Bilgow board: exercises for cerebellar stimulation

DIY balance board: detailed instructions. Important subtleties

A balance board (undo-board) is a sports training device that has recently become popular among both young people, children, and adults. It consists of a board and a roller on which the first element is placed. Balance boarders maintain their balance on this device for a long time and perform spectacular tricks on it. The ability to balance will not only help you stay on your feet in a crowded vehicle or walk without falling along a narrow curb, but it will also have a great impact on your skills if you do, for example, surfing, cycling, skateboarding, longboarding or snowboarding. You can easily make your first balance board with your own hands by reading this article.

Functions of the cerebellum of the brain

For a long time it was believed that the function of the cerebellum is to participate in the following processes:

• coordination of movements;
• maintaining body balance;
• holding the body in a static position;
• streamlining muscle tone;
• eye movements;
• management of vegetative functions;
• learning actions that require repeated repetitions and fine motor skills.

But research conducted by scientists over the past decade has confirmed the hypothesis that the cerebellum takes an active part in creative processes, the development of the speech apparatus and the formation of complex behavioral skills.

Scientists also find evidence that its function is associated with the development of intelligence and the formation of new neural connections. This is proven by the influence of the cerebellum on brain structures involved in the production of dopamine.

When there are disturbances in the functioning of the cerebellum, the following pathological changes are observed:

• atony, expressed in excessive weakening of muscle tone;
• asthenia, manifested by fatigue and mental disorders;
• astasia, in which the ability for prolonged and strong contraction of skeletal muscles is lost;
• difficulty pronouncing words;
• impaired coordination of movements.

As new neural connections are formed in the cerebral cortex under the influence of conditioned reflexes, these symptoms weaken. However, complete restoration of impaired functions does not occur. When the cerebellum is injured or stimulated by physical and chemical stimuli, changes occur in the functioning of the visceral organs.

They are expressed in the following reflexes:

• dilated pupils;
• disruption of the cardiovascular, digestive and other systems;
• increase in blood pressure.

Since the auditory zone is located in the cerebellum, many patients experienced a sharp decrease in hearing or had problems identifying sounds.

Board: Please note

If you want to get a high-quality, comfortable and durable exercise machine as a result of your work, then you need to take a responsible approach to the choice of materials. The most important and main one will be the board. Before making a balance board with your own hands, pay attention to the following:

1. The best material for the board is moisture-resistant and high-quality plywood with a thickness of 12-15 mm. Most professional craftsmen stop at birch.
2. The standard length of a balance board is 75 cm. The width is determined by everyone according to their own taste - from 35 to 45 cm.
3. The shape of the board can be very diverse - the main thing is that you feel comfortable and comfortable on it. The most popular are ellipse, “egg”, “swallow’s nest”.
4. At first, you will probably need stoppers - limiters for the roller at the bottom of the board. Professionals do without them - they believe that stoppers interfere with training more than they protect against falling. Just in case, place the stoppers not on superglue, but on self-tapping screws - you can always unscrew them if these elements are no longer needed.

How does cerebellar developmental weakness manifest?

If the cerebellum is not functioning well, the child experiences a disturbance in motor activity, cognitive abilities, and speech.

The main disorders of cerebellar weakness:

• decreased attention;
• hyperactivity syndrome;
• changes in behavior;
• posture disorders;
• pathologies of the vestibular apparatus (poor balance, dizziness);
• poor learning ability, memory loss, lack of planning of movements and actions;
• speech dysfunction (speaking and writing);
• awkwardness in movements, changes in gait;
• autism spectrum disorders;
• developmental delay (psychomotor, speech).

All these manifestations can be expressed to varying degrees.

Trumpet: important

To make a roller roller for a balance board with your own hands, you need to decide what it can be. Some athletes don’t bother - they take an old skateboard, fill a regular plastic bottle with water - and voila! Someone uses natural material for these purposes - a stump of a round log.

However, for a proper undo board it is still better to use a metal pipe. No need to be lazy to sand its sharp edges. The most optimal diameter for your future simulator is 110-170 mm.

Once you have decided on the best material options for yourself, it’s time to move on to making your own balance board. We will present the instructions in three versions for your choice.

Lesson results

The complex method has a wide range of applications, the results of the lessons are indicators such as:

• development of movement coordination;
• development of spatial, visual concepts;
• stabilization of the functions of the vestibular apparatus;
• interhemispheric development;
• personal changes;
• development of concentration and memory;
• stimulating mental development.

