Nature versus Nurture: Why My Child’s Learning Development is a Product of the Environment I Create This article provides helpful information regarding nature versus nurture and how a child’s environment can encourage their academic potential. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. There are countless studies and research papers on the subject of nature…
Read MoreBody Awareness Activities for Stronger Proprioception and Learning Development
Body Awareness Activities for Stronger Proprioception and Learning Development This article provides helpful information for children who need body awareness activities to build proprioception and gross motor development. Children that struggle with body awareness can have difficulty with simple tasks as they move within their environment. When your child has trouble with balance, coordination,…
Read MoreParenting: Giving Your Child the Best Start in Life: 3 Things You Need to Look At
Parenting: Giving Your Child the Best Start in Life: 3 Things You Need to Look At Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature school opportunities for parent volunteers in this guest post. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning…
Read MoreSchool Readiness: Why Your Child’s Learning Readiness Begins In The Womb
School Readiness: Why Your Child’s Learning Readiness Begins in the Womb This article provides helpful information for developing school readiness in your child as a baby. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The first opportunity a child has to prepare for school is when they are first a fetus, developing safe inside the…
Read MoreScissor Skills: Trouble with Scissor Skills Shows Signs of Poor Fine Motor, Muscle Tone and Proprioception
Scissor Skills: Trouble with Scissor Skills Shows Signs of Poor Fine Motor, Muscle Tone and Proprioception This article provides helpful information and activities to develop your child’s scissor skills. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. When Amy begins kindergarten, her teacher notices that she constantly holds her pencils so hard that they break.…
Read MoreSocial Skills for the Child with Learning and Attention Issues
Social Skills for the Child with Learning and Attention Issues This article provides helpful information for children struggling with social skills. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As a parent of a child with a learning disability, I frequently research ways to help my child achieve academically. His overall school experience is more…
Read MoreHeadteacher Hacks That Will Make Next Term The Best One Yet
Headteacher Hacks That Will Make Next Term The Best One Yet Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature school opportunities for parent volunteers in this guest post. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. Summer…
Read MoreReversals: Why My Child Can’t Grasp Letter and Number Reversals (b & d, 6 & 9) – Not Always Dyslexia
Reversals: Why My Child Can’t Grasp Letter and Number Reversals (b & d, 6 & 9) This article provides helpful information regarding letter, number and word reversals. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. One of the most common concerns I hear from parents is that their child reverses their letters, numbers or words,…
Read MoreUsing Beach Home Therapy Camp for Sensory Integration, Social Cues and Non-Verbal Children
Using Beach Home Therapy Camp for Sensory Integration, Social Cues and Non-Verbal Children This article provides helpful Beach Home Therapy activities and resources for non-verbal children and children who struggle with social cues and speech and language. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The brain is an amazing organ that controls all the…
Read MoreTactile Toys: Toys for Sensory Defensiveness and Tactile Stimulation
Tactile Toys: Toys for Sensory Defensiveness and Tactile Stimulation Providing your child with tactile toys for sensory integration to awaken their sensory receptors can decrease fidgeting, attention issues and behavior problems in the classroom. Kids who suck on their shirts, fidget at their desk, chew on pens and pencils, and seek out extreme flavors and textures may need…
Read MoreBauer Crawling Reflex: Delays in Learning and Motor Development if Your Child Skips the Crawling Stage
Bauer Crawling Reflex: Delays in Learning and Motor Development if Your Child Skips the Crawling Stage This article provides helpful information about a retained Bauer Crawling Reflex. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000 reported that children who used walkers…
Read MoreAuditory Deficiencies: 12 Auditory Processing Deficiencies to Recognize in Your Child
Auditory Deficiencies: 12 Auditory Processing Deficiencies to Recognize in Your Child This article provides helpful information about auditory deficiencies and how to recognize them in your child. If you find yourself constantly repeating directions and instructions for your child, you may think they have a hearing issue. However, what they may experience is a…
Read MoreParent Volunteers: 10 Different Ways To Help Your Local School
Parent Volunteers: 10 Different Ways To Help Your Local School Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature school opportunities for parent volunteers in this guest post. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. No matter how…
Read MoreVisual Skills: The 3 R’s that Detect Visual Perception Deficiencies – Recognition, Reading Comprehension and Retention
