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Neurodevelopment Teaching Tip of the Month Now is the Time February 1, 2010 |
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By Jan Bedell, M.Ed., M.ND (Certified Neurodevelopmentalist) www.LittleGiantSteps.com 
How much time does it take to see your child reach his/her true level of functioning that will allow them to perform academically up to their grade level?
How much time does it take to reduce the quirky or puzzling behaviors, or to see them become able to organize themselves enough to start and complete a
project, a subject or a class without being distracted, confused, troubled, or struggling? How much time will it be before they can keep track of things,
stop the emotional melt-downs, or begin to behave more their age?
How much time? If we are looking for the number of hours, days, weeks, or months, it will all depend on the developmental status of the child or individual, and where we see their standing in the results of a neurodevelopmental profile and the placement on academic tests.
The typical length of time spent “on program” is from eight to twenty-four months. Now, let's assume your child is 10 years old you begin an ND program. You can spend up to two years with your child on program or less. As you go through the time and activities, you see your child gaining the ability to retain information and find a coordination within his or her body to execute tasks and skills that before had escaped him or her. The impulsive or over-emotional behavior becomes part of the past, not the child's future. Your child finally knows the math facts. Or perhaps you catch your child reading when before he or she would rather have done a chore than read anything. By age 12 you see your child happy, better-adjusted to life and its circumstances, and with abilities you thought would be impossible. Your child is functioning up to capacity. Now he or she has approximately 70 to 80 years ahead to fulfill their true destiny. Is that a good trade off in terms of time? Trading two years or less of putting things in order so they can function with neuro-efficiency for the rest of their life? Do you believe your child's life improvement is worth the time? Many former students, as adults, report they are so grateful their parents were there to help them, because they remember the struggle and now it's not there. Now they are free. [Editor's note: Whether or not your child displays neurodevelopmental learning issues, this principle holds true. Learning is a process, and sometimes it takes time for something to “click” for your child. This is particularly true if what the child is learning is the opposite of his or her natural way of learning. It can take up to a year or two for a child to learn an opposite skill. It seems as if the child will never learn it, and can be lagging behind by as much as two grade levels. But if you persist with short, repeated bursts of activity and review, it can be learned. When it does, the child often “takes off” and catches up within a few months or so.] 652 Words To view more 'Teaching Tips' Articles please 'Log In' and visit the 'Achives' page. |
