Rolemodeling abilities

Throughout my life, I have learned on a personal level by life experiences as well as on a professional level while in school (or while having a job), that it is very important to role modeling positive behaviors when working with individuals who have different abilities. I have also determined that good role models are needed in their life.

While growing up I have witnessed that my brother (who was born with Down syndrome and was later diagnosed with ADHD to then later be evaluated with Autism), needs structure and positive role models in his life.  He has done well with people who model positive behavior, motivation, and structure related to his own abilities, while at the same time accepting his own abilities, and allowing him to express his uniqueness.

He has taught me techniques that I apply in the community while being a role model for other people.

When I was working with individuals who had TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), role modeling played a huge part of my role in their rehabilitation. In many cases, after a TBI occurs in an individual, they need to re-train their brain on things that their brain used to be good at.  This can be life changing for them and their family members/caregivers.  When I worked with them as a Life Skills Therapist, I would model good behavior, motivation, and structure around their own ability on a daily basis. One of my roles, was to learn the therapeutic techniques that were used in their therapy sessions, and then to implement these skills in their own home or community. 

Modeling the exercises, techniques, and skills that therapists used was very important during their rehabilitation.  By modeling these techniques regularly, their body and mind were able to practice and be trained on the simple things that they had difficulty accomplishing, including: walking, dressing, and feeding.  Their family members or caretakers also learned these techniques rapidly and with ease so that they could then model the behaviors at home when I was not there.

Modeling and teaching effectively is important, because it contributes to the learning process of others, and learning happens best in a positive environment.  Now-a-days, I work with individuals who have a developmental disability. Through modeling positive techniques and behaviors related to their own abilities, they are able to learn simples tasks including: chores, shopping, cooking, and job skills.

The Mirrors in Our Brain

When we engage with others on a regular basis, we are constantly listening and observing. We take note of their facial expressions, emotions, mannerisms, and their actions, because these observations give us a lot of information about the other person.  But how exactly does our Brain register this information? And how does our brain facilitate our ability to engage, communicate, and emphasize with others.

Previous research has shown that there are multiple areas of our brain involved when we observe other people, imitate, and then learn from them.  In fact, the specific brain areas are called the superior temporal and inferior frontal cortical brain regions and they are involved in obtaining and processing information related to actions.  The insula, connects these brain regions to the limbic system, the area of our brain that processes our emotions and behavior via the insula.




Specifically, the inferior frontal cortex is activated when performing and observing an action, but the superior temporal cortex is activated only when observing an action (Carr, et al,. 2003). The insula is seen as the relay system between our actions and emotions.

According to (Carr, et al,. 2003), flow of information in the brain:

1. Action occurs and visual information is sent to superior temporal cortex.

2. Superior temporal cortex then sends information to the posterior parietal mirror neurons, which record the movement.

3. posterior parietal mirror neurons then send the information from the recorded kinesthetic movement to the inferior frontal mirror neurons which records the goal of the action.

4. The goal or plan of actions, are sent back from the inferior frontal mirror neurons to the posterior parietal mirror neurons, and then finally to the superior temporal cortex so that the imitative action can be initiated.






The limbic system is connected to all three brain regions: superior temporal, posterior parietal, and inferior frontal cortex via the insula, and relays information between motor and emotions when imitation occurs.

Citations:

Carr, L., Iacoboni, M., Dubeau, M., Mazziotta, J. C., & Lenzi, G. L. (2003). Neural mechanisms of empathy in humans: A relay from neural systems for imitation to limbic areas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(9), 5497-5502. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC154373/

Foxon, D. (2014). What do Chameleons, Brands and Mirror Neurons have in common?. The Big Brother Theme: Blog at word press. Retrieved from https://neuroexpression.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/what-do-chameleons-brands-and-mirror-neurons-have-in-common-2/

Rajmohan, V., Mohandas, E. Mirror neuron system. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. Retrieved from https://www.scienceopen.com/document/vid/41b6df47-6241-4bc6-a989-5eb914576ab2

Reflection of a Mirror

I still remember when my father was carrying my brother, Angel, to the NICU after he was born. I looked over to see a small baby with a blue hat, wrapped tightly in a blanket. He had the most beautiful upward-slanted eyes, a small nose, a protruding tongue that was bigger than his small mouth, a single straight crease across his palm and a gap between his first and second toes. These were the physical characteristics of Down syndrome, a genetic disorder I knew nothing about. After his birth, I had many mixed feelings of anger, confusion, and happiness. I was happy because I had always wanted to have a baby brother, I was angry because I demanded to know why he had to be born with a disability and I was confused and in denial because I kept thinking that his illness was just brief and that it would miraculously go away.

Despite this, at fourteen years of age, I found myself caring for my 6 month old brother while my mother and father had to work. I had to feed him, dress him, carry him, and make sure that he was receiving the proper amounts of oxygen. At only 14 years old, not only was I young and naïve, but I had to also care for a baby who needed special care because of his diagnosis. But as my mother cared for my brother, I was able watch and learn from her the best techniques that were needed to provide the proper care. I found myself imitating my mother, and I my self developed caring and empathetic skills at just 14 years of age.

