How Early Development Shapes Learning: the role of Retained Primitive Reflexes

Happy child lying on his tummy on the floor, arms and legs lifted, in an aeroplane pose.

Having a child who is falling behind, no matter how hard they try, is a common cause of stress for parents. The answer often lies in their early stages of development. The foundation of all later development is found in retained early movement patterns, known as Retained Primitive Reflexes. Success in the classroom requires much […]

Why is Tummy Time Important?

Baby and his father, both on their hands and knees, looking at each other and smiling.

  Babies are amazing. They are born knowing exactly what they need to do to grow and develop. They don’t need us to push or prompt, or provide them with any fancy gadgetry.  All they need is a safe place for some floor play and tummy time, and you to watch over them.  They’ll grow […]

Development Delay and Links to Classroom Learning

Blackboard sign, with Back to School written in chalk.

  Many parents are at a loss to understand just why their child is struggling at school. There are many reasons for this Development delay makes classroom struggles a familiar story. Many children find the intensity and variety of classroom sensations completely overwhelming. This feeling of overwhelm makes it difficult to concentrate and pay attention. More […]

My Child is Trying Hard but Still Struggling to Read

Three children lying on the grass, each reading a book.

Are you worried that your child might have signs of dyslexia, or other learning difficulties? Learning to read seems simple enough. After all, how hard can it be to interpret those symbols on the page?  For many, however, classroom reading instruction is the beginning of a lifetime of struggle, anxiety, embarrassment, shame and poor self […]

My Story

Woman sitting, resting her head on her hand, looking at the camera.

When our son was born in 1985 I quickly realised I knew very little about parenting. Life gave me plenty of time to think about this and how I might do things differently second time around, before our daughter arrived 11 years later. The learning started all over again when I realised that each child […]