ILT Blog and News
By Dr. Shirley Kokot
What happens when reflexes don’t integrate?
Last week I wrote about the importance of early developing reflexes for brain development. This week, we’ll have a brief look at the importance of those reflexes being integrated into developing brain functions. Once the brain has developed certain areas, the early...
Why do early reflexive movements matter?
Early, or prenatal, reflexive movements are involuntary movements that occur in the womb, such as: Kicking Stretching Sucking Grasping They’re not controlled by conscious thought but are triggered by the developing nervous system. How Do These Movements...
Should some children repeat Grade R?
Most pre-school children amaze us with their ability. Little Hanlie, at aged two, can name all the animals in her favourite picture book. Hansie names most of the cars on the road before his third birthday and many four year olds are fascinated by dinosaurs...
Helping your child start high school next year
Jill Colton, writing for The Conversation, says that young people face a range of challenges when they move from primary school to the high school years. The high school environment and learning methods can feel very different from primary school—with different...
What causes a reading problem?
Why are there so many bright and hard-working children in our schools that aren’t learning to read as they should? Interestingly, if you read something to them, giving them information through their ears, they understand. But when you give them the same words to...
Compassionate children, healthy teens
Recent research (reported by Elsevier) showed a surprising finding: children who are involved in kind and caring behaviours (being prosocial) are more likely to sustain healthy eating habits as teenagers. The findings from the study (details are given below) suggest...
Is it OK to bribe children to eat vegetables?
We all know the ruse of bribing children with the promise of a sweet dessert or other treat if they eat their vegetables. But this can possibly do more harm than good. Nick Fuller, writing for The Conversation, discusses this. Why bribing may backfire Offering...
Can it be that there’s something wrong with my child’s brain? No.
So your child isn’t coping at school. She’s been diagnosed with ADHD or some other disorder and medications are prescribed to help her brain cope better with the demands of school and home. This often brings relief to families and the children themselves. Most of...
Ways of helping memory during exams
It’s exam time again. Here are some ways of helping to remember all the details needed to do well, and some habits that might not be helpful. This information comes from Matthew Mundy, writing for The Conversation. The bad habits Several common habits during exam...