Play therapy; Understanding life

Case: A child had set the counseling room to be similar to the real life setting of a grocery store and guided the therapist in their role as a stranger, the child told the therapists that they had to come by them and ask them out for coffee. The child then wrote down a number on a piece of paper.  Later when the therapist had a follow up conversation with the mother, mom told the therapist that she had been recently asked out on a date at a grocery store, and the therapist then made the connection that

the child was trying to understand this life event in play therapy.

Reflection: Play therapy is a great way for a child to role play and mimic what they have experienced in real life; this is a way that they process what is going on around them. If something happened that they didn't understand or were not sure about, then they will use different scenarios in their play to make better sense of their experience.  In this case, the child had seen their mother being asked for her number and out on a date, and without the therapist being aware of this information until after the session, the child had mimicked this real life situation in play therapy. The child had mirrored the parents actions and body gestures and mimicked them into their play therapy counseling session.



Citations:
(2015). Retrieved November 12, 2015, from http://images.vectorhq.com/images/premium/thumbs/161/illustration-of-isolated-cartoon-bear-dress-up_161607902.jpg

My neuron mirrors your neuron!

Mirror Neurons play a huge role in todays society. But they have also been the driving force of evolution. Mirror neurons seem to have contributed and continue to contribute towards the evolution of humanity, because they have helped improve both physical and verbal language, intelligence through nurture, and our social development. For example, at an early age, infants, children and youth look at the actions of their older peers within their community and learn from their actions; they learn their expressions, language, culture, religion, etc.   They tend to learn from the experiences of others: whether negative or positive.  For decades, language as it began with the use of signs and gestures in our primitive ancestors, were then taught to younger generations who were also the future; they learned by exposure as they mimicked behaviors.  In order for learning to occur quickly, the mirror system in the brain needed to adapt rapidly so that this knowledge could be retained through repetition and practice.  This could mean that the mirror system must have been activated every single time an individual was exposed to or practiced the language within their immediate family/community.  In the early years, our primitive ancestors used non verbal signs and gestures, and emotion recognition in facial expressions of other individuals must have been crucial in order to understand when an individual was in pain, dissatisfied, or happy.  Therefore, the mirror system could have facilitated our capability to emphasize with others during times of pain and fear but also happiness. In comparison, during war, it must have been important to understand other individuals intentions; being able to observe others gestures and body languages allowed our ancestors to quickly understand and make predictions for safety. Tool and art making were very important in communicating and in the evolution of our primitive ancestors, because it allowed them to socialize with other members as well as to hunt for food.  The mirror system could have played an important role in the ability of our primitive ancestors to learn quickly the processes of making these artifacts, but most importantly learn their use. 

On a regular basis, we seem to be easily influenced by individuals who share our same goals, beliefs, language, culture, and background.  We see our selves as a reflection of them because of the similarities; they are the mirror.  They are considered to be our mentors and leaders as we look up to them for the courage that we wish to have. But unfortunately, we are also influenced by the media in negative ways, for example, wishing to have the physical characteristics of models or celebrities, wishing to have the riches of others and therefore becoming unsatisfied with our life. We find our selves mimicking the actions of those who we are exposed to on a regular basis by the media. 

Citations:

Oxytocin for Autism and Social Anxiety. (2014, June 10). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.khemcorp.com/oxytocin-nasal-spray-autism-social-anxiety-summary/

 

Knowledgemonivore. Mirror neurons (2010, March 24).  Retrieved August 28, 2015, from https://knowledgeomnivore.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/mirror-neurons/.

Pedersen, C., Chang, S., & Williams, C. (2014). Evolutionary perspectives on the role of oxytocin in human social behavior, social cognition, and psychopathology. Brain Research, 1580(2014), 1-7. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://changlab.net/papers/Pedersen_editorial_BR_2014.pdf

Hormones. (2013, March 11). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/oxytocin.aspx

Mirror Neurons- What are they

Mirror Neurons

Are motor neurons in the brain that have a role in controlling movement. These neurons are activated when a specific movement or action is observed in others and when that same movement or action is acted upon. For example a mirror neuronal system that fires when you raise your hand, is also activated when you see a person raise their hand.

Brief History

• 1980's- Dr. Rizzollati first observed mirror neurons in macaque monkeys
• 1990's- Mirror neurons were officially discovered by Dr. Rizzollati
• 1995- The first study on mirror neurons was conducted on humans
• present- studies on mirror neurons involve the use of neuro-imaging techniques such as functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI) to better understand how the brain functions.

Citations

Winerman, L. (2005, October 1). The mind's mirror. Retrieved January 17, 2015, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct05/mirror.aspx

Pictures

Davila, J. (n.d.). Neuronas Especulares ("Mirror Neurons"). Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://www.encuentros.uma.es/encuentros114/neuronas.htm

Mirror Neurons

About this blog

The name Mirroring Intelligence reflects the belief that our human development is highly driven by the mirror system/mirror neurons in our brain because it has helped us develop language, behaviors, and our culture. We have learned many of our behaviors by observing others (peers, parents, siblings, media) in our environment and have gained some of our experiences through the experiences of others.  This blog will be about how we and other species mirror/mimic intelligence from others, but most importantly this blog will also include current life experiences, memoirs and reflections of a little person that has Down syndrome & Autism.  

Pictures

Davila, J. (n.d.). Neuronas Especulares ("Mirror Neurons"). Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://www.encuentros.uma.es/encuentros114/neuronas.htm