Dear All,

Talk about time! I have been busy traveling all over and this week I am in Missouri and Illinois, teaching educational professionals about Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia. This is the third newsletter in a row about Dyscalculia and all the various things that could go wrong. I just wish I had more time!

 

Math - sequencing, step-by-step procedures, time

 

Sequencing

Math is all sequencing! Whether you are simply counting, you must be able to keep the numbers in order. When adding, you are sequentially counting up; subtracting is counting down. Steps in doing a math procedure, like knowing what order to write the sum, carry the tens, or add in the decimal point is done correctly by sequencing. Telling time using an analog (round) clock requires sequencing from one moment to another.

 

In other words, in order to do math, a person's brain MUST be wired for sequencing!!

 

But what if that never happened? It is not a rare thing for a person to be poor at this. I'm sure you know of people who cannot tell a story from beginning to end. Or who when writing, get words or letters out of order. Or those who are always late, but never mean to be. These people frequently get words mixed up like yesterday and tomorrow, or day, week, month and year. You may notice that when you ask them to hurry, they don't really know what that means!

 

Primitive Reflexes 

The wiring for sequencing happens during the first year of life. When we are in utero and are infants, we go through stages of development that help us grow both physically as well as mentally. During these stages we naturally do certain physical movements that help us through each stage. We repeatedly do these movements, building muscle and opening pathways to our higher thinking brain, until we no longer need them. These stages are defined by the automatic reflexes that our bodies exhibit, that become inhibited once they are integrated.

 

A good example is the stage that includes the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR). At this stage, from in utero to about 4 months, when placed on his tummy, a child will hold his head up, even though his head is quite large. Where does he get the strength? He doesn't have it - it is a reflex that he cannot control. Meanwhile, as he continues to pick his head up, he gains control, builds muscle, and develops his brain. Some of the symptoms of a retained TLR are below:

 Poor posture

 Weak muscle tone

 Poor balance

Convergence issues causing problems copying from the      board

 Spatial problems - bumps into furniture, stands too              close, poor spacing between words, squishes words      at the end of a line, poor spacing on posters

 Poor sequencing - telling stories, counting, organizing        and planning

Poor sense of time, unable to tell time

 

If this is problem and at least part of why a student is doing poorly in math, you can integrate the TLR easily. It takes physical exercises that replicate what a baby does at this stage.

 

The Pyramid of Potential Series DVD and Workbook includes all of the directions you need affordably and in the comfort of your own home.

 

If you are a professional who would like to learn more about reflexes including exercises for the classroom, take a look atPrimitive Reflexes: Foundation for Learning.

 

  

Next week I will be addressing problems with explaining math processes and understanding word problems.