Reflections #1 When necessary use a professional. It is definitely cheaper to “do it yourself”. In many aspects of our lives we learn how to be self-sufficient, whether it is learning how to cook like a gourmet chef on TV or using instructions on the internet to tile a floor. There are many great programs to learn how to increase IQ, memory, attention or other brain issues. But sometimes it is best to consult someone who really knows their stuff. I got blisters on my right pinky toe when I walked 10 miles or more, even in training. From the internet I learned how to take care of it, and how to prevent it. Unfortunately, I kept getting blisters. I did not seek out professional help. I t’s the way I am, I’m cheap, I don’t have time, I don’t know who to see. I have lots of excuses! I started my 222 mile walk September 7 and each day I got a blister n that one toe, and was limping badly by the end of the day. Each day I carefully drained it and bandaged it in a way to prevent more. That didn’t help! By the 5th day my sister suggested I see her friend the podiatrist. I was happy to, because at this point I wasn’t sure how bad the toe would be by the end of the walk. He saw me the next morning. He was able to immediately see how my foot is formed that created the blister and set me up with the proper bandaging. I was out of there in minutes and never got a blister again! If you have a child who struggles in school, and you spend hours a night working n homework that should be done in 20 minutes, it is time to seek help. If your child gets help in school but you don’t see real progress and improvement, you should seek different professional help. Each type of professional knows their specialty well. Consider the following professionals and their expertise: • Teacher – how to teach information • Special Education Teacher – how to apply accommodations to help the child pass • Occupational Therapist – some are knowledgeable about how to help children with handwriting while others know how to help a child’s body to mature. Some know how to integrate primitive reflexes – THE foundation for learning youtu.be/bRW_NXm0W-Y • Physical Therapist – knowledgeable about the body and helping it mature and grow; many know about the primitive reflexes • Speech and Language Pathologist – knowledgeable about speech and overcoming lisps, improving language and many times reading • Reading Specialist - how to teach reading It appears that there are many knowledgeable professional at schools, yet your child may still be struggling. Why you ask? People only know what they know. Thy might not have been exposed to certain information. The schools are not yet set up to fill in the holes for your child, which is needed to get the job of learning done. For example, whose job is it to help change and improve the problem of not being able to distinguish between the short vowel sounds – an auditory processing deficit? And audiologist can diagnose it, and it can be improved through primitive reflex integration and listening therapy, but schools don’t yet do this. So who does? Usually OTs and SLPs but privately. Who pays? Usually parents, sometimes insurance. Yet a child who cannot distinguish the difference between sounds will have great difficulty learning to read! So it would be wonderful if these simple interventions were offered at school. Who do you see if your child cannot process all that they see visually (necessary for all learning!)? And how is this caught? Most kindergarten screenings only screen for distance acuity (seeing the board) but not near-point (reading). Regular optometrists are the professional to see for testing acuity; wouldn’t it be great if all children were tested for this and potential helped BEFORE they struggle? Some children have other visual issues – double vision, slow copying, unable to sustain focus, jumpy eyes, reversal of letters 9b-d, saw-was). These issues can be diagnosed and treated by a behavioral or developmental optometrist, but can be very expensive. Many of these professionals also integrate the primitive reflexes, which are instrumental in developing vision during the first year of life. What about memory? If your child cannot remember 3 instructions in a row, or studies for a spelling test one week but cannot remember the correct spelling the next week, who is responsible for improving memory? And attention – necessary for taking notes, and staying with a task to the end? Who is improving processing speed? We all seem to be satisfied with giving our children extra time in school, but what employer will hire a high school graduate who needs 50% extra time? All of these cognitive skills can be taught, and should. Right now, there are some specific learning centers and tutors who do just that, but still there are not many. There are some great computer programs available, but to be successful, a coach of some sort is needed. If these kills were taught in the primary grades for a period a day, the teachers would have so much more time to teach their academics. If our children’s brains are not improved by the professionals that they see daily in school, we are just applying more bandaids to a blister, rather than working on fixing the root cause.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 13:36:49 +0000
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