Visual Skills: The 3 R’s that Detect Visual Perception Deficiencies – Recognition, Reading Comprehension and Retention This article provides information to help parents determine if their child is experiencing issues with their visual skills. As you may have already read in previous articles, vision is more than seeing clearly and having 20/20 eyesight. This…
Read MoreDysgraphia: Signs of Sloppy Handwriting Could Mean More than Poor Fine Motor Development
Dysgraphia: Signs of Sloppy Handwriting Could Mean More than Poor Fine Motor Development This article provides helpful information for children struggling with dysgraphia, handwriting and organizing thoughts on paper. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. It isn’t uncommon to hear some people joke about bad handwriting. My own signature is quite hard to…
Read MoreFear Paralysis Reflex: Why my Child Experiences “Deer in the Headlights,” Fear, Anxiety, Night Terrors and Phobias
Fear Paralysis Reflex: Why my Child Experiences “Deer in the Headlights,” Fear, Anxiety, Night Terrors and Phobias This article provides helpful information for parents who have children that may have retained the Fear Paralysis Reflex and other primitive reflexes. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. In a recent 2009 study it was discovered…
Read MoreHygiene: Fun Activities to Teach Kids Personal Hygiene
Hygiene: Fun Activities to Teach Kids Personal Hygiene Guest Post Christine Hill Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature kids hygiene with guest blogger Christine Hill While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. As your child…
Read MoreBody Awareness: Characteristics of Impaired or Poor Proprioception in Your Child
Body Awareness: Characteristics of Impaired or Poor Proprioception in Your Child This article provides helpful learning information regarding body awareness and proprioception development in your child. Imagine you are at a party. You walk up to someone and socialize, staying an appropriate distance from them as you speak. Someone comes around with drinks and…
Read More8 Executive Functioning Skills: Why my Child Can’t Complete Tasks and Stay Organized in School
8 Executive Functioning Skills: Why my Child Can’t Complete Tasks and Stay Organized in School This article provides helpful information on executive functioning skills. Educators and professionals in the child development field frequently discuss the natural responses and skills that a child is born with. Some of these include primitive reflexes, which are responses…
Read MoreVisual Memory: Studies Show Visual Memory Superior to Auditory Memory for Reading and Recalling Details
Visual Memory: Studies Show Visual Memory Superior to Auditory Memory for Reading and Recalling Details This article provides helpful information, games and activities for improving your child’s visual memory. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. When you make a video on your phone, visual and auditory information is stored for safekeeping and can…
Read MoreMotor Planning: Poor Motor Planning Leads to Lack of Confidence in the Classroom
Motor Planning: Poor Motor Planning Leads to Lack of Confidence in the Classroom This article provides helpful information for improving your child’s motor planning. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As adults, motor planning is something that we often take for granted because for the most part, we have been immersed in an…
Read MoreSensory Integration: 4 Levels of Sensory Integration that Prevent “Traffic Jams” in the Brain for Higher Learning
Sensory Integration: 4 Levels of Sensory Integration that Prevent “Traffic Jams” in the Brain for Higher Learning This article provides helpful information for sensory integration. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Picture yourself on a road trip. As your driving through some of the long stretches of your journey, you suddenly see a…
Read MoreVision Milestones: Warning Signs if Your Child isn’t Meeting their Visual Milestones for Reading
Vision Milestones: Warning Signs if Your Child isn’t Meeting their Visual Milestones for Reading This article provides helpful information for your child’s vision milestones. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. One of the greatest moments in a parent’s life is when their newborn baby opens their eyes and makes eye contact. This is…
Read MoreHomework Tips: How To Make Your Kid’s Homework Go From Bad To Excellent
Homework Tips: How To Make Your Kid’s Homework Go From Bad To Excellent Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature homework tips in this guest post. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. When…
Read MoreCleaning Tips: How to Make Your House Easier to Clean When You Have Kids
Cleaning Tips: How to Make Your House Easier to Clean When You Have Kids Guest Post Maurine Anderson Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature cleaning tips with guest blogger Maurine Anderson. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges…
Read MoreLearning Triangle: Without the Vestibular, Visual and Auditory Working Together, Learning Fails
Learning Triangle: Without the Vestibular, Visual and Auditory Working Together, Learning Fails This article provides helpful information containing the learning triangle and how it promotes learning. Affiliates are included for your convenience. So much of your child’s development involves their vestibular system and how the position of their body is in relation to gravity…
