Category: Blog

Do you or your children have special needs or learning disabilities like ADD/ADHD or APD and are considering using listening therapy programs?

While regular listening programs are focusing on filtering music, Forbrain is challenging your brain thanks to your own voice. Use Forbrain for a few minutes a day with any listening program.

There are several integrated listening systems available in the US. You have probably heard about the well-known Tomatis Method® created by Dr. Alfred Tomatis or the Therapeutic listening (Vitallinks) created by Sheila Frick. Both of them recommend Forbrain.

You might know The Listening Program (TLP) by Advanced Brain Technologies and Safe and Sound Protocol by Unyte iLS. There are many therapists and specialists trained in TLP or iLS who recommend Forbrain.

What are the main differences between all these listening programs and Forbrain?

Firstly, Forbrain focuses on your voice while the other programs mainly focus on music. 

Thanks to your voice, you transmit instructions and messages to your brain. It is what your GPS in your car does! Much more than the message and instruction, thanks to your voice, you share your feeling, emotion, and, in a way, your personality. You also use your voice to write, read, or memorize. In those situations, you speak to yourself in silence, but still, you verbalize and hear yourself in your head. 

Your voice is the reflection of yourself. Your voice is the first source of energy your brain uses to focus and be dynamic. For us, speaking is a habit that is as natural as eating. When you speak you send stimulations to your brain. Thanks to Forbrain, you can learn how to use your voice to boost your brain.

Secondly, Forbrain focuses on bone conduction of soundwaves while a lot of listening programs are focusing on the quality of music transmitted through air conduction.

Sound is vibration. Sound vibrates in the air…it also vibrates on the bone of your body. Sound vibration is transmitted 10 times faster by your bone than through air. Why is it so important? When your brain receives the sound of your voice through the air, it has already received it through bone conduction. That way your brain analyzes the message of your voice twice. The message transmitted through the bones of your skull is different from the one received through the air canal. By analyzing those two messages, the brain is automatically adjusting your voice to the right situation. Forbrain helps the brain to pay attention to the most powerful way to transmit sound – through the bones.

Thirdly, Forbrain is equipped with a very specific dynamic filter whereas a lot of listening programs are using simple filters

Listening programs work with filters that turn down specific frequencies and amplify others. High frequencies can stimulate the brain. Depending on your profile and goals, filters can be adjusted to personalize your program. But few listening programs use a dynamic filter. 

Why is it so important to use a dynamic filter? The brain functions on the principle of attention which means that it is highly sensitive to any kind of sudden changes. When you talk, you are supposed to hear the feedback of the sound you have just emitted. If we change this feedback by amplifying specific patterns of your voice, your brain can be stimulated to pay attention to your voice. 

The Forbrain dynamic filter works like an on / off switch. This switch is activated as soon as your voice is emitting specific patterns.

Research shows that most children with reading and learning complications suffer from problems in auditory processing.

By Dr. M.Estaki (Esteki), Assistant Professor, Azad University

Background: The lack of success in acquiring reading skills in early school years, can deeply prevent students from achieving in most other educational subjects. Research shows that most children with reading and learning complications suffer from problems in auditory processing. It may therefore be suitable for those who have reading difficulties to be treated with sound therapy. This study aimed to assess the effect of sound therapy with Forbrain on reading skills and auditory discrimination for students with reading difficulties.

Method: This study was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-posttest and control group. The sample group was 20 students who were studying in elementary school (second and third grade). They were selected by the available sampling method and assigned randomly to two experimental and control groups. Data were collected by the Reading & Dyslexia Test (Karami nori & Moradi 1378) and Wepman auditory discrimination test (WADT 1987). After the pre-test, the experimental group for 20 sessions was trained by sound therapy with Forbrain while the control group received no intervention. Then, the subjects of the two groups were tested by post-test. The statistical models were the Analyze of Covariance (ANCOVA). 

Results: In the post-test, the mean of reading skills (p= 0.000< 0.001), and auditory discrimination (p=0.000< 0.001) in the experimental group decreased significantly. This difference also was significant for all subscales of reading skills except Rhyme and Reading non-words (p=0.07, 0.96).

Conclusion: The findings show that sound therapy with Forbrain has a significant effect on reading skills and auditory discrimination in students with reading difficulties.

The purpose of this empirical study will be to replicate the effects of a single fifteen-minute session of Forbrain use on neuronal, physiological, and behavioral measures in a group of healthy participants, as previously described in our proof of concept single case study (Forbrain N1). By Dr. Carles Escera (Note – This is a research in progress)

Work: We will focus our testing only on the parameters that yielded significant results in our previous study: the ATTN test, heart rate, skin conductance, and voice variables. The design will be very similar to that used in the previous study, with the following changes:  

1. Instead of a single case design (N=1 participant) there now be 32 subjects (N=32 participants) and 

2. Half (n=16) of the participants will be randomly assigned to a control (“placebo”) group in which the Forbrain device will be kept off during the whole session. 

Because in our initial study robust effects appeared after one single session of use, we will have one single session per participant. However, before starting the actual experiment, we will collect some dummy data on all three measurements to allow the participant to become acquainted with the laboratory procedures and thus avoid the undesired effects for heart rate we observed during session 1 in our previous experiment. The protocol for the study will be therefore as follows:

• Accommodation of the laboratory procedures
• ATTN test pre-use (2 runs of 10 minutes)
• Physiological and voice recordings during reading (Forbrain off) – (7 minutes)
• Physiological and voice recordings during reading (Forbrain on) – (15 minutes). Notice however that for the control (placebo) group, Forbrain will be kept off during the whole laboratory session.
• Physiological and voice recordings during reading (Forbrain off) – (7 minutes)
• ATTN test post-use (2 runs of 10 minutes)

Impact: The proposed design, a controlled placebo, eventually double-blind study (at least, the participants won’t be informed about which group they are in, and the researcher analyzing the data will ignore the group assignment until the conclusions are drawn), will provide the strongest evidence in support of the phasic effects of Forbrain. We expect to replicate our previous single-case findings. If so, it is anticipated that a highly impactful scientific publication will result from this study.

Methodology: To test for attentional capabilities, concentration, and the ability to cope with involuntary attention, the participant’s performance on a task in which they have to cope with distracters, as well as the brain responses triggered by these distracters (the distraction potential –DP, including mismatch negativity –MMN, novelty-P3, and reorienting negativity –RON) will be used (see Escera et al., 1998; Escera and Corral, 2007). [ATT test].

