Without Limits Learning

Remove the barriers to success

learning

What to do at home with kids

By

This time in our country is unprecedented with the onset of the pandemic COVID-19. Never before have families been told to work at home, stay home, and to avoid social gatherings. In addition, it is very likely in the near future in New Zealand that our children will need to stay home from school as many other countries across the world are doing. Due to these parents can be at all loss as to what to do with their children.

This time, though insecure, is a fantastic opportunity to begin to connect to our children in a deeper way. Many parents have felt exhausted from the pace of life, acknowledging that we get little time with families and loved ones and that the years seem to be charging ahead full speed. Now is the time that we can have the opportunity to engage with our children and partners and invest into them.

Outsourced Parenting?

In our modern society we have adapted to ‘outsourced parenting.’ Schools, programmes, classes, and before and after school care have largely been responsible for raising our children due to financial and other pressures. I am not saying we need to push our children to learn. However the COVID-19 pandemic, though tragic, gives us a unique opportunity to spend time with our children and teach them the things that may have long been neglected. Our grandparents and great-grandparents found a way to live through desperate times, and we can now use our concern with survival to teach our children how to survive without the luxuries of modern life – if needed.

Looking at it positively

I am passionate about teaching my children to cook. You can find more about my life here. From a young age, still in nappies they were seated on the kitchen bench learning about their senses and the processes of cooking. Yes, they made a huge mess, but they were involved every step of the way, and learnt so much from it. Now is the time where we can teach them – and ourselves if necessary – how to cook. Not to just open packets and put together, but to really cook from scratch. We can teach our children processes such as pickling, and preserving, batch cooking and freezing, growing our own food, understanding nutritional content, and recycling much of what we are used to throwing away. We can be involved in art projects, science experiments and enjoying the solitude of a good book. If we see our isolation as a time to slow down, a time to connect with family and a time to experiment with something new, then a world of possibilities can open for us.

The honest reality is that home isolation will involve a period of adjustment where all the members of the household need to learn to cooperate for long periods of time. We are not used to being together 24 hours a day and this will bring a measure of stress. Yet, even this offers opportunities for a deeper connection with one another and a chance to work on our conflict resolution skills and ability to compromise.

Many of the trait’s experts are saying our children need to develop can flourish in this time. Development in resilience, in self-directed intrinsic learning, in deep attachment with other people, and in social competence. Learning new and practical every-day skills that schools often take on such as food technology, garden to table eating, and sustainability projects can be experienced at home. Even simple life skills such as putting a load of washing on can teach children self-sufficiency and independence. Children are never too young to learn the tasks that will help them thrive in life, but this needs to be done in age appropriate ways.  

So, what do we do?

Parents can use this time to really get to know their child’s deep interests and then build their learning experiences around this. It is the support of the parent through this process that enhances the child’s learning. Children should do the work the school sets, but parents can make use of other time for random questions, quirky interests and creative projects.

Parents needs to be equipped with the knowledge they need so that they can connect with their families on a deeper level, supporting holistic development and inspiring learning. When children learn in the context of a safe and connected relationship their learning is maximized both through emotional connection, and a sub conscious understanding that their space is safe for success and failure.

For children with specific learning difficulties, and special educational needs this is a time where your child can thrive. By being at home their sensory stimulus is reduced and you have an opportunity to work one on one with them in the areas of most need. I encourage parents of these children to use movement as much as possible to help train correct neural pathways and to gradually work on any presenting sensory issues. In addition, don’t forget to give time and care to yourself and ensure you have the support you need.

Here are some ways that all families can make the most of this time

Organize your days – set loose routines so that you still wake up with a purpose and a plan. Simple things such as learning time in the morning, followed by a lunch that your child makes, followed by some quiet time and chores, then fun afternoon games can make the days feel full and satisfying.

Find stimulating material – the online world is still active so discover a new hobby or find a new learning experience online as a family and complete that together. Play boardgames or write your own play.

Think holistic development – take care of your families mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health in this time. Take notice of what their thoughts are and have conversations around positive mindsets and hopefulness. Discuss their feelings and fears and develop a greater sense of trust.

Keep moving – find ways to be active such as family twister games, pilates, yoga or friendly boxing sessions together. The brain benefits when the body moves so do this as much as possible. You can take the time to start participating in the natural childhood movement.

Avoid devices for long periods – to benefit their body and help keep them emotionally regulated and healthy.

We need to remember the societal impacts of COVID-19 won’t be forever, but while it is here, we can have some fun, connect deeper, maximize our time and release our children’s fullest potential.

