Poverty as a barrier to learning
Many factors influence how children learn and develop, both in the classroom and at home. One of the major challenges is poverty. Unfortunately, in South Africa, poverty affects millions of households. But how exactly does it impact children’s ability to learn? Let’s delve into the topic of poverty as a barrier to learning: Children from […]
Common Types of Reading Difficulties in Children
When we talk about reading difficulties it helps to think about the pattern of reading problems that the child displays. This helps us to get a better idea of whether the child’s difficulty is due purely to not having had enough experience in reading (as happens often with learning to read in English) or whether […]
Teenage Pregnancy
Even though recent studies suggest that the teenage pregnancy rate in South Africa has remained relatively stable in recent years, it is difficult to ignore the fact that 71 out of every 1000 births annually are to teenage mothers. In 2013 there were 99 000 teenage pregnancies in our country (that’s 271 girls falling pregnant […]
Lithium as a treatment in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
When I say the word “Lithium” many of you may make a loose association in your head with the word “depression”. And you’d be on the right track. In 1949 Australian psychiatrist John Cade first published a paper on the use of Lithium in the treatment of acute mania. Since then it has grown to […]
Learning Difficulties: What to ask teachers and therapists
In the new term meeting with professionals working with your child is a priority. It can be very daunting, especially for parents whose children may have learning difficulties. Frequently, the professionals end up talking and the parents try desperately to follow the conversation and very often only pick up on the negative information. A small […]
Premature birth and ADHD
Premature birth and ADHD – is there a link? I’ll let you in on a trade secret. It’s not a devious type of secret. Not anything that could cause anyone harm, but simply a connection that most of us who work with small children have figured out. When a parent tells me that their child […]
The problem with the current schooling system in South Africa.
I have always been a big advocate of the benefits of education, but I have to admit that lately I find myself more and more disillusioned with the current schooling system in South Africa. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to defend a system which I feel has lost sight of its primary objective – giving […]
Hyperfocus in ADD
Say what!?! For years we’ve been telling parents that their children with ADD (and ADHD) can’t focus, but then made them aware at the same time that their children can hyperfocus. How the heck does that work? Well, our terminology is partly to blame. You’ll often hear it said that people with ADD have […]
Sensory Modulation Difficulties
Have you had reason to wonder whether your child suffers from sensory modulation disorder? Does your child seem overly sensitive to sensory input? Or perhaps he is under responsive to sounds, sights and smells that would send most people running in the opposite direction. Sensory modulation refers to the process through which our brains regulate […]
Neuroplasticity in education
Neuroplasticity, in my opinion is one of the most exciting concepts discovered by brain scientists in recent years. What it means, in essence, is that our brains can change – significantly – without operations or medication. Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that there is not a place for neurological medications or operational […]
