IUBio

brain damage

kkollins at pop3.concentric.net kkollins at pop3.concentric.net
Tue Nov 24 00:00:14 EST 1998


"Enriching" an Infant's environment has the very-Positive effects that were implicit in
my prior post be-cause the richer the environment, the more-varied is the neural
activation occurs in the Infant's brain, and since Learning occurs in a way that's
directly-coupled to the neural activation that's actually experienced, enriched
environments actually foster Learning.

Why this is important in the case of Infants who've relatively-minor brain damage is
that the increased stimulation fosters, and enhances, the compensatory growth of the
neural network, enabling the greatest degree of recovery. ken collins

P.S. If you thought my prior comments, with respect to such environmental enrichment
were "snide", and I missed that, my comments were meant to be entirely-beneficial to
not only your Grandchild, but to all Infants, everywhere... Infant nervous systems
"just" work in accord with what I discussed.

If you misinterpreted my comments as being other than that which they are, be at peace.
But for the Love of Grandchild, please take my comments to Heart. ken collins

kkollins at pop3.concentric.net wrote:

> Pass this along to the Parents...
>
> Everything here is contingent upon your providing more info... how was the damage
> to the basal ganglia diagnosed? Where, specifically, is the damage located? How
> precisely is the damage located?
>
> If the damage is not in the tracts leading into the thalamus (putamen and globis
> pallidus where "small damage" can have relatively-large effects), then the
> prognosis is good, and you should "just" "enrich" your Infant's environment,
> =Gently=, but as much as possible, as soon as possible. You can do this through
> extra efforts at what's "just" Good-Parenting... lots of gentle touch, good
> eye-contact, lots of "baby-talk", =always= responding to any signs of progress with
> gentle, Loving, Focused, =Attention=... and remember to =Smile= Joyfully right into
> your Infant's eyes each time your Infant shows Progress in Learning new stuff. A
> =Gentle= "frown" when things "go awry" will help your Infant Understand that things
> have "gone awry".
>
> Don't be a "wimp", though, or your Infant will "take-over", and you'll not be happy
> with the ultimate outcome.
>
> Get some Interesting crib toys, rug toys, etc., and vary them continually so that
> your Infant will always have =Novel= stuff to Explore. Give "hints" when necessary
> (when your Infant shows behavioral signs of "frustration"), but always let your
> Infant Discover "the key thing".
>
> When your Infant wants to sleep, let your Infant sleep (of course, in accord with
> your Family's regular routine... just like any Infant).
>
> Hugs, kisses, gentle "cooing"... give your Infant "the works"... the Bonus is
> you'll Bond for Life, have "Fun", and Feel-Good about your Parenting, too.
>
> Throughout all of this, be in contact with as many Professionals as you can afford
> until you're Satisfied that your Infant's behavior is developing "normally".
>
> If the "problem" is as small as you say, there's no "mystery", and not really any
> "problem"... if you "just" Love your Infant... Infant brains have =Enormous=
> Capacity for compensating for small injuries... and even some large injuries.
>
> The "secret" is "just" Loving "'til the fat lady sings"... which is =the= thing to
> do with =all= Infants. ken collins
>
> Bkerber1 wrote:
>
> > Could someone tell me what damage to the basil ganglia will do to my 2 month
> > old granddaughter. She had meningitis and also has possible damage in 3 small
> > areas of the cortex, which after reading, have found those may possibly rewire.
> > I know there is definate damage to the basil ganglia but dont know if its
> > possible it will self heal or is the damage to that area permenant? Thank you
> > for your help
> > Becky Kerber






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