When learning to write, children must develop many skills, including strong core and neck muscles to maintain good posture. Gross motor skills (arm muscles)  need to develop before handwriting; fine motor skills can progress naturally.

Parents often wonder why their child prefers the floor to the desk or the kitchen table for homework. By "on the floor", I mean lying on their tummy, propped up on their elbows. Children can stay in this position for hours, happily working away. 

One of the most common concerns parents raise in my therapy practice is this: “My child knows what to do, but they just cannot start.”  

This difficulty is often misunderstood as lack of motivation, avoidance, or defiance.  The reality for many neurodivergent children is that this is not a matter of attitude;  the problem lies much deeper. It is rooted in executive function and, more specifically, the working memory.

Has your child's school told you they're slow at reading, struggle with spelling, or can't copy from a book? Do they mix up their maths symbols or get tired quickly in class? If so, this blog will be of interest.  These struggles often have overlooked causes and understanding them can make a real difference. 

Graphic novels are far easier to absorb than the dense walls of text found in most chapter books. Many autistic children struggle with pacing and timing, and large, unbroken blocks of text are particularly difficult for them to manage.

When children have to do tasks they don't particularly enjoy, it is natural to want to get them over and done with. But if a child rushes through most things, even the activities they enjoy, we need to look much more closely.

You’ve told her a hundred times. You’ve put a chart on the wall, asked nicely, asked firmly, and somewhere along the way started to wonder whether you’re simply invisible.

Do you have difficulties getting your child up in the mornings? Knowing that your child may not be getting sufficient sleep is worrying.

Sleep is a vital process for children, especially regarding memory consolidation.

Many parents of children in primary school tell me, “My child can read, but when they see a long word, they freeze.”

It is not surprising to hear over time, these children may begin to avoid reading aloud, skip unfamiliar words

Picture this: you set your alarm for 7:30am each morning, a reasonable and perfectly respectable time to wake up, but every time it goes off  you get up, you turn it off and go back to bed, or even worse, you scroll on your phone.

“He comes home from school and wants to shut himself away in his room.  He won’t talk, refuses to do his homework, and won’t even eat properly.  The school says he is fine, top of his class, so I don’t understand what is happening.” 

While dyslexia is often thought of as a language-based problem in which speed, auditory processing, and working memory affect academic performance, there are other factors to consider that many parents don't think about.

This behaviour is often misunderstood as inattentiveness, hyperactivity, or lack of discipline.

In my therapy work, however, I frequently see something very different.

Many parents with children with Autism worry about taking their child to new places for fear of using the public toilets and the anxiety created by automatic hand dryers.  

Discover how retained primitive reflexes impact children with autism and why reflex integration is essential for emotional regulation and learning.

Parents often ask me whether their child is reading at the “right” speed. Some children read accurately but very slowly, others rush through text with little understanding, and many become anxious or fatigued when asked to read aloud.

Good Sleep is essential for children.  During a good restorative sleep, children grow, consolidate memories, and recharge, ready for the next day.  Yet, many children struggle to get quality sleep each night.

A factor that often influences sleep quality is how your child breathes while sleeping.  

A parent came to me about their child's maths, and specifically the daily Kumon papers. The parent reported that the work starts accurately but declines towards the end. 

It didn't make sense to the parent nor to me. Kumon relies on repetition to build stamina.

When most people hear the word dyslexia, they think of difficulties with reading and spelling. But there’s often something else at play: working memory.

Is your child bright and creative but still struggles to copy text or spell correctly? It may not be laziness, eye tracking challenges and unintegrated reflexes could be to blame. Learn how to spot the signs and what developmental therapies can do to help.