"challenging our minds" - ideas for a 6 year old with short term auditory memory issues

[diplodocus]

DD1 is 6 and has just been assessed by an EP (privately) for a mixture of relatively minor academic and behavioural (anger / control) issues. The EP has outlined strategies to manage the behavioural issues which are obviously affecting her learning, but she also found DD had very poor short term auditory memory in comparison with other areas of her development. The jury seems to be out as to how much you can improve this, but I'm wondering about programmes such as Challenging our Minds, or possibly Jungle Memory (although other threads suggest it may be a bit hard for her and she may be a bit young). Has anyone tried "challenging our minds"?
I think I probably have similar issues, and did poorly academically until I was much older (went to uni at 30) and had developed ways of coping, and also developed my interests. I don't want DD to have the same problem if at all possible - it will affect everything she does to some extent. Any thoughts and ideas welcome.

We use cogmed with children as young as your DD and have good results with it. It is primarily visual though.

For auditory memory you might just have to make up games. We play one where you ask questions and they have to answer the one before.. like..

What is your name?

How old are you?
'Fred'
What do you wear on your feet?
'6'
etc

Or, just give a few pieces of information and then ask questions about them. e.g. say 'red, green, blue'
What colour was first?
How many colours were there?
What colour was last?
Tell me a colour that wasn't on the list?
etc

EBD, just had a quick look on the COM website - what do you use? Software or books? What would you recommend? I am interested for work!

Software. Are you with RM? They can put it on your network for you.

On a separate note (sorry to hijack OP) I'd really recommend this Tilly, we are finding it really useful.

I've been very interested in challenging our minds for a long time. But it's never reached the top of my priority list - ie for the last 3 years I've been doing different therapies which I thought were more likely to work.

I was the poster who said Jungle Memory didn't help.

In the end I've cured all of DDs severe memory problems. The 3 things I did which helped the most with her memory were:

• auditory integration training
• Tinsley house
• going dairy free.

AIT is very expensive (£1200) but if you have that kind of money I highly recommend it. (there are cheaper listening therapies ou could also look at)

Otherwise I recommend starting with TH.

If you can get to the new forest go to TH, otherwise you can start the therapy for free by reading 'the brain food plan'

The stairs exercise in the brain food plan is the most amazingly powerful ex exercise - and you really, really should do that regardless.

After DS and DDs improvements my school tried the stairs exercise on 10 kids with moderate learning difficulties.

They were so impressed with the improvements in those kids that this year they're going to do it with 40 kids!

EBDTeacher - that mind reading sw looks brilliant. Thanks

Many thanks for your ideas and thoughts. AIT is something I'm considering. However, DD is very loud herself (am actually getting her "ordinary" hearing checked) - does that make it less likely she has integration issues as i wld have thought that would be uncomfortable.

I'm interested in the TH idea. I've read the book and have already instituted some of the dietary things (although not fully - we use multivit and fish oils, no additives and try and increase protein). We did look at the stair exercises, but the only stairs in our house twist - I'm assuming that wouldn't work?

I've done AIT with all 3 of my kids - and it's helped all 3 of them. I think it's very likely it'll help your DD.

If you go the sound learning centre their initial assessment costs £400 and they do an audiogram. Which will tell you if she would benefit from AIT or not.

Once you see the audiogram, you'll probably see she has heaps of hypersensitive hearing which is causing her pain, and probably explains some of her behaviour problems.

Anyway, the sound learning centre will only recommend AIT if the audiograms show she is likely to benefit.

(I do want to say that although I've had very impressive results with AIT for all 3 of my kids, not all MNers have)

I think you can do the stairs exercise on a spiral staircase. The point if it is that currently she probably doesn't know where her hands and feet are, and is using her vision to tell her that. With her eyes closed her brain has to work out how to balance and where her hands and feet are. And it is doing that 3 times a day which improves the cerebellum.

Which is the starting place to improving all her problems.

Why don't you do the stairs exercise yourself on your staircase to see what it's like.

I hate doing it - it makes my brain hurt . But my DH who has no coordination issues finds it easy to do.

indigo do exercises such as the stair exercise get results on DCs that have dyspraxia etc.
Asking because I'm still looking at different causes and ways to improve DS1s abilities, and one of the problems with dyspraxia is the transference of skills.
Your MN ears must have been burning last night - I went over numerous threads of yours to look for ideas as to how to progress. We are gradually working through the potential list of causes and gradually starting therapies to see what will make a difference. So

Thanks very much. So just because she's loud (shouts a lot etc) doesn't mean she won't have hypersensitive hearing?
She's tried the staircase excercise on our spiral staircase and can do it - she improved a lot over a few days but I stopped as I was worried it would be counterproductive if the staircase wasn't straight. Her co-ordination is OK (quite good considering her parents!). Will go back and start doing it again I think - she quite enjoyed it!

Doh - Indigo - I meant

Thanks for the flowers :)

Diplodocus your child can have hypersensitive hearing and be loud. It's not just about hypersensitive hearing, it's also about how uneven her hearing is.

I put up DDs audiograms here - not sure if you can read them or not. But the key thing is they look like a mountain range, they're spiky. So part of the word was quiet for her, and part was loud - or even painful. Plus it was different in each ear.

(DSs audiograms were even more dramatic)

Send an email to Tinsley House to check spiral stairs are OK because I'm not actually the expert . And perhaps talk to him about going there. If you check out the Tinsley House support thread on the SN children board you'll be able to read about lots and lots and lots of people's experiences with it.

auntevil - the stairs exercise is 100% for kids with dyspraxia. Both my boys have dyspraxia, and the improvements in them are remarkable.

It helps because it improves the cerebellum, which is causing the dyspraxia. So you don't need to worry about transferring skills. There's a great you tube video by Robin of Tinsley House explaining dyspraxia.

Both of you, feel free to PM me if you want.

you tube video

Thanks Indigo - I probably will PM you in a day or so when I've done a bit more research. Will also email TH - we're quite near the New Forest.

Have just ordered the book - although all the DSs are CF/GF and vegepa'd and mag/zinc'd up too as per previous of your posts . Protein they love, and there's not too much opportunity for additives as most is cooked from scratch. God I notice the difference in behaviour if they have a lapse (that and the fact that it gives them diarrhoea)
Not near New Forest, but will read up and see what I can be doing at home.
Will probably PM you when I have had a word with school. Quite a few pieces of new information for them during the hols. SENCo is a reasonable man, his new teacher is also reasonable, so I am going to see what they can do, and how far they will push. I try to avoid HT/DH as they are primarily the £men and SENCo is far more willing to co-operate and send off referral requests from services if left to his own devices
Just got to get my head back together again and work out a plan of action.