The Breakthroughs in Learning Blog

I came across an amazing resource this week! It is empowering to find an inspired tool for your arsenal!

Busy children are often the result of busy adults.  Being busy is often considered a badge of honor in our modern day, and those values are often placed onto children as well.  Well-meaning parents will also pack a child's schedule with activities in order to keep her out of the wrong peer group or away from excessive video game playing. 

Superstition regarding left hand dominance was so strong that in medieval times the word "sinister" was used to describe the left hand. Even up to the 1970's, parents received tips on how to encourage right-hand dominance over left.

Some children are more naturally social than others.  If a child's tendency to withdraw is not by choice, but out of anxiety, that child will require more encouragement.  Otherwise, that child may have difficulty relating to peers and risk depression and low self-esteem.

Social skills and comfort level with other people varies between individuals, including children.  It can be discouraging if very outgoing parents find they have a quiet child or a child that seems to have no social interests.  Parents may regard “quiet” or “withdrawn” behaviour as a sign that their child needs help socially, but social withdrawal needs to be regarded objectively.

Brain development moves quickly in a child's first year.  The brain processes touches, smells, sees, and tastes within an active environment. 

If a child has a learning disability there is a good chance that she suffers an attention deficit as well.  Likewise, children with attention deficits often have learning disabilities.  There can be varying degrees of severity in each area.  Low severity in each area can have a cumulative effect and hinder school success.

You’ve probably heard about the Brain Training Games on Lumosity.com.  Lumosity offers scientifically-designed training to challenge your brain. They offer programs so that you can train your memory, improve attention, flexibility and problem solving etc. through their Personalized Training Program. Lumosity has an aesthetically appealing site with a wide range of game options and the ability to track your personalized development.

Learning disabilities present the possibility of sobering outcomes: reduced likelihood of employment, risk of not graduating high school and an increased chance of developing further psychological difficulties.  However, a learning disability does not have to be a death sentence to a productive life.  As knowledge of learning disabilities expands so do options for treatment and therapy to dramatically improve performance. 

When parents learn of a child’s learning disability it is not uncommon for them to experience a grieving process similar to the stages of grief described by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.  While not grieving a death, there is grief surrounding expectations parents may have held for that child.