occur within the structures and systems that provide the platform for learning to occur more naturally. 'an enormous amount of evidence uncovered in the past two decades finds that the brain never stops changing and adjusting. Research suggests that special brain exercises can tap into the brain's adaptive capacities and help people overcome certain language and reading problems'. (Society for Neuroscience – web site) |
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