In addition, the effects of Forbrain on voice quality and on emotional arousal will be tested. The former will be checked by recording the participant’s voice during reading; the latter will be checked by measuring electrodermal activity (EDA) and the electrocardiogram (EKG) to derive heart rate.

Subjects. A total of N=32 participants will be enrolled. They will be healthy university students (age range 18-35 years; male or female) with no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders and normal hearing (hearing level will be determined through standard audiometry). Music expertise will be disregarded, as it has been shown to enhance the encoding of speech sound features and auditory discrimination.

The experiment will be conducted in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki). Before the experimental session, all the details of the research (except the hypotheses) will be explained to the participant, who will be informed also about the characteristics of the methods (EEG).

During the active speech protocol, the participant will be given a self-selected text and will be instructed to read aloud for a period of 15 consecutive minutes, while wearing the Forbrain device.

Stimulus presentation and EEG recording. [ATT test] To measure involuntary attention control, a distraction paradigm will be used. In this paradigm, participants are instructed to discriminate visual stimuli (consonants and vowels) while ignoring the preceding auditory stimulus. The sound-letter pairs are presented every 1.2 seconds, and subjects are instructed to press the corresponding response button (consonant/vowel) as fast and as accurately as possible. Critically, most of the sounds consist of a repeated tone pip, which is occasionally replaced by a “distracting” novel sound. In addition, brain responses are recorded to the distracting sounds to isolate the neural signatures of the three stages of involuntary attention control: detecting the distracter (MMN), orienting of attention (novelty-P3), restoring attention to primary task performance (RON) (Escera and Corral, 2007).

The EEG will be recorded at the premises of the Brainlab-Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group located in the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, by means of a SynAmpsRT amplifier. Acquisition parameters will be set to 20000 kHz sampling rate, filter settings: 0.5-2000 Hz, and recordings will be obtained from at least 7 scalp locations (FPz, Fz, Cz, F3, F4, C3, C4); larger set-ups may be considered to record the DP.

An independent component analysis (ICA) blind procedure will be used to scan all EEG epochs for artifacts, and those with artifacts will be excluded from the averages. Responses will be analyzed separately by individual and condition. The dependent variables will be: the harmonic amplitudes of the FFR elicited to the CV /da/ in the two contexts (silent and speech-in-noise); the amplitude and latency of the MMN elicited to F0, INT, voD, voI deviants; and the response time and hit rate to visual targets preceded by repeated and novel sounds as well as the amplitude of the MMN, novelty-P3 and RON responses elicited to the distracters. A statistical approach based on time series analysis will be applied to the data.

Sensory processing, or sensory integration, refers to the way our nervous system interprets sensory messages and turns them into the appropriate physical responses.

Your body processes sensory input whether you’re eating or reading, but some children have a condition that jumbles up sensory signals and makes day-to-day tasks become troublesome hurdles. This condition is referred to as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Occupational therapists can help create a sensory menu—or list of individualized sensory activities—that help kids with sensory processing disorder behave more functionally.

Proprioception Activities    

Proprioception is the sense of knowing where your body is positioned in relation to other body parts without needing to look at it. Proprioception activities that an occupational therapist recommends for a sensory diet depends on the patient. For instance, the therapist may recommend that you help your toddler practice pushing a stroller, or that you roll your toddler up with a blanket (à la burrito). However, for an older child, jumping on a trampoline or pushing a heavier object such as a vacuum may be recommended.

Tactile Activities

Your tactile sense allows you to detect light and deep pressure, vibrations, an object’s temperature, pain, and texture. Tactile activities for a child may involve simple activities such as playing with soap and sand, doing arts and crafts, baking pastries and tasting foods with different textures and temperatures. A child may also benefit from picking up a hobby with a variety of tactile stimulation such as gardening, scrapbooking, or sewing.

Vestibular Activities

Your vestibular system uses organs in your inner ear to give you a sense of balance, help you sense movement, and keep you upright, according to Brain Training Associates, Inc. Movements such as swinging, hanging, and spinning provide your body with the longest-lasting input, though any movement should stimulate your vestibular receptors. Some examples of vestibular activities are swinging on a swing set, rolling down a grassy hill, dancing to music, and doing jumping jacks.

Visual Activities

Visual input may overwhelm you if you have sensory integration dysfunction. Stringing beads, engaging in object-finding picture games, and playing card-matching games may help a child with visual system problems. Playing flashlight games with your child, such as asking her to move a flashlight on the wall to follow your flashlight’s movements, may also enhance her visual system. An occupational therapist may recommend that you limit visual stimuli surrounding your child to avoid overwhelming the system. It’s important to consult your therapist about how much stimulation is good for your child. In some cases, a reduction in extraneous stimulation could include clearing a classroom of clutter and asking the teacher to place her at the front where there are less distractions.

Hearing and Listening Activities

Your child’s occupational therapist may recommend that you help improve your child’s auditory system by playing sound-centric games such as imitating drum rhythms with a stick, or asking your child to guess where certain sounds are coming from. Some other simple listening activities include: listening to favorite songs, going to the beach to listen to sounds of the ocean, or taking a hike to listen for other nature sounds. Additionally, there are several products available to purchase that can help create a multi-sensory therapy experience at home. An example is music and movement-based program by Soundsory, which uses specialized headphones and a forty-day program to improve sensory processing, emotional regulation, and development of cognitive skills.

Tasting and Smelling Activities

Your child’s sense of smell and taste are closely linked and should allow the ability to enjoy positive flavors and scents, or react poorly to unpleasant or dangerous ones. Your child’s occupational therapist will specify the tasting and smelling activities that she thinks will help your child’s unique condition. For instance, if your child lacks sensitivity to smelling and tasting, the therapist may recommend that you ask him to guess the smell of certain scratch-and-sniff stickers or play a blindfolded food-guessing game. If your child is extra sensitive to certain flavors, the occupational therapist may recommend that you slowly incorporate new flavors into foods they like.

Children with SPD may benefit from specialized sensory-stimulating activities during therapy, and with a solid home program. An occupational therapist who is well-trained in how to manage SPD can help teach you the activities that are best for your child so to live their happiest, fullest life. If you care for a child with SPD, talk to their doctor or therapist for more information about how you can help.

A study conducted at the Mediterrani de La Ampolla School in Tarragona, Spain shows Forbrain’s beneficial effects in improving reading and comprehension.

