How Children Learn

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The building blocks of learning have an impact on all five sensory systems involved in the formation of a strong brain.  These systems are required for cognitive and sensory development. The Vestibular, Tactile, Proprioceptive, Visual, and Auditory Systems are the building blocks in this construction.  To unlock learning potential, a child must have excellent eyesight and observation abilities, auditory awareness as well as balance and coordination skills.  In other words, activating a child's senses through the Eyes, Ears, and Body.  Simply put, the body must communicate with the eyes and link up with the ears and speak to the body.  IT JUST MAKES SENSE!

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A Child's Brain

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When a child's brain is fully developed, it orders the body to arrange and execute motor activities such as walking or bike riding, as well as sitting in school for lengthy periods of time.  This is commonly known as motor planning. The capacity to motor plan relies on the efficient operation of all of the sensory systems. The sensory input system must be developed in a child before he or she can achieve his or her full learning potential.

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When children are overstimulated and/or stimulated, they may have trouble learning through their visual and auditory systems. The circuits in which kids learn include vision and hearing along with adequate motor development is the key to SUCCESS!

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When a child has poor sensory integration, they may appear clumsy, uncoordinated, and unsure of where their body is regarding things. They may have difficulty reading from the chalkboard, grip that pencil too tightly, fidget at their desk, or forget what the teacher has taught after school.

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THE EYES

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Every aspect of a persons learning is affected by the visual system. How children see the world, the alphabet, how they retain knowledge, recognize where the chalkboard is at school, how to write in a straight line, math sequences and how to get the information they learned down on paper are just a few examples.  Vision, unlike sight, is a capacity that we acquire over time as we integrate our senses.

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For success in school, children must have other equally important visual skills along with their sharpness of sight, or visual acuity. They must be able to coordinate their eye  movements as a team and follow a line of print without losing their place. They must also be able to maintain clear focus as they read or make quick focusing changes when looking up to the board and back to their desks. And students must be able to interpret and accurately process what they are seeing. 

 

A vision based learning problem directly affects how we process information, read or sustain close work.  Students with eye teaming, tracking, focusing, visual motor integration, and visual perception problems have weak visual skills, which undermine the learning process and can cause such problems as difficulty reading, double vision, headaches, eyestrain, and short attention spans.​

 

THE EARS

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Finally, we come to the sense of hearing. The auditory and vestibular systems in your child work together as one system to interpret vibrations in their surroundings. The vestibular system, which includes the inner ear and cerebral components that aid in balance and eye movement, is made up of sensitive sensors.  Your child's ear has postural muscles that help him or her to better understand sounds. Inefficiency can result in speech, language, communication, and expression issues. It also aids in your child's balance, coordination, eye muscle control, and visual recognition abilities.

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Auditory processing disorder (APD), also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a hearing problem that affects about 5% of school-aged children. Children with APD are unable to comprehend what they hear in the same way other children can.  Researchers have determined that the root cause is likely with the sound traveling from the ear to the brain.

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Children with APD may also have a difficult time understanding speech in places like parties or restaurants, which can make it seem as though they're not listening to you.  They claim that they can't keep up with conversations and, at times, have trouble hearing consonants, which are generally louder than vowels.  Because they don't comprehend the sounds of letters within words, many children with APD have difficulties learning to read fluently and often have trouble with new vocabulary words. 

 

If your child has been diagnosed with APD, you probably have many questions about their hearing, speech, and language development.  Some strategies can be very effective for students struggling with Auditory Processing Disorder.

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THE BODY

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Our integrated approach works because it starts with the physical – developing strong and lasting neurological connections. It then systematically develops intellectual abilities and concepts.  Specific physical exercises focuses on improving left and right brain function to ensure all functions are working properly together. Some of the exercises include:

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• balance and coordination exercises

• vision training

• auditory processing training

• eye tracking activities

• posture & gait training

• motor skill activities

• targeting exercises

• crossing the midline

• core strength exercises

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The Assessment

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When a student is assessed, he or she is given a number of assessments that cover cognitive abilities, sensory motor functions, focusing skills functions, and primitive reflexes to determine the reason(s) for the student’s learning problem.

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A student’s physical abilities relate to the integration of the left and right side of the brain and, ultimately, learning. These physical abilities are important to the learning process because a strong intellectual system needs a strong physical base.

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After the assessment has been completed, the results are input into a program that generates a targeted training plan for each individual student. The physical training plan is unique to the individual’s deficits, ensuring that the time invested into doing the specific exercises is time well spent. 

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Training Exercises

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The exercises focus on the areas where the physical system needs assistance in developing a firm foundation for learning.  Solid brain functioning begins in the body. Improvements will be seen in different areas including: behavior, body awareness, vision skills, self confidence, and more!

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In Conclusion

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Mind Discovery offers a wide range of sensory experiences to stimulate the senses and develop physical and cognitive skills. Each piece of this puzzle contributes to your child's overall educational success in school as well as beyond. All of these different parts must be coordinated for underperforming kids to mature into successful learners.