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You Can\’t Help Getting Older But You Don\’t Have to Get OLD

Leave a Comment / Brain Fitness, Memory, PuzzleArt Therapy /

For as long as humanity has been aging, we’ve been lamenting the process. In The Maxims of Ptah-Hotep (c. 2200 BCE), Ptah wrote on aging, “. . . the progress of age changes into senility. Decay falls upon man and decline takes the place of        youth . . . The mouth is silent, speech fails him; the mind decays, remembering not the day before.” While Ptah may have been a bit melodramatic, most everyone has felt the weight of getting older. Who hasn’t walked into a room only to realize they have absolutely no idea why they’re there, or spent ages searching for an important something-or-other? Helping others combat issues of memory at any age is crucial to our success as practitioners. Memory  When memory lapses become more common, reaction times slow, or words don’t come as easily, panic often begins to set in! But as we know, this is not an inevitable part of aging! People don’t have to sit around waiting to forget what they had for breakfast! Fortunately for all of us, we can take daily initiatives to improve our memory, which greatly increases our quality of life regardless of age. From 3 to 103, we can all benefit from increased memory. Recent studies demonstrate that working memory capacity, long thought of as a constant, can be improved through training. The changes in cortical activity after training could be evidence of training-induced plasticity in our neural systems. Since working memory is essential to how the brain handles information – how we process it, integrate it, retrieve it, and apply it – this  basic functionality is vital to performing daily tasks throughout the life span. From memorizing the alphabet to learning to read, playing team sports to participating in a monthly book club, solving problems, meeting deadlines, setting and reaching goals – all of these (and more!) are dependent on working memory.  The Eyes of Memory The connections between our eyes, brain, and working memory have powerful implications. Our brains process information all of the time, and we make decisions constantly about what to attend to and what to discard. 80 percent of the sensory information the brain receives comes through our eyes, which means we need to pay particular attention to being sure the eyes know how to take in what is being seen. When someone has 20/20 vision, they may think that none of this applies to them. Of course, visual acuity is a small piece of the entire visual picture, as visual ability includes so much more: peripheral awareness, depth perception, focusing ability, eye coordination, tracking, and color vision, to name a few other perceptual factors. Since what we take in through our eyes is so crucial to how our brain processes, integrates, and reacts to information, focused time and energy should be dedicated to perceptual training. Perceptual activities are fun learning tools that can help train the brain in a multitude of ways and assist in making sense of the information the eyes are sending to the brain. Train The Eyes and The Mind Will Follow PuzzleArt Therapy is the first therapy to combine binocular, perceptual, and sensory therapy with hands-on abstract art to improve memory and overall brain function (and therefore, enjoyment of life!). This fun, engaging, and creative therapy can work in so many ways and can strengthen an incredible number of perceptual skills, including: Visual Memory Closure Figure-ground Perception Peripheral Vision Binocular Skills Near/Far Focus Visual Sequential Memory Oculomotor Skills Directionality Spatial Relationships Discrimination Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills Bilateral Integration Amblyopia/Suppression And more! PuzzleArt Skill Builders take participants on a guided journey through the perceptual learning field, providing  perceptual activities that challenge and activate the brain, improving memory and cognition. It’s vital for people to take an active role at any age and train the eyes to truly see and fully communicate with the brain. Try one of my PuzzleArt Skill Builders for FREE today to sample a perceptual activity that trains the eyes, the body, and the brain. Check out the PuzzleArt Therapy Training for Therapists and Parents.  Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

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Memory Loss? Forget About It!