This neurosensory stimulation program (Forbrain) was used with 8 primary school male and female students. The school’s diversity was taken into account (4 of the students were in first grade, 2 in second grade, and 2 in sixth grade), and some of the participating students had attention deficit issues. To measure the students’ progress and evaluate the program’s benefit in the school, the standard reading speed test GALÍ in Catalonian was used. 

This study showed Forbrain’s overall beneficial effect on the students. All of the participating students increased their academic performance and their ability to process information improved as well. 

Download and read the full report here.

This scientific study conducted by the Universidad Internacional de la Rioja focused on testing the effectiveness of Forbrain in improving reading speed, working memory, and attention.

In order to carry out the study,  29 subjects were chosen, 14 of which formed the Experimental Group and 15 the Control Group, to which an initial measure of the levels presented in reading speed, memory, and attention (variables) was taken. Then, a training program for all subjects was carried out, which consisted of daily 15-minute reading sessions for 10 days. The Experimental Group used Forbrain during these sessions, while the Control Group did them without it. Once the training was complete, a second measure of the levels in the different mentioned variables was taken, in order to assess the effectiveness of Forbrain. The results showed a significant improvement in the Experimental Group, but not in the Control Group with respect to reading speed and attention. The results obtained in working memory are inconclusive, being able to have been affected by the repetition of the test since both groups showed an improvement post-test. 

The ensuing results from this study indicated a significant efficacy of Forbrain in important areas of education, such as reading and attention, and are encouraging for the possible use of Forbrain in schools to correct possible issues.

As far as developmental delays in young children are concerned, speech and language delays rank fairly high. Children often struggle with the ability to understand and reproduce language which translates into them not accomplishing certain developmental milestones. The reasons for language delays are multifarious – genetic linkage, ear infections or hearing loss and even the surrounding environment in which the child grows up.

Forbrain is an educational tool that is being used by several therapists and families to use with children who show signs or are diagnosed with language delays. Forbrain helps work on their audio-vocal loop thereby improving speech and reading comprehension. 

In the following video, Grace Lindley, a speech and language therapist based in Paris, breaks down the myriad aspects of language delays – what are the causes, observed symptoms, how Forbrain can help children with language delays, and activities to do with Forbrain. By using Forbrain in her practice, Grace has seen children discover their voice and become more vocal, acquire command of new words faster and being more motivated to participate in therapy.

Check out her video series on various learning disorders in children, here!

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects social interaction, communication and behaviour. According to the CDC, as many as 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with ASD each year, with boys being 4 times more likely to receive a diagnosis of ASD than girls.

Children are often diagnosed between 2-4 years of age. ASD ranges from mild to severe; and uses a three level system. Level one being mild and level three being severe. Children diagnosed at level one may not need very much support, but those at level two or three may require substantial support. No matter the level of severity there are always issues in two key areas: Social Communication, and Restrictive or Repetitive Behaviours and Interests.

Forbrain is an educational tool that is being used by several therapists and families to use with children who show signs or are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Forbrain helps the child to hear and process the sounds that they produce, louder and better. For some children with ASD this effect of hearing themselves slightly louder helps them to stay present and focused, and decreases the risk of being distracted by things happening in the background. When a child is better able to focus and stay present, Forbrain therapy sessions become significantly more productive and enjoyable.

In the following video, Grace Lindley, a speech and language therapist based in Paris, breaks down the different aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorders – what are the causes, observed symptoms, how Forbrain can help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and activities to do with Forbrain. By using Forbrain in her practice with children with ASD, she has observed significant improvements in focus and attention, and an improved ability to regulate energy and mood. The great thing about these improvements is that with continued practice and time, they seem to then carry over into sessions even when the child isn’t wearing Forbrain. Some children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who enjoy wearing Forbrain will also vocalise more when they wear it, because they seem to like how their voice sounds.

Last month, we received a testimonial about how Forbrain helped overcome various cognitive processing challenges. This is Julia’s story, in her own words..

When I was a little girl I used to want to be an actress. However, I would always mess up the lines and say words that were not on the page. Teachers would often get mad at me and I grew very self-conscious when it came to reading out loud and my dream of becoming an actress faded quickly. 

Later in life, I discovered I had some learning challenges, like Dyslexia and some auditory processing issues.

Around a year and a half ago, I was introduced to Forbrain. With my auditory processing challenges, information can sadly go in one ear and out the other. Yet, within the first time of using it, I swear it changed my life. I am so much better at reading out loud. I bring the headphones with me everywhere, from therapy to a doctors appointments. I can process my daily interactions so much better, remember my conversations much easier, and I genuinely feel like everything I do is way more effective! I will not have a therapy session without it as it helps me remember what happened in the session much better and the most surprising yet amazing benefit is that I am better able to articulate my thoughts and feelings. 

I practice reading out loud with it daily, and my auditory and reading skills have gotten SO much better. I used to literally cry in school when I was asked to read out loud and now I have no trouble doing so. 

Since using the Forbrain, I am so much better at recalling what people have told me and I’m much better at listening and relaying information to others. I truly could not live functionally without this device! I used to really speak from my throat, and now I’m noticing I speak a lot much more for my diaphragm. Since I have asthma, it makes it much easier for me to breathe because I’m speaking from my diaphragm not from my chest and I am breathing much deeper. 

I wish I had this device growing up! It would have made going to school, reading, and every aspect of day to day life from following directions, instructions to basic conversation SO much easier! My biggest hope is that everyone in this world can have and use Forbrain. Regardless if they have learning challenges or not, it will make their memory, speaking and brain health so much better and is such a great device for optimal brain performance.

Of course, I discovered this device a week after graduating college, but I know it would have made studying, learning new information significantly easier. I cannot recommend this enough for anyone and everyone, regardless of what challenges they may have

1. Attention

One of the very foundational aspects of the learning process for a student is the ability to be attentive. Attention is vital for a student in order to absorb information, focus their mind on a task and controlling emotional outbursts. Lack of concentration and focus can lead to inability to complete an assignment or daydreaming. At a time when online classes have become the new normal, it is imperative that the parent or the instructor structure the lessons in a way that resonates with students and not let their minds drift away. 

Relate Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, for example, to the significance of human values and familial relationships. Open a line of dialogue with them and seek active participation from their end by getting them to voice out their thoughts and perspective on the subject matter of the text. The form of a give and take mechanism can keep the child attentive while also enabling them to actively contribute to the learning environment. Encourage students to also take breaks and move around (no iPhones or iPads during this time though! 😎) as they might tune out or get distracted.  