For more information to support your children on on Facebook – follow us to keep up to date. Or you can see if neuro motor immaturity may be a problem for your child here.

Pushing our children to ‘learn’

By

Assessing Neuro Motor Readiness for Learning

 

The joys and excitement of a child turning five is celebrated as a rite of passage. The child growing up, going to ‘big school’ and putting on their new uniform brings delight to parents and teachers. But when is a child really ready for school? How can we tell if they are going to succeed or not? Are there ways to tell if a child is school ready? Or do they turn five and are magically able to adjust? Can we help them learn? What are the keys for success? And how can we help them?

We know that child development is fluid – children develop faster or slower than others, but generally all children follow the same milestones of development despite country, culture and race.  This development is physical, mental and emotional and these factors are interrelated in a wholistic way meaning they are all interdependent on each other. For example, the maturity of the emotions is largely dependent on maturity of the mind, just as maturity of the mind is impacted by maturity of the emotions.  However there has been little discussion as to how the maturity of the physical body also impacts mental maturity and agility and visa-versa. Can we know if a child is ready for school by reading their physical capabilities?

The truth is we can! We can see if a child will start school on the upper hand or not if we look past the a,b,c’s and 1, 2, 3’s.  As teachers we have tended to do away with assessing children too young – and for good reason.  However, we have also done away with observing and ensuring children reach their developmental milestones physically.  The assumption is that “all children will get there eventually” and while this may be true in part it does not help the child and adults working with children best provide for their physical development alongside their mental and emotional development. In fact, if children do not meet their physical milestones it can hinder their progress in other areas.  And don’t we all want to give our children the best possible start? Why allow delay if it is not necessary.

Let me explain.  Primitive reflexes are apart of our central nervous system and are meant to be there until around one year of age.  It is at this time that they begin to transition into postural reflexes.  We need these postural reflexes to help defy gravity, give us good posture and fluid movement all through life.  But most importantly these postural reflexes allow us to continually operate in our mature brain, that is the part at the front of the head which problem solves, evaluates and does other executive functions.  Without getting too technical – primitive reflexes come from the brain stem and spinal cord.  Postural reflexes release these so that we are free to operate in our mid-brain and cortex – the thinking brain.

It is for this reason that assessment of the primitive and postural reflexes at 5 will determine the physical maturity of the child and subsequently the ability to operate in their cortex long-term.  Primitive reflexes are like a ‘trigger’ to a child’s brain. Any movement of the head or limbs causes different reflexes to operate to distract and interrupt the child’s processes. Some reflexes such as the ATNR will even cause involuntary movement of the arms upon head rotation.  I’m sure you know this child.  The one with the messy sloping handwriting, or the one who children always say “he hit me” only to have the child emphatically deny it.  Or the one who is constantly ‘clumsy’. This is because reflexes are not conscious.  They are rooted in our subconscious primitive minds.  It’s cause and effect.  Turn head, arm goes out.

However, with a specific movement programme tailored to release these reflexes, the child can be free of the annoying and damaging effects of them.  This programme can be undertaken at home one on one with a parent, or in preschools and schools by trained teachers. Age is no barrier for the programme it can work at any age, yet at 5 we can see how the child will transition into primary school and support this process. The assessment tool also helps us recognise the signs and symptoms of neuro motor immaturity in the classroom.

No longer do children need to live with the emotional insecurity and fight/flight reactions of the Moro reflex.  Or the inability to ride a bike, or handwriting issues, mid-line crossing and co-ordination difficulties of the ATNR. Or the postural distractions, inability to swim, and constant wriggle of the STNR.  Even issues with speech and language can be helped and healed through remediating the TLR. When we understand what is causing the behaviours we can then set about freeing the child from them.

These are all constant issues for children every day of their life that the adults around them and they themselves are largely unaware of. They live with them continuously and when it is time for big school the adults wonder why they cannot still hold a pencil, draw a circle, or sit still on the mat. They aren’t ‘naughty kids’, their bodies and brains just aren’t communicating well yet. But they can. Both teachers and parents can access this support for their child at school or at home. We can see if a child is ready for formal learning at 5, and the good news is we can help them if they aren’t.

If you know a child who suffers from these symptoms there is help! If you are a teacher, you can help all your class become physically ready for formal learning by registering your interest in the one-day teachers’ course here. Or fill out our initial screening questionaire on the here to see if your child needs this support.

