When we are concentrating on and engaged in a task, the brain's task-positive network (TPN) is activated. This network, which includes the prefrontal regions and the intraparietal sulcus of the brain, is necessary for activities that demand our attention.
When we find ourselves daydreaming or lost in thought, on the other hand, the brain's default mode network (DMN) is engaged. The DMN, composed of parts of the frontal cortex, the posterior midline and the inferior parietal lobule, is more active during introspective activities.
Research suggests that children on the autism spectrum show more activity in the DMN than neurotypical individuals—information that Laura Kasbar believes is critical for parents to know. Kasbar is the founder and chairman of Gemiini, a speech and communication training platform for people on the autism spectrum. Kasbar's twins were diagnosed with autism when they were three years old, and she started Gemiini 20 years ago as a way to support other children in developing speech, language and social skills.
"In our brain, it's like we have two parallel universes," said Kasbar. "For people with autism, that default mode network is much stronger than the active one, as if you're in a giant vacuum that is sucking you in all the time. It's very hard to be present. If you're constantly in a daydream and can't get out of that default network, you don't notice people or conversations. You can't learn from your environment. Having an independent life becomes nearly impossible. And the longer you stay in that network, the stronger it gets."
Kasbar explained that it is crucial for children with autism to be constantly engaged in activities that take them out of the DMN and into the active TPN. The longer the TPN is engaged, the stronger it gets, as the pull of the DMN decreases.
"I call this paradigm the 'never-a-dull-moment program,'" she said. "It's exhausting, but it doesn't have to be kept up forever, maybe six months to a year."
Kasbar recommends that parents of children with autism use the following strategies to keep their kids stimulated, while also giving themselves much-needed breaks:
1. Ask for help.
Enlist family and friends to help throughout the day or week. Put together a schedule of people who are willing to spend short periods of time with your child on a regular basis.
"Ask people from church, trusted people from the community looking to volunteer who can come play with your child for one hour a week so you can go to the grocery store," said Kasbar.
2. Try new activities.
Get your child involved in activities that take them out of the DMN and into the TPN, especially those that they can do on their own or with other adults constantly engaged. Balance boards, walking beams and remote-controlled devices are all examples of toys that promote active participation.
"The first and best activity is swimming," explained Kasbar. "If your child is swimming, they have to be in the active network or they sink. During the summer, I was working with families that saw huge gains. The parents would take the kids to the pool, where there was a lifeguard watching the kids so they could read a book or get some work done."
3. Find time for active language learning.
Use downtime, such as car rides or mealtimes, to help your child actively practice language learning and speech. Screen time is usually associated with children zoning out, but Kasbar explained that the video-modeling learning she recommends is different because its structure keeps kids from slipping into the DMN.
"If you've ever learned a foreign language as an adult, you'll know how important it is to see the person's mouth moving when they're talking to you," she said. "Our eyes and our ears work together to a point where it cements the learning. In Gemiini videos, we show a close-up of a mouth saying a word slowly, like 'book,' with the actual object or a picture of it next to the mouth. Flipping back and forth between different shots, and children talking and acting things out, doesn't allow them to go into default mode."
Parents are able to create their own videos with their phones, Kasbar said, though she noted it can be time-intensive and difficult if you don't have editing skills. She emphasized the importance of filming close-ups of the mouth speaking words, without showing the person's entire face, which can be a distraction from learning for people with autism.
"These kids have perfect ability to learn," she said, "They're just not exposed to the information in the right way. Leaving your children to just sit in that default network all day long, you're making that network and those neurons in their brain so strong that it's almost impossible to get them into the active network. By keeping them always engaged in the active network and distracted from that magnet, you give the active network the reinforcement."
Uncommon Knowledge
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