Leave a Comment / Memory, PuzzleArt Therapy, Trainings /

  For as long as humanity has been aging, we’ve been lamenting the process. In The Maxims of Ptah-Hotep (c. 2200 BCE), Ptah wrote on memory loss and aging, “. . . the progress of age changes into senility. Decay falls upon man and decline takes the place of youth… The mouth is silent, speech fails him; the mind decays, remembering not the day before.” While Ptah may have been a bit melodramatic, most everyone has felt the weight of getting older. Who hasn’t walked into a room only to realize they have absolutely no idea why they’re there, or spent ages searching for an important something-or-other? Helping others combat issues of memory loss at any age is crucial to our success as practitioners. Memory  When memory lapses become more common, reaction times slow, or words don’t come as easily, panic often begins to set in that memory loss is unavoidable. But as we know, this is not an inevitable part of aging! People don’t have to sit around waiting to forget what they had for breakfast! Fortunately for all of us, we can take daily initiatives to improve our memory, which greatly increases our quality of life regardless of age. From 3 to 103, we can all benefit from increased memory. Recent studies demonstrate that working memory capacity, long thought of as a constant, can be improved through training. We CAN improve memory loss! The changes in cortical activity after training could be evidence of training-induced plasticity in our neural systems. Since working memory is essential to how the brain handles information – how we process it, integrate it, retrieve it, and apply it – this  basic functionality is vital to performing daily tasks throughout the life span. From memorizing the alphabet to learning to read, playing team sports to participating in a monthly book club, solving problems, meeting deadlines, setting and reaching goals – all of these (and more!) are dependent on working memory.  The Eyes of Memory The connections between our eyes, brain, and working memory have powerful implications. Our brains process information all of the time, and we make decisions constantly about what to attend to and what to discard. 80 percent of the sensory information the brain receives comes through our eyes, which means we need to pay particular attention to being sure the eyes and the brain know how to take in what is being seen. When someone has 20/20 vision, they may think that none of this applies to them. Of course, visual acuity is a small piece of the entire visual picture, as visual ability includes so much more: peripheral awareness, depth perception, focusing ability, eye coordination, tracking, and color vision, to name a few other perceptual factors. Since what we take in through our eyes is so crucial to how our brain processes, integrates, and reacts to information, focused time and energy should be dedicated to perceptual training. Perceptual activities are fun learning tools that can help train the brain in a multitude of ways and assist in making sense of the information the eyes are sending to the brain. Train The Eyes and The Mind Will Follow PuzzleArt Therapy is the first therapy to combine binocular, perceptual, and sensory therapy with hands-on abstract art to improve memory and overall brain function (and therefore, enjoyment of life!). This fun, engaging, and creative therapy can work in so many ways and can strengthen an incredible number of perceptual skills, including: Visual Memory Closure Figure-ground Perception Peripheral Vision Binocular Skills Near/Far Focus Visual Sequential Memory Oculomotor Skills Directionality Spatial Relationships Discrimination Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills Bilateral Integration Amblyopia/Suppression And more! PuzzleArt Skill Builders take participants on a guided journey through the perceptual learning field, providing  perceptual activities that challenge and activate the brain, improving memory and cognition and slowing down memory loss. It’s vital for people to take an active role at any age and train the eyes to truly see and fully communicate with the brain. Try one of my PuzzleArt Skill Builders for FREE today to sample a perceptual activity that trains the eyes, the body, and the brain. Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

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Reading – Avoid the Summer Slide

Leave a Comment / Brain Fitness, Memory /

Summertime is packed with trips to the playground and the amusement park, but there is one ride you don’t want to find children on – the summer slide. The summer slide may sound like a carnival attraction, but the cute name hides a grim reality. Low-income students, despite making as much progress during the school year as their more affluent peers, lose ground in their reading skills over the summer months. This achievement gap was studied in depth by Johns Hopkins researchers, and  they felt the summer slide could be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during elementary school.  These students lose as much as three months of reading comprehension over the summer. By the end of fifth grade, they are nearly three grade levels behind their peers. Study after study shows a direct correlation between poor reading ability and success in both school and life. This achievement gap can make the difference in whether students stay in school and go to college. Ultimately, poor reading ability can affect their communication skills, cause lower self-esteem, and result in lower average lifetime wages earned. The emotional, financial, intrapersonal, and interpersonal impact of poor reading ability cannot be overstated. Fortunately, the summer slide is avoidable! And in fact, with all of the extra time summer provides, summer is actually the perfect time to improve reading and oculomotor skills! FREE summer reading programs provide a great start for maintaining reading gains obtained during the school year, thereby avoiding the summer slide. This summer: Check with your local library or recreation center for free reading programs Read, log, and win with Pizza Hut’s Book It! Summer Reading Challenge Earn free books with Barnes and Noble’s Summer Reading Program Go on a Book Adventure with Sylvan to improve comprehension and win prizes But spending time reading is only one piece of the puzzle when the goal is to improve reading habits and ability. If a child has visual perceptual and sensory deficits, they may struggle as a reader and as a student. If a child is exhibiting signs that they are experiencing visual issues, such as sitting too close to the television or holding a book too close to their face, squinting, tilting their head to see better, rubbing their eyes even if they aren’t tired, or if they’re demonstrating difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination when playing a sport or riding a bike,  they may be experiencing a visual deficit. A behavioral optometrist can assess the child and help resolve any visual issues. Qualified behavioral optometrists can be found using the Locate a Doctor feature at the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) site. In order to find success in and out of the classroom, students with visual issues must be: Discovered and professionally diagnosed Made a part of the process in their own success Treated both professionally and in the home Retested professionally with alterations in their treatment if necessary Children need both basic and advanced reading skills to be successful in school and life. Help prepare them for their first (or next) year in school by following a daily summer reading program, having them evaluated by a behavioral optometrist if they might be experiencing a visual problem, and practice developing visual ability at home. But students want to relax in the summer! They want a break from doing work! How in the world can you get them to practice visual skills at home? This is where a crucial component comes into play – it has to be fun! A simple way to make learning fun is to turn the work into a game. In the PuzzleArt Therapy System, games and fun are built-in to the very design. While the products and exercises are all enjoyable and look deceptively simple, every level of products can help people of all ages with oculomotor, perceptual, and sensory challenges. It’s the best kind of learning – the kind you don’t realize you’re doing because you’re absorbed, challenged, and engaged! It’s learning that’s irresistible. Here is a Level One exercise from our PuzzleArt Alli Activity Books: Challenge Edition 1. Have your child  complete the entire activity every day for five days. Remember: this is a game –  a game that will help develop oculomotor and perceptual skills – but it is still a game (and games are fun!). Take unobtrusive notes as your child completes the activity – note the date, record the start and finish times, and jot down any obvious difficulties. This list can then help a professional when evaluating your child. Take action today to halt the summer slide in its tracks! Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

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