The main objectives of stimulation are the ability to overcome various cerebellar disorders: attention deficit, writing and reading problems, dyslexia, school failure. Dr. Bilgow’s methods and special equipment have been enabling educational psychologists to cope with such problems for many years.

Method one

You will need:

• plywood;
• polyethylene pipe;
• two types of sandpaper - coarse-grained and fine-grained;
• jigsaw;
• self-tapping screws (35 mm);
• wood glue;
• screwdriver;
• varnish or paint;
• small paint brush.

Let's start making a balance board with our own hands:

1. Draw the outline of your future simulator on plywood - use improvised materials, a friend’s balance board as a template, or use your school knowledge of geometry.
2. Cut out the shape strictly along the contour with a jigsaw.
3. Be sure to wear protective gloves and thoroughly sand the board - first with coarse sandpaper and then with fine sandpaper.
4. Cut stoppers from the remaining pieces of plywood. Screw them to the underside of the board with self-tapping screws.
5. At this stage, you need to carefully paint or varnish your creation. Try to use non-slip matte dyes. Alternatively, cover the top with a thin layer of glue and cover it with an even layer of fine sand sifted through a sieve.
6. The last thing is the video. It must be sawed off from the pipe and also sanded. If such an element is not available, you can use a stump of a shovel handle, a rolling pin, or, at worst, a plastic bottle filled with water.

Lesson results

Children involved in cerebellar stimulation according to F. Bilgow's system have the following positive results:

• increased concentration;
• memory improvement;
• development of intellectual abilities;
• synchronization of motor and mental abilities;
• improvement of fine motor skills;
• increasing the level of social adaptation;
• development of imagination and spatial perception of the surrounding world.

Specialists involved in the correction of speech, behavior, motor-motor and other functions of a child note an increase in the effectiveness of classes when F. Bilgow’s methodology is included in the learning process.

Tips for parents

The main condition that will ensure the effectiveness of F. Bilgow's method is the desire of the child himself. That is, the learning process itself should give him pleasure.

Therefore, parents must adhere to the following rules for conducting classes:

• do not adhere to a strict schedule and time for doing exercises if the child is not in a resourceful state at that moment (fatigue, nervousness, increased irritability or apathy);
• do not conduct classes when the child is hungry, or within 1-1.5 hours after eating;
• cancel classes during illness;
• Do not work with children while irritated or tired.

Parents should experimentally find out at what time the child learns information best and use it for subsequent lessons.

An important factor is the coordination of the actions of both parents. This means that they must adhere to a single training scheme and system for assessing the baby’s actions. Thus, the child will not have any contradictions that could nullify the results of the lessons. It is also worth providing comfortable conditions for training.

To do this you should first:

clean the room; ventilate the room; ensure optimal lighting, absence of extraneous distracting sounds and odors; remove pets and other children from the room; put on the child comfortable clothes that do not hinder movement and allow him to freely perform various physical actions; turn off all gadgets that can distract the child’s attention during classes.

During the lesson, you should praise the child for each exercise completed or for trying to complete it. Experts advise coming up with a reward system. Gifts do not necessarily have to be expensive items or sweets.

It can be:

• trips to certain places that the child likes to visit;
• joint outdoor or board games, watching cartoons;
• reading books or writing stories.

The learning process should be associated with joy for the child, and not be included in the list of obligations.

Method two

You can make a balance board with your own hands in a slightly different way:

1. Make a template in Paint or any other editor. Print the image and transfer it to the board. Cut out a balance board along the contour and sand down all the irregularities.
2. Cut out the limiters. Instead of self-tapping screws, stoppers can also be attached to the board with pins from a pneumatic gun.
3. Do not use fragile sewer pipe for the roller. The best option is HDPE or asbestos pipe. Use sandpaper to smooth out any uneven surfaces. Some additionally treat the roller with paraffin.
4. If you are afraid that the tube may bend under you, cut two wooden plugs along its inner diameter.
5. At this point, paint both the board and the pipe in your favorite color. This will not only give them an aesthetic appearance, but also protect them from quick damage.

