by Sean Williams

Taking the brakes off Deve'pmen'iaEduca'i.

K

D ffil6ltf,j3ig#;xur K w m m Kru K wre WOur brains are amazing,,

by far the mostcomplex organ on the

planet, and scientists

are just beginning tounderstand more abouthow learning happens.

In Mali in \TesternAfrica, it is notuncommon to see

babies walking at six orseven months. Bendy legs are

seen as unattractive so mothersmassage and pull their childtlegs to straighten them. Theinadvertent result is that the

children learn to crawl and walkearlier. In Canada, childrenat the Arrowsmith School inToronto can increase theirreading age by years in a fewmonths as well as their writingand speaking skills by doingsimple tracing exercises. It has

also been found that olderpeople involved in acrivities

such as learning a musical

instru ment. ballroom dancing

or studying a new language are

less likely to get dementia and

Alzheimert.

These are all examples of the

amazingplasticity of the brain;how our brains are shaped and

remade every day by simple,

often repeated and mostimportantly, enj oyable activities.Childhood is a particularlyimportant time for brain

development but our brains are

capable ofacquiring new skills,

reorganizing and learning to do

things better throughout ourwhole lives.

Judith Bluestone, the founder

of FIANDLE@, discovered

plasticiry through necessity.

She was born with multiplelearning difficulties and duringher childhood instinctivelydiscovered rhar simple activities(like bouncing on a pogo stick)

improved her abiliry to functionand reach her potential.

Although parts ofher brainnever developed.and manyothers were damaged she is

a living example of what the

brain can achieve. She learnt to

talk despite missing one of the

braint speech areas and wenton to study neuroscience at

university. She used her hard

won knowledge to help others

and to teach the things that she

had learned. Through creating

rhythmic, organized activities

Judith found a way to enhance

brain function using gentle

stimulation of specific nerve

pathways.

Judith created the HANDLEInstitute in 1994, and her

HANDLE Activities give us'the framework and tools we

can use to take the brakes offlearning and achieve more ofwhat we want.

Movement is crucial for braindevelopment. For example,

when you and your child do

physical and rhythmic activiries

like dancing orswimming thishelps improvethe braint inter-connections and

functioning. Even

walking when done

at a good pace

has recently been

shown to stimulatethe growth of newbrain cells in adults.

A Canadian study involvingmore than five hundred school

children found that those whospent an hour a day in a gymclass far outperformed, at exam

time, those who didnt do gym.

HANDLE stands forHolistic Approach toNeuroDevelopment andLearning Effi ciency. Personalised

Assessments uncov€r hindrances

to learning and a uniqueHANDLE Programme is

created to help achieve goals.

Some wish ro improve theirconcentration, writing, ballsports, communication, social

skills or even sleep. Clientsare given simple, easy to iearn

activities that can be done alone

or by the whole family, takingin roral rwenry to lorry minuresper day. The activities have

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HANDLE with sean williams

Enhancing learning for your child and the whoie family

"lwauld not have believed that Ester could moke such

o big leop in her development after just one

session." Maja mother of 2 year old Ester.

For more information callUna anOL273 558545www.seanwiltiams.co.uk offi ce@seanwillia ms.co.uk

ABC ll{ncnzrrur - Susssx 7V

(continued from previous page)

similarities with massage andmoYement games and stimulateparts ofthe brain to enhancetheir function.

Enjoyment and playfulness

is particularly important inFIANDLE. Neuroscientificresearch is showing that lastingplastic change happens whenwe pay close attention to whatwe are doing, as we do whenwe are really engaged in playfulactiyity. Studies also show thatplay actually makes childrensmarter, more cooperadve andfexible, helping with socialadjustment in later life andeven reducing crime. Ourunderstanding of the weblikeinterrelationships of the brainmeans that we are careful not tostress systems during HANDLEprogrammes. tVe know thatstress disrupts activiry in thecomplex thinking parts of thebrain. You may have noticedthat when you are tired, ill orstressed that things take longerand are less fun. PracticingGentle Enhancement@means

that we we keep a look out forsigns ofstress such as fushing inthe face, changes in breathing orjust wanting to stop. This kindof attention to detail means tharthe programme can be finelytuned to suit the individual,making it mucheffective and

enjoyable.