Read MoreProcessing Speed: “Mommy My Hand Won’t Keep up with my Brain” – Slow Processing & Working Memory
Processing Speed: “Mommy My Hand Won’t Keep up with my Brain” – Slow Processing & Working Memory This article provides helpful information about processing speed and how it affects your child in the classroom. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Sometimes our kids amaze us by the amount of information they soak up,…
Read MoreVisual Processing Disorders: 8 Visual Processing Disorders to Watch for in your Child
Visual Processing Disorders: 8 Visual Processing Disorders to Watch for in your Child This article provides helpful information regarding visual processing disorders and how to recognize the signs in your child. When people think of eyesight, the terms 20/20 vision, sunglasses and eye exams come to mind. Vision is so much more than that…
Read MoreBalance and Coordination: Why Kids get “Lost in the System” Without Mastery of Balance and Coordination
Balance and Coordination: Why Kids get “Lost in the System” Without Mastery of Balance and Coordination This article provides helpful information and activities for improving balance and coordination in children. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As we educate more parents and teachers about the benefits of balance and coordination activities, it becomes…
Read MoreCorpus Callosum: Your Child’s Superhighway for Connecting the Emotional and Logical Sides of the Brain for Better Learning
Corpus Callosum: Your Child’s Superhighway for Connecting the Emotional and Logical Sides of the Brain for Better Learning This article provides helpful information for strengthening your child’s corpus callosum to encourage better learning development. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Most people know that music is a good thing in a child’s life,…
Read MoreOculomotor Dysfunction: Why my Child Skips Words, Can’t Cross the Midline, Experiences Double Vision
Oculomotor Dysfunction: Why my Child Skips Words, Can’t Cross the Midline, Experiences Double Vision This article provides helpful information about oculomotor development for reading, writing and spelling. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Eye movements are the fastest and most frequent motions made by the human body. The eye movement control system, known…
Read MoreCore Muscle: Toys for Building Posture, Core Muscle, Motor Skills and Balance
Core Muscle: Toys for Building Posture, Core Muscle, Motor Skills and Balance Providing your child with toys to build and strengthen their core muscle can help your child’s learning in the classroom. Kids who lay on their desk, have poor posture and struggle to copy notes from the chalkboard sometimes have trouble with core muscle…
Read MoreVisual System: Lack of Visual Development Creates Poor Visual Perception Skills
Visual System: Lack of Visual Development Creates Poor Visual Perception Skills This article provides a helpful introduction to your child’s visual system. Additional articles will be included in this series. Affiliate links are below for your convenience. Most of what we learn, especially in the classroom, is through our visual system. Educators from every…
Read MoreTactile Defensiveness: Why My Child Hates Hugs, Tags and is in Constant Fight or Flight Mode
Tactile Defensiveness: Why My Child Hates Hugs, Tags and is in Constant Fight or Flight Mode This article provides helpful information for children that struggle with tactile defensiveness. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The word tactile refers to our sense of touch and to the information our body gets from our skin.…
Read MoreMaking Sure Your Kids Are Cared For Should the Worst Happen
Making Sure Your Kids Are Cared For Should the Worst Happen Guest Post Maurine Dashney Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature care for kids when emergencies happen with guest blogger Maurine Dashney. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with…
Read MoreDisneyland Experience: What to Know about Special Services for Sensory Children and Special Needs at Theme Parks
Disneyland Experience: What to Know about Special Services for Sensory Children and Special Needs at Theme Parks This article provides helpful information about services provided at Disneyland and other theme parks for children with sensory issues and special needs. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. A trip to Disneyland, the beach, Universal Studios,…
Read MoreAreas of Attention: Is My Child Developmentally Ready for Sustained Attention, Focus and Multitasking
5 Areas of Attention: Is My Child Developmentally Ready for Sustained Attention, Focus and Multitasking This article provides helpful information regarding the 5 areas of attention. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. A group of six-year-olds sit down during circle time to listen to their teacher read them a story. After 10 minutes,…
Read MoreEssay Writing: Simple Ways To Help Your Child Improve Their Essay Writing
Essay Writing: Simple Ways To Help Your Child Improve Their Essay Writing Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature tips for essay writing. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. Essay writing is a…
Read MoreLearning Assessment: Who is Qualified to Diagnose my Child’s Learning Challenge and Where do I begin?
