How does movement help with acadedmics?
Sensation, movement, emotions, and the brain’s integrative functions are all connected to our physical bodies. Sadly, the idea that intellectual activity can exist independently of our bodies is deeply ingrained in our culture. In reality, thinking and learning are not solely mental processes; rather, our bodies play a crucial role in all our intellectual activities, starting from our earliest moments in the womb and continuing into old age. Our body’s senses provide the brain with environmental information, helping us understand the world and inspiring new possibilities.
Why is balance and body awareness so important?
Balance is achieved through the development of both the proprioceptive and vestibular systems. These systems collaborate to help individuals perceive their body’s position in space, enabling them to move in ways that maintain their stability. Educators may observe signs of poor proprioception in children, which manifests as a lack of body awareness. Kids struggling with this issue often have difficulty sensing their bodies, leading to feelings of instability and increased anxiety, as they may not feel physically secure. This can result in awkwardness in their movements. Dr. Harold N. Levinson (Director, Levinson Medical Centre for Learning Disabilities) emphasizes the timeless saying “Sound body, sound mind,” highlighting the importance of early movement for cultivating good balance. He notes that this foundational development is crucial for effective language, learning, cognition, and emotional well-being. His research has identified numerous learning challenges linked to dysfunctions in the inner ear and cerebellum, which are closely tied to balance.
What are some of the learning difficulties linked to poor balance?
Significant symptoms originating from the lower brain showed positive responses to therapies aimed at enhancing cognitive function, particularly those targeting the inner ear, cerebellum, and interconnected areas.
- Dyslexia (poor reading)
- Learning difficulties (poor learning and memory)
- ADHD- Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (poor attention and activity levels)
- Dyspraxia (poor balance-coordination-rhythm)
- Dysgraphia (poor handwriting)
- Dyscalculia (poor mathematical skills)
- Dysphasia and Dysnomia (poor speech and word or name recall)
- Asperger Syndrome (poorly read social skills and feeling signals)
- Anxiety Disorders (sensory-motor and related phobias)
- Mood and Self-Esteem Disorders (poor mood and body-image functioning) and more
It’s truly impressive to appreciate the brilliant vestibular-based insights and predictions made by the late neuropsychiatrist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder, ” when we understand the balance mechanism we will understand the aetiology of neurosis”
What are the three midlines?
Many individuals are only familiar with the last midline, which is the invisible line running down the center of the body, splitting it into left and right halves. Unfortunately, many are unaware that children who struggle to cross the first two midlines will have difficulty moving in a coordinated manner. The first midline involves a child’s ability to move forward toward something or backward away from it. This aspect of development is crucial, as it helps us approach what excites us and retreat from potential dangers. The second midline enables movement up and down, facilitating a connection between the mind and heart. It allows individuals to reach high and crouch low, linking logical thinking with emotional response.
Why does Mindful Moves not say they are using Brain Gym?
Mindful Moves embraces a variety of movement techniques to provide the best support for our clients. We utilize Brain Gym’s Edu-K moves, Building Blocks Activities, and exercises that integrate primitive reflexes, along with the insights of Barbara Phelong. While some may be familiar with certain Brain Gym moves, it’s important to note that our approach goes beyond just these, as we also harness the strength of other modalities in our practice.
What are Edu-K moves?
Edu-K stands for educational kinesiology. The term “educational” comes from the Latin word ‘educere,’ which refers to the process of drawing out an individual’s true potential. Kinesiology, on the other hand, is derived from a Greek word that means the study of muscle movement. Edu-K was the original name assigned to the Brain Gym exercises.
What are Building Block Activities?
Building Blocks Activities were thoughtfully created by Cecilia Koester for clients who may need a gentler touch. Like her other works, this approach respects the client’s unique abilities, utilizing the body as a means to enhance overall well-being and help them tap into their true potential.
In what way are these programmes different from OT?
Occupational therapy helps people learn or get back their daily living skills after they’ve experienced a change in their abilities. This often involves working with kids to support their academic growth, usually in a practice setting. We’ve created movement programs that serve as a great starting point for use both in classrooms and at home. These programs also enhance other therapies by incorporating primitive reflexes, which are essential for building a strong developmental foundation.
What are primitive reflexes?
Primitive reflexes kick in automatically in foetuses and infants, allowing them to move even before their brains are fully developed for voluntary actions. These reflexes are essential for survival, aiding in the birthing process and getting the baby ready for important developmental milestones. Ideally, these reflexes should fade away by around age three. If they stick around longer, it can indicate an underdeveloped nervous system. Additionally, Dr. Robert Melillo has discovered a connection between these reflexes and the slow brain waves observed in EEGs of children who experience learning challenges.
