The Learning Tree Workshop: Organizing Actions and Ideas, Pt I Series on Learning Differences, Learning Challenges, and Learning Strengths Challenges with Sequencing Ideas Executive functioning problems Problems with organizing information or actions in terms of carrying out tasks Dyspraxia and Apraxia Problems with sequencing actions Difficulties putting together a series of motor acts in a row The Learning Tree Workshop 2 1. Rhythmicity and Timing of Movement Before birth: Growing cerebella parts and frontal lobes enable the baby to go from random movements to rhythmic and synchronous movements Babies unconsciously respond to sound outside the womb: music, voice Reacting in synchrony with the outside Beginning of organization and purpose After Birth: Baby moves arms and legs in synchrony to caregiver The Learning Tree Workshop 3 1
2. Purposeful Actions Turning to look at Mommy s face Discriminating or responding differently to Mommy vs. Daddy or a preferred voice Beginning of planning and sequencing Guided by the emotional reaction SAM (Sensory Affect Motor response) The affect/emotion determines the planned action The Learning Tree Workshop 4 3. Purposeful Back-and-forth By 4-9 months, a baby is beginning to organize Mommy and Daddy s attention and engagement and get into reciprocal interactions (circles of communication). More complex purposeful actions involving more steps Children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and other related diagnoses have difficulties opening and closing circles in a continuous flow (planning and sequencing) The Learning Tree Workshop 5 4. Shared Social Problem Solving In typical development at 16-18 months A baby can problem solve to get to a toy Vocalizing, pointing, reaching, seeing Mom respond Enables a child to increase the number of steps in a row the child is using in their sequence Writing essays, obstacle courses Actions logically connected In typical development at 12-24 months shared social problem actions become more complex, 5-6 steps, combing gestures with words The Learning Tree Workshop 6 2
Always make it a Shared Experience Interacting off another person s cues makes the process more complex Adjusting your actions to theirs and having an emotional response to it True planning and sequencing is: The ability to take initiative The ability to create an action plan The ability to solve natural problems True planning and sequencing is never done in isolation Always a response to another The Learning Tree Workshop 7 Our Internal Expectation We have an internal expectation of using ideas in some meaningful context We are communicating with some other in our minds Relationships guide our actions Creating a plan or invention Writing a novel or essay Making a speech The Learning Tree Workshop 8 Simple Steps to Practice Identify which foundation pieces are missing Practice those pieces with states of high affect and emotion, with more pleasure Practice at the foundation levels, not just the end result we want The Learning Tree Workshop 9 3
Strengthening the Foundational Pieces Increase the complexity of the action Games with obstacle courses Playing dumb (child has to help you) Bi Bring together th the left and right sides of fhis body Throwing and catching a ball Pulling while coordinating both hands Game involving crawling Copycat games Braingym (found on the Internet) The Learning Tree Workshop 10 Strengthening the Foundational Pieces (Continued) Improve balance and coordination Standing on one leg with eyes closed Standing on one leg on the balance beam with eyes open Games involving coordination Throwing, catching, kicking, tight rope walking, walking backwards, hopping or skipping on one leg, balancing right foot/left foot on your toes, on your heels Dancing Sports Trampoline The Learning Tree Workshop 11 Enabling Complex Actions Abilities eventually become automatic with practice Ability to plan complex actions and ideas depends on balance, coordination, left/right integration, and multistep action pattern abilities Practicing builds muscle and nueronal connections in the brain Strengthens the different parts of the central nervous system that are involved in our planned actions and ideas Cerebellum, frontal lobes, cortical lobes - mediators of the actions Limbic system, paralimbic system - related to emotions The Learning Tree Workshop 12 4
Remember to Strengthen Rhythmicity and Timing The emotions associated with relationships that mediate action Back-and-forth interactions Shared Social Problem Solving Integration of the left and right side of the body Balance and Coordination The Learning Tree Workshop 13 Children Diagnosed with ADD/ADHD Have difficulties at this basic level of planned actions or praxis Also meet DSM criteria for having problems with motor planning and sequencing or praxis (dyspraxic) We want to see how much progress we can make without medication by strengthening these foundational levels before turning to medication The Learning Tree Workshop 14 Remember the Principles Practice the foundation pieces Increase the affect Begin using our ideas The key is true problem solving - true planning and sequencing is planning and sequencing that is under the child s initiative that can be done in novel and new situations... The Learning Tree Workshop 15 5