Learning Assessment: Who is Qualified to Diagnose my Child’s Learning Challenge and Where do I begin? This article provides helpful information regarding who can conduct a learning assessment or provide an official diagnosis for a child’s learning challenges. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. A happy, social five-year-old boy walks into his kindergarten…
Read MoreBalanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children
Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children This article contains helpful information about Angela Hanscom’s new book Balanced and Barefoot for children struggling with sensory issues in the classroom. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As many of you know, there is a high rise in…
Read MoreWhy Balance? How Does it Facilitate Attention, Focus, and Higher Learning?
Why Balance? How Does it Facilitate Attention, Focus, and Higher Learning? This article provides helpful information regarding the importance of balance and how it correlates with learning in the classroom. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The first sensory system to fully develop in your child is the vestibular system when they are…
Read MoreHomework: How to Make Homework Fun
Homework: How to Make Homework Fun Guest Post Darci Maxwell Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature homework tips with guest blogger Darci Maxwell. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. Chances are your kids…
Read MoreExam Stress: How to Help Your Children Cope With Exam Stress
Exam Stress: How to Help Your Children Cope With Exam Stress Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature tips that help children cope with exam stress. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities. Exams are…
Read MoreTactile Learning: How Your Child Learns through Touch and their Tactile System
Tactile Learning: How Your Child Learns through Touch and their Tactile System This article is an introduction to your child’s tactile system and why tactile learning is important for your child. Future articles will discuss tactile dysfunction and what signs to watch for in your child. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Few people…
Read MoreGravitational Insecurity: Creates Fight or Flight Response and Sensory Defensiveness
Gravitational Insecurity: Creates Fight or Flight Response and Sensory Defensiveness This article provides helpful information about gravitational insecurity and how it affects your child’s learning in the classroom. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Abby waits in line with her classmates to get a drink of water. She is lightly touched on her…
Read MoreRoad Trips: How to Prevent Sensory Overload on Family Road Trips
Road Trips: How to Prevent Sensory Overload on Family Road Trips This article provides helpful information for preventing sensory overload on family road trips. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Road trips were always an adventure when I was little because in my family there were 10 of us with my mom and…
Read MoreSensory Garden: Why Gardening Helps Emotional Grounding and Sensory Integration
Sensory Garden: Why Gardening Helps Emotional Grounding and Sensory Integration This article provides helpful information on how a sensory garden can help a child’s sensory seeking behavior. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. When I was growing up, my mother planted and cultivated a vegetable garden. Some of my favorite memories include helping…
Read MoreVisual Processing: How to Recognize a Visual Processing Disorder in Your Child
Visual Processing: How to Recognize a Visual Processing Disorder in Your Child Many parents and educators have a hard time recognizing the signs and symptoms of a Visual Processing Disorder (VPD) in their child or students. Oftentimes parents or teachers think their child needs glasses or they can’t see the chalkboard so they try…
Read MoreHeavy Work Activities: Heavy Work Prevents Proprioceptive Dysfunction and Fosters Proprioceptive Success
Heavy Work Activities: Heavy Work Prevents Proprioceptive Dysfunction and Fosters Proprioceptive Success This article provides heavy work activities for proprioceptive input to enhance learning and attention in the classroom. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Proprioception is the strange sense that is overall an unconscious understanding of where our bodies are in relation…
Read MoreFox 13’s The Place: Find out why chewing on things could help kids focus in school