Why don’t more people check for these?
Many professionals stop checking for these after a child’s first year, assuming they have been properly integrated. Unfortunately, this assumption is often incorrect, and it’s a significant oversight. This issue is concerning because it can greatly impact a child’s future development, affecting their cognitive abilities, physical health, and behavior. Fortunately, a number of professionals, including Dr. Robert Melillo, Dr. Josh Madsen, Sally Goddard-Blythe and many more have recognized that these factors are crucial and are working to address this gap.
Why do they not integrate or why do they re-emerge?
Movement and timing play a crucial role in the integration of primitive reflexes. If children cannot utilize these reflexes to inform the nervous system that they have fulfilled their role and are no longer necessary, they persist and hinder further growth. Factors like trauma and weakened muscles can cause these reflexes to resurface as the body and nervous system try to compensate. This is why many older adults, who may not have stayed active or maintained muscle strength, are prone to tripping or falling, which can be particularly dangerous when coupled with fragile bones.
Which learning difficulties that are linked with retained primitive reflexes?
Primitive reflexes indicate an underdeveloped nervous system and can hinder further growth, leading to slower brain waves and functional imbalances in how the brain operates. This is commonly observed in many children facing learning and behavioural challenges. Since these reflexes form the foundation of our developmental pyramid, it makes perfect sense to start by integrating them. Mindful Moves distinguishes itself by addressing these reflexes while also focusing on the imbalances shown in neurofeedback EEG readings. Unlike other professionals who may overlook these reflexes and treat symptoms as part of questionnaires for diagnosis, we recognize them as clear signs of retained primitive reflexes.
How is sleep and anxiety related to primitive reflexes?
Anxiety and sleep problems have surged since the pandemic, along with various challenges in the classroom, which my colleagues and I had anticipated. This situation arises because the COVID protocols were quite the opposite of what we typically use to help integrate this fundamental reflex. As a result, both children and adults are now facing these difficulties. Looking back, those of us in my profession recognize that the initial plan seemed well-conceived by people who may have something to gain by keeping society in a survival state. We understand that unintegrated reflexes can hinder others from emerging or integrating effectively. However, there’s no need to worry, as there are effective methods that parents and teachers can use to help integrate these reflexes with our specialized techniques.
How can programmes be implemented at school?
Mindful Moves collaborates with both teachers and parents, providing profiling sessions that shed light on the potential causes of students’ challenges and behaviours. For further details, we invite you to visit our profile page. We guide parents and teachers through specific movements designed for the classroom to boost concentration, memory, and overall learning. Additionally, parents may receive a home-based program to help incorporate primitive reflexes into their child’s routine.
Why is this information not part of teacher training?
I still find myself trying to grasp this fully, especially since this work has been around for over twenty years and is utilized in more than fifty countries and still growing. It has been created and applied by various professionals, including occupational therapists, psychologists, remedial teachers, chiropractors, and neurobiologists, and it incorporates ideas from Sensory Integration, NDT, and Developmental Optometry.
As a teacher with two teaching qualifications, I realized I was not adequately prepared to support children with learning difficulties in my classroom. My urgency for effective solutions grew when my son began displaying signs of autism. I needed genuine assistance quickly! I discovered the crucial information I was missing as both a mother and an educator in the work I now provide. As teachers, we are responsible for fostering inclusivity and embracing children with various challenges, and it’s no longer acceptable to be unaware of this vital knowledge.
What courses are best for parents and teachers?
Mindful Moves also provides budget-friendly online and in-person courses designed to empower staff members. These courses help them understand how children think and behave under stress, enabling them to implement Edu-K moves in the classroom for targeted outcomes. For more details, please visit our course page.
You can find additional details about our courses on our course page, but here’s a quick overview of the courses we offer and the benefits of enrolling.
Pre-recorded (Please contact us for a quote to share this in-person)
- Introduction to Primitive reflexes
- Autism
- Teaching Grade R- An Overview
- Solutions to Impaired Concentration
- Unpacking Behaviour
- Fundamentals to Reading and Writing (Pre-reading and writing skills)
- Study Strategies
- Mind Your weight
In-Person (Online or at a venue) Courses (Edu-K Learning Track)
- Hands-on How to Use Brain Gym in the Classroom
- 2 Left Feet Workshop
- NIM
- Movement Facilitator BG 104
- Brain Gym 101
- Optimal Brain Organization
