The Brain

1
The Brain

• 90 of what we know about the brain and how it
  learns has been learned in the last 5 to 10
  years.
• When did you train?
• Did you cover how the brain learns in your
  initial training?

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Brain Cells - Neurons
At birth, the human brain is still preparing for
full operation. The brain's neurons exist mostly
apart from one another. The brain's task for the
first 3 years is to establish and reinforce
connections with other neurons. These connections
are formed when impulses are sent and received
between neurons.
Axons send messages and dendrites receive them.
These connections form synapses. Neurons mature
when axons send messages and dendrites receive
them to form synapses.
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Myelinisation
A crucial development is myelinisation - Wrapped
around many of the axons are cells which form
myelin sheaths, composed mainly of fat. These
sheaths insulate the axon, letting its signal
travel about 100 times faster than in an
unmyelinated axon. Myelinisation is most rapid
during the first 2 years but continues at a
slower pace until adolescence.
Parts of the brain that control movement are not
fully myelinated until about age 6. Therefore it
takes until age 5 or 6 for all the higher gross
motor skills to be intact like running, jumping
and hopping.
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Neural Pathway at 6 weeks
1
Unnecessary neural pathways
2
3
Reinforced neural pathways
4
5
Neural Pathway at 6 months
1
Unnecessary neural pathways
New, highly reinforced Neural pathways
3
Reinforced neural pathways
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Portwood, M. 1998
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Developmental Windows of Opportunity
These windows are only effective if there are
effective environmental stimuli with which the
child can interact. How we move influences how
we sense. How we sense influences how we move.
(Shumway-Cook Woolcott, 2001)
Vocabulary birth to 2 Maths/logic birth to
5 Music 3 to 10 Second language birth to
10 Vision birth to 2 Emotional control birth to
2 Motor development birth to 5 Source Your
Childs Brain, Sharon Begley, Newsweek, Feb.1996
If the brain does not get the right kinds of
stimulation or the right kind of nutrition in
these years there can be developmental delay and
lasting damage.
6
Research into Nutrition and Brain Function
In 1998 the British Medical Research Council
reported on a 16 year-long study which indicates
that poor nutrition in the last three months of
pregnancy and around the age of two leads to a
sharp difference in mental abilities at age eight.
Richardson Stein, Oxford University and
Madeleine Portwood County Durham Psychological
Service are currently carrying out research into
the role of fatty acids in the brain. They have
found that highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA)
are crucial to the cell structure and function of
the brain. Many modern diets are lacking in these
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Instead our
diets have become rich in the saturated,
hydrogenated and trans fatty acids found in most
processed foods - the fats that kill. Many
common physical health problems, including heart
disease and stroke, immune disorders and cancer,
have been linked to this lack of HUFA. Evidence
from the research is now suggesting that HUFA
deficiencies may also contribute to a range of
developmental disorders including dyslexia,
dyspraxia, ADHD and the autistic
spectrum. Marked improvements have been noted in
children who are given HUFA supplements
(Eye-q) Further information www.dyslexic.org.uk
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7
The Brain

The Brain
Cortex (thinking)
Limbic System (emotions)
Reptilian Brain (safety)
Sensory Cortex
Motor Cortex
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The Brain
The reptilian brain survival monitoring mating
rituals hierarchies rote behaviours. The
limbic system emotions long term memory
sleeping and eating patterns sexuality filters
valuable data in and useless data out governs
concept of value and truth. The cerebral
cortex problem solving discerning relationships
and patterns of meaning continuously generates
meaning from sensory data feeds information into
movement control system.
9
The Effect of Stress on the Brain The reptilian
brain dominates - blood flows to this section
away from the higher order processing functions.
Higher order skills are replaced by survival
skills. Results in learning a learner will
resort to - role and ritualistic
responses fight or flight
responses be resistant to innovation or
new information A learner in your classroom
who is under stress or anxiety will not learn
anything! It is biologically impossible.
The Effect of Emotions on Learning Emotions
and emotional associations are more important
to the brain than cognitive understanding Only
when information is linked with feelings via
the limbic system do we assign it value.
Deciding what is and what is not valuable is
strongly linked to emotion Information with
a powerful attachment to emotions or feelings
will reside in the long term memory and be
easier to recall.
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Brain Hemispheres
RIGHT HEMISPHERE
LEFT HEMISPHERE
Controls RIGHT side of body
Controls LEFT side of body
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Skills associated with Left and Right
hemispheres of the brain
Left Hemisphere Handwriting Symbols Language Rea
ding Phonics Details facts Following
directions Listening Calculations Talking
reciting Logical analytical
Right Hemisphere Spatial awareness Shapes
patterns Sense of touch Colour sensitivity Singing
music Art expression Creativity Visualization F
eelings emotions Impulsive Divergent thinkers
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Developmental Coordination Disorder(DCD) /
Dyspraxia
Labels have changed over the years 1980 Minimal
Brain Dysfunction 1980 Clumsy Child
Syndrome 1982 DAMP (Deficits in Attention,
Motor Control and Perception) 1984 Dyspraxia 1
987 Motor Learning Difficulties 1988 Perceptuomot
or Dysfunction 1994 DCD (Developmental
Coordination Disorder) However, the term
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is now
becoming standard.
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Dyslexia
Specific Learning Difficulties
DCD/ Dyspraxia
ADHD
Aspergers Syndrome
Co-occurrence of specific learning difficulties
is the rule rather than the exception. The
label may well depend on the particular
specialist interest of the person involved in the
assessment. Helping the child is dependent on
seeing the child as individual and unique rather
than a specific disorder and providing
appropriate support for the range of difficulties
regardless of the label.
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DCD / Dyspraxia
Look out for the following indicators clumsy,
stumble, trip over etc poor handwriting
skills may not have resolved hand
preference poor at games and sports - avoids
PE lack of social skills/ appears
isolated fidgety and distractible in
class disorganised low self-esteem may be
bullied
ADHD
ADHD is a malfunction in the frontal lobe of the
brain affecting attention, impulsivity and motor
activity. Look out for the following
indicators poor concentration
span impulsive/inappropriate behaviour constan
tly fidgeting/idly daydreaming appears
clumsy may not respond to punishment or
reward unable to see consequences of
actions disorganised low self-esteem
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What is DCD?
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder can affect
children in certain areas
Gross Motor Late motor milestones e.g. sitting,
crawling, walking Low muscle tone this can
make the child seem floppier, and unstable
around the joints especially at the hips and
shoulders Balance problems Poorly
integrated primitive reflexes the child may
retain some of the early baby reflexes Poor
coordination of limbs the child may find it
difficult to coordinate both sides of the body
Arm flapping and mirror movements
Fine Motor Immature grasp and poor dexterity
Poorly established dominance and mid-line
crossing difficulty Poor pencil control,
drawing, writing problems
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Eye Movements Poor visual tracking-
slow/uncoordinated eye movement Difficulties
with binocular vision/ eye teaming Poor
ocular-motor control across the mid-line Poor
accommodation -changing focus from distance to
close Poor eye-hand and eye-foot coordination
Language and Communication Delayed acquisition
of speech Sloppy speech Problems with the
act of communicating Social use of language
rules of games, interpret different facial
gestures
Social, Emotional Behavioural Distractible
Low self-esteem Easily distressed Frustrati
on Personal hygiene difficulties
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Cerebral Palsy
CP has been recognised as a condition for well
over 100 years
Cerebral palsy is a permanent, though not
unchanging, disorder of posture and movement, due
to a non-progressive lesion to the mature brain.
Brett 1991
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Mainly a Motor Problem
Area of brain affected parts of body
involved type of abnormal muscle
tone involuntary movements present
Additional problems developmental
delay learning difficulties visual and
perceptual problems
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Getting Language Started
New Born Child
hearing
physical
vision
Healthy
birth
genes
cognition
T
aken from
Language and Literacy Joining T
ogether
T
raining Course,
BDA/Afasic.
1
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The Adults Rôle

