Below is an excerpt from an email posted on our CHARGE listserv...thought it was a good way to explain the processing of individuals with various sensory issues:
"Her OT once described it to me in a way that has stuck. Here's the way I remember it.
When I go from one idea to another, the thoughts travel downthe superhighways of my brain (my neural pathways or whatever). Because I have intact sensory systems and have had basically typical experiences, my superhighways pass many of the same landmarks as other people. So when I share my thoughts and ideas, many people recognize what I have to say.
But my child's thoughts travel down gravel roads because her neural pathways are less efficient, organized, and developed. She gets to the same ideas eventually, but it may take longer to get there and she passes different landmarks. So when she shares her experiences and thoughts, other people don't know what she's talking about - they don't recognize her landmarks.
With lots of experience and practice, her gravel roads can be replaced by superhighways, but it's not a given. And still her gravel road experiences are building a different network of thoughts and ideas than my superhighway network.
It's like two people going on a driving vacation from Chicago to Denver. If one takes the highways and one takes the back roads, their experiences will be vastly different although they will have some similarities and the basic description of their trips are the same."
1 comment:
a good description
Post a Comment