As a clinician at Pathfinders, I have witnessed some amazing changes in our students over time as a result of cognitive training. One of my students, whom I will refer to as Johnny, has made some considerable progress since he’s been coming to Pathfinders. At first, he was unsure of all of his vowel sounds and consonant blends. Now, he is able to recognize all of these sounds and as a result has become a more fluent reader. He has also improved his auditory processing speed. He used to repeat many of my questions before answering them. Now, he is much quicker to respond. Through our core learning exercises, Johnny has better body awareness and strength. His posture has also greatly improved.
One of the most challenging skills for Johnny is his verbal expression and intonation. He is gradually getting better and better at this. I actually caught him singing the other day! Although these changes did not happen immediately, Johnny has made tremendous progress over time.
Sometimes kids, as well as adults, speak in a monotone voice because they really don’t “hear” their voice. Their brain can’t tell a difference when they raise or lower their voice. One exercise they can do is to make a siren sound, starting very low and then sliding the sound up, just like a police siren. Playing with sounds and making silly noises can improve the brain’s ability to hear and produce intonation and make their voice more interesting to hear.
Training your brain is hard work, but you can make significant progress if you practice, practice, practice!
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