| Contributions of Recent Brain Research | ||||||||||
|
As few as fifteen years ago, researchers had just about given up on the so-called medical model of defining learning disabilities, though one of the historical names for such a problem was minimal brain dysfunction. There was no hard evidence of such brain dysfunction, only soft neurological signs, i.e. you could observe the effects, but not the underlying brain processes causing the problem. Thus people were perfectly within their rights to assert that they didn't believe in the existence of learning disabilities, just as some people choose to believe or not believe in supernatural, mystical or spiritual events. Thanks to a technology known as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), this is no longer the case. The reason this technology has revolutionized brain research is due to its benign nature: it does not expose subjects to dangerous radiation, so it can be used to view the functioning brain in both healthy and impaired adults and children. Researchers can compare the brain activity signature (while reading, for example) of those who suffer from dyslexia, and compare it to that of normal individuals, enabling them to pinpoint which parts operate differently. This process has helped resolve an ongoing debate about whether the primary deficit in dyslexia is auditory or visual in nature. Many people are familiar with the number and letter reversals often characteristic of individuals with dyslexia. While it is a well-known feature, it is not present in all cases, and researchers have now concluded that the primary deficit is located in the auditory cortex of the brain, hence the emerging emphasis on phonemic awareness to treat dyslexia. Brain research has also added immeasurably to our knowledge of ADD and ADHD. At one time, doctors were unable to state exactly why a drug such as Ritalin, which is a stimulant, helped an individual with ADHD to calm down, when it would have the opposite effect on a normal person. We now know that the executive function part of the brain is working imperfectly in such individuals; it is this part which enables one to plan and organize activities and actions, as well as to suppress impulses and distracting stimuli (which is necessary to remain focused on something for more than a few minutes at a time). Ritalin and similar drugs stimulate that part of the brain, allowing the individual to better perform these functions necessary for so many activities in today's complex world. For more info on promising natural treatments for ADD and related problems, click here. Ongoing, rigorous research is the best hope we have to guide us in our attempts to both prevent and treat learning disabilities. One major finding of the research over the last ten years, for example, points to the amazing plasticity of a child's brain, up until about the age of eight or nine. If one area is damaged or not working optimally, other parts of the brain seem able to take over and develop the same functions to a large degree. This points out the crucial need for early intervention, using the best clinically-proven methods available. Further research should be possible to confirm the validity of interventions currently in use, helping us to refine our techniques and results to help the largest number of children possible, before their problems become compounded by time and emotional issues. Perhaps someday learning disabilities will be preventable and/or completely treatable, a goal everyone can look forward to with anticipation and pleasure. treatment | referrals | consultation | contact me |
