ILT Blog and News
By Dr. Shirley Kokot
The benefits of shared reading
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents and caregivers to read aloud with their newborns and young children. In a recent policy statement, they say that this is an opportunity to foster loving, nurturing relationships during a critical time of brain...
Getting children active for their mental health
This week, I’m reporting on an article in The Conversation written by Ben Singh and Grace McKeon. They address how fitness levels can support mental health in children. As adults, we are told regularly that exercise helps to make us feel better mentally, such as...
Why some children can’t sit still
You may notice those children who simply can’t sit still but wriggle and shift in their chairs. The culprit may be a reflexive movement that is necessary for our development but if not integrated due to some hiccup, can cause later difficulties with posture....
Shortsightness in children: What can we do?
I’ve reported before about the concern expressed around the world for the increase in shortsightedness amongst young children. Myopia, the ‘official’ term for shortsightedness, is usually treated with glasses but if left unchecked or if glasses are not given, it can...
How can you help your child acquire ball skills?
Being able to throw and catch balls and other objects is a fundamental movement skill that is considered an important milestone in a child’s early years. This is because they form the foundation for other, more complicated physical activities. In recent years,...
Beware of noisy toys this festive season
We’re rapidly approaching the festive season, when many people delight in treating children to gifts, mainly toys. But before you make a selection for a young child, consider whether or not the toy makes a noise. Dennis Thompson reports that the American Academy of...
How can you help a child learn to self-regulate?
Recently, I posted an article about self-regulation – which is an important milestone in the lives of children. Self-regulation is the ability to control our emotional reaction to events and to be able to make and maintain friendships, persevere with tasks and...
Help your child overcome these five fussy eating problems
In the distant past, humans may have developed a reason for being fussy about foods. They had to avoid strange and bitter tastes to prevent themselves being poisoned. They also knew to seek out types of high-energy, palatable foods and store these for periods of food...
Temper tantrums – Helping children learn to regulate emotions
Tantrums are part of growing up and show how children struggle to handle strong emotions. How caregivers manage these outbursts however, can affect children’s emotional development. Frontiers reports on a study in which a team of researchers investigated how giving...