About

EXTRA LESSON EXERCISES ADDRESS:

  • Balance
  • Spatial Orientation
  • Symmetry -> dominance
  • Body geography (imprinting of the body image)
  • Visual and Auditory memory

THESE FACULTIES ARE BASIC FOR THE CHILD’S ABILITY TO:

  • Sit still & comfortably at the desk/table
  • Listen to a series of instructions
  • Follow through on given instructions
  • Hold the pencil/crayon/chalk/spoon/fork/knife comfortably & use it efficiently
  • Perform daily practical activities
  • Have the eyes follow a line of text or copy forms/text/numbers from the board
  • Remember visually presented material
  • Remember orally presented material
  • Organize the page when writing
  • Solving written math problems
  • Sit still and comfortably In the chair
  • Keep track of a schedule of daily events
  • And more…..

From birth to seven an incredible amount of learning is achieved by the child.  While people notice and delight in the accomplishments of the young child, many fail to realize the means by which the learning is attained.  However, once brought to one’s attention, it is obvious that most of the major milestones involve movement – constant movement. Turning over, sitting up, crawling, standing, walking, learning to pick up tiny items, even speech involves integrated movement by the body.  These movements should be done many times over and over for complete integration or overriding of primal movement patterns.  These earliest movement patterns serve a purpose for a period time but need to be suppressed by the higher brain as the child matures.

Popular culture today primarily emphasizes learning letters, reading and math as early as possible believing that will give their children a headstart in life.  However, brain research underscores the importance of movement in order to myelinate the nerve cells for faster message transport and the importance of the cross-lateral movement of crawling which strengthens and integrates both hemispheres of the brain thereby coordinating the use of both eyes, both ears, both hands and both feet.

The question is: are we giving our children enough time for movement? Many children are not given enough time, or are propped up in a semi-vertical position too soon or too often and as a result, the early movement patterns are retained which can lead to mid-line barriers, cross dominance, lack of spatial orientation, vestibular problems, visual tracking problems to name a few, all of which can hinder a child academically.   There are more and more children with learning difficulties and/or behavioral problems perhaps because of the premature emphasis on academics.

The child addressed primarily with remedial education is of normal intelligence (neurotypical).   Frequently in many areas these children are more capable than their peers. However, there are certain activities other children can do easily and for which they must use great energy, creating tension which can lead to behavioral or self-esteem problems.  It is never too late to correct many learning and behavioral difficulties; it just takes more time the older one is.

In the assessment the child will perform a series of exercises addressing these aforementioned skills under the guidance of the educational consultant.  Areas of difficulties will be noted and a series of exercises to be performed with the teacher will be prescribed for the office and at home.  These exercises include developmental movement patterns, manipulation of balls, bean bags, copper rod work, working on a balance beam and balance board, as well as painting, blackboard work and drawing. The instructor presents these exercises in imaginative ways to create interest in the child and to sustain attention.

 

Other practitioners: Sometimes the needs of the child are greater than what can be addressed solely by the educational consultant and other modes of therapy, such as cranial-sacral, will be recommended depending on the particular need of the child; this will augment the work of the educational consultant.

713-825-0025