Full Transcript Podcast Introduction and Brain Development Overview 0:03 Everything is connected and I'm here to tell you how. 0:07 I am Dr. 0:07 Laura Hanson with Connect My Brain. 0:10 This podcast is for moms who are concerned about their child's development. 0:16 The brain impacts our mind, body, and overall health. 0:20 I explain how your brain is wired, what happens when it's out of balance, and how early childhood development not only impacts your child, 0:30 but can affect you as an adult years later. 0:34 Want to know how to improve your life? 0:36 Join me and learn about your amazing brain and what it can do for you. 0:46 Hi everybody, it's Dr. 0:47 Laura with Connect My Child's Brain.
Sequencing and Bottom-Up Brain Development 0:52 Okay, so today what we're gonna do is we are gonna talk about the development of sequencing, meaning step by step. 1:02 So the brain builds bottom up, not all at once. 1:08 Development follows a predictable order from survival and regulation emotional to processing to higher thinking. 1:20 And you just cannot skip ahead and get to that top level without a stable foundation. 1:29 Let me give you an example of handwriting. 1:34 So lots of times people come in and say, man, my child's handwriting is just atrocious. 1:39 And I will do that in an assessment and actually look at their posture, how they hold their pencil, and then what does it look like on the piece of paper. 1:52 So first of all, babies come into the world and they're in little fists. 1:57 And it isn't about until three to four months that those hands innately begin to open up. 2:05 And then they have to be driven to explore. 2:10 Now, when I say driven, that isn' something you're meant to do.
Handwriting, Reflexes, and Early Motor Foundations 2:14 It's meant be that as they're exploring the world, they want to touch it. 2:19 They see something and they wanna go after it, so they are going to exploring. 2:26 Then they begin to pull everything in like a rake. 2:31 So they're actually using the lateral part of the hand. 2:36 And it isn't until about 9 to 12 months that they actually go into what we call pincer grip or be able to use that index and thumb together. 2:50 So for any reason, if your child did not necessarily follow that sequence of events or for, any, reason can also be holding on to that palmar reflex, 3:05 that's what it's called, then they're not going to have the foundation to be able to actually put a pencil in their hand and write. 3:17 And it's always not just a single thing. 3:21 It's also about that posture. 3:23 Remember, I look at that posture. 3:26 If a child has a retained asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, lots of times they lay down on the table in order to be able to write, 3:36 because as soon as that hand goes out, the head wants to turn and the arm wants And then it's also, how are the eyes navigating that piece of paper? 3:49 So that's one of the things that I look at when I'm doing an assessment. 3:54 So here at Connect My Child's Brain, we are looking back in order to help your child move forward. 4:03 Because these things, that we call behavior, attention, emotional issues, often reflect a missed or underdeveloped earlier stage.
Behavior, Attention, and Neuroplasticity 4:15 It's not a lack of effort or discipline. 4:19 When you see these things, try not to automatically think defiance or lack motivation. 4:26 Its really about how their nervous system got wired up. 4:30 When you come into the world, you are fully formed, but you're not fully functioning. 4:37 You must go through those steps in order to wire up the brain. 4:42 Now the great part is you can revisit rewiring and rebuilding at any phase of life. 4:51 Think for a minute about an adult who had a heart attack or stroke. 4:56 I've spoke of my mom often. 4:59 She did have a stroke many, many years ago, and I remember working on her body. 5:03 And when I got to that left hand especially, because her stroke was on the right side of her brain, literally when my hand crossed over, 5:13 she went into such a grip, I thought she was gonna break my fingers. 5:18 When an adult goes back to these reflexes, they're often referred to as pathological reflex, but they are really the same because primitive reflex are 5:30 actually the rudimentary of all learning. 5:32 So her brain was going back the brain stem in order to get whatever information she needed from that while she's doing her therapies and then be able to 5:45 move on. 5:46 This is what we call neuroplasticity, and this can help the brain restore many of its challenges. 5:54 If you truly find out how far back do you need to go, start there, then the mind absolutely knows how to move forward. 6:05 The brain doesn't skip a step, it's never too late to build them in the right order. 6:11 So thanks for tuning in today. 6:13 Let me tell you a couple of highlights of what's going on here at Connect My Child's Brain. 6:19 So in June, we are offering two free little in-office seminars. 6:26 Go to our website connectmybrain.com and click on the Resource tab and then click On Upcoming Events.
Upcoming Events and Ways to Connect 6:36 The first one is for parents to get some insight about primitive reflexes. 6:43 We're only going to meet for an hour. 6:45 I'm going hit some highlights to you and help you begin to understand why it is so important to look at this part of development and what can you do to 6:58 move your child forward. 6:59 The second event the last weekend in June, again one hour at the office, is the Babysitting Club. 7:07 I want to start helping young people who like to do childcare learn how to work with kids with special needs, with struggling, 7:18 whatever the case may be, so that those parents can get a night out. 7:23 So if you have any questions, always go to the Contact Us tab and schedule a time to chat with me, and I will help you see if Connect My Child's Brain 7:35 and you are a great fit. 7:37 And as always, be blessed. 7:39 Thanks for listening. 7:41 I hope today's lesson will help you or someone you love. 7:44 Do you have a question or just really want to talk to somebody about brains? 7:49 Connect with me over on Facebook or Instagram at Connect My Brain. 7:54 Looking to understand and optimize your particular brain? 7:58 Check out connectmybrain.com for course information and resources. 8:04 See you next class. 8:08 you
Comments