Aspies For Freedom

Hi everyone, I am Mom to almost 6yr old. I've posted a few times, hopefully you'll remember me.

Anyway, please take a look at this program description designed for language comprehension and kids struggling with it. Lindamood Bell is a center and program across the US. It can be quite costly but I have heard it is quite good. Going on the theory that many Aspie challenges (especially for youngsters) that result in bullying and social awkwardness, lower school performance despite very high IQ (which my son has),  low self esteem, come from auditory processing issues, not being able to process spoken verbal information as efficiently as possible, or not understanding some of the subtleties of language (perhaps due to thinking in pictures, thinking visually makes it harder to process the spoken word), what do you think of this approach to helping a young Aspie?  

You know, traditional speech therapy and social skills "sessions" just don't really address the underlying issues that a visual person needs to address. Which is: how does a person who thinks in pictures process the spoken word more efficiently?  Please take a look at this below and tell me what you think about this approach.   Please note that it is specifically designed for people who have been diagnosed ADD, ADHD, Hyperlexia and Aspergers. Here it is:

VISUALIZING AND VERBALIZING for Language Comprehension and Thinking® (V/V®)


Problem . . .
Michelle reads words accurately, but she can't comprehend the content. She has difficulty connecting to language she reads or language she hears. Words seem to go in one ear and out the other. People think she is not trying, and she has been labeled a "motivation" or "attention" problem. Many times this can be associated with those diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), with or without hyperactivity.

Cause . . .
A primary cause of language comprehension problems is difficulty creating an imaged gestalt-a whole. This is called weak concept imagery. This weakness   causes individuals to only get "parts" such as a few facts or details rather than the whole picture.

Individuals with weak concept imagery have difficulty with reading comprehension, critical thinking, and may not easily follow directions or connect to conversations.  They may also have difficulty expressing ideas in an organized manner.  If they read well, but are severely unable to comprehend they may be labeled hyperlexic or high-functioning autistic, including Asperger's.
  

Symptoms . . .
Individuals of all ages may experience the symptoms of an undiagnosed and untreated concept imagery dysfunction.
This causes:

•Reading Comprehension
They have to reread material several times and often remember only a few details, rather than the "whole."
•Oral Language Expression
They may seem shy and have difficulty organizing their language...or they may be talkative but scattered, relating information out of sequence.
•Oral Language Comprehension
They connect to only part of a conversation and have difficulty responding relevantly and thinking logically. They may ask and re-ask the same question and are labeled "poor listener."
•Written Language Skills
Their writing is often described as unorganized and nonspecific.

Solution . . .
The Nancibell® Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking® (V/V®) successfully stimulates concept imagery. Individuals become able to image gestalts which include color, and even movement. This improves their language comprehension, reasoning for critical thinking, and expressive language skills.  

It is common for individuals to gain years in language comprehension in four weeks of intensive instruction.
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Thanks everyone, tell me what you think. By the way, this program is not just for children. Adolescents and adults do this program too.

Maybe your son wishes to interact by posting something here, or wishes to interact through the chat. Because then we can hear what he has to say about it, so we can understand his view too.

Hmm... 6 years old, though--would it be good to put a 6 year old on the Internet? You never know what's going to happen here.

Is this some kind of joke? Did you read that he is almost 6 years old? I am not in the mood for this. You're asking a child with language issues to communicate, type messages and answer your questions? Thanks for your mature, well thought out reply.

I have read of several cases where children who do not communicate have been given a computer and they showed that they could communicate as well as anyone their age. Have you tried it?  Six years old certainly is not too young to use a computer, my grandkids have been doing it since they were two.

Oh Good Lord. My child speaks and communicates. He reads and writes. He cannot type like an adult is what I meant. He would probably not understand the concept of "We're going to work on your gestalt imaging, is that OK with you?"

