A Day at the Beach

Sadly although I am quickly falling head over heels in love with California weather I've learned that the beach is not the best place in February to try to work. Which is why I'm spending my day at the Encinitas library which looks over the beach!

While sitting on the porch of the library and sipping my Starbucks I will be reading: The Brain that Changes Itself, which is quite possibly one of the most interesting books I've ever read. It goes into detail about how are brains work. For example the reason second languages are easier to learn when we're younger is because less of our brain is trained around our primary language. As we age we learn more and more of a certain language and using it constantly gives it a deeper foothold in our brain. That foothold then makes it progressively harder and harder to bring in a new language. It also talk about how as we age we think we are "working our brains" but in fact because we do so many of the same tasks everyday our brain isn't being challenged which is why it begins to loose plasticity.

But on to my actual project. Brainhighways is pretty much the same except we have had to change the class up a bit to get the parents working on their pons. Generally the parents need some work but this session they are having the types of pons based (baby brain) reactions that to be productive we have to work on them too.

I was last there on Sunday which was of course Valentines day, and sadly because of that a lot of parents decided not to show, and considering how far into the program we're getting that can be problem. Alma was telling me the other day that around this time some kids reach a plateau and because parents aren't seeing change they stop working as hard. The reason they hit this plateau is because their brains are reworking so much that for some of the major reorganization the brain stop making noticeable changes as it remaps itself. But luckily most kids will start making progress again in a week or so which will help get them and their parents back on track.

Everything else is moving along nicely, I'm starting to see parts of my project in everyday life which is really exciting. I have a meeting with the neurologist from my last post and the HR department at the hospital on Friday in an attempt to convince them to let me work with him anyway. But if that falls through Alma has helped me find other doctors through brainhighways that I can potentially work with. Wish me luck!