 

FIDGET SPINNERS: A Crazy Craze or a Teacher’s Toolbox

By

Fidget spinners are currently all the rage in most households, schools and preschools in New Zealand. With some schools banning them and others embracing them what is the impact of these toys on children’s learning and development? Do our children benefit from such a thing, or are they just too hard to manage in a classroom?

Many schools have now banned Fidget Spinners (along with our childhood fun such as marbles, and bulrush), and some like Palmerston North’s Roslyn School are using them as teaching tools. So how do we know if they are beneficial or bust? Taking a look at how children learn helps us understand if they have a role in the classroom.

We all learn through different ways – these are called learning styles and they are separated into the broad groups of: visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. Visual means we learn through seeing, auditory means we learn mostly through listening, and kinaesthetic means we learn mostly through moving.

In fact, all learning is based in movement from the time we are in utero until the time we die. To see, our eyes move and focus, our ear drums move when we hear and our body is in constant movement as we take information through all of our other senses. This is the one aspect of learning that does not change as we age we just become more sophisticated at doing it.

We as individuals will be more dominant in one of these methods. Visual and kinesthetic are the more prominent learning styles with auditory being the least. (Are you now questioning why so much of our educational system is based on listening? You are right to wonder, but that is another topic!)

Fidget spinners are the latest craze but they are not new in terms of teaching aids in the classroom. For decades teachers have allowed highly tactile, kinesthetic children small toys and manipulatives to hold quietly to help increase their listening capacity and focus on tasks. These have mostly been used with children with special educational needs particularly Autism and ADHD.
Yet, even now, big companies are utilising methods such as stress balls, walking meetings and a range of workspaces to benefit business productivity through movement! As adults, we are learning that movement helps focus and focus equal learning.

As a mum of four, with three boys, I fully understand the need for children to move when learning – do boys ever sit still? However, also, as a teacher, I completely understand how distracting it can be to other children when some children are fidgeting in the classroom! So how do we best meet each child’s needs, and also use their interests to shape their learning experience?

So do Fidget Spinners need to be banned? I don’t think so. I think that clever teachers can maximise them for benefits to both children and teachers. Does this take time and effort, absolutely! However, if children are showing such an interest in something it makes sense to use that interest to teach the curriculum. If we are trying to raise children to love learning the question we need to ask is why do we continually take away the things that they most love, such as fields, sports, arts, a range of games, and now Fidget Spinners?

If schools are open to finding ways to use this interest, the Inquiry learning method has the potential to do just that. It takes real life problems and interests and researches, teaches and creates methods of learning for that interest. Using Inquiry in the classroom is one-way Fidget spinners can move out of the ‘toy craze’ category and into the teaching tool category.

This is what we see in the example of Roslyn School.  Suggestions for schools could be to adopt an “if you make your own you can have one” policy, make them as part of the curriculum, or set boundaries around their use, such as only in particular lessons, or at particular times in the classroom.

Like any other item in a classroom Fidget Spinners must be used within the rules of the classroom and teachers can maximise their use to reward and change behaviour. This creates a win-win. Children are born to move and through movement, all learning happens. Fidgeting is just one way that children can expel pent-up energy so that they have the control to focus.

Another way to help children focus is to activate their vestibular system through spinning. Stand the children up, have them spin three times to the right with a ten second eyes closed count after, and then three times to the left with a ten-second eyes closed count after. This will satisfy the brain’s need for movement and allow the child to focus on the task in front of them.fidget-2363067_1920

The STNR (Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex)

By

There are many questions running through my mind about reflexes, some of which could become areas for research.  Particularly at the moment is the role of the STNR reflex.  The more assessments I undertake on children the more I am seeing this reflex still fully present.  Currently, I am working with a group of 4 year olds using the INPP “Wings of Childhood” Programme.  The children whom I chose to assess had displayed areas of balance insecurity and/or some evidence of Primitive Reflex involvement.  All the children assessed had at least partial evidence of the STNR, and some couldn’t even stay in the quadruped position.

The role of the STNR is to help the infant defy gravity and to fully establish the quadruped position for creeping.  It helps to break up the effect of the TLR and is thought to train the eyes in the skill of accommodation.  This reflex emerges about 5 – 6 months of postnatal life and should be inhibited by 11 months of postnatal life.  It is for this reason that its strong presence at 4+ years old is concerning.  This can lead to issues with upper and lower body integration which makes sitting at a desk extremely difficult and uncomfortable.  This then effects concentration and attention levels, as well as hand-eye coordination, vertical tracking, posture and strength to name a few.

