Dear Readers,
After a large portion of our ceiling fell down in our Higuera office, Jose and I decided to move the office to our home in Arroyo Grande.
Everyone loves the views and we enjoy having all our materials close at hand.
Jose continues part time substitute work and I am teaching part time for
Brandman (Chapman) University.
I enjoy teaching the online Autism Certification Courses as well as the special education courses.
The material is new, up-to-date and quite exciting for both teachers and students.
As always, I have been taking courses to enhance new areas of expertise and I found two great courses this summer.
The first one addressed auditory processing to enhance all areas of memory, learning, autism support and general mood and health enhancement.
The programs are " called "The Listening Program", and "Sound Health". You can check them out at:
Advanced Brain.Com.
A few of our clients and I bought the system and are really enjoying the results!
Read my article related to music to gain more insights into this methodology.
The next area of study was presented by Dr. Joel Robertson,
Pharm. D., from The Robertson Institute.
His work provides an in-depth look at how to alter your own brain chemistry by defining "diet, exercise and frame of mind".
Check out the book, "Peak Performance Living"
by Dr. Joel Robertson to find out more.
I listened to Dr.Robertson's talk at a seminar I took this summer. I was intrigued with the new ways that we can use food, exercise
and mind control as an "easy, drug-free, way to alter our own brain chemistry for improved productivity, greater energy,
sharper thinking and optimal health". Read my article on "Arousal or Satiation" (below) in this newsletter for more information.
A new school year is starting.
So, Marna Larkin sent a download so children can practice their spelling words. Get ready to spell: for Macintosh; or,
Get ready to spell: for Microsoft Windows.
This program may help students practice for their weekly spelling test.
As always, our prime hours are quickly filling up.
If you would like to make an appointment for Dr. O, or, Jose,
please call us at: (805) 473-0833 or (805) 801-9467.
Sincerely,
Jose and Dr. O
MUSIC AND THE BRAIN
The Center For Educational Therapy 2816 Northview Ave., Arroyo Grande, CA Phone: (805) 801-9467 or (805) 473-0833
Can Music Improve Brain Function?
I found information related to "The Listening Program" over the summer and was intrigued with the following
comment: "The Listening Program helps improve how you receive, integrate, and respond to sensory information". (p. 5 handbook)
Previously, I have tried auditory programs that involved sound manipulation to enhance brain production but was turned off by either the tendency to gear the product to young children or to the absurdity of the sound.
However, "The Listening Program" provides progressive zone training of the entire neuroauditory system including the hearing (cochlea) and balance (vestibular) organs.
The music in the program is organized in four categories;
Full Spectrum (FS), Sensory Integration (SI),
Speech and Language (SL), and High Spectrum (HS). (p.10)
Auditory band frequencies are used to enhance different areas of human function. Classical music, with, and without, nature sounds are played through headphones to help train the ear and the brain in order to bring the auditory system into balance.
This program sounded so intriguing that I took the certification course and have been using it to help improve my own hypersensitivities.
Each time I listen, I feel different after completing my session. I am more alert, able to better distinguish sounds, pay attention longer and even sleep better.
A few of my students are trying the system and they have also noted improvement in these areas. Jose even tried it and, given his hearing difficulties from being in Vietnam, he felt that his auditory system was more sensitive after completing a session.
He noted he could hear better - although this system won't bring back his hearing - it will help his brain wake up to different tones he often looses in normal listening situations.
When I tried placing the headphones on a couple of students, their initial reaction was to take them off, however, shortly after hearing the music, they would smile and enjoy the listening experience!
One guy even took them off his mother's head so that he could continue listening.
In addition to "The Listening Program", Advanced Brain Technologies (ABT) has a general listening program that consists of CDs useable in the classroom and/or at home.
These are created to help "mask irritating environmental noises" but actually provide a therapeutic sound environment for both children and adults.
When played at a low level, the CD's - Learning, Concentration, Thinking, Productivity, Inspiration and Motivation - provide a healthy work and learning environment.
For unwinding, De-Stress and Relax take the edge off and encourage physical and mental relaxation". (p. 3).
These CDs might provide intellectual stimulation during writing projects or calming after recess.
I personally use the De-Stress at night and find it very relaxing.
If you want more information on any of these items, go to the ABT website at ABT Company
Currently, ABT Company is providing back-to-school specials where prices are reduced so students can have a more productive school year.
ABT recently completed a teleconference on the research done on autistic students as well as stroke and traumatic brain patients.
