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At first glance, it appears as if our ears, our eyes and inner ear (balance) work independently – and
that they have their own discreet neurological pathways that co-ordinate, or manage, each individual function.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Each of these three systems talks to and receives
information from the other two systems at all times. The elaborate communication system between these three major senses must
be coordinated smoothly and efficiently for optimal functioning to occur. This communication is achieved through what is called
an integrated system: auditory, visual and vestibular (balance).
Can we change the functionality of the brain?
Yes,
the ability of the brain to change is known as neuroplasticity
(also called brain plasticity, or brain malleability). It is the brain’s ability to reorganise itself by forming new
neural connections throughout life. For example, if one hemisphere of the brain is damaged, the intact hemisphere may take
over some of its functions. The brain compensates for damage in effect by reorganising and forming new connections between
intact neurons. In order to reconnect, the neurons need to be stimulated through activity. The same is true for parts of the
brain compensating for injury or disease.
Why combine movement, listening, and visual stimulation?
The
3 systems are vital to our ability to learn, pay attention, process information, and coordinate movement. As these 3 systems
are so interrelated, “exercising” them simultaneously is a holistic approach which requires the brain to become
better at integrating multi-sensory information. We are essentially re-training the brain to become more efficient and effective,
and in the process strengthening neural connections to improve performance.
Why is the repetition of iLs activities important?
As
newborns we gradually progressed from involuntary reflexive movements to more voluntary coordinated movements which, as we
repeated them, became automatic. Research has shown that the cerebellum part of the brain plays an important role in this
“automation” process, and when it is not doing its job well we have difficulty building patterns for further development
in learning and coordination.
The cerebellum
(lower back side of the brain, near the brain stem) can be likened to a powerful computer processor, transferring vast amounts
of information to the movement, language, reasoning, sensory, and emotion parts of the brain; it’s role is so important
that it contains more nerve cells than the rest of the brain combined.
iLs
programs stimulate cerebellar activity to strengthen neural connections and, in the process, improve
our ability to make skills such as reading, writing, spelling, etc. automatic.
What is the vestibular system and why is it so important?
The vestibule, located in the inner ear, has 3 main functions:
Balance
As the primary organ of equilibrium, it plays a major role in the subjective sensation of motion and spatial orientation.
Posture Vestibular input to areas of the nervous system elicit adjustments
of muscle activity and body posture.
Eye Movement Vestibular input to
the nervous system helps stabilize the eyes during head movements.
Given these 3 functions, one can see how important the vestibular system is to our sense of balance,
our posture and muscle development, and the eye tracking ability required for learning.
More Specifics on the iLs Method
The
Origin:
Dr. Alfred Tomatis (1919-2001) was an ear-nose-throat doctor who
pioneered the innovative audio techniques that are used throughout the world today to help those with learning challenges.
Many of these techniques were first developed to help clients who were musicians and singers with vocal problems. As Dr. Tomatis
used these techniques on the musicians’ children, he observed improvements in their academic performance (including
improved memory, focus and attention span) as well as in their posture, co-ordination and balance.
Plasticity:
At a time when the idea of plasticity of the brain was in its infancy, Dr. Tomatis discovered that
it was possible to retrain and improve the processing of sound by the brain stem and cortex using filtered music (i.e. music
with certain frequency ranges removed or enhanced) and the sudden and random alteration to the pitch or tone of the music
(‘gating’).
Ears + Eyes:
Your
ears collect sounds, which provide critically important stimulation for the brain. They also integrate sensory information
from muscle movement. An example of this is when your eyes automatically move towards an unexpected sound.
Electrical
Stimulation:
Sound waves entering the outer ear are transformed into electrical
impulses in the inner ear and sent to the brain; those impulses provide energy to the brain and influence our ability to focus
and sustain attention. (Brain scans show, for example, that children with AD/HD lack ‘energy’ in key parts of
the brain for attention and focus.)
Relay stations to the brain:
The vestibular and cochlear systems, located in the inner ear, work together to relay sensory input
to the brain. They play a key role in our ability to integrate our senses, and their successful interaction is essential for
language development, sensory processing and motor function.
More specifically, once sound arrives at the brain stem
from the cochlea, the special centre in the inner ear where sound is transduced to nerve impulses, it passes upwards towards
the speech center in the cortex via a number of relay stations or nuclei. The specially treated music has been designed by
iLs to influence the function of the ear drum and adjacent bone, as well as improve the processing that occurs at these relay
stations. So, for instance, there is an improvement in the ability to perceive where sound is coming from, thereby making
it possible to perform tasks requiring convergence of information from both ears (the cochlea nucleus).
Pitch
discrimination (“selectivity”):
Further on, (in the colliculus), processing influences
the ability to recognise the relationship between high and lower tones and the integration of sound with other sensory information
(e.g. that coming from the eyes). This ability to differentiate a higher from a lower tone is critical to distinguishing between
a question and statement, and determining the tone of speech. Those with poor selectivity often can not hear the tone and
therefore the meaning.
Selectivity is also important to help us distinguish between letters
that sound alike. Those who struggle with the difference between a “p” and “b”, or a “t”
and “d” are at a disadvantage in reading, spelling and writing.
We read with
our eyes and
ears: Reading requires the ears and eyes to work together synchronously. As your eyes move from letter
to letter your ear (cochlea) translates each letter into a sound. The vestibular system coordinates the eye movements and
aids the synchronicity of the eyes and ears.
Automaticity:
The
cerebellum, which lies immediately above the brain stem, has long been known to control the rhythm and timing of movement.
The vestibular system and the cerebellum constantly interact to give expression to the rhythm and timing of complex movements.
More recently, much research has been carried out on the cerebellum’s role in learning. It plays a large role in making
things become automatic (an ability known as “automaticity”). When properly integrating inputs from the vestibular,
auditory and visual systems, as well as the executive centers in the frontal cortex, the cerebellum allows us to practice
activities until they become automatic. When the cerebellum is not functioning properly, our ability to learn is inhibited.
Learning to read, for example, becomes impossibly difficult and frustrating. Imagine having to start all over again every
time you tried to learn the alphabet, or ride a bike, or spell…
Movement
+ filtered music:
Movement, through the interaction of the vestibular system and
cerebellum, maximizes the consolidation and integration of gains achieved in auditory retraining.
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