Fox 13’s The Place: Find out why chewing on things could help kids focus in school We’re having a great time with Fox 13’s The Place talking about oral sensory activities to help sensory sensitive children “awaken” their oral receptors for underdeveloped sensory systems, proprioception, and speech and language. Children with underdeveloped oral sensory motor tend to crave…
Read MoreBilateral Integration: Stages of Bilateral Integration for Reading, Tracking, Writing and Crossing the Midline
Bilateral Integration: Stages of Bilateral Integration for Reading, Tracking, Writing and Crossing the Midline This article provides helpful information for developing your child’s bilateral integration. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As your child grows from a toddler to a small child, it’s fun to watch them reach developmental milestones that prepare them…
Read MorePostural Control: When Core Stability is Compromised, Your Child’s Learning is No Longer on Autopilot
Postural Control: When Core Stability is Compromised, Your Child’s Learning is No Longer on Autopilot This article provides helpful information regarding postural control. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Human autopilot is an idea I talk about all the time. I’m usually cursing it because I was on autopilot when I set my…
Read MoreSensory Diet: How to Integrate a Sensory Diet Plan into Your Child’s Routine
Sensory Diet: How to Integrate a Sensory Diet Plan into Your Child’s Routine We all know each child is different, especially when it comes to development stages and learning. No child is exactly alike. They come in all shapes and sizes, they learn at different paces, some share personality traits while others don’t, and…
Read MoreSensory Diet: How to Integrate a Sensory Diet Plan into Your Child’s Routine
Sensory Diet: How to Integrate a Sensory Diet Plan into Your Child’s Routine We all know each child is different, especially when it comes to development stages and learning. No child is exactly alike. They come in all shapes and sizes, they learn at different paces, some share personality traits while others don’t, and…
Read MoreProprioceptive Dysfunction Causes Sensory Seeking and Sensory Avoiding Behavior
Proprioceptive Dysfunction Causes Sensory Seeking and Sensory Avoiding Behavior This article provides helpful information for proprioceptive dysfunction and how if affects your child’s learning. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Have you seen the recent commercial for the new Lincoln? The commercial displays a grid completely surrounding the car and it describes how…
Read MoreLimbic System: Your Child’s On/Off Switch for Emotional Grounding, Fight or Flight and Meltdowns
Limbic System: Your Child’s On/Off Switch for Emotional Grounding, Fight or Flight and Meltdowns This article provides helpful information regarding how the limbic system can affect your child’s emotional grounding and learning ability. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Many systems in the child’s body deal with emotions and the sometimes complex psychological…
Read MoreOral Sensory: “Awakening” Oral Sensory Receptors for Chewers, Biters and Suckers
Oral Sensory: “Awakening” Oral Sensory Receptors for Chewers, Biters and Suckers This article discusses oral sensory items and toys that can help children that are hyposensitive to food, textures and toys. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. When your child is a baby, it is only natural for them suck on bracelets, necklaces, chew…
Read MoreHard Work: How to Teach Your Kids the Importance of Hard Work
Hard Work: How to Teach Your Kids the Importance of Hard Work Guest Post Alek Sabin Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature hard work with guest blogger Alek Sabin. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and…
Read MoreOcular Motor: Best Ocular Motor Development Toys for Reading and Handwriting
Ocular Motor: Best Ocular Motor Development Toys for Reading and Handwriting This article provides recommendations for activities and toys that help a child’s ocular motor skills and visual planning. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Developing your child’s ocular motor skills and visual tracking is critical for their reading and writing development. It…
Read MoreNo Rules Recess: School Encourages “Dangerous” Free Play for Better Attention and Emotional Grounding
No Rules Recess: School Encourages “Dangerous” Free Play for Better Attention and Emotional Grounding Today, many schools can only dream about student improvements in concentration and better attention, decreased bullying incidents, increased self-confidence and tons of movement to train the brain and burn off energy. However, one school in New Zealand and also in Finland…
Read MoreCollege Education: Will Learning Challenges Stop my Child from getting a College Education?
