Time-Out for Parents
There’s an old saying “you can’t pour from an empty vessel”. It’s hard to be present with your children and other family members if you can’t be present with yourself. The answer is time-out for parents. You’ve probably noticed that your children seem to act out more when you are tired. They sense the tension […]
Developmental Readiness for School
Developmental readiness for school sets the stage for success throughout their school years. Time spent preparing your child for starting school will pay lasting dividends throughout their entire school career …. and beyond. Rather than simply reaching a certain age before starting school, it will help if your child is also developmentally ready. We all […]
Is Your Child Starting School Soon?
Is your child starting school soon? Learning, whether in the classroom or elsewhere, is based on a strong foundation of sensory and motor skills. These activities will help your child to be developmentally ready when the big time comes, and they start school. Not only that, but you are preparing them for lifelong learning in […]
Challenging Behaviours and Learning Difficulties
At times, all parents feel at a loss to understand what their child might be needing from them. This is normal. The vast array of options to address a child’s challenging behaviours and learning difficulties can leave many of us feeling totally confused. Behaviour as the Tip of an Iceberg Challenging behaviours are like the tip of […]
Building Blocks for Learning
The building blocks for learning happen in stages, each one following the other in a natural sequence. Starting with a solid foundation can help to keep the rest of the stack steady. Your child’s early learning is a bit like this. A good foundation in infancy and early childhood can help to support all later […]
Retained Primitive Reflexes
When I assess a child with learning and behavioural difficulties, one of the first things I am looking for is signs of Retained Primitive Reflexes. Success in the classroom requires much more than simply being a certain age before starting school. Your child’s learning experience will be much more enjoyable if they have a good […]
Floor Play and Tummy Time
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
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 than Just Trying Harder For these children, learning is more that simply a matter of trying harder. Generally smart, they often feel dumb […]
Dyslexia – an Holistic View
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
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 […]
