How many times do parents and teachers tell a child to ‘sit still and pay attention’? Almost daily and yet what if the only way your child can pay attention and concentrate is if they are moving? Have you ever noticed that it is easier to balance when you are moving at least a little?…
Continue Reading
Claire used to struggle with helping her son, Kolby. She felt so hopeless and stuck and was always so worried about how much further Kolby would fall behind in school. It felt like every year Kolby was struggling more. Sure he would make gains in some ways, but Kolby couldn’t sit still to save his…
Continue Reading
Moment of truth. I’m going to be totally honest with you. It drives me absolutely crazy when people say that ADHD, dyslexia, learning disorders and even autism is all genetic. I get it. I really do. My grandpa had dyslexia and so did my uncle and my brother. Genetics play a role. BUT. Genetics do not…
Continue Reading
Not twenty minutes after I did a Facebook LIVE on music therapy last week, did Trisha email me to say she was feeling totally hopeless. She said that she had tried having her daughter listen to Mozart and there was some improvement but nothing like what I was describing. That’s because listening therapy is so…
Continue Reading
Too often when kids struggle with reading, we think we just need to reinforce and ‘drill in’ those letter and phonics sounds. This can work for some kids, but for kids with auditory processing disorder, drilling in sounds can be futile until you address the underlying reason why they are having a hard time keeping…
Continue Reading
My mother has a wooden plaque hanging in her kitchen since my childhood. It says, “If you don’t want your children to hear what you’re saying, pretend you are talking to them.” Children not listening is one of the most common complaints of parents and teachers and also has been the inspiration of countless parenting…
Continue Reading
Chances are if you’re reading this email, it’s because you are one of those ‘ahead-of-your-time’ mamas who understands there is so much more going on beneath the surface of your child’s struggles with learning or behaviour. … and you also likely know there’s a lot more going on than genetics. Consider this… Compared to any…
Continue Reading
Ask any person if they know what ADHD or a learning disability and they have an idea. Parents with children who are struggling with learning and behaviour can tell you more details on other disorders and their differences. Ask what a learning gate is and few people know. I was a teacher and I didn’t…
Continue Reading
Not even 8 weeks into the sensory-motor portion of my program, Jackie called me to tell me that her daughter’s speech, gross and fine motor skills as well as her reasoning had improved. I’m not going to pretend that results always happen that fast. I also want to be clear that Jackie was one determined…
Continue Reading
The other day I talked to a mom whose daughter is in grade 5 and learned that on top of having dyslexia, dyspraxia and mild ADHD, she also has dyscalculia. The daughter was devastated. The mom was working with a tutor, an OT, the family doctor and now wants to hire a math tutor. Mom…
Continue Reading