College Education: Will Learning Challenges Stop my Child from getting a College Education? This article provides information regarding a child’s ability to gain a college education, especially if they struggle with learning challenges. Many parents struggle to see a long-term academic future for their children when they’re small. Nobody can really tell how well…
Read MoreAuditory Processing: How to Recognize an Auditory Processing Disorder in my Child
Auditory Processing: How to Recognize an Auditory Processing Disorder in my Child This post contains information regarding Auditory Processing Disorders and what to watch for in your child. Many parents and educators have a hard time recognizing the signs and symptoms of an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in their child or students. Oftentimes parents or teachers…
Read MoreSleep Tips: How to (Actually) Get Your Child to Sleep
Sleep Tips: How to (Actually) Get Your Child to Sleep Guest Post Kyle Anderson Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature sleep tips with guest blogger Kyle Anderson. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning disabilities.…
Read MoreGender Equality: How to Foster Gender Equality with Your Child at Home
Gender Equality: How to Foster Gender Equality with Your Child at Home Guest Post Aimee King Integrated Learning Strategies is excited to feature gender equality with guest blogger Aimee King. While many of the recommendations below are great for children and parents, some accommodations or exceptions may be made for children with learning challenges and learning…
Read MoreFine Motor: 15 Top Fine Motor Tools for Handwriting and Pencil Grip
Fine Motor: 15 Top Fine Motor Tools for Handwriting and Pencil Grip This article provides tools and resources to help your child develop their fine motor skills for handwriting and pencil grip. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. There are many children with or without learning challenges who struggle with fine motor development,…
Read MoreVestibular System: Your Child’s Internal GPS System for Motor Planning and Attention
Vestibular System: Your Child’s Internal GPS System for Motor Planning and Attention This article provides information about your child’s internal GPS system or vestibular system. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Whenever I need to travel to a new place, I pull out my smart phone, open up my GPS app and type…
Read MoreReticular Activating System: Why Your Child’s Internal “Alarm Clock” is Causing Fidgeting and Sensory Seeking Behavior
Reticular Activating System: Why Your Child’s Internal “Alarm Clock” is Causing Fidgeting and Sensory Seeking Behavior This article provides information regarding the Reticular Activating System that impacts your child’s vestibular system and attention and focus. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Do you ever find yourself at a conference or seminar where you…
Read MoreCerebellum: Signs of Motor Planning Delays if Your Child has an Underdeveloped Cerebellum
Cerebellum: Signs of Motor Planning Delays if Your Child has an Underdeveloped Cerebellum This article contains information regarding developmental delays for children with underdeveloped cerebellum brain functions. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. One of the struggles with learning delays and difficulties is that brains are so complex. There are a multitude of…
Read MoreScooter Boards for Vestibular Input: What to Add to Your Sensory Room
Scooter Boards for Vestibular Input: What to Add to Your Sensory Room This article contains information on the importance of scooter boards for vestibular and sensory integration. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. There is no doubt how much kids love scooters, especially those that come to our center. Scooters are great for…
Read MoreBilateral Coordination: Why Bilateral Coordination Delays can Lead to trouble in the Classroom
Bilateral Coordination: Why Bilateral Coordination Delays can Lead to trouble in the Classroom This article provides information on how to help your child with bilateral coordination. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. How long has it been since you thought about how both sides of your body work together? Do you remember the…
Read MoreTypes of Memory: Working Memory Tied to Your Child’s Intelligence
Types of Memory: Working Memory Tied to Your Child’s Intelligence This article provides information on the types of memory your child needs for higher learning. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. After waking up one morning, I glanced at my wedding ring. The symbol of my undying love was looking rather dull and probably…
Read MoreHead Righting Reflex Delays Cause Poor Visual Skills for Reading and Vestibular Issues for Attention
Head Righting Reflex Delays Cause Poor Visual Skills for Reading and Vestibular Issues for Attention This article contains information regarding head righting reflexes. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Balance and posture control over the pull of gravity is critical for every person’s life. This process begins before birth and continues as the…
Read MoreResistance Bands: Brain-Building Stretchy Band Exercises for Sensory Integration, Motor Planning and Crossing the Midline
Resistance Bands: Brain-Building Stretchy Band Exercises for Sensory Integration, Motor Planning and Crossing the Midline This article provides home-based brain-building activities with resistance bands that can help your child with sensory integration, motor planning and other learning benefits. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. When working with children who have learning disorders, attention…
Read MoreLearning Memory: How Your Child’s Input / Output Systems Create a Learning Memory Process
