The kitchen is finished apart from the floor, it's lovely to get back to normal. Because I have been busy tidying up today John did some compublox on the computer. I also managed to download a free trial for an online speech therapy program called "react" and John had a go with that today. We also managed to get to grips with our online banking which is good. John wrote some of our Christmas cards, he found it hard because he couldn't remember how to spell very simple words, he knew he'd written the words wrong but couldn't remember how it was supposed to be spelt.
It was the YPF party tonight, we had a great time, John was able to make some really helpful comments during the Bible study.
When we got home we did some of the Keda reading course, this involved timed exercises, John had to read the paragraph three times until he was able to read it fluently and within 30 seconds. This was followed by John reading the same passage without being timed, I then had to ask comprehension questions. We followed this by John reading some of the Galore Park English book and answering the comprehension questions. He found he could read very well. An interesting thing happened, John was reading to himself and I put some sound on, John found he couldn't read at all with the distraction of the sound. I turned the sound off and John continued to read his book, he found he could read and comprehend really well. After half an hour he said he went back to struggling again, having to read and re-read avery few words to make sense of it. It's as though the Keda programme helped to open up John's reading but the effect is only temporary. Brain plasticity is the forming of new pathways, but the exercise has to be repeated frequently for the new pathways to become permanent. John says he understands Alex so much better now since he has had the stroke, Alex has always found it harder to concentrate when there is more than one thing going on. John is also more understanding in other ways, on the way home from YPF I tried to get the car into the drive twice, but I had misjudged the position and had to give up and drive off. On the second occasion I muttered something about being stupid and John said," It's just because it went wrong the first time it gets harder because you have already got it wrong once, it's like that with me when I try to talk."
Before the stroke I don't think John could understand this concept, so it has made him more understanding.
It was the YPF party tonight, we had a great time, John was able to make some really helpful comments during the Bible study.
When we got home we did some of the Keda reading course, this involved timed exercises, John had to read the paragraph three times until he was able to read it fluently and within 30 seconds. This was followed by John reading the same passage without being timed, I then had to ask comprehension questions. We followed this by John reading some of the Galore Park English book and answering the comprehension questions. He found he could read very well. An interesting thing happened, John was reading to himself and I put some sound on, John found he couldn't read at all with the distraction of the sound. I turned the sound off and John continued to read his book, he found he could read and comprehend really well. After half an hour he said he went back to struggling again, having to read and re-read avery few words to make sense of it. It's as though the Keda programme helped to open up John's reading but the effect is only temporary. Brain plasticity is the forming of new pathways, but the exercise has to be repeated frequently for the new pathways to become permanent. John says he understands Alex so much better now since he has had the stroke, Alex has always found it harder to concentrate when there is more than one thing going on. John is also more understanding in other ways, on the way home from YPF I tried to get the car into the drive twice, but I had misjudged the position and had to give up and drive off. On the second occasion I muttered something about being stupid and John said," It's just because it went wrong the first time it gets harder because you have already got it wrong once, it's like that with me when I try to talk."
Before the stroke I don't think John could understand this concept, so it has made him more understanding.
Comments