One thing that REALLY helped me, was to educate myself about the difference
between right brain learners and left brain learners.
Right brainers (also
known as global
learners) learn by showing
them the whole picture, segregrating it and reintegrating it. (I am one of
those and
become very frustrasted when people only want to give me information in tiny,
sequential
parts).
However, a large part of the population is more left brain modality
(also
known as sequential learners) and they become frustrated when people give
them
TOO much information at once, they generally want it delivered in parts and
in order.
A person will use both sides of the brain depending on what task is being
required
of them, for example reading a map would be right brain, music is right
brain. The
right side uses less verbal and more visual spatial.
Our daughter is said to
have an
absent speech motor, but has many words (her speech has spastic phonation, it
is affected by her hypertonicity). We believe that her right side has
assumed speech,
since speech is generally more likely to be on the left side but her motor is
absent.
I believe that you can use music to tap into the healthier right side of the
brain (since music is more often a right brained activity),for example, if
you repetively sing "Old McDonald" until your son is familiar with
the words and melody, then after several repetitions, start to leave the
final word
blank, his right brain is actively involved in the musical aspect and he
might begin
to use the right brain to fill in the blank.
You would sing "E-I-E-I-
and then
see if he shows any interest in completing the part that is unfinished. We
did
this with reading familiar books as well. Even if he isn't verbalizing out
loud, you
are giving him time to think inside his head.
I believe it is that part of
the process
that then pushes the motor part of speech to start working. I am not saying
that
it will absolutely work in every situation, but who is to know when it will
help and
when it won't. So I would rather try than not try.
So if you can learn how to DELIVER the information in accordance with the type
of learner you have then you are way down the road on the path to helping
that
plasticity form.
Brain development comes from STIMULATION, so teach colors,
shapes, word naming. Ask, who is, where is, what is, type questions (then
answer
them to him), sing, count,
tickle, laugh, have a blast, it all HELPS.
What I just described is really
the same
things a person does with a child without any problems, so mostly try to have
a
good time. You know, we and our kids have so many things that aren't fun,
like
therapy, appointments and daily struggles, that we HAVE A RIGHT to have the
BEST time possible.
Sounds like you are doing it right, keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Joan