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Your childís end of year school report
Brad Hutchinson ñ Speech Pathologist/Audiologist
Claire Hutchinson ñ Occupational Therapist
At
least 10 to 20 per cent of parents will be shocked or concerned by
aspects of their childís end-of-year school report.
ìÖJason
is frequently disruptive and doesnít seem to listen. He takes far
too long to complete his work.î
ìÖBeth
always tries her hardest but she is easily distracted and canít
follow more than one instruction at a time.î
ìÖ
Ben experiences difficulty with reading, spelling, and
comprehension.î
ìÖ
Mark has trouble socialising with his peers. He becomes easily
frustrated in the playground and tends to interact with younger
students.î
ìÖ
Jennifer is a well-behaved student but she has trouble completing
problem-solving maths tasks.î
Whether
your child is six or 16 years old, knowing they are struggling at
school can be upsetting and frustrating. Some parents blame the
classroom teacher, some blame the child, others are bewildered and
simply donít know how best to help.
As
a parent, itís important for you to take your childís school
report seriously and act now. In my profession, I come across far too
many parents who wait for their child to catch up or to grow out of
their behavioural problemsÖ only to realise their child is still
struggling years down the track. Many other parents try everything,
with little success, not realising that they have been trying to
address the symptoms of their childís academic difficulties, rather
than the cause.
Unfortunately,
the long-term consequences for students and adults who donít meet
their academic potential can be low self-esteem, poor confidence,
frustration, and unwillingness to try.
The
end-of-year school holidays are a great opportunity for kids to be
kids, to rest and relax, to play or hang-out with their friendsÖ but
itís also important to keep their brains stimulated during this long
break, and an ideal time to improve their learning skills. What better
way to do this than an educational computer programme that has been
proven to cause dramatic, lasting learning gains?
While
there are many educational computer programmes available, Fast ForWord is based on over 30 years of research into how the
brain learns. This programme rapidly
develops listening memory, concentration, auditory processing skills,
comprehension and problem-solving skills, sequencing, and reading
skills. Fast ForWord has
been extensively, independently researched, and repeatedly proven to
cause average learning gains of one to three years following only four
to 12 weeks of participation.
Why
is it so successful? For starters, these computer games are extremely
engaging for participants. Neurological research has proven that when
childrenís learning systems are bored, very little learning occurs.
Yet most kids thoroughly enjoy computer games, so why not teach them
in a way thatís enticing for them? Further, this programme perfectly
adapts to the individualís ability, identifying their specific
weaknesses and systematically targeting these in a manner thatís
always challenging, yet enables them to succeed.
Itís
important to understand that Fast
ForWord is not tutoring. While tutoring is great for catching
students up with their classroom work, Fast
ForWord addresses the cause or reason they werenít able to keep
up in the first place. It does this by developing and refining the
underlying cognitive skills that are responsible for all learning.
There are programmes available for everyone from children aged three
and above, to adults.
If
you would like to give your child an academic boost or prepare them
for the coming school year during the end-of-year holidays, call Sonic
Hearing for further information on 9271 7711. Fast ForWord could benefit your child for the rest of their life.
Could
a pool alarm save your child?
Drowning is the biggest cause of death for
Australian children below the age of five. In addition, for every
child that drowns, three are admitted to hospital and between five and
20 per cent of these suffer brain damage.
Over 50 per cent of toddler drownings occur in a
swimming pool, with the balance occurring in rivers, lakes dams and
the bath. A child can drown in as little as four centimetres of water,
which means that spas, fishponds, buckets and even toilets pose a
threat to a small child.
Current drowning prevention strategies are primarily
focused around four key areas:
* Supervision
* Pool fencing
* Water familiarisation classes
* Resuscitation training.
But can we do more to protect our precious children?
Supervision is clearly the key to drowning
prevention. However, parents can get distracted, especially when other
children are present, and this can lead to tragedy. In addition, while
pool fences are definitely a vital component of any drowning
prevention programme, more than half of the fences tested by the
Australian Consumers' Association recently failed a key
Australian standards test.
Pool alarms are becoming very popular worldwide, as
parents look for new ways to protect loved ones around water. While no
product could ever substitute for constant adult supervision, pool alarms offer an additional layer of protection to further reduce the
possibility of drowning. If a child somehow manages to get past
traditional barriers and reaches the water, a pool alarm can alert you
in time to take action and prevent a tragedy.
Two of the most successful and respected pool alarms
internationally are the Poolguard and the Safety Turtle:
The Poolguard Pool Alarm sits on the side of the pool. If a child
falls into the water, the wave motion created will trigger an alarm
both at the pool and also at a remote receiver. New sensing technology
provides less chance of false alarms due to wind or rain.
The Poolguard Gate Alarm and Poolguard Door Alarm
can be set up on the pool gate or on any door that leads outside. Both
these alarms sound in seven seconds if a child goes through, although they have
a feature that allows adults to go through without the alarm sounding.
The Safety Turtle consists of a Base Station,
normally located in the house and a wristband, worn by the child. The
wristband, designed in the shape of a colourful turtle, instantly
detects immersion in water and sends a radio signal to the base
station, which then sounds a loud distinctive alarm to alert the
household. The Turtle wristband locks securely around the child's
wrist and is ruggedly built to withstand child's play.
Unlike other pool alarms that have to be deactivated whenever someone
swims or even just cleans the pool, Safety Turtle provides continuous
protection to the wearer, because the product effectively protects the
child and not the water. The Safety Turtle, however, is not
recommended for salt-water pools.
Both Poolguard and the Safety Turtle have received
rave reviews and have been featured on NBC, The Oprah Winfrey Show,
The Discovery Channel, Good Morning America, NBC, the Today Show,
Travel Gear, Global News, CTV News and CBS and Fox.
Steven Lewsen, one of WAís most well-known and
respected first-aid instructors and a former ambulance officer, says
that his children always have a Safety Turtle attached to their wrist
whenever they visit anyone with a pool. ìI watch my children very
carefully around water, as I have seen how quickly and quietly a
drowning can occur,î he says, ìbut a pool alarm provides a
potentially life-saving back-up.î
Once a child stops breathing, irreversible brain
damage usually begins to occur within three to four minutes, so rapid
action is required if a life is to be saved. In theory, your child or
grandchild should never be able to get past you and reach the water.
But what if he or she does? Will you find out in time? A pool alarm
may make the difference!
For more information on pool
alarms, or if you would like to have the Save-A-Child first-aid course
run in your home, contact Steven Lewsen on 9378 7745 or 0402 043 181. www.SafeAus.com.au
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