This is a hot topic question that really underpins all the work we offer. The neurologists and scientific community involved in this area are divided. Some say yes, others say no. However, intervention programmes to stimulate improvements in neural activity and central nervous system function continue to proliferate in the fields of education, pediatrics, sports performance, medical neurological rehabilitation and more.
These programmes generally formulate theories and practices from medical research, studies on the brain, and case studies on children and adults suffering neurological traumas or defects in the brain. The ever evolving work by specialists and therapists repeatedly demonstrates that positive changes in neural functioning occur when the right intervention is applied following a thorough assessment. So how might this work?
As we develop in utero the neural networks in the central nervous system expand and brain growth begins. These neural networks carry information as electrical (neural) impulses. There are sensory networks exchanging sensory information such as light, sound, smell, taste, touch, position and balance, and motor neurons exchanging information from receptors in the muscles and tendons. Areas of the spinal cord and the brain have command and processing capabilities to organise and coordinate all these signals coming to them and away from them. And so, as the fetus grows in size and complexity, so does its brain.
When a baby is born it continues to develop the complex interconnections of the neural system through specific movement sequences (reflexes), directed movements (higher brain processing) and through its sensory interaction with the environment. Movement and sensory experiences are fundamental to our evolutionary process for developing complex interconnections within the brain and nervous system. Repetition of a movement and sequence of movements lays a myelin sheath across the neural networks needed to perform the task. The more the movement is repeated the more automated the movement becomes. Automated movements are stored as muscle memory and are primarily processed by the cerebellum. The more automated movements we have the easier it is for us to continually refine and improve. An infants segmented rolling, becomes rocking, creeping, crawling then walking. The ability of the cerebellum to build and store these automated coordinated movements is key to our continual development.
A baby's rudimentary motor and motor-sensory experiences lay blueprints for more complex interconnections in the higher brain centres. For some reason nature has placed a heirachy and fairly strict timing of such developments to take place. If one area is not fully developed, nature moves on to the next in sequence even to its own detriment. By way of compensation, and for many other reasons, our brains have the capacity to reform new networks and even re-organise itself. Neurologists refer to this as plasticity. Following a stroke the functional areas of the affected brain may completely transpose to the opposite hemisphere.
So if a child is struggling with their learning in class, in the PE hall and sports field they may have:
But, as evolution has the central nervous system developing, in part, through an infant's movement and sensory experiences, the plastic nature of the brain means providing there is no organic problem with the brain, gaps or delays can be remedied. Reintroducing rudimentary movements and sensory challenges and combining these with increasing complexity will bring about the myelination and integration in areas of the brain previously left out.
The EBA programmes that work with babies and infants provide a rich and bountiful supply of directed and suggested games, activities and play to maximise the potential for a full and healthy development. The programmes are fun to do and simple to deliver.
The programmes for young and older children can be enjoyed by everyone, irrespective of ability, as their focus is not just on developmental models but on enhancing and improving physical fluency, sport specific and movement skills, social, collaborative and cooperative play. They are all linked to Early Years goals and national curriculum requirements. Delivering these programmes to those children with additional and severe educational needs may help in supporting their wider needs. Complete with music, structured programmes to follow, and guided frameworks to dip in and out of, you and your children will have the best of times.