SUMMER TIME TO THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING CHALLENGES Dear Parent, School is out for the summer. How does that make you feel? Relieved th

SUMMER TIME

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TO THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH LEARNING CHALLENGES

Dear Parent,

School is out for the summer. How does that make you feel? Relieved that near daily or nightly struggles around schoolwork are over for a while? Concerned about what the future holds? Curious as to what other options might be out there?

This is what I know. First, each child who has learning challenges is unique. What works for one might not for another. Second is that many interventions are directed at either remediating or compensating the specific deficit as it shows up in the classroom. What is often ignored is that the actual school challenge can be seen as the tip of an iceberg with many contributing factors that may not be obvious or addressed.

IS YOUR CHILD’S BRAIN “FIT” TO LEARN?

Just below academics are the cognitive or basic brain skills that make learning possible. An analogy might be trying to play soccer without knowing how to run or kick a ball well. The Arrowsmith program founded by Barbara Arrowsmith Young in addressing her own challenges produces excellent results in this area.

DOES THE ABILITY TO SEE AND HEAR GUARANTEE UNDERSTANDING?

Sinking deeper we find visual and auditory processing, not to be confused with the simple ability to see or hear. Here we consider how a child’s brain actually processes what is seen and heard. I know a young girl who was struggling with reading. An eye doctor had given her the “all clear”. Turns out she had visual processing issues and appropriate vision therapy took care of the problem.

DOES YOUR CHILD’S BODY SUPPORT LEARNING?

As we continue to look deeper below the surface we come to the areas that I work with in my practice. This is the realm of the body. Imagine trying to pay attention and learn in school when it takes a lot of effort to just sit in a chair. For a person who has little body sense of left and right and up and down it is reasonably likely that reading and writing (both directionally oriented) can be challenging.

Two systems, the vestibular and proprioceptive are in play here. The vestibular system has to do with balance. When this is healthy we balance in most common situations with no attention to that and can navigate more challenging balance situations relatively easily. It can be said that our vestibular system helps us relate to our external environment. Our proprioceptive sense is about how we relate to our inner environment. It is how we know where our body parts are without constantly checking.

All normal developing babies are born with a set of reflexes or automatic movements that aid in birthing and early development. Ideally these “integrate” giving way for more mature movement patterns. For a variety of reasons sometimes this process is incomplete. Unintegrated or partially integrated neonatal reflexes can negatively impact all of what I have previously described. For example, this article describes the relationship between one of these reflexes and dyslexia.


Reading this I encourage you to ponder whether your child has challenges that are under the tip of the iceberg. How does it feel to know that there might a solution that you have not yet considered? What would it be like for you and your family if there were fewer or even no struggles related to school?

I love hearing people’s stories – frustrations or successes. They inspire and inform my work. If you have a related one you would like to share please email it here. Also if you know someone who might benefit from reading this I encourage you to share.

Sincerely,
Marsha Novak

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Please check here on the far right where it says UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS. I am planning something quite fun and exciting for me in the Fall.

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Wishing you all a fabulous summer! Until next time-

Marsha

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