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Is your child ready for Gr. 1?
Is your child ready for Gr. 1? Download the Full PDF According to the Department of Education your child may go to Gr. 1 in the year that he turns 6 (before 30 June).This is not a good idea according to many therapists as children are not school-ready by this young age. By law a…
Why is decision-making an important skill to learn?
Decision-making and problem-solving goes together. One cannot be done without the other. Thus both skills should be mastered to be effective. Decisions could be something small or have a big impact on our lives especially as kids get older and make choices about their morals/values and career paths. The decision-making process improves with maturity and…
Why is visual memory important for learning?
What is visual memory? Memory: The skill to recognize previously seen objects/numbers/letters/pictures – especially detail Sequential memory: The ability to remember a series of objects/numbers/letters/pictures – very important for spelling The steps of remembering Receives The child needs to pay attention to visual input from the environment e.g. watching the teacher demonstrate a task/look at…
Why should we limit out children’s screen time?
Our kids are growing up in a technological age. They are confronted with tablets, smartphones, laptops, DSTV and so much more. Your phone is seen as part of your image and our kids want the latest and greatest. So why should we limit them? The biggest concern I have is that kids are not spending…
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…
What 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…
ADHD 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…
Hand 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…
What 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…
Eye 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…
What 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…
The 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…
ADHD 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:…
Why 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…
Kids and bullying
Bullying happens in all schools although the schools attempt to eradicate this. We get different types of bullying: Physical bullying: Taking someone’s lunch money, pushing, hitting, etc / Threatening someone with physical violence Emotional bullying: The moment teasing becomes constant and hurtful then it is classified as bullying / Spreading rumours / By gossiping but…
Kids and behavioural problems
It is important to remember that kids cannot always name their emotions and tell us why they are feeling the way they do thus their emotions are expressed through their behaviour. Also remember that a child doesn’t always immediately react to stress but it may only exhibit in their behaviour days/weeks/months later. Types of behavioural…
Why is the correct pencil grip important?
What is the correct grip? The dynamic tripod grip (as in the image above). The pencil is held between the thumb and index finger, with the pencil resting against the middle finger. An efficient pencil grip facilitates legibility, letter formation, speed and endurance. An efficient pencil grip is one in which the writing tool is…
Is a walking ring & jollyjumper good for my baby?
Anything is extremes are usually unhealthy. Having your baby in a jolly-jumper or walking ring for 15 minutes per day (NO MORE) will not hamper his / her progress. However, prolonged use of a jolly-jumper or walking ring will influence your baby’s development. When a baby is placed in a walking ring or jolly jumper…
How does low muscle tone affect my child?
Muscle tone refers to the natural stress in the muscle when at rest. It is not the same as muscle strength. A child with a natural lower tone in his muscle will use his muscles with more effort than a child with normal muscle tone. Children with low muscle-tone therefore tire easily, or they move…
Why do some children struggle to write neatly?
Causes of poor handwriting Poor visual perceptual skills Poor muscle tone Poor postural control Poor fine eye-hand coordination Poor hand function Poor motor planning Poor sensory integration Poor visio-motor integration Poor concentration ADHD/ADD Cognitive and psychological factors Dysgraphia: this is a neurological disorder resulting in problematic handwriting. This disorder sometimes accompanies ADHD, Asperger’s, learning disabilities,…
Kids and depression
2,5% of kids in America are depressed (stats in South Africa were not available – from the Anxiety and Depression Support Group). Children as young as 3 years old can be identified with depression. It is more common in boys under 10 years and more common in girls during puberty. Depression won’t go away by…
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Need an Example of the Formats for Pre-School Report?