A set of activities at Bilgow

1. Feet shoulder-width apart and just stand on the board. Let the human vestibular apparatus get used to the load.
2. Roll to the sides, shifting your center of gravity and increasing the width of your legs towards the edge of the board. 10 slow repetitions.
3. Standing on the board, catch balls of different colors and sizes. 10 reps.
4. Standing on the board, catch balls of different sizes and colors, sorting and throwing them into different baskets, or throw them at some target. 10 reps.
5. Standing on the board, catch balls of different sizes and colors, alternating your right and left hands. 10 reps.
6. Standing on the board, throw a small projectile with your hands. 10 reps.
7. Standing on the board, alternately tap the ball with your hands. 10 reps on each arm.

For deeper stimulation, you can make an impromptu strip with irritating obstacles. Any containers or boxes with fillers of different textures will do.

Fillers can be large or small cereals, nuts or acorns, chestnuts. We generally have wine corks. You can use ready-made massage orthopedic floor mats.

We hold the trainee and walk along the fillers, passing the swinging balancing board. You can place several boards in a row or alternate the canvases with obstacles.

Method three

The easiest way to make a balance board with your own hands:

1. Get an old skateboard, empty it of everything unnecessary, so that in the end you only have one board left.
2. Take slats corresponding to the width of the board, screw them to the bottom with screws - make stoppers.
3. Now it's time to find the required pipe section. If you haven’t found anything other than sewage, then placing a bottle of water inside will help add rigidity to it. That's all!

It is quite possible to make a balance board that is popular and useful for the leg muscles. The only difficulty is finding suitable materials.

Source

What is the cerebellum and what functions does it perform?

The cerebellum is a brain structure that is responsible for coordination of movements, writing, speech articulation, eye movements and other functions. It is located at the lower back of the skull.

The cerebellum corrects the signals that are sent to the muscles from the brain, making them correct and clear. This part of the brain helps maintain balance, sets the speed, strength, rhythm and accuracy of muscle and body movements.

In addition to motor functions, the following functions of the cerebellum have been identified:

• regulation of speed, sequence, consistency of mental functions;
• formation of behavior, emotions, attentiveness;
• participation in the analysis of information received from the organs of vision, hearing, vestibular apparatus, as well as from other areas of the brain;
• coordination of the articulatory apparatus (muscles of the tongue, cheeks, lips), gestures during speech;
• physique formation;
• movement planning.

The cerebellum provides communication between parts of the brain, regulates inhibition and excitation reactions, and helps switch from one task to another.

Bilgou board - platform

We will cut the site from 12-layer birch plywood 400 x 600 mm (40 x 60 cm). Its density will be quite enough for the platform to support a weight of up to 120 kg. And we don’t need more, our children are not so well-fed. You can order it on a special cut, or you can cut it at home with a saw. In any case, ordering a cut is not at all expensive, about 200-400 rubles. The original board has sharp corners, which is not very good. I personally used to hit my feet on them. The corners themselves along the edges are also sharp. During classes, if they take place complexly and in groups, it is dangerous. If someone puts an arm or a leg on it, it will be very painful! I recommend using a router to smooth out the corners and edges. Thus, our platform will be less dangerous. After the procedure, you can sand everything down or leave it as is. Due to high processing speeds, the plywood becomes charred and the appearance is not entirely aesthetic. We make a notch in the center of the board for future markings. We make holes for the slide in a straight line from the center, measuring 4 cm from the edge of the platform.

Recommended exercises for children to stimulate cerebellar activity at home

Children must take the first course in the Bilgow system under the guidance of a qualified teacher. During these lessons, the child learns to independently stand up and get off the balance board without outside help, perform a series of simple exercises with objects on it, and also pronounce his actions.

Next, parents can undergo instruction and receive permission to study with their child at home. However, this requires periodic monitoring by the instructor, which will make it possible to evaluate the results obtained and identify errors in training.

Cerebellar stimulation (exercises at home include a series of tasks) is performed on a balancing board from 3 to 10 times:

• throwing a big ball;
• hitting a large ball off the floor;
• tossing a small rubber ball;
• throwing a small ball from one hand to the other;
• hitting a small ball;
• throwing a small ball between parent and child;
• throwing bags filled with balls and sand;
• throwing various bags between an adult and a child;
• throwing rings onto a special device (ring throwing);
• mini bowling using balls and bags of various sizes.

Next, you can ask the child to pronounce his actions, name words by syllables and letters.

