By Jodee Kulp with Ann Yurcek
What is DEVELOPMENTAL FLUIDITY?
Development is variable as we grow – when you first learned to ride a bike you fell off – when you first learn to walk you had to get back up… When you first learn to spell you forget…. when you first learn to read – you stumble on words – ALL of these skills take multiple developmental abilities in many areas of the brain and our kids with neurodiversity often need to reroute neuro passages – not everything reaches developmental maturity at the same time – not everything reaches maturity – EVEN FOR US!
Working with Toni Hager we discovered that a working circular system to climb the developmental structure helped us see the areas still needing work while discovering ways to complement learning at age appreciated levels. We do not necessarily use age appropriate as is can be dismissive to the individual.
Our family learned to always return to center and focus on the Metabolic structure then stabilize with interests, talents, strengths, and challenges. And at different stages of huge brain and growth like during puberty we have the opportunity to layer those areas, cement, and grow. This is a time to look at missing developmental areas and lags. It is a time we can develop playful strategies to help those layers have the accommodations to build the other layers. We all learn better when we are having dun.
For Ann’s son, Mac, he cannot see well, so his development is skewed. In Mac’s case adding in new technologies, different colors, movement, and revisiting learning to read at age 12 is helping other areas develop and connect.
Once his family discovered he had a tethered cord and afer his tethered cord surgery Mac was able to learn to feel his feet, increase motor abilities and build the skills he couldn’t when he was tiny. (Note: this also affected bowel and urinary issues)
With puberty fast approaching he has an implanted DBS and what his brain was unable to do on its own, it can with his new robotic partner! Mac is focusing on building motor, small motor, speech and everything that his initial wiring had skewed and is building new connections and cementing them. This is providing for higher levels of learning and skill development.
“A brain can do what a brain is ready to do” – Toni Hager, founder of Can Learn Academy (https://www.canlearnacademy.org/)
Dr. Lyelle Palmer shares his Auditory and Visual steps. Caregivers please realize that a child will be unable to read until these developmental pieces are in place.
This is explained better in Our FAScinating Journey Keys To Brain Potential Along the Path of Prenatal Brain Injury by Jodee Kulp
More about all this to come!
Red Shoes Rock 