At the end of this month, the author of
The Mozart Effect and the creator of the sound listening programs will release their new book, Healing at the Speed of Sound and it will include a couple of CDs that enhance the reading experience. It can be ordered online at
Amazon Books.
According to Dr. Joel Robertson, Pharm.D., "Most of us prefer to be either aroused or relaxed as a general condition, depending on our baseline neurochemistry - the feelings we recognize as normal" (p. 47).
Believe it or not, satiation type personalities not only prefer to be relaxed but they tend to seek out activities and food that helps them attain or retain that feeling. Therefore, they like food and activities that increase
serotonin because they want to feel safe and relaxed.These people will also prefer to limit exposure to situations or people who cause their system to increase the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine which excite the system.
"They will adopt behaviors that increase brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine while decreasing serotonin, in order to experience a more consistent state of arousal" (p 48).
It has been interesting to have this new information that I attained from Dr.Robertson's book and use it to observe students and adults based on their need for relaxation or arousal.
Just having this knowledge can help us identify why we are reaching for certain foods or preferring certain activities over others.
From an instructional perspective, we can determine which students need to be "aroused" by timing them or placing them in competition with peers or self; or, which students need to be calmed by soothing music, routines or placing them beside peers that help them feel secure.
For example, I worked with two children from the same family. One child was very sensitive to any pressure and needed calming activities to facilitate learning. The other child thrived when placed under time constraints and provided lively instructional activities.
Just knowing which foods will enhance seritonin or dopamine can be another benefit because we can change brain chemistry by monitoring foods that increase seritonin (complex carbohydrates) or increase dopamine (proteins).
Students who are lethargic and need arousal may benefit from a protein snack whereas, an over-active student may benefit from a carbohydrate snack such as an apple.
Eating the right foods might help their system perform more effectively both in and outside of the classroom.
Finally your exercise and attitude are also influential in how you feel and perform throughout the day.
Just knowing your personality type can help you determine whether you need relaxing exercise like yoga or exhilarating exercise involving aerobic activity in order to feel comfortable or anxious after you complete the task.
Overarching
all of the above is the importance a person's attitude plays in resolving conflict and improving personal interactions.
Overall, having a better understanding of the aforementioned points can help parents, teachers or anyone for that matter, determine the best way to help themselves or others become more successful in their lives, to be more productive in an environment conducive to their personality types.
Autism Resource
The icon in the right column is an educational summary for anyone interested in learning more about Autism. Click on the icon to download the Power Point Application to your computer.
The Center For Educational Therapy 2816 Northview Ave., Arroyo Grande, CA Phone: (805) 801-9467 or (805) 473-0833
I have been reading some great new research related to a variety of topics.
This is a synopsis of Cabrea and Colosi's article: " The World At Our Fingertips: The Sense Of Touch Helps Children To Ground Abstract Ideas In Concrete Experiences", from the September / October issue of Scientific American Mind
Why? Because many of our clients have been having a difficult time conceptualizing abstract topics.
Sad to say our current lifestyle with constant rushing and moving, leaves little time to permit one to use our tactile senses for learning.
The end result is more time spent on the act of learning (completing worksheets) and less time internalizing the concepts being taught.
On a personal note, I am teaching an "on-line" course for teacher certification on autism for Brandman University Special Education Department.
This course will be one of various courses needed for certification. It has been fun reading the interesting input the teachers are sharing.
After reading our current email, please feel free to write me with comments or questions you may have related to this topic or to request information on topics I have not yet covered in my news letters. I look forward to hearing from you - Send an email for your inquiry.
Enjoy!
Dr. O
The World At Our Fingertips by Derek Cabrera & Laura Colosi
From Scientific American Mind, September / October 2010, Laura Colosi, one of the authors of this article noted how her daughter transformed pieces of paper into objects because: "... abstract concepts became easier to understand after she had transformed them into physical objects" (p. 36).
Hence, the goal of this article was to help the reader understand how "the sense of touch helps children ground abstract ideas in concrete experiences." (title page, 36).
The authors note how children use the sense of touch as babies feeling and exploring before language becomes part of their exploration process. The process of using touch to learn was explored in 1693 when "John Locke proposed helping children learn language through 'dice and play-things', with letters on them, to teach children the alphabet by playing'." (p. 38).
Sad to say, children in our schools tend to stop playing with toys after pre-school.
It was interesting to note that a long-term study showed that "children who played with the most blocks in preschool, had higher math scores in seventh grade" (p. 39).
The authors went on to note that manipulative use in older students studying virus cells improved their understanding when they used joysticks with a "haptic gaming" feel and scored higher on their tests than those without this opportunity.
