In my last email, I wrote about
Legos and how they were so influential in my son Whitney's development. As many of you know, Whitney had been written off by many as "unreachable and unteachable" but eventually became free of his symptoms of autism. (See my book
Maverick Minds for the whole story.)
Watching Whitney play with Legos' "
Brick Box" and "
My First Plane" (toys that I left around the house to occupy him while I observed) confirmed my mother and scientist instincts that he wasn't autistic, deaf, or below-average intelligence, as professionals had diagnosed him.
Instead, Whitney showed me, in the ways he played with these simple toys, that he was very, very smart. His play with toys helped me identify the real problem -- his strong visual brain was preventing the development of his language skills.
Using "Toys" in Practice and Parenthood Television as a Teacher: I knew that if left to his own agenda, my son would watch his favorite video
Walt Disney's Snow White for hours. In fact, he quickly learned how to replay the part about the 7 Dwarfs washing their faces over an over again. I was able to turn Whitney's fascination with that face-washing scene into an educational moment, and helped him imitate the movie by washing his own face!
Computer games are also a great teaching tool for visual kids. However, computer games need to be organized so that the brain grows and learns based on the computer experience. In Brain Engineering, we focus on daily improvement so that each game involves building a skill that then advances to the next level, with appropriate rewards for each step of advancement.
Hands-on toys like
Legos, puzzles, mazes, blocks, card games, board games,
playmobil, puppets, and picture books can create ways for children to develop brain skills while entertaining themselves. What are your child's favorite modes of play? Puzzle-solving? Constructing things? Drawing and coloring?
Identifying and analyzing a child's favorite modes of play is one key to identifying strong visual brains.
The important thing to remember is that this way of playing is NOT "just child's play." "Toys and games" become educational resources when "play" becomes a serious but rewarding part of brain training -- learning how to self-monitor behavior, emotions, attention, and communication.
What types toys and games does your child find most fascinating? Does your child like to take things apart to examine how the insides work, as my son Whitney did? Does you child like to construct things all over the house, like Whitney?
If so, you may have a Maverick on your hands -- or even a budding engineer, as my son is now.
Dr. Cheri Florance
