Ingrid van der Westhuizen Occupational Therapist in Midrand

25/06/2022

🌟Fact!

At Situla, we believe that happy children make the best learners. That is why mental well-being is at the top of our priority list.

13/04/2022

Did you know that occupational therapists will often have children go upside down, spin in circles, and swing in various positions in order to help children develop a strong balance sense and improve attention?

Let children play outdoors often, where the natural landscape both inspires and challenges the senses and muscles. ☺️

08/11/2021

04/11/2021

06/10/2021

Did you know that you can change your brain?

Let's say you process information really slowly, you over react to sensory stimulation like touch or you struggle to read, you have the power to change your brain's processing speed, sensory regulation or reading capabilities (to name a few).

Neuroplasticity is what we build our success on when we do any type of therapy, whether it's classic occupational therapy, Interactive metronome, Tomatis or ReadLS. The most important thing is HIGH INTENSITY and HIGH FREQUENCY. That is how we can make permanent changes in the brain.

Watch below👇🏼



https://youtu.be/OpFHhOG3pao

Scientists once thought that the brain was locked in place after puberty. But new technology shows that our brain continues to rewire itself and never stops ...

04/10/2021

Are you concerned that your child is not "installing new software into their brains" often enough? There is no fast and easy way to become a skilled reader, but there are ways backed by research. I will share some of this during the next week.

18/03/2021

Reading is an acquired skill.

ReadLS has been developed to help readers create new neural pathways and transition to becoming skilled readers.

Contact me for more information about ReadLS, a neurological approach to reading.

16/12/2020

ReadLS incorporates everything we know about reading & addresses where things can go wrong. Here is a quick overview of the science behind the program: http://b.link/quc2p

lsworks.org

09/12/2020

Curious about ReadLS? Check out the link below👇🏼to get a glimpse about how the programme works.

I've had a few clients who have completed the programme during the course of the year and we have seen that their reading improved in speed and accuracy.

I asked a Grade 2 boy if he could explain to me what is easier to him. He looks at me confused... "Reading is easier to me"?!😂

Please contact me if you want more information. The programme is still available at a significantly reduced price.

This video shows snippets of a typical module of cognitive Therapy of ReadLS. Titles on the screen showing various functions target by that module, for examp...

06/12/2020

Available in SA!
Contact me for more information 📚📖

Thanks to advancements in research, we now know more than ever about what is required of our brain in order to master the skill of reading. Discover the science behind how ReadLS, our cognitive reading therapy program, works: lsworks.org/read-ls

05/12/2020

Contact me for more information

We love to hear about how ReadLS impacts the lives of others! Learn more about our cognitive reading therapy at lsworks.org

19/10/2020

When The Teacher Says Your Child Might Have Attention Problems - Article written by Maude Le Roux, OTR/L, SIPT, RCTC, DIR® Expert Trainer at A Total Approach

Has your child’s teacher sent home a note to let you know your child may have an attention problem?

First of all, you’re not alone. The A.D.D. Resource Center estimates over 6.4 million children in the United States ages four through 17 have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is characterized by an ongoing pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity -or all three behaviors combined- that can interfere with a person’s executive functioning or development.

Teachers are often the first to spot an attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder in their students.

However, the reasons these behaviors may be related to ADHD are the same reasons these behaviors may be related to a general developmental delay, also called a sensory processing delay.

4 Major Areas of ADHD Behavior:

1. Inability to sit still, fidgeting, continuously moving around while trying to listen

* This may occur because the child is not able to look and listen at the same time. Why do people pace when talking on the phone? Visual information is removed and in order to enhance the auditory information, they access vestibular (movement) information by pacing or moving around. Our movement system and auditory system are connected to the same cranial nerve, so they affect one another.
* Another reason for fidgeting may be that the child’s postural control system is not in balance and they are not able to stay put in a stationary position at a desk.
* A child may not have the ability to sit still because some reflexes from early development haven’t yet been integrated.

2. Being distracted by things that are happening in the environment
* Human beings normally process information from all of our sensory systems at any given moment with the same split-second timing. However, not all kids are transporting every avenue of sensory information at the same rate and speed. Being in a classroom environment can be quite overwhelming for them, despite their cognitive intelligence being able to understand the material.
* The visual pathway and the auditory pathway in the brain both need to process information at the same time and speed for adequate working memory, which is how kids learn. If this doesn’t happen, the information reaches the prefrontal cortex at different times, like a badly-dubbed movie. The child becomes overwhelmed with new information and starts omitting one sense in favor of another.
* Both of these above scenarios cause great fatigue in the attention system and makes a child more vulnerable to being distracted.

3. Impulsivity
* Such as a child who raises their hand whenever they want, simply because they have something to say right then.

4. Capability of having great ideas, yet not able to put them to paper in a thoughtful, organized structure.
* Executive functions have not developed adequately to support organization, working memory and attention.

The Nature of Attention
* We’re not born to pay attention. We must develop our attention.
* Attention isn’t only a chemical process. It’s also a developmental process.
* Attention is a high-order structure in the brain that a child attains based on their early development.
* The developmental delay is about the sensory systems not developing at an adequate rate and speed.
* Attention disorder often goes hand-in-hand with behavior-like impulsivity, when a person simply cannot delay their gratification, but this is also part of a timing disorder.

18/10/2020

A new scientific way to tackle reading.

* It can be done at home
* Track your progress on the system
* It's very reasonably priced

Contact me for more information!

02/10/2020

You know what makes me sad? When someone feels they are stupid when they struggle to read. When they say; “I wish I wasn’t so stupid”, but you think: “You are one of the smartest people I know!”. That is how struggling to read affects people. I’ve been in practice for over 10 years and I’ve personally witnessed intelligent children struggle with a low self esteem and anxiety. Through the feedback they receive, whether it is from comparing themselves with their peers or the marks they get, they loose faith in their own abilities.

If you are someone that struggles to read, or if you know someone who struggles, I want to tell you that with brain training programmes we can improve reading. Please take a few minutes to watch this video. What is unique about the ReadLS programme is that it can be done at home and it is not as expensive as other brain training reading programmes. The developer of the programme wanted to make it accessible to more students.

If you could give someone the gift of reading, wouldn’t you jump at the opportunity?

If you want to discover more about ReadLS, please send me a message.

24/09/2020

This is a informative article about technology addiction with practical guidelines about managing the use of technology. The author also included signs to look out for which could indicate that your child is at risk. Due to Covid-19 we all spend more time on our devices. Now that its spring and temperatures are rising its nice to be outside again and swim! Hopefully we can all get a balace back into our routines and the type of activities we spend our time on.

We are at increased risk for technology addiction during the COVID-19 pandemic - especially adolescents. Here are tips on how to handle this with your child.

19/08/2020

19/08/2020

We are fortunate to live in a time where we have such wonderful resources available to help with the integration process needed for reading. Another advantage is that ReadLS can be done at home and its on special for 2020. If you want to find out more about the programme, send me a message!

**Reading is a complex process that requires smooth and efficient neural pathways between very specific areas in the brain. targets the development of these pathways through engaging computer based games.

04/08/2020

Proud to work at Christ Church School 💚💙

Written by Dawn Schmitz, School Marketing Stop for a moment… Imagine that you are 6 or 7 years old again.  School is starting, but the world has changed.  You have to sanitise your hands, wear a face mask, and when you get to school, the playground – your safe haven has been turned into a maze...