Using touch by permitting students to discern relationships afforded them the opportunity to connect pieces of information before they were able to verbalize it into words. "Touch can help children organize systems as well as understand them. The goal being to foster minds that can synthesize information as well as break it into component parts"(p. 41).
The interesting perspective of permitting a student to synthesize information is that, once they attain the ability to connect parts together to form whole concepts, they are then able to use that information to "consider the world from different perspectives, whether that means interpreting the Civil War from both the Northern and Southern standpoints, or, settling a playground quarrel.
"Learning to see things from various points of view is an important skill." (p. 41).
The interesting end to this article cites how Nobel Prize winner, James D. Watson, discovered the structure of DNA. "In place of pencil and paper, the main working tools were molecular models superficially resembling the toys of preschool children," he said, "All we had to do was construct a set of models and begin to play." (p. 41).
After I read this article, I noted that many students who come to our office have difficulty memorizing their multiplication tables.
After I pulled out glass stones and constructed number stories noting the number of "groups" in relation to "items," in each group, students were able to grasp the concept of multiplication.
For example, I have three groups of cookies with two cookies in each group. How many cookies do I have in all?
We place one white stone to represent each group and two blue stones under each group stone.
Therefore, the student can touch each white stone to talk about the number of groups in the story.
Then, he can touch each stone under the white group stone to tell me how many cookies (or stones) are in each group.
Finally, they use a white board to write the number story 3 (groups) X 2 (in each group) = 6 total.
We continue playing and modeling this process until the student is able to construct his/her own stories.
Pretty soon, they are able to get the most complex stories because they have internalized the concept.
Best part of all - they now have a reason and a rationale for memorizing their multiplication tables!
If more teachers would permit their students to explore concepts through the sense of touch, their students would be able to extrapolate that information to other subjects and even social situations.
What seems like time lost, is actually a cognitively active process that goes deeper than attaining a product.
This process improves cognitive processing and higher order abstract thinking that underlies all academic, social, and emotional processing.
Dr. Olvera is a *Board Certified Educational Therapist serving clients in the San Luis Obispo area for the past ten years.
Sincerely,
Dr. O Dianne Olvera, Ph.D., *BCET
The Center for Educational Therapy 2816 Northview Ave., Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 Phone (805) 801-9467
Educational Therapy (ET) is the process of identifying learning strengths and weaknesses, investigating learning history, and evaluating responses to learning experiences.
Dr. Olvera develops a specialized program with specific goals and strategies that are taught to all involved with the student.
Direct collaboration with doctors, teachers, and professionals working with the individual promotes optimal success.
Clients may include individuals referred by School Personnel, Physicians or other Educational Professionals, or adults needing life skills support.
Individuals with the following challenges as well as gifted and struggling students can benefit from treatment.
Consider These Points
Educational difficulties affect all aspects of life, including social and emotional interactions, personal relationships, vocational aspirations, and academic pursuits.
Dr. Dianne Olvera opened The Center for Educational Therapy in 2003 to provide clients of all ages with a new and highly effective way to cope with a wide variety of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional issues.
Holding two Ph.D.'s - one in Bilingual Special Education & Administration, and the other in Language, Reading and Culture, Dr. Olvera embraced Educational Therapy in response to a life-long interest in the way language influences the way we learn, the way we work, and the way we conduct our relationships.
Dr. Olvera has been practicing for 36 years and has helped thousands of people to learn better, work better, and live happier and more fulfilling lives.
The Center For Educational Therapy offers parents, teachers, clinicians, businesses, and individual clients - from pre-school age to elderly - leading edge assessment, testing, and evaluation services, diagnoses and individual treatment programs.
Dr. Olvera's book, "Ask, Don't Tell: Six Easy Steps To Improving Communication, Self-Control, And Interpersonal Relations" is now available at Buy Books on the Web.
Who Can Benefit From Educational Therapy?
Clients may include individuals referred by School Personnel, Physicians or other Educational Professionals, or adults needing life skills support. Individuals with the following challenges as well as gifted and struggling students can benefit from treatment.
Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, Reading and Writing Difficulties, Math Disabilities, High Functioning Autism
Attention Deficit Disorder
Language Processing Problems
Developmental Delays
Visual Processing Problems Including Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome
Poor Motivation including gifted and talented individuals
Low Self-esteem
Poor Organizational or Study Skills
School and Test Anxiety
Poor Social Skills
Other Less Common Conditions, such as Asperger's Syndrome, Fragile X, Tourette Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Businesses in need of enhanced interpersonal interactions, organization and professionalism
