Dear Addie,
There we were, a rather normal scene for us making your “a shicken” (chicken).
I was carefully standing in front of a sizzling hot pan and you had already retrieved your favorite seasoning from the spice cabinet. Interesting side note: you will get out all the ingredients for whatever you request to eat. It’s almost as if you’re saying – see, we have everything to make it… no excuses! Well played Ad, well played. Additional interesting Addie fact, you don’t feel heat quite like everyone else so we have to be extra careful with your cooking curiosity.
As we were waiting for the final few moments of your chicken cooking, I looked over at you and saw you doing what looked like a slow interpretive dance of some sort. You were slowly stroking your hair and face alternating sides in a slow and fluid motion.
What on earth?! I mean I know the chicken dance Ad and this was a way different version than I was familiar with!
I quickly grabbed my phone to get a video, because I wanted daddy to catch a glimpse of this cuteness, but it wasn’t until I watched the video back that it all made sense and there was, in fact, a reason for this interpretative dance over your “a shicken.” It all had to do with something called Auditory Memory.
Mark it! Yet another thing on this journey I never thought I'd ever have a reason to know about, but here we go!
If I'm being honest, this journey has made me super inquisitive about the way our body, and our mind works Addie. People often say you never stop learning, and I wholeheartedly believe that!
I’m not a doctor Ad, nor would I ever claim to be, but here’s what I’ve learned about your chicken dance. Memory Addie is a unique part of the brain where information is stored and then retrieved when necessary.
Memory is often thought of as the information processing center of the brain filtering through explicit functioning (clear and concise memories dealing with remembering facts and events), or implicit functioning (which is related to the impact that activities and experiences can have on your physical behavior.)
For example, explicit memory function is like remembering information for a test in school or recalling items on a grocery shopping list. Implicit memory function is like remembering how to ride a bike, steps to a dance or singing our ABC’s.
It’s often said that autistic individuals have such a great memory that they can recall back to when they were infants! If that’s true, then that's kinda awesome in my opinion Ad. And all the more important for you - first impressions are everything!
I know what you’re thinking - phew! Right?!? A lot of information to take in and what does this have to do with cooking chicken? Well, we still need to break it down a little bit more to explain what you were doing while making your beloved “a shicken.”
Explicit and implicit functions are part of something called our long-term memory, but there is also short term (or working) memory, like remembering where we parked our car when going out for lunch and something called sensory memory - which gets us closer to your interpretative dance ;).
You ready?
Sensory memory is divided into 3 categories Iconic (visual), Haptic (touch) and Echoic (auditory or sound)... that last one Addie is where your cooking chicken comes in! Ding ding ding!
You see Addie when I saw you doing your interpretative dance, I thought it was unique and cute, but didn’t realize until I videotaped it and played it back that the sizzling of the chicken cooking in the skillet sounded like water running in a shower. Yep, you read that right… the sound of the chicken cooking sounded like the sound of the shower running.
The sound instantly reminded you of taking a shower and that’s what you were imitating. Your Echoic memory was up and running and just having a moment. Your “dance” was mimicking the motion of washing the water over your face in the shower!
Interpretative dance or Echoic memory, it made for some cute pre-dinner entertainment, more knowledge for mommy and it still ended with you eating your “a shicken.”
Love you baby!
Mom
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