Talk Autism by Debbie
Let's talk about Autism. The ups and downs for guiding an individual that is on the spectrum. Let's not forget about the parents and other children during out talks.
Talk Autism by Debbie
Calming the Storm: Nurturing Learning Environments for Children Facing Stress and Autism Challenges
Have you ever wondered what happens in a child's brain when they feel scared or stressed? Join us as we uncover the powerful role of the amygdala and how it can hinder a child's ability to learn by triggering a fight-or-flight response. We'll explain the vital connection between the amygdala and the hippocampus, emphasizing why a calm and supportive environment is crucial for effective learning. Plus, we address the unique challenges faced by children on the autism spectrum, especially with multitasking, and provide practical tips for parents and educators to help these young learners thrive.
Unlocking a child's potential doesn't have to be a daunting task. This episode offers valuable strategies to break down mental blocks and make learning enjoyable. By focusing on small, manageable steps, we'll show you how to engage the brain's thinking and reasoning centers effectively. Discover why viewing education as a positive and rewarding experience can foster continuous growth and development. As we set the stage for future discussions on effective learning techniques, we promise you a weekend full of insights and actionable tips to support the young learners in your life. Stay tuned for more enlightening content on Monday morning!
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Hi everyone. I hope you're having a good weekend. Today I'm going to talk a little bit, as I had promised, about the brain. First I want to say I have no medical degree. This is very elementary, just giving a little bit of information that I have experienced myself working with kids and reading.
Speaker 0:I used to have a reading lab and I always looked at the brain as like a train station going around and if one part of the brain was blocked then the learning would stop. So my job was to figure out what part of the brain is blocked and to unblock it. Maybe it was visual or maybe it was auditory, and those are some things that we looked at when there was a problem with reading. So one part of the brain and it's a small part of the brain, it's just almond shape, it's called the amygdala and I probably did not pronounce that right it's an almond shape and it is part of the limbic system and it's adjoined to the temporal lobe of the brain and it evokes emotion of fear and aggression and what happens when that? When it that it sends a chemical to that part of the brain and it swells up, so it kind of stops and you get that fight or flight kind of reaction with this part of the brain and then it also sends it to the hippocampus, which puts it into the memory. So emotion part of the brain, this is part that affects how your child reacts to a situation. So think of yourself and let's use the example I used in my other podcast, where you turn off the lights, you go, you're going, it's dark out and you're getting ready for bed and somebody's trying to break into your house and all of a sudden that part of the emotion of your brain is reacting and you are have that fear of flight or fight. So what are you going to do? You're not going to go bake a cake or watch TV or anything like that. You're going to figure out how to protect yourself and your family. And that's what happens with our kids. Sometimes, if they get overstimulated or anything like that, they get the emotions and that part of the brain that controls the emotions and learning stops. So we are fighting against a chemical that's in our body, that we're trying to calm our kids. And remember I said from my other podcast that your first job is to keep calm and keep them calm and to be able to keep that door open so you can get the learning in. So then it sends it into the memory anyway. And then, well, first let me back up a little bit that part of the brain is kind of the visual, so it sends it to the top of the brain and then it goes to the back of the brain and then in the middle, there where the amygdala is, and then you have that emotion and it sends it to the hippocampus and that helps to organize things. That part of the brain is we file things like okay, this is the math file, this is the reading file and this is this memory, and they're good and bad memories that we have. So that train station. If that part of the brain is blocked, the students become frustrated and learning also stops. So do our kids organize? So do our kids organize? Do we see that they have the memory and that's a part of the memory like, okay, I forgot about how to do this math problem, so there might be something going on in that part of the brain where it's not keeping the information and it's not organizing. And then the other part of the brain is where the frontal cortex is at and this is where we have reasoning and thinking and possibly the outcomes.
Speaker 0:Kids on the spectrum learn one thing at a time. It's hard for them to multitask. It doesn't mean that they can't eventually. But at first you know kids, and it doesn't matter what age they are. They may just have trouble learning more than one thing. They may want to just do one thing and do it well and then move on to the next thing. For example, if when you learn to drive, remember at first you're thinking of every step. You know, turn it on, put it in, you know drive, hit the gas, the pedal, what foot do you use. You're thinking of every step along the way while you're driving. Then after a while it just becomes second nature and we don't think about it. Like riding a bike is the other example. That's really good about that. Our whole body has some type of memory and so we don't need to think about that all the time. And that's the same way with our kids in the frontal cortex, cortex that we need to. You know, lab and take one thing at a time, learn that, and then it becomes second nature to them. It's like think of this way too.
Speaker 0:Later they will learn to do two things at once. But, for example, you're teaching them to write their letters from A to Z and then you teach them to write their numbers from 1 to 20. You have them write A1, b2, c3. And that takes longer to do than writing A, b, c or 1 to 20, and then having them write 1, a, 2, b. But if you have them do a puzzle and then ask them a question while they're doing, it will help build that multitask.
Speaker 0:Sometimes they're going to not like that. They want you to be quiet, they don't want you to interfere. And make sure, when they do that, that if they're getting upset, have them use their words, say no, thank you, and this will help. Remember, let the child know when they come to the table. It's just a short time. So that's the other thing you want to do, because that will help relax them. You want to keep that door open.
Speaker 0:That we're going to do, remember, I told you the formula that I read about is you take their age and you add two minutes. So if there's seven, you add two and I would do 10 minutes. But that's actual work. It's not you reading, it's not you preparing, it's actually doing the work. If they're 15, then you add two and they're going to do 17 minutes of work and let them know, okay, we're doing 17 minutes at a timer, whatever kind of timer, that is good for them.
Speaker 0:But anyway, those are some parts of the brain that is that train station that keeps keeping the train going, keeping the learning going, and if there is some part that is blocked, then we need to learn to unblock it. And with the part of the brain which is thinking and reasoning and everything like that, and if that part is blocked, how do we open it? Just do small bits, do a little bit of learning, do one thing at a time. They're only going to read this. These are the vocabulary words I want them to know. Then do the reading, break it down, make it easy for them, enjoy helping them to learn, so they can feel that sense that this is not a bad thing, this is a good thing. Okay, so that's all I have for today. I know this is a short one, but I think a lot of people like them short, so I'm going to do another one for Monday morning and that will also be a little bit shorter. Anyway, I hope you're having a great weekend and I will talk to you soon. Bye.