You should not do exercises with children using a target stand on your own. Without realizing the difficulty of the task for the child, and not knowing how to adequately respond to mistakes, parents can unknowingly lower the child’s self-esteem and make him reluctant to study further.

The duration of the home lesson should not exceed 20 minutes. If a parent notices that the child is getting bored or begins to be capricious, then it is worth interrupting the lesson and asking the child to tell about the reason for the dissatisfaction.

It may be difficult for him to maintain a vertical position and balance on the exercise machine for a long time. But sometimes the lack of interest lies in mistakes made by adults. In this case, consultation with a specialist is necessary.

Sled Bilgow

It's easier with them. We cut a 42 x 7 cm rectangle from 18-ply birch plywood. The thickness of 18 layers will easily withstand a lot of weight and evenly distribute the pressure area on the platform. Drill a hole for the bolt in the center of the edge. We grind one side through the pattern to a hemisphere, retreating 1 cm from the other side. The original set uses a regular furniture nut. It is placed on glue for a more reliable fixation. Over time, this nut still gets unscrewed. Due to the fact that the hole is very close to the edges of the slide and the foot nut itself is about a centimeter long, it can also break the part.

I changed this moment a little and drilled a 6 cm hole, taking a diameter slightly smaller than a furniture bolt. Thus, I increased the area of ​​contact between the slide and the platform and made the structure stronger and more durable.

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What can you get as a result?

The cerebellar stimulation program is aimed at improving coordination of movements, perception and production of oral and written speech, comprehensive correction of reading, writing and counting disorders, and improving all types of memory. Cerebellar stimulation significantly increases the effectiveness of any correctional classes (with a speech therapist, psychologist, speech pathologist). Classes are prescribed for children with impaired motor coordination, attention problems, hyperactivity, autism spectrum disorders, oral and written speech disorders, and problems with mastering school skills.

So, with the help of cerebellar stimulation, you can improve a child’s perception of oral and written speech, develop reading skills, mathematical abilities, concentration, and stimulate memory development. Cerebellar stimulation significantly increases the effectiveness of other correctional programs, including classes with speech therapists, teachers, and psychologists. The program is selected individually for each patient, based on his age, characteristics and capabilities.

Homemade balancing board

The balancing board is made practically from scrap materials, but it will serve as an excellent simulator for skateboarders and anyone who wants to test and train their vestibular system.

To make a balancing board, the author needed the following materials and tools: - MDF board with a thickness of 12 mm and approximate dimensions of 90x60 cm, - an electric jigsaw, - paper, scissors, a pencil for preparing a template, - wood glue, - a vice, - fasteners, - a hammer

Step 1.

To begin with, a sketch of the fourth part of the balancing board is made on paper, taking into account that its entire length is slightly larger than a standard skateboard, and its width is about 2 times larger. The board shape is oval.

Step 2.

Using a paper template, the outline of the board is applied to the MDF board.

Step 3.

An electric jigsaw is used to cut out an oval board and 4 segments, repeating the more elongated part of the oval.

Step 4.

The segments are glued with wood glue and fixed in a vice for further fastening. You can secure the segments with self-tapping screws, but be sure to cut off the remainder of the sharp part near the surface.

Step 5.

After securing the segments in place, you can try out the simulator. To do this, just take a plastic bottle filled with water. For beginners, it is better to take a rectangular bottle. The board is placed on the bottle and then you need to exert a lot of effort to find balance on the board. In the future, you can complicate the exercises in every possible way. For example, maintaining balance on one leg. You can place the board on a round bottle and roll the board on it, maintaining balance. Training on a balance board in a group can turn into a mini attraction; the main thing is not to forget about insurance during training. An insurance option is a strong rope tied to a horizontal bar, which you can hold onto constantly during training or grab onto if you fall.

Source

Balance and multi-sensory integration

The vestibular system receives raw data from the vestibular organs, which consist of the three semicircular canals, the cupula, and the otolith apparatus. Three channels are oriented along three spatial coordinate axes in a reference system associated with the orientation of the human head. They determine the change in speed of movement in each of the three directions.

When the head experiences acceleration, endolymph moves inside the canals, and its movement is recorded by the hair cells of each canal.