Learning Memory: How Your Child’s Input / Output Systems Create a Learning Memory Process Everyone knows they hear with their ears and smell with their nose. But, did you know there are tiny little hairs in both the ears and the nose that help both senses gather sensory information in our environment? Everyone has…
Read MoreMusic Therapy: Study Says Music Key for Non-Verbal Children and Children with Speech and Language Delays
Music Therapy: Study Says Music Key for Non-Verbal Children and Children with Speech and Language Delays This article contains information regarding music therapy and how it helps improve learning disorders and academics. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The concept for using music as a form of healing dates back to the times…
Read MorePostural Reflexes: Lack of Postural Development Creates Poor Balance, Coordination, Fine Motor Skills and Motor Planning
Postural Reflexes: Lack of Postural Development Creates Poor Balance, Coordination, Fine Motor Skills and Motor Planning This article contains information about Postural reflexes and how they affect your child’s development. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the center of thinking and controls most functions of the body and…
Read MoreSpecial needs children: 5 ways to help their physical literacy flourish
Special needs children: 5 ways to help their physical literacy flourish Guest Post Jennifer Pinarski Edmonton’s Amanda Ebert is an adapted physical activity consultant at University of Alberta’s Steadward Centre. Her best days at work are those in which she uncovers inaccuracies.“My favourite is when assumptions are challenged and proven wrong,” says Ebert. “These…
Read MoreMagna Tiles for Hand-eye Coordination, Problem Solving, Sensory Issues and Motor Planning
Magna-Tiles for Hand-eye Coordination, Problem Solving, Sensory Issues and Motor Planning This article discusses how Magna Tiles help children with hand-eye coordination, sensory issues and other learning aspects. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. When children come to our center, parents often ask what types of educational toys they can provide their children at…
Read MorePrimitive Reflexes: Reasons Behind Why My Child has Sensory Issues, Poor Balance, and Developmental Delays
Primitive Reflexes: Reasons Behind Why My Child has Sensory Issues, Poor Balance, and Developmental Delays This article contains information regarding retained primitive reflexes. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Here at Integrated Learning Strategies, we have spent a great deal of time and research on primitive reflexes. With each new article, we have…
Read MoreTop to Bottom Brain-Building Exercises for Organization and Emotional Grounding
Top to Bottom Brain-Building Exercises for Organization and Emotional Grounding This article contains exercises for helping your child with emotional grounding and organization. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Many children who have learning challenges sometimes struggle with organization, emotional grounding, difficulties with behavior and high-anxiety. There are even those students who are…
Read MoreMixed Dominance: Dr. Attributes Not Choosing a Right or Left Hand to Learning Disorders
Mixed Dominance: Dr. Attributes Not Choosing a Right or Left Hand to Learning Disorders This article contains information regarding mixed dominance and how it can cause learning disorders in children. It’s not uncommon to hear stories from older people who are left-handed about schools trying to make them write with their right hands. We didn’t…
Read MoreVestibular and Hand-eye Coordination Toys for Easter
Vestibular and Hand-eye Coordination Toys for Easter Easter is one of the best holidays for providing your child with toys to help them learn. Many of these items can improve your child’s vestibular, gross motor skills, tactile, sensory, proprioception and hand-eye coordination. As we improve your child’s balance and coordination, focus and attention, visual…
Read MoreWhy Weighted Lap Pads are used for Tactile Defensiveness and Sensory Integration
Why Weighted Lap Pads are used for Tactile Defensiveness and Sensory Integration This article provides information regarding the benefits of weighted lap pads for sensory integration. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. If you have a child with sensory issues or other learning challenges, they may benefit from using weighted items like weighted…
Read MoreHidden Allergies: Cause for Disruptive Behavior, Sensory Issues and Poor Retention?
Hidden Allergies: Cause for Disruptive Behavior, Sensory Issues and Poor Retention? This article contains information regarding allergies and how they may affect learning and behavior. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The number of children diagnosed with learning and behavioral disorders astounds me. According to Healthline 6.4 million American children have been diagnosed…
Read MorePlantar Reflex: Reasons why my Child may be a Toe Walker and has Poor Balance and Coordination
Plantar Reflex: Reasons why my Child may be a Toe Walker and has Poor Balance and Coordination This article contains information regarding a retained Plantar reflex and retained Babinski reflex. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Imagine for a moment what it would be like to find discomfort or even pain every time…
Read MorePerfectionism: Why Children with Learning Challenges Struggle with Perfectionism
Perfectionism: Why Children with Learning Challenges Struggle with Perfectionism In today’s society where high-stakes standardized testing, academic success, athletic prowess and excelling in the arts have become the bar for success, perfectionism is often seen as a desirable trait in a child. Sadly, perfectionism can be destructive to a child’s self-esteem, frustrating for family…
Read MoreMath plus movement equals better learning for kids
