A novel approach to learning disabilities

Learning DisabilitiesThere are many excellent books and websites devoted to the understanding of learning disabilities and this is not the objective of this article. Instead this article looks at what is a very novel approach to addressing some of the main challenges with learning disabilities, so that people can enjoy a more balanced state of cognitive function, while still expressing the more positive, creative aspects of their situations.

The phrase ‘learning disabilities’ covers a wide array of situations from ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and specific auditory or visual pathway issues through to conditions such as Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism. A stigma tends to be attached to the generic phrase, yet the reality is that many of these people have pronounced abilities and talents and often the situation is viewed as being as much a gift, as it can be a burden.

Learning disabilities also represent an area of research and scientific understanding where we’ve made great strides in terms of our understanding at a neuro-physiological level, yet highly effective treatment options don’t always eventuate.
Our focus with properly engineered brainwave entrainment is not to suggest any form of cure or treatment per se, but rather look at whether this novel technology can be used as an aid to enhance natural abilities while helping to support the more challenging consequences that can get in the way of learning, concentration, communication and interaction. The real value in using properly engineered brainwave entrainment is that it is completely effortless when compared to various other therapies – you just simply put on a pair of headphones, sit back and listen to the pulsed tones.

The application of NeuroLearn+

One of our primary products, NeuroLearn+, was originally designed for students at a university, college or school level looking to increase their academic performance and cope more easily with a demanding study regime. The beauty of this technology is that, regardless of your current level of academic ability, it can stimulate your brain and help support your cognitive function. So for example, it will help to support even the highest academic achievers by enabling them to consistently be at their best each day. Similarly, it can support under-achievers who are struggling at school and may have poor memory or experience difficulties in concentrating or with motivation. Under the right conditions, practically anyone’s brain can be entrained with properly engineered brainwave entrainment technology.
The really exciting thing we’ve found though from user feedback and anecdotal evidence is that this product also provides significant support for those people with learning disabilities of various kinds. We’ll cover a few of the more commonly known situations below.

Support for Dyslexia

We mentioned above how many people with dyslexia often have memory difficulties. Usually these difficulties are in auditory working memory, so they tend to forget instructions, have difficulties in learning in classroom situations with a combination of visual and auditory information, and can lose track of what they are doing. Another major challenge for some dyslexics is the feeling of having a disorganized or fragmented mind that can compound challenges with focusing and concentrating.

Neural+, the foundation track of NeuroLearn+ is specifically designed to stimulate the brain and support improved cognitive function and memory by taking your brainwaves down to a specific frequency within the Theta range. It is designed to stimulate your brain and thereby help re-organize your brain to a higher level – thus allowing you to process complicated tasks more easily than before. It may also support the integration of the right and left hemispheres of the brain via the corpus callosum. Research and scans of dyslexic brains have shown that the corpus callosum tends to be smaller and less developed than with others (Von Plessen, K; Lundervold, A; Duta, N; Heiervang, E; Klauschen, F; Smievoll, AI; Ersland, L; Hugdahl, K (2002). “Less developed corpus callosum in dyslexic subjects—a structural MRI study”. Neuropsychologia 40 (7): 1035–44).

Another key aspect of memory formation and retention is the role of the hippocampus in the brain. Scientists have discovered that for memories to form, the brain must undergo a process called long-term potentiation (LTP), involving electrical and chemical changes in the neurons associated with memory. Without LTP, incoming information is not stored, but rather quickly forgotten. Neurophysiologist Dr. Gary Lynch at the University of California discovered that the key to LTP is the theta brain wave pattern. “We have found the magic rhythm that makes LTP. There’s a magic rhythm, the theta rhythm.” According to Lynch, this is the natural rhythm of the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for the formation and storage of new memories and the recall of old memories.” (ref: Lynch, Gary, and Michael Baudry, “The Biochemistry of Memory: A New and Specific Hypothesis” Journal of Science 224 (1984): 1057-63.) The Neural+ track in either a monaural or isochronic tone is ideal to entrain a person’s brainwaves down to a specific frequency within the Theta range that is suitable for this objective.

A further challenge for people with dyslexia is remaining focused and motivated in a learning environment where a variety of visual, auditory and kinesthetic input can be overwhelming. The additional track Motivate Me on our NeuroLearn+ product can be excellent to help with focus and motivation. It achieves this by providing a specific frequency within the Beta range to one hemisphere of your brain, while providing another frequency within the Alpha range to your other hemisphere. This combination is asssociated with increased focus, concentration and more positive or constructive thought patterns.

We have a wealth of anecdotal evidence from people with learning disorders who have experienced significant changes in their memory, clarity of thought, concentration and a sense of feeling more organized or ‘defragged’ in anywhere as short as a few weeks to a few months from listening to a combination of these tracks.

The listening protocol could be just as per the product instructions: listen to Neural+ (isochronic version) once per day in the afternoon or at night, together with Motivate Me in the morning or mid-morning. A suggested visualization to use while listening to Neural+ is to have a look on Google at the Corpus Callosum structure in the center of your brain. Now while listening to the recording, place your attention on this central region of your brain that stretches across the left and right hemispheres. Breathe in and out deeply and imagine you are breathing directly in and out from this region. Now visualize a red ball and then see it moving left to right diagonally doing a ‘Figure 8’ loop. Move it fast and then slow for a few minutes. Then visualize a green ball doing the same thing over and over – imagine that you are strengthening the circuits in the Corpus Callosum while doing this. You might even get creative and visualize both the red and green balls moving in opposite directions at the same time three dimensionally in the Figure 8 pattern. Do this for several minutes or more each time you listen to Neural+.