• Stimulation children need to hear language used
• Interaction adults tend to speak to children in
  ways that assist acquisition
• Phonological awareness children absorb the
  sounds of their language from birth (if not
  before)
• Stages speech, language and communication
  develop in stages

21
Sounds (phonology and phonetics)

• At birth, can distinguish sounds
• Early sounds to
• babble to
• early words
• May take 5 years for whole system
• Vowel groups not studied much
• Consonants easier to classify
• Mispronunciations

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Words (vocabulary and semantics)

• References objects and people
• Actions
• Qualifiers
• Social expressions
• Overextensions

23
Grammar (syntax and morphology)

• One word grammar
• Connected speech appears around age 2
• Increases in complexity
• Word endings and word changes
• Often full of mistakes, even in adulthood

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Processes in Language Development

• Language environment
• Hearing
• Control of attention
• Auditory discrimination
• Auditory memory
• Awareness of the sounds of language
• Verbal comprehension affects expression, but not
  the whole story

• Abstract understanding
• Expressive language
• Speech sound encoding
• Communication medium
• Non-verbal verbal communication
• Language delay
• Specific language impairment

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Specific Language Impairment

• tailor
• sailing
• seller
• sailor

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General Characteristics of Communication

• From birth totally ready to respond to the
  presence and communication of another person who
  expresses a similar set of feelings
• It has purposes right from the start
• Vocalization plays a part, even though words may
  not be present motherese and
  protoconversations
• Like a dance, it has rules and conventions, and
  it recognizes the presence of others

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Interacting is Part of the human condition

• Across cultures, there are strong similarities in
  the characteristics of nursery songs
• An in-built need to share meaning
• Mothers behave as if the babies act as
  communicators
• Even the earliest contacts are co-operative and
  refer to experiences

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Interactions and Functions

• Researchers interested in interactions show that
  sharing of each others presence becomes
  increasingly complex.

• Researchers interested in functions look for a
  system that will describe what communication does.

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Functions of single-word utterances(After
Halliday, 1975)

• Label Purpose Example in adult
  language
• Instrumental Satisfies speakers needs I want
  ...
• Regulatory Controls others Do
  this
• Interactional Fosters relationships Hello
• Personal Expresses own uniqueness Here is what I
  think
• Heuristic Increases knowledge Tell me why ...
• Imaginative Creates make-believe Lets pretend
  ...
• Informative Recounts experiences Ive something
  to tell you

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Joan Toughs Functions of Communication

• To collaborate towards agreed ends
• To project into the future, to anticipate and
  predict
• To project and compare possible alternatives
• To see causal and dependent relationships
• To give explanations of how and why things happen
• To deal with problems in the imagination and see
  possible solutions
• To create experiences by the use of imagination,
  often making a representation by the symbolic use
  of materials
• To reflect upon own and other people's feelings

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Bachmans Functions

• Expressing ideas
• Manipulating
• Extending knowledge
• Imagining

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Bachmans Social Dimension

• Sensitivity to
• dialect varieties of language
• specific context
• native-like conventions
• cultural references figures of speech

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Across the Pragmatic Classes

• Awareness that functions for communication can be
  identified
• Awareness that child and adult should both find a
  common ground on which to relate
• Communication exists only if there is need or
  intent or motivation to share ideas