Feb. 11, 2008
Musical Numbers/ Number Music
SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2008
The Professor has a "very complex" brain (as the most recent doctor told me this past summer), and he is such a great kid - despite the challenges we face together. I want to post a video he made today (he actually made a couple), but I'll have to preface it with a bit of explanation first. Not only is The Professor a High Functioning Autistic with OCD, he also has something called synesthesia. This means that his sensory system kind of "mixes" the signals it receives from the outside world. For most people with this, one form of stimulation will produce an experience in one other sensory mode. For instance, numbers or letters will have color or sound. (The Philosopher has numbers with color and "personality".) For our Professor numbers create an entire sensory experience - not only do they have color, the colors have shape and movement. Some of the numbers have a "feeling" like wind -- and they all have sound. Now, this is usually a pretty wonderful thing for him. He had no idea that the rest of the world didn't experience numbers this way until just this past year - in fact it probably wasn't even a year ago when he really started to understand this. We didn't know that he lived with these experiences until then either, so it's been a year of many discoveries for the whole family. Of course, it does explain a lot of his irrational behaviors in the past. (I can remember one time in particular when the calendar changed from 2002 to 2003 - he had just turned 5 I think - and he completely freaked out. I mean, I can't even describe the screaming and thrashing - it was crazy - and I had no idea what was going on. I was finally able to calm him down by telling him we could keep our calendar on 2002. Well, he told me a few months ago that the number 2003 is a horrible mix of green and yellow that spins really fast and makes his stomach feel severely sick, and when he played it on the piano it was so bad it made me feel dizzy - I made him stop really quickly.) Most numbers are "friendly" though - and we just do our best to "avoid" the upsetting ones. :)
Anyway, with that explanation, here is a video The Professor made today of the number 54. His only frustration with playing numbers on the piano is that in his head they have all sorts of different instruments - in fact some he can't play because they sound more like an orchestra :) - so he said something about this one "sounding like a harp".
The Professor has a "very complex" brain (as the most recent doctor told me this past summer), and he is such a great kid - despite the challenges we face together. I want to post a video he made today (he actually made a couple), but I'll have to preface it with a bit of explanation first. Not only is The Professor a High Functioning Autistic with OCD, he also has something called synesthesia. This means that his sensory system kind of "mixes" the signals it receives from the outside world. For most people with this, one form of stimulation will produce an experience in one other sensory mode. For instance, numbers or letters will have color or sound. (The Philosopher has numbers with color and "personality".) For our Professor numbers create an entire sensory experience - not only do they have color, the colors have shape and movement. Some of the numbers have a "feeling" like wind -- and they all have sound. Now, this is usually a pretty wonderful thing for him. He had no idea that the rest of the world didn't experience numbers this way until just this past year - in fact it probably wasn't even a year ago when he really started to understand this. We didn't know that he lived with these experiences until then either, so it's been a year of many discoveries for the whole family. Of course, it does explain a lot of his irrational behaviors in the past. (I can remember one time in particular when the calendar changed from 2002 to 2003 - he had just turned 5 I think - and he completely freaked out. I mean, I can't even describe the screaming and thrashing - it was crazy - and I had no idea what was going on. I was finally able to calm him down by telling him we could keep our calendar on 2002. Well, he told me a few months ago that the number 2003 is a horrible mix of green and yellow that spins really fast and makes his stomach feel severely sick, and when he played it on the piano it was so bad it made me feel dizzy - I made him stop really quickly.) Most numbers are "friendly" though - and we just do our best to "avoid" the upsetting ones. :)
Anyway, with that explanation, here is a video The Professor made today of the number 54. His only frustration with playing numbers on the piano is that in his head they have all sorts of different instruments - in fact some he can't play because they sound more like an orchestra :) - so he said something about this one "sounding like a harp".
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Mar. 29, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by christlike Hi from Alabama!
We are going down the CMS list looking for new friends. We are new to the Charlotte Mason Style and the 4 of us love it! We would be very thankful for any help or info you may want to share. My DW (daybydaygrace) Traci and I thank you and may God bless you!
We are going down the CMS list looking for new friends. We are new to the Charlotte Mason Style and the 4 of us love it! We would be very thankful for any help or info you may want to share. My DW (daybydaygrace) Traci and I thank you and may God bless you!
Apr. 1, 2008 - Music in the brain
Posted by inchargemom I was very interested to read your entry about your son and music. My husband is always telling me about how his mind hears music....and he is always surprised that the rest of the world does not hear it in the same way. He has perfect pitch, and some sort of sound memory...so that he can hear things, and copy them, or hear a voice, and remember the last time that he heard that person speak, and what they said, but he can't remember what they look like! On top of that, he hears multiple conversations when we go out, and often laughs at things that we cannot hear, because of his mental involvement with a nearby conversation. He also has constant music running through his head, usually all in the same key, and has the ability to sing one song while listening to another. And always being amazed that I am unable to do so! After 25 years of marriage, I am pretty much used to it, but I was very interested to see someone else with another manifestation of musical talent. I really enjoyed your Professor's music. Best of luck with it, and him!
Sep. 19, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by levi cool