Math plus movement equals better learning for kids Guest Post Jaime Neefs Instead of memorizing multiplication tables and languages the old fashioned way, CBC news reports that Dutch researchers have discovered that adding a little physical activity in the classroom can go a long way to improving math and spelling abilities. Activities as simple as running…
Read MoreCalming Clipper: Why my Sensory Sensitive Child Hates Haircuts
Calming Clipper: Why my Sensory Sensitive Child Hates Haircuts This article contains information on how to use the Calming Clipper to help sensory sensitive children with haircuts. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. For those of you with sensory kids, you know what a nightmare it can be when the time comes to take them in…
Read MorePalmar Reflex: Where the Problem Begins with Poor Handwriting, Pencil Grip and Fine Motor Development
Palmar Reflex: Where the Problem Begins with Poor Handwriting, Pencil Grip and Fine Motor Development This article contains information regarding a retained Palmar reflex that can harm your child’s fine motor development. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Infants have the ability to grasp an object from the moment they are born. This…
Read MoreBrain Hierarchy: When Your Child’s Lower Brain Levels Are Weak, they Can’t Learn
Brain Hierarchy: When Your Child’s Lower Brain Levels Are Weak, they Can’t Learn This article contains information regarding the brain hierarchy and how each part affects learning in the classroom. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Did you know that the brain of an infant contains essentially all the brain cells that they will…
Read MoreSiblings: The Do’s and Don’ts of Why Not to Let Siblings Help your SPD Child
Siblings: The Do’s and Don’ts of Why Not to Let Siblings Help your SPD Child This post contains information regarding why it’s important to not always let siblings do things for your SPD child. Some version of the following scenario plays out at my house on a regular basis. One of my kids has…
Read MoreOral Defensiveness: 15 of the Best Oral Defensiveness Tools and Resources
Oral Defensiveness: 15 of the Best Oral Defensiveness Tools and Resources As we discussed previously in “Oral Sensitivities: Why My Child Chews on Pencils and Sucks on Clothing,” there are many children who struggle with oral defensiveness. This causes them to chew on objects like pencils, toys and clothing. When a child has oral…
Read MoreMusical Skipper: Improving your Child’s Timing, Rhythm and Vestibular for Learning
Musical Skipper: Improving your Child’s Timing, Rhythm and Vestibular for Learning This article contains information about the Musical Skipper to help develop your child’s timing and rhythm. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. As previously discussed in “Timing, Rhythm and the Brain: Why Timing Affects Learning,” we now have a better understanding of how…
Read MoreTiming, Rhythm and the Brain: Why Timing Affects Learning
Timing, Rhythm and the Brain: Why Timing Affects Learning This article discusses the importance timing and rhythm has on learning and the brain. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. I love watching little kids dance. It’s wonderful whether they’re dancing to the beat of their own drum, taking the time to listen to the…
Read MoreMovement Therapy: Not the only “Miracle Program” – What’s the Missing Puzzle Piece for Academic Success?
Movement Therapy: Not the only “Miracle Program” – What’s the Missing Puzzle Piece for Academic Success? This post contains information regarding the benefits of music and movement therapy for children with learning challenges. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Children do not come in perfect, orderly little packages. They come with diversity, spontaneity, energy…
Read MorePrimitive Reflex: Poor Posture Shows Signs of Learning Delays from Retained STNR
Primitive Reflex: Poor Posture Shows Signs of Learning Delays from Retained STNR This article contains information regarding the STNR primitive reflex. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. The way we hold our bodies affects everything we do. Posture is a large part of daily life and influences everything from focus and concentration to mood and…
Read MoreIf getting kids physically active increases their academic scores, why is it not being done in every school?
If getting kids physically active increases their academic scores, why is it not being done in every school? Guest Post Richard Monette The science is clear: If you get kids moving throughout the school day, they will do better academically. That’s the case being made in the article “Building a better brain” recently published…
Read MoreHand-eye Coordination: How Hand-eye Coordination Helps Early Readers
Hand-eye Coordination: How Hand-eye Coordination Helps Early Readers This article contains information regarding hand-eye coordination and it’s importance for reading and writing. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Hand-eye coordination is one of the most important parts of the learning process. It helps your child track the movements of their hands with their eyes, which is…
Read MoreTummy Time: Learning Delays that could Result from Lack of Tummy Time
Tummy Time: Learning Delays that could Result from Lack of Tummy Time This article contains information regarding the importance of tummy time in your child’s development. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. I have four kids. Over the last seven years I have gone from the overly paranoid, blow everything out of proportion type…
Read MoreSensory Systems that Make up the Learning Hierarchy of a Strong Academic Foundation
Sensory Systems that Make up the Learning Hierarchy of a Strong Academic Foundation This article contains information regarding important sensory systems and the learning hierarchy that comes from developing each one. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. Whether a child is using his or her hands to write, ears to listen, eyes to read, or…
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