Balance.... So important

I'm reading a book, Balance:  In Search of the Lost Sense, about the vestibular system or--in layman's terms--balance. (This book is also available at the Topeka Public Library.)  Balance is a crucial sense that we don't think much about.  There is an intervention program based solely on this process to improve attention, reading, academic issues, Balametrics.   In IM, tasks 12 and 13 are balance tasks.  I also add balance foams, discs and other challenges as the student progresses in IM and is ready for the increase challenge.  Slightly different from Balametrics, which works balance to improve timing, we work timing and include balance activities.  Both are essential to allowing individuals to reach their fullest potential. If your child falls a lot, bumps into walls, sprawls across the table to do homework, or spills their milk more than is typical, these may be red flags for you.

Tummy Time is essential for infant neurological development.

With the 1992 launching of the "Back to Sleep" campaign aimed at reducing the incidence of SIDS, some unexpected negative consequences have resulted. This may be one of the factors behind some of the  learning challenges that I see every day. The American Physical Therapy Association's article reported, "physical therapists who saw an increase in motor delays said that the lack of "tummy time," or the amount of time infants spend lying on their stomachs while awake, is the number one contributor to the escalation in cases."  But it's not just motor skills that are impacted, inadequate tummy time seems to take a toll on cognitive areas and self regulatory areas as well.  

Why does my child struggle so?

I believe it's not the parenting (though parenting skills help struggling children reach their fullest potential), not the genetics (though certain children are more genetically susceptible) and not the child's fault (it's not that they are lazy, unmotivated or selfish).  There are very real processing issues underlying these behaviors. Click on this clip for what I believe we need to do to help our future children to flourish. (Your child may need some interventions such as IM now to help overcome the environmental insults they've already received early in their development.)
A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Let's change the world! And save our grandchildren!