Something Better Than Accommodations?

If you had asked me three or four years ago whether a dyslexic brain could ever fundamentally change in how it functions, I would have answered with a definite no.  I believed that you could make some gradual improvements with a lot of effort, but were limited in how much change you could bring about by the way the brain was fundamentally connected.  In the same way that I will never be an Olympic athlete, no matter how hard I train, I’m limited by my body’s genetic make-up as to how much that training will change my physical abilities. I am a slim build and not particularly tall.  No matter how hard I train, I will never be tall, or muscular, or have the strength required for Olympic competition.

I’m beginning to question this theory when it comes to the brain.  Our family has had some personal experiences with learning therapy and brain retraining, and based on these experiences and what I learned from reading, The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, I’m beginning to question whether or not we have imposed our own limitations on what is possible.  There may still be some limitations on how much the brain can change, but I believe now that we can make a lot of significant changes long before we bump into those limitations.  I’m even seriously questioning whether or not we are capable of changing the mental equivalents of height, muscle structure, and strength from my sports analogy, and actually change the limits of the brain’s capabilities.

These are significant questions particularly when viewed from the perspective of a learning challenge.  What if we can do more than just accommodate learning differences?  What if we can fundamentally change how the brain learns, stores, and processes information?  I’m starting to think that we need to look beyond accommodations for students.  Don’t get me wrong!  I think accommodations are an important part of the process, and still may be very useful in some circumstances, but I don’t think they are the complete answer anymore.  I see them now as more of a bridge to support the student while they are also developing and strengthening new neural networks and literally changing how their brain is wired so that they no longer need accommodations.

I will be exploring these ideas more over the coming weeks, and am also interested in your thoughts on the subject.