2. Memory

We use memory systems like short term memory and long term memory to help receive, file and retrieve information. As a student delves into an array of subjects like math, language, or a foreign language, they are expected to remember information in those subjects in significant detail. They would need to understand concepts behind mathematical equations and sometimes commit them to memory. Sometimes, students might face difficulty in doing exactly that. Which is why, teachers and parents who oversee a student’s online class or an assignment would need to repeat instructions both orally and on text.

This repetitive process can be helpful for a child as it would ultimately help improve their reading comprehension skills and enable them to perform better in assessment tests. You could also create mind maps of several ideas and how they resonate with each other. Establishing connections between words and subjects enable students to engage with the material better and develop an enhanced understanding of the topic at hand.

3. Language and Speech

Our language processing skills aid us in our development in several different ways, the most important being our abilities to read, write, listen and speak. Issues with speech and language in children sometimes lead to failure in expressing emotions, communication and building and maintaining relationships.

If a child has issues with language processing, lessons should be structured in a way that it does not overly strain the child mentally. Classes can be interspersed with frequent breaks and down periods. Using different forms of visual communication like pictures and videos can be innovative ways of working with children and keeps them engaged.  

How can Forbrain help? 

Forbrain‘s underlying technology of bone conduction and gating allows the user to get instant, amplified feedback of their own voice and reinforce the three essential learning components of attention, memory and language. 

Encourage students to wear their Forbrain headsets while studying or practicing the multiplication table for example. By hearing their voice more clearly while wearing Forbrain, students are more aware of their pronunciation, their tone, their rhythm, and very quickly improve their oral speaking, language and reading comprehension skills. They are focused not only on their own voice, but also on the content of what they are trying to learn. They memorize their lessons better with a heightened sense of attention and concentration. 

Learning by talking out loud and wearing the Forbrain headset for 10-20 minutes a day helps the child’s brain to be more aware and receptive to the message thereby enabling them to learn quicker and perform better academically.

Although various parts of the world are slowly getting back up to speed with pre-COVID19 learning patterns, many schools and educational institutions remain closed. Parents are giving it their all to help their kids feel comfortable with their new learning environments which they were not used to before the commencement of the lockdown. In addition to setting up structured lessons from home, parents can leverage the efficacy of Forbrain to help improve attention, reading skills, social communication, and overall learning!

Here are some actions that parents can take to help their children learn from home..

1. Prepare and manage assignments sent from educational institutions

Schools emailing homework assignments to students is effectively the new norm. In order to facilitate courses and lessons, parents can print learning materials the night before and come up with a daily curriculum plan for their children. Having notes printed thereby reading something tangible whilst wearing the Forbrain headphones would enable students to better focus on their work and learn on their own. For children who need a bit of help or supervision from their parents, Forbrain helps keep them focused but also leaves their ears unblocked, meaning that they can wear the headphones but at the same time get help from their parents. Reading aloud from the printed notes and speaking into the Forbrain microphone helps students to learn better and faster by training the brain to be more receptive to their voices.

2. Create a dedicated, learning space for children

Parents can work on creating a dedicated space for their kids to work at – like the family dining table! Parents know their children best and it is essential that productivity is maintained throughout the day. Parents can spend time with their children by assisting them in their assignments with Forbrain in tandem. Whilst using the Forbrain, kids should be sitting upright at the dining table to derive the most benefits out of the headset.

3. Be flexible around scheduling

Maintaining a consistent period where work gets completed is what parents should be aiming for when overseeing their children’s academics at home. Breaking tasks in 15-20 min blocks with quick 4-5 min breaks in between. Parents have to be reasonably flexible around timings – if progress is not being made on an assignment for example, ask your child if they need assistance.

4. Organize fun learning activities

Parents can incorporate fun and engaging tasks to keep them busy throughout the day while keeping the Forbrain on. Organize a quiz with the whole family or play a movie subtitle game where they could think of lines that actors could possibly say and say them out loud while keeping the audio muted!

5. Leverage e-learning resources

Breakdown in communication with children when they are learning from home is very common – they can get distracted or frustrated due to the lack of visual cues in coursework or otherwise. Parents can consult a plethora of online resources – along with their children to solve the issue at hand. Interactive, visually stimulating videos can reinvigorate interest in completing a particular task. Wearing the Forbrain and working with Youtube videos that can help explain a particular chemistry theorem can be super beneficial to students as they can approach the issue from another angle.

As a parent, you would want to use Forbrain in a way that would get the best out of your child. If your child seems very focused but lacks the confidence in public speaking and oration, create a theater game for them where they could role-play while wearing the Forbrain. If your child is adept at reading comprehension but finds it difficult to focus during math homework sessions at home- use it then!

Adapt Forbrain to your child’s needs and continue to reap the benefits of the tool!

1. AtomTouch
2. Crystal Cave
3. Lost at the Forever Mine
4. Lakeland

The best-laid plans of many parents are falling apart after weeks of keeping their kids home during the COVID-19 pandemic — and for many families, Netflix binges and video games are replacing any attempts at home schooling.

For four years, University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers and Field Day Lab game designers have developed options for productive screen time. And their educational — but, most importantly, fun — games aimed at middle and high schoolers are available for free on the Field Day Lab website and on the GameUp section of the educational website BrainPOP.

Three of the games were created with UW–Madison’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC):

In AtomTouch, a simulation designed for fifth grade through early high school, players can add and subtract atoms from molecules and explore different types of atomic bonds and states of matter.

Dane Morgan, a UW–Madison materials science and engineering professor, had seen the way most middle-schoolers learn about atoms — via diagrams of circles with electrons orbiting them — and thought a game in which students could manipulate, transform and atoms on a more intuitive level would offer a better introduction.

“There’s experiment, then there’s theory, where you just write down equations, and then there’s simulation where you take the equations and you actually re-create the world virtually on a computer,” says Morgan, an expert in molecular dynamics simulation. “The power of that is extraordinary.”

Crystal Cave is part of a series of Field Day games called The Yard featuring a cast of kid characters who hang out in a junkyard and use games to understand concepts (informed by the work of UW–Madison scientists) including the water cycle, earthquakes, antibiotic resistance and other topics.

Based on research by Materials Science and Engineering Professor and MRSEC Director Paul Evans, Crystal Cave gives players the power to makes crystal structures from atoms, and manipulate the crystals to make materials with properties that are useful in applications like solar cells or computer chips.