My point and aggravation are due to the other poster implying that I wasn't involving my child in the decision, and decides to make a sarcastic comment about having my 6yr old join the internet discussion with adults.  And pose to my son "Hey, what do you think? Do you think you have a problem with concept imagery? Tell me how you think in pictures. What teaching method do you therefore recommend for yourself, son?"  

If anyone wants to respond to the CONTENT of my email pertaining to the LINDAMOOD BELL program, please do so as my intention was to get feedback from people who are already VISUAL LEARNERS and see what you thought of this. Or perhaps there are even some people out there who have gone through this program, as it caters to visual learners.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, I haven't heard of that programme here in Australia but the idea behind it seems reasonable. I wonder why it would be so expensive though. BTW, just how expensive is it?

me beeing emotional:
You're not a mother. You're just a person trying to play beeing a mother (that's what the internet is for, you can be anyone you want), and then you try to make conflict. I'm not going to fall for this. I know of your intentions to bring anger and such.

And you insult me. I don't like this behaviour, but I won't fall to your expressed wishes of replying in an insulting mood

In your first post I thought you were just a naive person who thought 6 yr olds are able to/have anything to say about how they should be raised. Now I think you are just a troll.

It's obvious you are the same person, and you continue to insult me, and still I won't answer in any way insulting , just as you do and wish.

Hi, thanks for responding! Sorry if I came across as rude due to my post being hi-jacked.

It's expensive because it is one-on-one and it can last as long as like 40+ hours (or longer) of sessions spread out over 4weeks or longer. It is equivalent to speech therapy costs at $70/hour.

I guess you could describe it as private one on one tutoring. So that's why the costs are so high.

By the way, if people cannot afford the one on one, they do have programs for the home with workbooks and CDs and such and the parents can do stuff at home with the child.

Hi,

I've had alot of experience with Lindamood-bell. I've used it for my child and I've also done the therapy with other children. The program you are describing Visualization and Verbalization is an excellent program. We had good results with our Aspie son. Since your child is 6 you may need to start out with the Talkies program which is a pre-curser for Visualization and verbalization designed for Asperger's children.

The centers do charge alot but you can also find individuals like myself who are trained and certified to do the same exact therapy. As my son was receiving the Lindamood-bell therapies from his speech therapist I also took training so I could support him and continue the work.

Something I think is important to be aware of is that Lindamood-bell has outstanding programs. Some of the most phenomenal programs I've ever seen in many years of teaching. Lindamood-bell also offers training in many locations around the country. People who take the training have exactly the same training as the people working in the clinics. The way the clinics run is they have a very experienced practitioner who is the director. Their job is to go around and supervise all the other therapists. The therapists the children work with are usually people in or just out of college who are paid about $15 an hour. Even the directors don't really make big bucks. The program works well and it's intense.

My son did all three language based Lindamood-bell program and each made a huge difference for him. Unfortunately, it's not a cure all and my son still struggles in many areas of schooling due to language based disabilities but he wouldn't be nearly as far if it hadn't been for Lindamood-bell!

I hope that helped.

I'll add a little more. Sounds like your child may have some processing speed issues as well. The VV program is more geared towards learning to run a movie in your head to remember or re-tell a story. For social skills there's Carol Greys Writing Social Stories - I haven't used it yet but will. For processing speed there are different takes on a metronome therapy which is suppossesd to increase processing speed and make the neuropathways stronger. There's another program you should look into, google it, it's called processing and cognitive enhancement training which may be what your child could benefit from as well.

Funny you should mention PACE -- we did it last summer for 36 sessions. It was great! The pre and post tests he gained 2 years in most areas. Auditory processing area was not much gain. At 5 yrs old, he tested as a 9 year old for visual processing!

PACE was definitely a good program; I feel like Visualizing/Verbalizing is the next stage for him. Thanks for the feedback. We are on our second week of the program (day 7). They recommended 50 hours for him which we are doing. He was too advanced for Talkies by the way. Thanks again!

Would you do me a favor and tell me the results of the Visualizating/Verbalizing. I'd also like to know more about your experience with PACE and also the cost. Thanks!