Notes from presenter Dr. Judy Gooch
judith.gooch@imail.org
Many individuals with disabilities, individuals with brain injury, or people with mental illness can benefit from activities which improve brain placicity. Activity improves brain placicity. This applies to cognitive function, emotional function, and motor function.
The most effective way to learn a task is to practice it on a daily basis in the home and in a community setting. The individual needs to practice a lot, yet with rest periods. Start with simple tasks that are variable. For instance, if a child is learning to walk, using a walker is good as long as that is not the constant. The child needs to practice a sitting position to standing position, practice walking fast, and practice walking slowly.
Use positive reinforcement. Brain placicity changes when using objects that stimulate. When a child is learning motor function in feeding themselves, they will most likely perform at a higher level if they are eating a bowl of ice cream! Find some motivators that your child loves, for example - toys, TV, or hugs. Motivators work the best when there is a highly desired object reserved for a specific task. For instance, if a child needs to learn to have eye contact and wants to work for obtaining a favorite toy car, the toy car is rewarded only in that situation, rather than at random requests throughout the day. This way, the child will learn that if they want their favorite toy car, they must have good eye contact.
Daily interactions are the most important therapy to improving brain placicity. A parent doesn't have to spend three hours doing therapy for their child. Two minutes can make a significant difference. Have them put dishes in the dishwasher, listen to music, or throw a bunch of balls in the backyard and have your child pick them up. Take your child for a jog in a specialized stroller, read to them, or have them help you cook. Any stimulation helps. Use what you normally do as daily activities in your home.
Sometimes the goal is about maintaining function, depending on the abilities of the child. Choose your battles. Pick realistic goals and realize that although variation is important to build brain placicity, it is also important to have some constants so that the child can remember what they have learned. Come back to learned motor skills in order to master them.
Look to resources in your area. Swimming is an excellent way to improve motor function and brain placicity, especially if the exercises change. Have your child try adaptive skiing or adaptive bicycling. Check with your school, state services, or medicaid to see if your child qualifies for occupational therapy. Keep your child engaged and moving on a schedule each day.
Resources:
Wasatch Adaptive Sports
http://wasatchadaptivesports.org/
National Ability Center
http://www.discovernac.org/
