An Educational Approach Accelerating Sensory Integration

80% or more of routine brain activity involved in receiving information through our senses of sight hearing and balance may occur below the conscious level. This activity is in the form of reception, processing and integration of sensory messages. Responding to and prioritizing these sensory messages occurs primarily in the brainstem area and involves the use of Emergent Faculties. These faculties are foundational in that they are prerequisite to cognitive learning. Well-developed Emergent Faculties support effective and efficient cognitive learning, positive social interaction and improved ability to interact with one's external environment. When these Faculties-skills become impaired or have not fully developed, cognitive learning, social interaction and the ability to interact with one's external environment are often overwhelming experiences. The outcome of the Bolles Sensory Learning Method is remediation of Emergent Faculties through the use of Enhanced Natural Sensory Stimulation.

Emergent Faculties Develop Automatically

Sensory stimulation plays a major role in shaping the structure and functioning of the brain. Emergent Faculties develop subconsciously and automatically during normal brain development as information is taken in through the senses. Development actually begins in the womb and continues into early adolescence. Refinement of these faculties continues throughout life as a natural outcome of everyday sensory processing.

Partial Development / Impairment of Emergent Faculties

Mild brain dysfunctions present in individuals with disorders such as developmental delays, acquired brain injury, learning and behavior problems, ADD! ADHD, birth trauma and autism may present similar challenges to Emergent Faculties. Such dysfunctions can interfere with normal development of these faculties in utero and during infancy and childhood resulting in only partially developed skills. In a person possessing normally developed Emergent Faculties, mild brain dysfunction, as can occur with acquired brain-injury, can substantially impair functioning of these faculties.

In either case, the outcome is sensory problems that can cause ineffective and irregular subconscious sensory processing in the brainstem area. This results in hypersensitivity, sensory overwhelm, slowed ability to process information, speech impairment, memory loss, lack of concentration and visual balance disorder. For individuals with an acquired brain injury, actions that were once routine become difficult, and once familiar environments or situations now become stressful. The child with partially developed Emergent Faculties struggles with attention span, concentration, motivation, judgment, impulse control and organization or just seems to be out of relationship with their environment.

Remediation of Emergent Faculties

Neuroscientific research in the 1990’s identified the phenomenon of neuroplasticity. In part, this is the ability of the brainstem area to continually reorganize itself throughout life from the sensory inputs it receives. Whether an individual is experiencing either impaired or potential Emergent Faculties it is possible to improve functioning of these faculties through remediation that utilizes sensory stimulation. When presented in an enhanced format, the same sensory stimulation that we experience throughout life can optimize neuroplasticity. The Bolles Sensory Learning Method is a noncognitive remedial learning process that utilizes Enhanced Natural Sensory Stimulation to affect neuroplasticity. Its effects take place below the conscious level optimizing Emergent Faculties.

Enhanced Natural Sensory Stimulation

Mary Bolles created the Bolles Sensory Learning Method 14 years ago by developing computer assisted technology that allows the integration of key elements from three sensory training approaches: photo-stimulation, acoustic stimulation and vestibular stimulation. Separately, each of these modalities has become effectively established over the last forty years or more. By using technology to combine various aspects of these stand-alone methods, the Bolles Method is able to simultaneously re-educate the individual's primary sensory functions associated with sight, hearing and balance. This enables brainstem area communication between the ocular, auditory and vestibular systems to improve.

Designed for individual participation, the Bolles Method uses Enhanced Natural Sensory Stimulation comprising an integrated, computer-controlled progression of simultaneously presented ocular, auditory and vestibular sensory input that stimulates a highly focused interplay between the participant's sensory systems. This interplay stimulates the three main sensory systems to learn or relearn Emergent Faculties. The visual and auditory perception of the participant is assessed before and throughout the program to determine computer settings and to monitor progress. Delivered over a 30-day period, the program is 12 consecutive days of two hour-long sessions followed by an 18-day home program.

Brainstem Area - Key to Learning

The ability to process incoming sensory information into a cohesive whole and respond in a unified way depends upon the complex organization of sensory communication within the brainstem area and is the foundation for all higher cortical activity. When sensory functioning is effortless and integrated, the individual is highly adaptive, body movements are well coordinated, learning is easy, and appropriate behavioral responses are natural outcomes. The Bolles Sensory Learning Method stimulates the brainstem area to integrate sensory experience as a whole resulting in the ability to handle complex sensory activities and environments. The Bolles Method of Sensory Learning is typically a one-time undertaking with resulting benefits continuing to improve as sensory functions strengthen with daily use.