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Kinesiology and Dyspraxia |
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PAPER
PRESENTED TO DYSPRAXIA ASSOCIATION BY Kinesiology addresses educational and physical challenges as a whole-brain organisation. This is actually a dynamic, continuously changing process involving three dimensions, rather than the static, one sided state suggested by the concept of “cerebral dominance”. The whole human physiology (brain, eyes, ears, arms, etc.) reorganises itself moment by moment to perform any given specific task. Performance that is reinforced, whether successful or not, establishes patterns that are repeated and that become habits of behaviour. Healthy, whole-brain learning and movement is the ability to balance these previously learned patterns with new, more flexible patterns as they become available. (Ref. Paul Dennison Ph.D, Brain Profiles) The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) founded in 1984 by Dr. Charles Krebs, PhD., Melbourne Applied Physiology is based on extensive experience. Dr Krebs has worked with children and adults with moderate to severe Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) including overt brain damage. LEAP is based on the model of the brain having two separate but complementary types of processing information, Logic and Gestalt. While we recognise that these functions are not located wholly in the left and right hemispheres as indicated by the popularised Left brain/Right brain model, it does appear that the “lead” functions required for many academic processes appear to be either logic in nature or gestalt in nature. Intelligence tests like the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R) recognise this same division of function in their verbal (logic mediated) and performance (gestalt mediated) subtests. In fact there is good correlation between deficits on WISC-R subtests and deficits in access to Gestalt and Logic functions as determined via kinesiology. Communication, comprehension and organisation of motor function for fine and gross motor skills, from our point of view requires three things:
Lack of access to specific Gestalt or Logic lead functions invariably leads to impaired learning. Many tasks not only require access to specific brain functions, but also require the integration of these functions to successfully perform e.g. spelling, reading, writing, body co-ordination, in fact all fine and gross motor skills. Indeed one of the most common factors associated with learning problems is an inhibited Corpus Collosum, the site of hemispheric integration. An inhibited Corpus Collosum also generally results in poorly developed and compensatory movement and/or learning habits. A compensatory function which is built upon leads to severe learning and behavioural disorders. Equally as important is the maintenance of integration of brain functions during the actual stress of learning something new. All new learning provokes intrinsic apprehension. When confronted in any new learning experience with unknown, hence uncertain outcomes, the new learning generates a degree of anxiety which may affect mental processing. This mental anxiety is at a subconscious level, hence one may be aware of the stress but usually not its origin. For some the stress may be so extreme that they loose their ability to think, making it impossible for them to do even what they knew how to do. Most people have experienced this type of stress in exam situations at one time or another causing a memory loss and not able to do a task that they could do immediately before or after the exam. The standard psychological appraisal of this situation is that it results from a high level of anxiety obstructing memory. From our perspective brain dysfunction is either a loss of Brain Integration or underdeveloped motor and cerebral processes required for the integration of the specific functions needed to perform that task. Because of the direct, real time read out of subconscious stresses via muscle monitoring, we are able to tell whether the memory loss is merely a psychological state of anxiety or the actual loss of integration of brain functions producing the learning dysfunction. From our experience, when people suddenly stop learning and can’t seem to understand what is being explained, they have lost their brain integration. When the functions required to do a task are inaccessible or not integrated, no degree of clear explanation can help that person to understand or learn the concept presented. This is why so often even extensive one on one tutoring has been of little value in overcoming specific types of learning difficulties. Trying to teach a person in a state of loss of brain integration is frustrating for everyone concerned as they just can not learn in this state. Over the years Dr Charles Krebs and his certified practitioners have developed a very effective program to address specific learning difficulties based on collaboration with Educational Psychologists, Special Education teachers, Speech Pathologists, Neurologists, Dentists and Chiropractors. The program is based on opening up obstructions to integrative pathways for specific functions. This enables the brain to maintain integration to all functions even when under extreme pressure to perform the required task. These obstructions can be like defects in a software program, hence predominantly functional in nature, and as in software, can be cleared. Although less common, these defects may be based on organic damage to specific brain nuclei or cortical areas, presenting problems that can not be resolved by simply clearing the software. Even in cases of known organic brain damage, however, considerable improvement and quality of life can be achieved using this program. LEAP is in a constant state of development, the consistent results now obtained by ourselves and other practitioners fully trained in this program allow us to feel comfortable and confident in the knowledge that clients receive considerable benefit from our work. LEAP contains many steps over a period of up to 35 hours with a consultant. This is usually done by stages of 1 or 2 hours per week which enables the client to develop through integrative movement and ‘homeplay’. Each step must be completed before the next step is attempted because many brain functions rely upon the availability of antecedent functions for successful use. References: Armstrong,
Thomas, PhD. In Their Own Way, Discovering and Encouraging Your
Child’s Personal Learning Style. Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P Tarcher,
Inc., 1987
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