Specialist works with children and and teenagers to improve their brain efficiency The brain train

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Exercise is necessary to maintain and build our muscles.

Many of us know this, but research also shows that exercising the brain is possible so its function improves in many ways.

Physiotherapist Cheryl Chia operates a type of gym for the brain in her BrainFit Studios in Singapore, specialising in care for children between the ages of four and 18.

She’s in Bermuda this week and will be giving a workshop on how to improve the brain efficiency of children and their parents.

She has developed sets of actual exercises that help children to increase their ability to learn and retain information. Body & Soul contacted Ms Chia last week about her work in this area.

How does brain fitness training work?

We use the SMART protocol for brain fitness training, which is based on neuro-scientific findings.

l “S” is for setting appropriate and achievable goals for the individual, as every brain is uniquely different.

l “M” is for measurement using a process called CognitiveMap. It involves two hour-long, one-on-one sessions which profile the individual’s brain in the five key areas visual, auditory, sensory-motor, attention and memory and social-emotional.

l “A” is for adaptation, which is to choose the correct brain fitness training programme and level, based on the individual’s brain fitness profile. For successful brain fitness training, mental activities must be just right not be too difficult or too easy for the individual.

l “R” is for rewiring through focused practice. Once the correct activities are identified, the brain is rewired through intensive practice and repetitions of the mental exercises. Training typically entails two to three hour-long sessions per week for a ten-week duration to achieve visible change for each brain area of function. This is a critical step which allows synapses to be wired together and new brain connections to be formed, resulting in increased brain fitness and capacity.

l “T” is for transformation of the brain and the individual as one follows the SMART protocol. Typically, for an average student, we expect visible and enduring improvements in learning and performance after about 20 hours or ten weeks of brain fitness training.

Typical training frequency is two to three times per week. It should take at least 20 hour-long sessions to see lasting results for each brain fitness system. Students participate in mental exercises for each session. Depending on the system we are working on, this may incorporate gym-based movement exercises, table-top exercises or computer-based exercises. Training typically happens in a small group of not more than six students. Students who require individual attention attend one-on-one sessions. Parents are involved if additional homework is required, however parents attend four hours of direct training with the SMART emotions programme.

Q: I know your work is open to children between the ages of four and 18, but is there a particular age at which the technique works best for most children?

A: The SMART protocol that we use for brain fitness training works for everyone. The only difference for the different ages is that younger brains tend to be more plastic [changeable] so potentially, one can see better and faster results when training a younger child.

Q: Why do you not take children younger than four?

A: We are actually developing infant and toddler programmes at the moment younger children have slightly different needs. As a young child is experiencing rapid brain growth naturally, the key objective is to ensure exposure to appropriate stimulations and environments to build the necessary neuro-pathways. Parental involvement is also important because the best stimulation is from the child’s natural daily environments.

Q: I see you take children up to 18. Is it because you specialise in paediatrics that you don’t take adults?

A: We have commenced adult and seniors’ brain fitness profiling and training this year in Singapore, after conducting some research on the senior population over the past two years. Brain fitness training works for everyone. We started with children because of our backgrounds in paediatrics.

Q: Can brain fitness training benefit individuals with learning difficulties/ disabilities?

A: Yes, BrainFit Studio has trained individuals diagnosed with learning difficulties such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADD or ADHD), auditory processing disorder (APD), dyslexia, language delays, dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Q: Can brain fitness training benefit students already doing well in school?

A: Yes, BrainFit Studio has helped trained many average and even gifted students. Just as physical fitness training can benefit everyone, from the person with poor fitness levels to the top athlete, everyone can benefit from brain fitness training. An average or even top student can still be challenged to perform at an even more superior mental state.

Q: Please share examples of improvements you’ve seen using this technique.

A: We have seen improvements in academic results, standardised testing, behavioural changes as reported by parents and also the students’ actual performance such as in handwriting speed and control [without actually practising or drilling on handwriting].

Q: In your ten years’ experience with your BrainFit Studios, have you ever seen the technique not work in a child?

A: We have not really seen brain fitness training not working. However, the rate, degree and pattern of improvement varies widely among individuals. For some individuals, we see immediate improvements but for others, improvements may only be evident after a period of time. For some, they make quantum leaps, but for others, improvements may be more subtle. If we see sub-optimal or delayed results, we can usually attribute it to insufficient training duration, not adhering to the training protocol, or weakness in multiple brain fitness areas so that multiple areas need to be built up before one can see a visible change.

Q: What about some games that purport to improve brain function? Do they work?

A: It is important that consumers learn to be discerning. Well-designed brain fitness training games with true value are usually created by neuroscientists or researchers in the field of brain science. Well-designed games need to follow certain neuro-scientific principles closely, such as the importance of continuous adaption to the individual. Always seek scientific evidence or data to substantiate these claims before you make any purchase. For example, at BrainFit Studio, we have been training brain fitness in children for over the past ten years. We began systematic computerised collation and analysis of student performance data since 2005 and, to date, have data of up to 4,200 students from all our eight centres in Singapore and the region. Based on this data, we are able to be confident of the improvements that we can expect in our students following each term of brain fitness training, as these are all objectively measured. Each student actually receives a post-training report which documents the amount of change following our brain fitness training.

Ms Chia’s workshop will take place on Saturday from 9am to noon at the Visitors’ Service Centre at the Botanical Gardens. The cost is $75. For more information telephone 504-1890 or e-mail info[AT]bercon.bm.

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