Alleviating attention deficit issues

Attention deficit conditions such as ADHD can be enormously challenging for not just the individual involved but all close family members and friends. ADHD is generally viewed as an inherited disorder which may be intensified by minor traumatic brain injury, birth trauma, emotional and dietary factors, and inadequate sleep (Othmer and Othmer, 1992). People with ADHD can have challenges with inattentiveness, as well as hyperactivity & impulsiveness.

From a brainwave perspective, scientists have noted that people with ADHD typically have ‘slower’ brainwave patterns on average. For example, they tend to produce excess Theta activity and lower amounts of Beta activity (Lubar, 1991). The brainwave position is not always as simple as this though and some people with ADHD can also produce overactive brainwave patterns.

Another major finding in relation to brain wave patterns and ADHD is the ‘sensory motor rhythm’ pattern (the “SMR” – also known as the brain wave pattern of ‘peak performance’). The SMR refers to an oscillating brain wave rhythm in the Beta range of 12 – 15 hertz and is thought to be missing or deficient in people with attention deficit and hyperactivity issues. The SMR was discovered in the late 1960s, by a neuroscientist named Dr. Barry Sterman. He discovered this brainwave frequency that enabled stray cats to concentrate and tune out distractions. When this brainwave frequency is reached, the cat’s brain communicated with their body’s motor systems to settle down, tune out distractions, and tap into their body’s natural energy—which is a state of calm. Dr Sterman’s work helped develop the field of Neurofeedback (a form of brainwave entrainment) and many reported studies have been undertaken on people with ADHD.

The audio track “Attention Augmenter” on our NeuroLearn+ product has been specifically designed and included to support people with ADHD and provide the sensory motor rhythm stiumulus. This ‘dual brainwave’ recording covers a precise range of frequecies within the low Beta range that are often missing in people with attention deficit issues. The track alternates between a slow and faster rhythm to address a pattern of under and over-activity that is also common.
In addition to the Attention Augmenter track, two other tracks on the NeuroLearn+ device have proved useful based on anecdotal evidence from our customers. Namely the audio tracks Motivate Me and Digital Energy – both of which provide brainwave stimulation in the Beta range in different ways.

An example listening protocol could be to listen to the Attention Augmenter track one or two times a day for a period of at least a week or more and then assess any noticeable improvements. If you haven’t noticed significant benefits or would like to increase the impact you may then wish to include one or more of Motivate Me and Digital Energy into your regime. For example, listen to Motivate Me in the morning and then either Attention Augmenter or Digital Energy mid-afternoon.

Nutritional advice: While properly engineered brainwave entrainment alone may help support ADHD symptoms, there are some specific nutrients that may also prove effective. The number one nutrient backed up by both research and anecdotal evidence is the omega 3 fatty acid ‘DHA’. It is essential to take a high quality fish oil supplement (often referred to as pharmaceutical grade) in significant doses. Another supplement worth considering is magnesium to help provide a calming effect. Again, the type of magnesium you select will determine how well you absorb it, so ask at your local health store for the most absorbable form (such as magnesium threonate or citrate) and avoid cheaper formulas with magnesium oxide.

Another nutrient worth considering, particularly in combination with omega 3 fatty acids, is Phosphatidyl Serine. A recent study found that supplementing with Phosphatidyl Serine and omega-3 (specifically DHA from fish oil) produced a significant reduction in hyperactive and impulsive behavior, and it improved mood in ADHD children compared to a placebo control group (ref: Manor, I., Magen, A., The Effect of Phosphatidylserine Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids on ADHD Symptoms in Children: a Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial, European Psychiatry, July 2011).

Other conditions such as Autism

There are a number of other situations in which you may wish to consider properly engineered brainwave entrainment as a support tool. Customers have reported anecdotal improvements with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome through listening to our technology and in particular the dual brainwave track “Motivate Me”. As always, we recommend a parent or guardian should carefully monitor usage during and after a listening session and you should not discontinue or change any current medication without consulting your primary medical physician.

Reinforcing positive beliefs: A final challenge to overcome is the negative beliefs, thought patterns and self-doubt that are common with people with learning disabilities. From an early age, people may start to doubt themselves and form fixed views on their limitations when they don’t perform as well as their peers. Our Cognitive Triplex recording is specifically designed to address this situation and establish more positive self-beliefs about academic performance.

Additional Learning and study aids: Given the challenges that people with learning disabilities can face compared to their peers, it’s important to consider all factors that can support their academic abilities. It’s surprising that very few children are actually taught how to learn optimally. For anyone interested in improving their approach to learning, there are a number of good books and systems out there that focus on two key aspects – how to learn optimally (for example, you may wish to look into the Cornell method of note taking), and secondly, how to increase effectiveness in examination conditions (for example, have a look at books such as Amazing Grades by Pat Wyman). It’s well worth looking around for ways to optimize your academic abilities.

If you are looking for ways to support yours or your child’s cognitive and learning abilities, then NeuroLearn+ has been optimally designed for this purpose. Please note, brainwave entrainment is not generally recommended for children under the age of eight years old.

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