Posts by Carla Grobler
Infinity walk
(Developed by Dr. Deborah Sunbeck) What is Infinity Walk? It is a whole body/brain activity that profoundly impacts sensory, motor, perceptual, emotional, cognitive and social performance when done for 10 minutes daily. You walk in the form of a lazy 8/figure 8; this provides a model for a continuous flow of clockwise and counter clockwise…
Read MoreWhat is vestibular dysfunction?
We need a properly working vestibular system for: Movement reactions Motion tolerance Motor control Postural alignment Balance Vision How does the inner ear work? Utricle and saccule – detect gravity and linear movement Semicircular canals – detect rotational head movemen Poor vestibular functioning could lead to: Poor muscle tone: impaired gross motor and fine motor coordination Gravitational insecurity: poor emotional…
Read MoreADHD vs Postural control
How does the child present in the classroom/at home ADHD Fidgety Poor concentration Impulsive Restless Poor listening skills Gets up a lot Talks a lot Shouts out answers Loses things Cannot wait for his turn Makes unnecessary mistakes Postural control Has trouble sitting still Want to move continuously Clumsy Slouches in chair Supports head Changes…
Read MoreHand dominance
Hand preference usually starts to develop by the age of 3 years. Hand dominance should be fully intact by the age of 5 years 6 months old. By now your child should use 1 hand, dominantly, for all of the tasks he performs. If you child is still switching hands to perform tasks there might…
Read MoreWhat is visual perceptual abilities?
These skills are necessary to interpret / analyse / understand seen information. These skills are the building blocks for reading, writing and maths. Foreground-background The ability to focus on 1 letter / number / object while not being confused by the surrounding / background information. *Kids who struggle with this ‘steals’ words / letters from…
Read MoreEye muscle exercises
Don’t do these exercises for more than 2 minutes at a time as this will cause a headache. Hold an object close to your face (touching your nose) while focusing your eyes on it. Move the object slowly away, up to arms-length, while you keep eyes focused on it. Move the object back to your…
Read MoreWhat is bilateral integration?
That is the ability of both sides of the body to work together to perform a task. Signs/symptoms of a child struggling with bilateral integration Appearing to be uncoordinated when doing tasks Difficulty in performing gross motor tasks Preferring not to cross the imaginary midline of the body Not choosing a dominant hand to write/draw/colour…
Read MoreThe basics about balance
Balance is a multi-sensory activity that enables us to know where our bodies are in the environment and to maintain a certain position. Normal balance depends on information from the inner ear (vestibular system), other senses (such as sight and touch) and muscle movement (motor skills and proprioception). Our sense of balance is specifically regulated…
Read MoreADHD and/or ADD
The following is taken from Kaplan and Saddock (the book that the doctors use for diagnosing children). Diagnostic criteria according to the DSMV Either (1) or (2): Inattention: six (or more) of the following symptoms of inattention have persisted for at least six months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level:…
Read MoreWhy is crawling important?
We see kids crawling in different ways – so which way is the correct way? The correct way is for the baby to place weight on his straight arms and bent hips and knees. Crawl contra-laterality by moving forward with his left hand and right knee at the same time and vice versa. What are…
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