Since my study in the INPP method, I have realised that I have a retained STNR myself.  Looking back on my childhood I can see the many times this has affected both my concentration and posture.  I was the child who always needed to lie on the desk to write.  I didn’t understand it then, but I now see that I needed to develop more extensor muscle tone.  As an adult, this need is becoming even stronger with the bending and sitting positions required more and more of me.

So, to help children while they are working through the process of integrating the STNR I suggest that they should be able to work in a position that is most comfortable to them.  If attention is drawn to their sitting position then the child’s cognition is taken away from the information they are learning.  This isn’t a long-term solution, however but would be helpful while a reflex integration programme is taking place. In addition to this, having them sit on a swiss ball or lie on the floor on their stomachs when relaxing will help to develop the much-needed strength in their back muscles.

Take it from me, living with an STNR is not easy. Not in school, not in university and not in work. If it is put to sleep the child no longer has to worry about their posture, how uncomfortable they are sitting, whether they are upright or not. They don’t need to eventually have back pain from poor posture all their life, not to mention that they will actually be able to sit still at school! Wouldn’t that please teachers! The STNR is linked by research to problematic, behavioural, and impulse control in the classroom!

I think we will all be better off without this reflex bugging us – your child included. Fill in the screening form to see if this programme will help your child.

Feel free to comment or add your findings to this discussion as well.  Happy sitting!IMG_6764

What’s the deal with reflexes?

By

What are Primitive Reflexes?

Primitive reflexes are automatic stereotyped movements directed from the brainstem. We don’t think about them, we don’t try to make them, they just happen. These Primitive reflexes are needed for survival and development in the early months of life. However, as we mature with age, higher and more sophisticated places of the brain should mature and take control. These primitive reflexes will become a hindrance to learning and development if they are not “put to sleep” or integrated into our central nervous system.

What happens if Primitive Reflexes don’t go away?

If primitive reflexes are retained past the first year of life (at the very latest) they can cause issue with our social, academic, and motor (movement) learning. It actually becomes a barrier to development. Many children with learning disorders such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum, and Non-Specific Learning Difficulties as well as other Neuro-Developmental Disorders are known to have retained primitive reflexes which contributed to their issues. Basically, we need primitive reflexes for a little while but by one year of age, they should no longer be actively working in our bodies. We then need to develop postural reflexes by four years of age.

Reflexes are linked to the Sensory Processing Systems. These are Auditory (sound), Taste, Tactile (touch), Smell, Visual, Vestibular (balance and stability), and Proprioceptive (messages conveyed through our body). Because of this, primitive reflexes that are causing issues usually do so in one or more of these areas as well. This can lead to what is known as Sensory Processing Disorder.

Causes of retained Primitive Reflexes

There are many reasons why a child may still have primitive reflexes causing havoc in their bodies. Children who are born by caesarean section, or experience trauma in birth, are often high risk. Being exposed to toxins and medicines can also contribute. Other causes may be due to the environment they experienced in the first few months of life such as not enough time of the floor, whether it is on their tummy or crawling on stomach and knees, or even lack of specific movement in their early years. Illness and sickness also play a part especially in regards to chronic ear infections – as it impacts the vestibular (balance) system.

Sometimes we need to remember that because the brain is so easily mouldable, we don’t always have to worry about the reasons why they are this way, but instead, let’s celebrate the change that can be made. Primitive reflexes can be put to sleep no matter what age, and postural reflexes can develop if the child is provided a developmentally appropriate movement programme. This means we can make huge progress in a child’s life! We can help their body and brain communicate effectively with one another and allow the child’s cortical brain to gain increasing control over their body. Change is possible! There is a second chance.

If this sounds like your child, contact me now. If you’re interested, keep reading. Over the next few weeks I will explain different reflexes and how they impact our children and their learning journey. From my personal experience to you, let’s journey to make our children’s learning, movement, and self confidence excel.

 

A quick snippet . . .

By

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To get us all thinking about how the brain is impacted by the movement of the body here is a quick reference chart on some of the reflexes that impact our ability to learn.

Remember Primitive reflexes aren’t always the bad guys.  We need them when we are young – but when we get past 4 years old they should have done their dash.  I mean, who wants to see a 10 year old try to suck on his sandwich!?

In all seriousness, if children do continue to have a few of these Primitive Reflexes going on after 4 years of age it does become very difficult for them to focus on academic learning and sports.

Anyway, check out the chart, post a comment or two, or contact me now if you think some of these symptoms sound like your child.  The good news is your child doesn’t have to stay this way!

Happy reading!2089870_orig