The Real Reason Kids Don't Learn
Understanding sensory issues at the root of learning problems.
Learning challenges are usually thought of as reading, writing, attention and behavioral problems. These problems all seem different and, in fact, are handled differently by schools, parents and therapists. However, there is a common thread connecting these problems that potentially holds the key to fixing them.
All of these learning problems relate to the way the sensory systems of the body communicate with each other. These “sensors,” called receptors, take in and process information. If there is a problem with reception, there is a problem with understanding.
The senses include the eyes for vision, the ears for sound, the vestibular organs for balance and the pressure sensors in the skin and joints for touch. Our ability to simultaneously integrate the information from the environment from these sensory receptors governs how well we learn, communicate, behave and perform. Surveys of children with learning disorders routinely show sensitivities that prevent learning. Such sensitivities may be to light, heat, cold, touch and confined spaces, as well as to certain sounds, textures and foods. Motor planning, coordination and gastrointestinal function may also be involved.
The behavior of kids struggling with sensory processing problems varies widely. Behavior patterns might include shyness, a short attention span, poor vocabulary and sentence structure, poor organizational skills, lack of athletic ability, low tolerance for frustration, procrastination, fear, low self-esteem and depression.
Multiple Approaches
Most educational and psychological approaches address learning, behavior and other types of sensory dysfunction by focusing on behavior modification to reinforce specific desired outcomes. This approach may be warranted if the skills taught are useful in everyday life. But how are we to expect someone to cope with situations of which they have not been trained to deal? Mimicry is no substitute for capability. Educational inadequacies are often addressed by reinforcing material presented. Though this may be effective in strengthening short-term memory, it may not be a long-term solution.
Medical approaches, on the other hand, view learning problems as an issue involving maturity. Many physicians view learning, behavior and other sensory problems as conditions that will improve over time with or without a specific treatment program. When necessary, pharmaceuticals are prescribed to accelerate brain function, and to control hyperactivity or depression. Though this approach acknowledges the biological relationship between neurological development and learning disabilities, it also is not a long-term fix.
What Learning Means
The advances in neuroscience over the past ten years are revolutionizing the way we can help students to increase their ability to learn.
Learning is the result of the brain growing, molding and expanding to understand, store and use new material. For example, when a teacher introduces a student to algebra, his brain has to change and grow in order to understand the new complex material presented. With proper instruction and repetition over time, a healthy student’s brain adapts and eventually understands, remembers and becomes able to use the material. This is called brain plasticity, or the brain’s ability to adapt and change.
Learning is based on two principles: content, which is the material being presented, and context, the brain’s ability to expand and grow.
Three scientific breakthroughs have led to this understanding about learning. First is the discovery that the human brain produces new cells and networks throughout life— plasticity. Second is a more thorough knowledge of how brains rewire themselves and how sensory and learning experiences affect the brain. And third is a greater comprehension of the vestibular system in the brain and how vestibular functions, like balance, affect behavior, learning and language.
These advances have provided a clear method for promoting brain development. By respecting the basic principles of how brains process and store information and how they build networks, it is possible to achieve dramatic progress in language, social, emotional and motor development.
Sensory Integration and Brain Expansion
Neuro-enhancement therapy is a scientifically based learning system combining a sensory-rich environment, including lights, music, vibration and movement, to expand the participant’s context. Combined with a personalized special education program designed specifically for each child, the therapy dually addresses children’s content needs. Neuro-enhancement therapy is a noninvasive, drug-free developmental approach used to focus on learning and behavioral problems including ADHD, ADD and learning difficulties, as well as other sensory problems. This unique approach provides stimulation to the four main sensory systems and encourages the development of neurological pathways that influence processing and organization. Participants ranging in age from 3 years to adults have experienced substantial benefits from the neuro-enhancement approach.
Michael A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN, is a board certified chiropractic neurologist at the Long Island Spectrum Center, which uses neuro-enhancement therapy. Veronica Lleras, MS, Ed, schooled in special education and speech/language pathology, is the education director at the Spectrum Center, located at 100 Manetto Hill Road, Suite 106, Plainview, New York. For more information, call (516)470-9525 or e-mail summate1@aol.com.