Lost at the Forever Mine puts players in the shoes of intergalactic materials scientists who crash land on an abandoned mining planet. Their goal is to mine and process enough fuel to stay alive and eventually repair the ship. Over the course of the adventure game, which Field Day has dubbed a “math drama,” students must create mathematical models in order to allocate their time and resources. Along the way, there are cute robots that drop by, some very impressive art created by Field Day, as well as MAL, a sassy robot that may or may not be an ally.

“Players are trying to get a basic understanding of real-world phenomena and trying to predict future events from the data they collect,” says Matthew Stilwell, MRSEC assistant director of education.

Field Day’s most recent engineering-inspired game is Lakeland, based on research conducted by Victor Zavala, a professor of chemical and biological engineering, who studies the way phosphorus pollution in lakes leads to toxic algae blooms that can harm fish and the environment and ruin beach days.

In Lakeland, aimed at high school students, players start from the beginning, attempting to grow a town near a lake without degrading the water quality. That means managing a complex system, correctly placing houses, farms and dairies in places that won’t affect the lake while also judiciously using fertilizer to produce enough corn and milk to export and feed the local population.

While the endearing little townspeople make the game fun, keeping them alive and the lakes clean is not a simple task.

“Failure is an awesome part of learning,” says Field Day Director David Gagnon. “That’s where the action is. In well-designed video games, you’re failing all the time. And when you do succeed, it matters.”

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with an Occupational Therapist about how Forbrain® has worked in her practice, and why she considers it a staple in her therapy toolbox.

Kara Tavolacci, OTR/L, works with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Children with these disorders are dynamic clients that require a therapist who is “on the ball.” Each child has different challenges and different therapy needs, which requires exceptionally personalized treatment plans. Despite her clients’ unique abilities, Forbrain has become a standard complement—and sometimes basis—of treatment plans in Kara’s practice.

Kara has been working as an Occupational Therapist for nearly fifteen years. She found her niche working with pediatric population and soon after, joined many other clinicians who use Forbrain regularly in their practice. Now she practices at the Tomatis Sensory Center in Paris.

“I’ve experienced it personally, so I know how powerful the voice is.”

Kara explains that the success she has experienced using Forbrain in her practice comes mostly from its variety of applications. If a child has an apparent speech or language delay, she may test use of the Forbrain during the initial evaluation to see how a child responds. In the case of a child without a speech or language delay, Kara can still use the device and observes benefits like:

• Decreased vocal stimming (self-soothing vocalizations that may be disruptive)
• Improved motor skills during sessions
• Modulated rate, rhythm, and intensity of the voice
• Improved ability to communicate thoughts to others
• Improved attention to tasks

When is a Child with ASD a Good Candidate for Forbrain?

Kara tells me that all patients that walk through the door are potential candidates for use of Forbrain. “Usually, within the evaluation, I’m trying it on to see how they respond to it.” Even if the child isn’t keen to it on the first try, she’s usually talking about it and attempting it within the first few sessions.

It’s a little more obvious when a child presents with a significant speech or language delay. In these cases, kids are usually working with a Speech-Language Pathologist as well, and Kara will recommend that a family take the device home to use in their speech sessions. This multidisciplinary approach is a model that is known as invaluable to success in treatment.

How to Introduce Forbrain to a Client

When introducing the Forbrain to a client for the first time, Kara likes to know her audience. Sometimes parents are interested in the technology of the device and want to know about the dynamic filter and audio-vocal loop. Sometimes they just need to know that it helps enhance their child’s voice in a natural way, leading to improved brain function. Either way, taking the time to address a parent or client’s questions about the device before using it will help improve understanding and willingness.

How Children with ASD Respond to Forbrain

“Children are really into it!” says Kara about children with ASD who use the Forbrain. “They like to pretend they are rock stars.” Some children, on the other hand, may need some time to adjust to the experience of connecting and controlling their voice. “The voice is very powerful so it can be overwhelming for kids when they first experience connecting with their voice. Don’t be afraid of that, don’t give up on it; maybe try it for two minutes then another two minutes until they get comfortable with listening to their own voice.” Kara recommends putting it on for a short period of time and increase the duration to build acceptance.

For children who are reluctant at first and are developmentally appropriate, the use of distraction is an option. Kara will engage the child in a motor activity (such as bouncing on a ball or swinging on a swing) and quickly place the Forbrain on them and talk about what is happening: “One, two, three, go!”

Using Forbrain During Therapy Sessions to Improve Learning

Occupational therapists like Kara provide therapies tailored to the unique needs of the child with ASD and SPD or other motor-sensory difficulties. An example of how Forbrain can be easily assimilated into these activities is by following a therapy activity with an oral review. During the oral review, the client recalls and discusses the activity that was performed while wearing the Forbrain headphones. Kara says that this strategy has a noticeable effect on recall and attention.

Kara appreciates the importance of following the child’s lead when it comes to treatment goals. She’s always looking to increase the time that a child uses the Forbrain but takes seriously the ability and willingness of the child to be challenged in a productive way.

Older Children and Teenagers with ASD

Kara has the opportunity to work with children of all ages. With some of the older children, she uses the Forbrain to help improve vocal control, oral reading, and to increase spontaneous verbalizations with people in their environment. Sessions include reading aloud while sitting up against a wall (posture is important!) or

Home Program

A good home program is imperative to improve generalization of skills learned in therapy sessions. This is why Kara likes to do patient and caregiver education during sessions: “I like to have the parents put the device on [themselves] during the session so they can get acclimated to it: it’s a much better way for them to learn how to use it.”

A typical home program includes recommendations for how long / how often to use the Forbrain, as well as explaining to parents that it’s not an additional activity they need to add to their schedule. “I tell the parents that if an older child is doing homework—especially reading homework—they can do it with the Forbrain. [It’s] so great because it’s flexible and easy to use!”

For younger children, a floor-time model or play-based activity is best. Children tend to increase their spontaneous vocalizations while wearing the Forbrain even when playing alone. Offering a child verbal activities that include turn-taking and eye contact with another person helps the communication become more functional (mimicking the skills they would use in a real-life communication-based scenario).

Building a successful caseload when working with children with ASD can be a challenge in that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment plan. One thing Kara has been able to count on, however, is increases results with the use of Forbrain bone-conduction headphones. And her experiences aren’t limited to her clients:

“Personally, I use it myself. I’m not a big fan of public speaking or presentations. I practice my speeches with Forbrain and I also use it because I’m trying to learn French at the moment. If you’re listening to recordings, you can turn the microphone to pick up the sounds and then repeat what was said, so it’s a really nice tool to use for that sense!”

