Kinesiology and Learning Disorders
What is a learning disorder?
A learning disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition which affects how the brain processes information, making it difficult to learn reading, writing or math in traditional school settings, despite high intelligence levels.
Many children and adults experiencing these difficulties have a very high level of intelligence, but are held back through needing to expend a huge amount of mental energy to compensate for neurological differences.
Additional factors that add to this load may include:
- primitive reflexes: these are survival reflexes that should develop and integrate at specific times within the first few years of life. Poor integration may add stress to the body in many ways, including difficulties sitting still, holding a pen, and concentrating (1).
- fight or flight: this is the automatic response our bodies create in response to stress, directing blood/oxygen and nutrients towards the legs, arms and heart/lung system-and away from the brain-to prepare us to run from danger (6). Great for survival, but terrible for learning as our brains need oxygen and blood to function properly.
- Electrical ‘scrambling’: the cells in our brain communicate through electrical currents (as seen in EEG tests). These currents are easily interrupted by internal and external factors (5), which impair our brain’s ability to process information effectively.
- Anxiety: if a child is experiencing learning disorders, there is often an element of anxiety that has developed through experiences where they were unable to learn at the same speed as their peers (2,3,4). This can affect their confidence in trying new things, and a fear of failure.
Kinesiology techniques address these factors through:
- identifying and removing stressors preventing the integration of primitive reflexes
- creating internal and external safety to allow the body to ‘turn down’ the fight and flight response, and return to a rest and digest state where the brain has access to more resources
- Identifying and reducing stressors that are contributing to neurological scrambling
- Building confidence and reducing anxiety through simple exercises designed to improve brain integration
References
- Evaluating Primitive Reflexes in Early Childhood as a Potential Biomarker for Developmental Disabilities
- Anxiety and Attentional Bias in Children with Specific Learning Disorders
- Learning and memory under stress: implications for the classroom
- Anxiety as a Common Biomarker for School Children With Additional Health and Developmental Needs Irrespective of Diagnosis
- Resting-State Electroencephalogram (EEG) as a Biomarker of Learning Disabilities in Children—A Systematic Review
- Fear and the Defense Cascade: Clinical Implications and Management