Imagine, if you will, watering your garden with a tangled hose. Yes, it's possible to attach it to the water source, and it's possible for water to travel through the hose and come out at the other end…eventually. But how long will it take? Will the plants be properly watered?
Maybe increasing the pressure and water flow would be helpful. Surely putting more water through the hose will cause some of the tangles to work themselves out. Perhaps, but still the twists and bends will cause the water to slow and maybe even stop, causing a build up of pressure that can't be released until the water is shut off and the hose is drained.
Though this is a very imperfect analogy, the human nervous system can have similar "kinks" in the system that create stoppages, slow-downs, and mis-communications. When the information comes in, it doesn't always run through the system efficiently or effectively. It's certainly possible to reroute. The brain is very adaptable, so one part of the brain can change to accommodate new information or overcome a shortcoming in another part. This is known as neuroplasticity. It's what makes learning possible in the first place. Unfortunately, sometimes the adapted pathways are not as efficient as the original wiring would be, so there are slow-downs in the processing.
Let's apply this to learning.
Most of the time, when we see children who struggle to learn, we make accommodations in the way we teach or in the expectations for their learning. All of that's great! However, it's a bit like putting a different amount of water through the twisted hose. The inefficiencies are still there and will continue to cause miscommunication. Parents may hire a summer tutor to help children catch up—or at least not lose too much of what they gained during the school year. This isn't a bad strategy, especially if the tutor can key into the child's learning style or allow him or her to explore the information through the senses. Many struggling learners find success like this, but it's still slow.
The problem is that the "kinks" in the hose stop the child from getting the information in or getting it to stick. Just pouring in more information—even in novel or more accessible ways—won't allow the system to process the knowledge effectively, because the processor itself is inefficient. Frustration mounts as the child believes failure is the only option.
What if there is a different way to approach the inefficiencies? What if it's possible to straighten out the hose?
Well, it is, to some extent.
There are definitely limitations to how much a person can accomplish. Inherited traits, early experiences, interests: all of these determine learning styles and abilities, and have an impact on learning.
Often children with learning issues also have coordination issues, and if not a result of an injury, they may be caused by specific movement patterns that are stuck in the body. These reflex patterns don't allow the brain to develop to its full extent. They either slow down the learning process or cause persistent behaviors that slow down the process. See this blog post to learn a bit more about how reflex integration works.
The idea of rewiring these patterns (or repatterning a person) is definitely possible using targeted exercises that allow the nervous system to reorganize. In addition, there are timing experiences that allow the brain to develop more effective and efficient communication. See this blog for information about timing.
This is what the Summer Intensive • Building Better Focus is about. Using time away from school to rewire will set the student up for success in school the following school year. Stress and anxiety may be diminished with better nervous system regulation, frustration may be decreased because learning is possible, and the brain may find that learning is easier because of improved processing.
For more information, see Building Better Focus and Summer Intensive. Feel free to contact me with questions.
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