Nancy, whocaine to see me

when she was

nine, needed

extra helpwith maths

and reading.

She was also

struggling with her ballet andpiano and was really shy in largegroups and wanted to feel moreconfident. \7e gave her someHANDLE activities that she

could do with her mum and byherself through the day. Oneof them was the Crazy Strawwhich involved sucking waterthroughogt the day through acurly suaw to help the eyes towork together more efficiently.The movement of dre eyes

is important for things likereading, writing and ball sportsand regular rhythmic suckingstimulates the muscles thatconverge the eyes.

Each time she came back to see

us to update her programme she

was a little more confident, withher natural grace and beautyshining brighter and brighrer.Her piano improved as did hermaths and reading and she has

become an enthusiastic keyplayer in school musicals.

Everything we do requires

our brain. The more efficientit is the more we can do withpleasure and ease. FIANDLEgives us simple, easy and funways to improve what we doand how we do it. Humanbeings are incredible and we'veyet to find a limit to whar wecan learn and achieve with theright support and a little focus.'We just have to know how totake the brakes offl

If you would like to learn moreabout HANDLE and how tohelp your child learn with moreease and enjoyment, come toone of our evening talla or callif youd like a chat. \7e lookforward to seeing you! @

For more information, references, and iwhere to buy Crazy Straws see: i

uuu.seanuilliams.co.uh,

1|f ome children sleep better than\,others. Just as in adults, there is\Ja huge variation in the amount ofsleep children need. Roughly a quarter ofchildren have significant sleeping difficultiesoand those who have learning disabilitiesor a condition such as attention deficithyperactivity disorder {ADHD} are mostprone to sleep problems. Poor sleeping cancontribute to other behavioural difficulties,exhausting all the tamily and putting a strainon relationships. Many families accept sleepproblems as a normal part of life withoutrealising how much these contribute tobehavioural difficulties. Fortunately, mostsleep problems are relatively easy to treat.

Babies and toddlersYour sleep is likely to be

disrupted frequently in the firstyear of your baby's life, however

well you manage the timing. Itis essential that you get enoughsleep yourself to make sure thatyou can cope. If your child willnot sleep, try to get someoneto take over while you catch

up on naps. Some parents getcaught up into a habit ofgoingto bed with their children andsinging them to sleep for hoursand end up exhausted as a resultwith little time for themselves.Others sleep with the childthrough rhe nighr and rhisworks well in some cultures.This may be appropriate fornewborn babies, but eventuallythere will come a time whenyou will probably feel the needfor the privacy of your ownbedroom. The key to achievingthis is to realise that your childcan learn to fall asleep withoutyour involvement. You can

teach her this by taking her tobed while she is awake, and

gradually, if she wont settle,extending the amount of timethat you leave her alone, withbrief reassurances as necessary.

Your child needs to learn tobe separate from you and, thelonger you keep her close,

the harder the separation willbecome.

If you have particular problemswith getting your child to sleep,

sleep clinics run by healthvisitors can be very helpful; ask

your GP or health visitor formore information.

Bedtime rules androutines for youngchildrenBedtime is a time oFseparationand will be aflbcted by thequality of the reladonshipbewveen you and your child. Aninsecure child will find it harderto settle. Your child may have

missed you all day and wanr toprolong his time with you byasking for stories, toiler visitsand glasses of water.

You will be most successftrl ifyou have clear rules about these

and a set bedtime that you canstick to. Bedtime should notbe so early that your child thenwakes too early in rhe morning.

On the other hand, beingovertired can make a child toodistressed to settle at night. Yourchild may also wanr ro sray uplater if he is afraid of the darkor is jealous of the fact that the

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