Why Students Decline Over Summer Break

According to the Brookings Institution—a nonprofit organization that conducts research about problems facing US society—during the summer, students’ achievement scores decline by about one month’s worth of school year learning. Children who have a better chance of avoiding the summer setback are those with access to resources such as libraries, activities with educated family members, or quality summer programs.

When teachers are asked about which skills tend to decline over summer vacation, literacy is at the top of the list. Literacy is not learned without education. Unlike speaking, which is primarily learned from experiences with other humans—by listening to the various sound and word combinations—reading and writing must be studied to master.

While the notion of studying over summer break is a lot less desirable than heading to the beach for a picnic lunch, there are ways you can integrate literacy-rich activities into your summer schedule without hitting the books every day.

Implementing literacy practice can be as easy as adding a few literacy-rich activities into your summer schedule. There’s no reason that literacy practice has to feel like hardcore homework. Read a few of these recommended ideas (you don’t even have to get up from your lawn chair).

1. Make a habit – One of the easiest examples of this is having a designated reading time such as after lunch or before bed. Children who benefit from early exposure to literature (such as a parent reading books with them before bedtime) continue to benefit from this practice for the rest of their lives.
2. Be an example – Children learn what they see and what better way for them to learn to love literacy than by seeing their parents reading, or even seeing their parents get excited about reading! It also doesn’t hurt to leave a few books lying around as a gentle suggestion.
3. Show interest and help them go deeper – If you’re not already an avid reader yourself, talk to your kids about what they’re reading. Ask questions about the content such as: What is happening in the story? Tell me about the characters. What do you hope happens? How would you change the story, if you could? Open dialogue about reading helps strengthen comprehension, reasoning, and interest.
4. Spend a hot afternoon at the library – Summer days off from school can be long and hot. Visiting the public library is a great way to get everyone out of the house, to benefit from some air conditioning, and to exercise brains by reading! It’s free, and when children explore books or other materials at the library, they’re empowered by their own imaginations.
   While you’re at the library, don’t forget to sign up for their annual summer reading program. Many public libraries offer programs with incentives for children to read.
5. Speaking of incentive programs… Scholastic® hosts a free online reading challenge called Read-a-Palooza. Kids can log on during the 18-week challenge and enter their number of minutes read to earn digital rewards. They can view a map which tracks minutes of participating schools, libraries, or community partner programs.
6. Host a children’s book club – All you need is a book and a date! A book club for children might be a playdate where each child brings a book they’ve been reading and presents it to the other children. It may not be practical to read the same book, but maybe you could suggest a theme. For example, Kids Can Press hosts a series called Citizen Kids and it includes books for children ages 8-10 that focus on making kids better global citizens. Topics include water conservation, biodiversity, food security, and more. Literacy and global citizenship? Sounds like a good summer indeed.
7. Write – Exploring how to write can help catapult reading skills. During summer break, kids can benefit from creative writing projects, or simply summarizing text that they’ve practiced reading. Even writing text in the form of emails or text messages can help strengthen literacy skills. Here’s a list of  5 Reasons Why Writing Helps Early Reading.
8. Make Lemonade (and read about it too) – Making lemonade stands during summer break isn’t just one of America’s favorite childhood pastimes, it’s also a great opportunity for literacy learning. From searching for, and following a recipe, to creating a business plan and menu, there’s plenty of opportunity to reinforce all levels of reading and writing skills learned during the school year. Cheers!
9. Brain-Boosting Technology To Maximize Benefits of Summer Time Reading – Support for a child is paramount to their literacy practice over the summer break. Having a parent or other supportive adult can turn ordinary summer activities into literacy-packed learning sessions. But did you know there’s an easy way to get even more out of that time? Using specialized headphones during literacy activities like the ones listed above is a way to take literacy learning to the next level.
   Forbrain Bone Conduction Headphones offer an organic and effective strategy to help the brain grow. Using a combination of audio-feedback, bone conduction, and a unique dynamic sound filter, the stimulus going in becomes a brain-boosting experience that improves memory, attention, and other cognitive skills needed to become a proficient reader. 

Preventing summer setback and maintaining good reading skills doesn’t mean you have to start a summer school program in your backyard—it is a vacation, after all. It can be as simple as shifting your summer activities so that they include more literacy-based challenges. Along with the use of a brain-boosting device like Forbrain, you’ve got a winning combination that will empower students and impress teachers come fall.

According to the Brookings Institution—a nonprofit organisation that conducts research about problems facing US society—during the summer, students’ achievement scores decline by about one month’s worth of school year learning. Children who have a better chance of avoiding the summer setback are those with access to resources such as libraries, activities with educated family members, or quality summer programs.

When teachers are asked about which skills tend to decline over summer vacation, literacy is at the top of the list. Literacy is not learned without education. Unlike speaking, which is primarily learned from experiences with other humans—by listening to the various sound and word combinations—reading and writing must be studied to master.

While the notion of studying over summer break is a lot less desirable than heading to the beach for a picnic lunch, there are ways you can integrate literacy-rich activities into your summer schedule without hitting the books every day.

Implementing literacy practice can be as easy as adding a few literacy-rich activities into your summer schedule. There’s no reason that literacy practice has to feel like hardcore homework. Read a few of these recommended ideas (you don’t even have to get up from your lawn chair).

