Do some of you remember you or your children using pattern blocks in school? These are the beginnings of learning geometric shapes in patterns.
is something that I wrote explaining why I played Mahjong and not Sudoku after sustaining a brain injury.
Mahjong would teach patterns, a basic concept. A math game would teach
math-a higher skill. Think about what you had in kindergarten. That's
where you want to start.
The
old neuropsychologist whose blog I read would have been right. Pattern recognition is more basic of a
skill. Learning that would come before math computation. That should come first in re-learning after a brain injury.
To
illustrate (shape and pattern recognition is more pronounced in Savant
Syndrome) I'll use a story where a head injury predominately uses visual information to reorganize a damaged brain. There is definite brain injury and then reorganization on
this basic concept of pattern recognition.
Getting
back to video games...you will want to build on this 'visual pattern
recognition' when there is injury. Mahjong is on most computer systems and versions are available as a
free app. Instruction on how to play can be found on the internet.
"Pattern recognition" is transferable to other games. Candy Crush Saga
uses pattern recognition and matching. Other games will, too. Mahjong is a good beginner game, and then other games may be explored. You don't have to stick with just one.