The brain uses this information to calculate the body's deviation from its inertial state. Navigation (not satellite) systems of airliners are in many ways similar in principle to the human vestibular system. To orient the axes relative to the vertically acting force of gravity, the otolith apparatus also has a spherical sac, essentially similar to a pendulum.

The vestibular apparatus combines inertial information from the three semicircular canals with gravitational orientation data received from the otolith organ.

It is this approach that provides us with the ability to constantly inform about changes in the direction of movement, regardless of the position of the head.

It can be tilted in any direction, and still the data from the vestibular sensors allows us to calculate the true trajectory of movement - the trajectory relative to gravity - and the correct perception of the three-dimensional space around us.

Such a significant role of the vestibular apparatus in the basics of perception makes the dependence of other brain functions on the work of the vestibular system very significant.

In order to form a complete and accurate picture of the world around us, we must collect and analyze information from all our senses.

So we would compare the sound of a jet engine to the silvery contrails in the sky above us (hearing and vision), or a small round object felt by the hands to a white baseball seen by the eyes (touch and vision).

The three-dimensional model of the world, built by the vestibular system, serves as a spatial structure - a grid into which all other sensory data is integrated.

A bird sings in a tree - stereophonic hearing gives us the direction of the sound source, but this direction is placed in the basis built by the vestibular apparatus.

The eyes transmitted to the visual center a beautiful picture of the fireworks on May 9th - but what would this information mean if it were not equipped with spatial data and were not tied to coordinates?

And here we come to a very simple and logical conclusion. The accuracy, or even, rather, the resolution of the vestibular system, has a decisive influence on the correct processing of data received from all of the majority of the body’s sensory systems.

A distortion in the processing of information coming from the vestibular system that occurs for one reason or another will make it impossible to accurately interpret the data from all other sensors of our body.

Thus, one of the tasks solved by practicing on a balancing board is to increase the accuracy of interpretation of data from human sensory systems: vision, hearing, touch and proprioceptive sensation.

Bilgow balance board, cerebellar stimulation

Photos and videos of cerebellar stimulation boards. Helps in the development of speech and attention. Help for autistic and other special children. Balancing board to order or do it yourself. How to practice on the Bilgou board. What exercises. DIY balance trainer.

WHAT IS THIS? Cerebellar stimulation is a series of rehabilitation techniques aimed at stimulating the functioning of the brain stem and cerebellum.

The cerebellum maintains constant communication with the frontal lobes, which means it controls movement and sensory perception. The cerebellum is the fastest-acting mechanism in the brain. It quickly processes any information coming from other parts of the brain, and generally determines the speed of the entire brain. A disrupted connection between the cerebellum and the frontal lobes of the brain leads to a slowdown in the formation of speech, intellectual and mental processes.

Balametrix balancing board exercises

To work on cerebellar stimulation, a specially designed device is used - the Bilgow balancing board (Belgau). The exercises are somewhat similar to physical therapy.

The child stands on the surface of the board, which, in turn, is fixed on a round base, which forces him to balance in an attempt to maintain his balance. The base of the structure is very similar to the base of children's rocking toys. The difference is that here the child does not have to sit and rock, but, on the contrary, balances in a standing position and performs various exercises.

The surface of the board has special markings, and the angle of the platform is adjusted by rockers that change the radius from 5 to 50 degrees. Depending on the level of inclination, the level of difficulty of the exercises changes.

Classes are conducted under the strict supervision of a specialist, both for safety reasons and for full effectiveness. Despite the fact that the exercises themselves do not seem unusual or difficult (throwing a ball, tossing a ball or soft pillow between a child and an assistant, naming numbers or objects in a certain sequence), the effect of the exercises will only occur with the correct selection of exercises.

Children enjoy practicing on the balance board. Such “lessons” do not cause them fear, negativity or fear of not completing the task.

Origins of the program

In the 60s of the last century, the American Frank Bilgoe, working with children who could not read well, noticed a relationship between their motor activity and changes in reading skills. This was the beginning of the development of the cerebellar stimulation technique, a concept for working with children with sensory integration disorders.

Bilgow based his program on three main principles:

• Stimulation of sensory integration.
• Sense of balance and spatial imagination.
• Proprioceptive learning.

Naturally, the scientist could not foresee all the nuances in the formation of the methodology thirty years ago. Other specialists, who applied the scientist’s developments with interest, added two more important principles during their practice:

• Personal, individual training.
• Formation of skills in stages.