1. Make a habit – One of the easiest examples of this is having a designated reading time such as after lunch or before bed. Children who benefit from early exposure to literature (such as a parent reading books with them before bedtime) continue to benefit from this practice for the rest of their lives.
2. Be an example – Children learn what they see and what better way for them to learn to love literacy than by seeing their parents reading, or even seeing their parents get excited about reading! It also doesn’t hurt to leave a few books lying around as a gentle suggestion.
3. Show interest and help them go deeper – If you’re not already an avid reader yourself, talk to your kids about what they’re reading. Ask questions about the content such as: What is happening in the story? Tell me about the characters. What do you hope happens? How would you change the story, if you could? Open dialogue about reading helps strengthen comprehension, reasoning, and interest.
4. Spend a hot afternoon at the library – Summer days off from school can be long and hot. Visiting the public library is a great way to get everyone out of the house, to benefit from some air conditioning, and to exercise brains by reading! It’s free, and when children explore books or other materials at the library, they’re empowered by their own imaginations.
   While you’re at the library, don’t forget to sign up for their annual summer reading program. Many public libraries offer programs with incentives for children to read.
5. Speaking of incentive programs… Scholastic® hosts a free online reading challenge called Read-a-Palooza. Kids can log on during the 18-week challenge and enter their number of minutes read to earn digital rewards. They can view a map which tracks minutes of participating schools, libraries, or community partner programs.
6. Host a children’s book club – All you need is a book and a date! A book club for children might be a playdate where each child brings a book they’ve been reading and presents it to the other children. It may not be practical to read the same book, but maybe you could suggest a theme. For example, Kids Can Press hosts a series called Citizen Kids and it includes books for children ages 8-10 that focus on making kids better global citizens. Topics include water conservation, biodiversity, food security, and more. Literacy and global citizenship? Sounds like a good summer indeed.
7. Write – Exploring how to write can help catapult reading skills. During summer break, kids can benefit from creative writing projects, or simply summarising text that they’ve practiced reading. Even writing text in the form of emails or text messages can help strengthen literacy skills. Here’s a list of  5 Reasons Why Writing Helps Early Reading.
8. Make Lemonade (and read about it too) – Making lemonade stands during summer break isn’t just one of America’s favorite childhood pastimes, it’s also a great opportunity for literacy learning. From searching for, and following a recipe, to creating a business plan and menu, there’s plenty of opportunity to reinforce all levels of reading and writing skills learned during the school year. Cheers!
9. Brain-Boosting Technology To Maximize Benefits of Summer Time Reading – Support for a child is paramount to their literacy practice over the summer break. Having a parent or other supportive adult can turn ordinary summer activities into literacy-packed learning sessions. But did you know there’s an easy way to get even more out of that time? Using specialised headphones during literacy activities like the ones listed above is a way to take literacy learning to the next level.
   Forbrain Bone Conduction Headphones offer an organic and effective strategy to help the brain grow. Using a combination of audio-feedback, bone conduction, and a unique dynamic sound filter, the stimulus going in becomes a brain-boosting experience that improves memory, attention, and other cognitive skills needed to become a proficient reader. Learn more about Forbrain here.

Preventing summer setback and maintaining good reading skills doesn’t mean you have to start a summer school program in your backyard—it is a vacation, after all. It can be as simple as shifting your summer activities so that they include more literacy-based challenges. Along with the use of a brain-boosting device like Forbrain, you’ve got a winning combination that will empower students and impress teachers come fall.

Knowing More and Doing Better: A Mother, Educator, and Business Founder Discovers the Holistic Cognitive Effects of Forbrain®

This month I had the pleasure of speaking with Charlotte Davies about Forbrain Headphone. She is the founder of a company called Fit-2-Learn, fierce researcher, and educationalist in England. In the first few moments of speaking with Charlotte, it was clear that she had a deep passion for helping people, especially children, reach their cognitive potential.

Charlotte’s personal history plays a large role in the conception of Fit-2-Learn. Her desire to bring change to education in England came from her professional experiences in China, including running Vietnamese refugee camps, where she witnessed the critical effects of children’s poor physical, mental, and social development. She observed children in refugee camps who couldn’t be left to play on the ground because of rat infestations, and as the children aged—and as a result of not crawling—they experienced poor development, which affected their learning abilities. “That is really important because you see physical development directly affecting people’s lifetime chances,” she said

A large number of Vietnamese refugees had difficulty with speech and language. The ability to speak several languages was advantageous for seeking asylum. The problem was that the people spoke many languages, but very poorly. Charlotte noted that speaking many languages poorly and no language well, meant that a person is unable to master at least one of them. She explained, “You really understood this incredible importance of getting high-level language learning to give people opportunities for life. I know people who are the second generation Vietnamese refugees and they work incredibly hard; it’s hard to overcome that level of disadvantage.”

As if this wasn’t enough suffering, Charlotte witnessed the effects of trauma on the developing brain of refugee children. Observing those who had experienced trauma in their lives as refugees, Charlotte learned that without help to heal or release the trauma, development stagnated. Her understanding of mental health broadened. She understood not only that psychological therapy is imperative for trauma rehabilitation, but also, that “Later on, when people are released, they want to get their singing and things going, that’s when Forbrain comes in.” Singing to heal trauma? Is that really a thing?

Yes, it is. Also, there are many other activities that call the brain to action correctly. It must be releasing all types of cognitive, psychological, and physical blocks. Strategies such as mindfulness, the practice of being present and even activities that stimulate the auditory and vestibular system have all been found to be of great use in the treatment of trauma, developmental delays, and sensory disorders.

We’ve known for a long time that poor cognitive development can result when children aren’t given the right conditions to grow. It can also be the result of unmanaged speech and language difficulties. When the body experiences trauma, the brain experiences trauma, and this can lead to compromised cognition. Not until the last few decades did we know that cognitive abilities can change. It turns out our brains are quite dynamic; underdeveloped connections in one area of the brain can be supported by developing stronger connections in another. To learn more about the process called neuroplasticity, read a previous blog post on the topic here.

Perhaps most impactful of all these experiences, however, is Charlotte’s personal experience with her own son, who started to show signs of visual impairment when he was younger. She discusses the journey trying to help him in her TEDx Talk from 2013 entitled “Saving our children by checking the obvious.” Through her experiences with her own son, she realized that much could be done to give children a better chance for cognitive success.

Seeing the need to maximize opportunities for cognitive growth, Charlotte founded Fit-2-Learn. Perhaps the best explanation of the company and its whole-body approach is found on the home page of its website:

Fit-2-Learn is a social enterprise company that combines research and advice to all people. How they can achieve their potentials through good control of their own basic physiology. We believe that everyone can move beyond coping strategies. They use all their senses and motor skills in a coherent, efficient manner to learn and to live calmly. Once people have achieved motor-sensory integration it is important that they maintain those skills for life to maximize their health and overall well-being.

Fit-2-Learn has expertise in the areas of motor skills; sound processing skills, using Tomatis sound therapy; visual skills; and how these skills inter-relate through games, puzzles and physical activities. Further, how the trauma of all kinds can impact on skills development.

Charlotte is so passionate about sound processing and improving cognitive health that she participated in the pilot program for Forbrain, monitoring the impact it had on school students. She noted that the student’s sound processing abilities “moved up impressively. Twenty to thirty decibels on their sound processing for the range.” She’s been using Forbrain at Fit-2-Learn since they opened in 2012.

“I think everyone is a good candidate,” Charlotte explained how she has been able to help people. They were between the ages of three and seventy for all types of difficulties. Clients such as students who want to improve their learning abilities and elderly people who want to maintain their level of cognitive function have all benefited from the use of Forbrain and Charlotte’s approaches.

