Audiva products
The Brain Fit
What is the Brain Fit and what does it do?
It is an electronic device that
feels and handles like a video game handset and works on a brain system
called the Lateral Order Threshold (LOT) processing speed. Which is "the
smallest possible separation in time needed to discriminate between which
of two stimuli was first – the one on the left side, or the one on
the right side" as studied by scientific researchers over the last
40 years.
The Brain Fit generates stimuli that can be auditory (clicks – binaural via headphones), visual (lights), combined modal (clicks and lights together) or cross modal (random alternation between clicks and lights). The task is to determine which stimulus occurred first (left or right), then press the appropriate button. The device assesses the answer and progressively reduces, or increases, the time delay between the two stimuli until it is matching the Lateral Order Threshold of the "player". A number of settings are pre-programmed and can be selected to adjust the degree of difficulty – and the encouragement given by the device. The Brain Fit does NOT measure speed of reaction time. It measures the accuracy of a considered response.
Why is the Lateral Order Threshold important?
The sequence of brain and sensory development follows the route of:-
- Tactile – the first sense to develop.
- Kinaesthetic
- Auditory
- Visual – the last sense to fully develop.
Computer and video games demand fast reaction times in complex visual situations and can emphasise the early development of the visual system before the auditory system has sufficiently matured – although the game software often incorporates a lot of "noise", there is little need to build fine auditory discrimination.
This early visual development can result in delayed auditory development and scientific studies have shown that this often reduces the capacity and speed of auditory processing which can show as a delay in Lateral Order Threshold. (Audiva 2002).
And poor Lateral Order Threshold processing speeds have been linked to children with speech & language as well as reading problems (May et al 1988)
So, working on this principle, the Brain Fit gives an easily measured indicator of the speed and accuracy of the complex brain functions around speech, language, short term and working memory access, as well as motor responses important in academic learning.
- Children and adults love to play with it and can monitor their own progress.
- Highlights quickly indicators of areas of processing difficulty.
- By observing closely how the learner is pressing the buttons in relation to the stimuli, visual responses can be monitored.
- By "listening in" to the clicks via a stereo splitter, auditory responses can be monitored.
- The accuracy of motor responses can be observed.
- The parent/Teacher can quickly appreciate where the learner is having issues.
Who can benefit from using the Brain Fit?
- As an assessment indicator tool:-
- Support for Learning Teachers.
- Speech & Language Specialists.
- SENCOS.
- Educational Psychologists.
- Therapists and Practitioners working with
- Children and adults finding difficulty learning.
- Acquired Aphasics (eg stroke victims).
- Parents concerned about their child.
- As a training tool:-
- Children and all learners whose visual and auditory Lateral Order processing speeds are out of step. Particularly when they are having learning difficulties.
- Including those with short attention span since it demands an accurate, considered response rather than the hyper-inducing videogame reaction speed.
- Certain categories of brain injured patients to aid recovery of available
brain function.
For more...
- Order Audiva Products from Ladder
of Learning
- Email audiva@ladderoflearning.co.uk for more info
- Play with a Brain Fit on a Zoom
Learning workshop
[link opens in a new window] - For further background info please visit:
www.audiva.org (limited product range, English) or
www.audiva.de (fuller range, German).
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