We tell everyone we want to get to the point where they have good postural control. They can use the left and right sides of their body to work together fluidly. Their sound processing is so good that they enjoy music, singing, also want their vision to be ideally binocular and working fluidly. We go on to do the exercises until everything is working well together. We look for what is blocking.

Charlotte works to ensure that clients are learning how to take care of themselves. She uses the Forbrain to teach a man to fish. This approach allows clients to receive the training they need. And then provide themselves with a program that is flexible, portable, and fun. This ensures better long-term results and an easy-to-follow maintenance program.

An in-house session for someone with trauma might include a review of their music playlist, and discussing the moods and cognitive reactions they experience from the music. Charlotte might make suggestions of pieces to listen to while wearing the Forbrain, and how to make good choices to increase a joyful response.

When evaluating children, Fit-2-Learn pays particular attention to the acquisition of gross and fine motor skills in the developing child. Charlotte summarized why this can provide us with information about maladaptive behaviors and learning styles in a previous post.

For a child, a session might include reading poems aloud while wearing the Forbrain and memorizing a new poem or song weekly. In this way, the children can benefit from improved attention, cognition, confidence in speaking, and building their vocabulary. And since the Forbrain improves recall, children can do this in a much shorter amount of time than if they were just memorizing vocabulary words. These improved skills provide a positive effect on future literacy, which affects overall success in a lifetime.

Charlotte has also had a hand in making some very proud cabaret singers in London. She worked with them using the Forbrain to improve their self-confidence and stage presence. When she looked up one of the singers on the website of a leading club, she found that four of the featured singers were previous clients of hers.

Charlotte Davies was full of inspiration and the opportunity to make a difference. It has created a life-enhancing program for her clients at Fit-2-Learn. Making Forbrain a permanent part of her toolbox was a way to maximize the benefits of her sessions. She ensured that clients learned how to care for their own cognitive health.

Cognitive health begins with a desire to improve upon our brain’s abilities or to help facilitate better development or rehabilitation of those abilities. If you’ve got a brain, you can benefit from Forbrain. Find out more here.

Charlotte Davies is a former senior teacher working in South London. She has now also trained in Tomatis therapy and is a Level 4 Consultant. In 2016 Charlotte won the Tomatis award for a best case study.  Charlotte runs a fairly busy practice and also works to promote a better understanding of holistic development. It includes other agencies including Government and universities. Charlotte is a Director of Fit 2 Learn which she runs with Daleen Smith, also a Level 4 Tomatis Consultant and an expert in Vision and Vision therapy, and Melina Healy, a Level 1 Practitioner and a Clinical Sports Therapist.  Earlier this year they presented at the Cambridge University Wellbeing Forum in the Department of Education. Last year there were presentations at the Tomatis Convention; Guy’s Hospital on Mental Health; and to the National Education Union on Special Educational Needs.

Charlotte is currently being observed by a researcher in public health. She works over months to help an 8-year-old boy move on to better cognitive health. In June she will present to the Newcastle University Education Department.  Fit 2 Learn support several school-based projects, including the excellent work done by Nicola Laterza, Level 1 Tomatis Practitioner, in Southwark schools.

The idea that the brain is a static organ is long forgotten. We now know that the brain is plastic, which means that it can change andgrow. We have behavioral Neuroscientist, Mr. Edward Taub, and his Silver Spring monkeys to thank for this. In the early 1980s, Taub performed research on monkeys and discovered that when he restrained one of their arms, they invested more energy into using the other arm in order to compensate. When the brain was examined, the neural pathways reflected these same changes by showing weakened paths to the restrained arm, and strengthened paths to the free arm. This was a huge discovery in neuroscience, debunking many beliefs by behaviorists that our movements are simply reflexive.

The discovery forced behaviorists—and the rest of us—to admit that not only are our physical movements intentional, but we also have the ability to change the way our brain is wired. How? By performing tasks that encourage it to grow. This pertains to both healthy brains and brains that have experienced a loss of function.

The implications of Neuroplasticity are comforting when we consider people who have had strokes. When a stroke is severe enough, people can lose their abilities to function. Some of these losses include:

The ability of the brain to regain function and perform activities related to daily living skills exists because of neuroplasticity. Exercises that help to improve function include those that call attention to the brain (interest), challenge the brain (intensity), and build or strengthen pathways in the brain (repetition).

Such exercises must be customized to the individual needs of a person who has had a stroke. The parts of the brain damaged by the stroke can be identified by instrumental exams such as MRIs, but also by specialized clinicians such as Speech-Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists. These therapists can perform cognitive evaluations which test the brain’s abilities, detect where the deficits lie, and then customize a program to repair neural pathways.

There are many books available to read on the subject of Neuroplasticity and how to get started on rewiring the brain. Don’t be intimidated—most are written in a way that is comprehensible to people who aren’t brain experts. Here’s a list of my favorites:

1. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge, M.D. In this book, Norman Doidge takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of neuroscience and major discoveries along the way. He assembles personal accounts of people who have experienced major neurological setbacks and found the resilience–and scientific evidence–to begin healing their brains.
2. Soft Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity can Change Your Life by Michael Merzenich, PhD.  Dr. Michael Merzenich is a world authority on brain plasticity and has compiled all the information needed to improve neurological health. He even includes sections on how age, stress, and illness can affect the ability to remain in good cognitive health. The guide is geared towards people of any age who are interested in how to make the most of their brain.
3. Over My Head: A Doctor’s Own Story of Head Injury from the Inside Looking Out by Claudia L. Osborn.  Dr. Claudia Osborn recounts her experience of head injury from the moment of regaining consciousness through a grueling recovery, to finding her new life. She uses plain language and some humor to explain the perception of a medical professional experiencing brain trauma which she knew much about, but not from the inside.

Experiencing a stroke is a life-changing experience. At first, it’s difficult to imagine what kind of recovery is ahead—and where it ends. The answer is always the same: brain recovery is limitless. It can continue over the course of the lifespan and creating an environment rich with cognitive stimulation, challenges, and socialization is imperative to progress. Seeing a Speech-Language Pathologist or an Occupational Therapist for an evaluation of your abilities is an important step to recovery. Therapists will use evidence-based treatment plans to optimize your chances of improvement. If you or someone you love wants to make the most of treatment, talk to your therapist about how they’re including Neuroplasticity into your treatment plan.