When you've worked hard to achieve gains for your child's development and/or learning with your therapist or teachers, it can be difficult to think about stopping. Over the years, Lisa Hudson, SLP and Julia Eggles, OTR have both had clients reluctant to take a break over the summer for fear of losing some of the good work achieved over the year.

That can be a concern for some children and families - however, there is a much greater risk of burnout without a break. They've both seen children who are just earning for time to be "just kids", just to play, relax and have fun with family and friends - and many a parent who wishes for just the same thing.

It can be done - the trick is to time it right and follow some simple guidelines so that the break actually helps rather than hinders the progress made...

In their final podcast of the year, they share some simple tips about how to approach taking a break so that skills are consolidated and both you and your child can be more relaxed and rejuvenated and ready for a great New Year.

Wouldn't it be lovely if we could guarantee that our children would never be stressed? No, not really! Without sufficient stress, boredom sets in and potentially depression!

And when does boredom kick in the most? That's right, the looming long Christmas holidays here in the Southern Hemisphere - a hot, often sticky 6-9 weeks with children having lots of time on their hands and being out of routine - a recipe for loads of fun and mischief for some, a source of overwhelm for some!

The trick is just enough of the right kind of stress to keep your child interested and engaged in life without becoming overwhelmed. This takes a willingness to adjust your expectations and the strategies you use to ensure a "goodness of fit" with your child, children or students and to consider the environment and the toys and tools they use to provide sufficient opportunities to stretch beyond their immediate comfort zone.

In today's podcast Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist shares some hints and tips to managing stress both positive and negative:

1. Ensure intermittent periods of coping - if away in unfamiliar places, provide security with predictable daily routines; have familiar toys and games at the ready, for some this might be their favourite; if your child is not overly social and there are lots of visitors, provide a place and time for quiet alone time.
2. Provide variety and throw new "wrinkles" into old favourites to make things interesting.
3. Step back and avoid taking over - use questions as a prompt if they are really stuck and seem to be getting frustrated
4. Be aware of your child's strengths, weaknesses and preferences and guide activity and toy selection accordingly (the Play Profile in The Smart Parent's Guide can help here).
5. Establish rapport - this means truly being "in the moment" with your child; consider using the Pacing & Leading technique, especially for children who are naturally reticent/withdrawn.
6. Use Supportive & Motivating Language - be specific in your praise and corrections but not subjective, that is reflect on the action not the child ie  "Good listening" rather than "Good girl/boy."
7. Consider using special time - especially if children are attention seeking
8. Manage expectations by setting limits in a positive way

When parents come to me for help with their children’s difficulties, very often, a vestibular processing difficulty is part of the problem. Not surprisingly, this revelation is met with a little bafflement – what, after all is the vestibular system?

The vestibular sense is in constant use along with every other sense we have and is part of most things that we do. In fact, it is one of our most influential systems impacting everything from breathing to digestion, fine to gross motor co-ordination, visual control, spatial orientation, regulation of alertness and mood, respiration and overall smooth muscle activity…

The amazing thing is that this mighty system has such small receptors in the inner ear – overall about the size of a pea in each ear. Every time the head moves in space, the vestibular system is activated. The speed, direction, predictability and force of movement affects the degree to which the system is affected.

The construction of the vestibular apparatus is incredible – it looks a little like a crazy pretzel with a couple of important small additions – the loops are the semicircular canals that pick up circular movement of the head and influence eye muscles. The utricle and saccule pick up on linear movements in response to gravity. The tail of the system is the cochlear that processes sound.

That last bit might surprise you – the fact is that with the vestibular system you get two for one – it is actually the auditory-vestibular system. The cochlear processes higher frequency vibrations (sound) and the vestibular system processes lower frequency sounds (vibration/movement), and the link between the two means that the vestibular system can prompt the postural muscles to alert to sounds in the environment by making the body more upright. In this position it’s easier to locate and process the source of the sound which can be very important for survival! (just watch someone reacting to a sudden sound and you’ll see this in action). This intertwining of senses helps us develop an internal sense of space, time and rhythm – this is important for performing all kinds of actions in sequence, smoothly and efficiently. Children with auditory-vestibular difficulties have problems with:

• Listening
• Balance
• Co-ordination
• Eye muscle control
• Visual perception

Another important interaction is with the eyes. When the vestibular system is working well, it guides postural control, providing a solid basis for independent and mature eye movements – much like a tripod acts as a support for a camera – so the eyes can provide a stable and reliable image to the retina and in turn to the brain. When there are problems with this partnership a child has difficulties with:

• Copying from the board
• Scanning for reading
• And Ball skills

So messages about movement of the head through space are sent form the inner ears to the brain about its direction and speed. This is then filtered through multiple sensory connections to assist in helping your child to keep their balance whether still or moving. In cooperation with yet another sense – proprioception (joint movement awareness, the vestibular system prepares your child’s body for movement.

Activities that involve movement of the head can have a powerful effect on the human nervous system because they trigger the vestibular system – the effects felt varies with the force and directions of the movement, and the child’s sensitivity to it.

Typically, slow rhythmical and sustained straight movements calm children down. Fast irregular movements are alerting, causing children to become more alert, excited and/or active.

The growing child naturally seeks out vestibular stimulation through rolling bouncing (as in cribs or on beds, crawling, walking running climbing, swinging and twirling in circles, learning all the while how to judge space, time and rhythm of movement – gradually increasing the levels of complexity of co-ordination, spatial and body awareness.

As we’ve discussed before, while the link between the vestibular system and co-ordination is well established, growing research is showing a link between movements that activate the vestibular system and improved working memory, and academic outcomes.

So in normal development, it’s important to provide a lot of opportunities to move in age appropriate ways as early as possible. For babies this means floor time and more floor time!! Please no Jolly Jumpers or Walkers (that you sit in).

From the time children are up and walking on two feet, encourage them to climb and swing even if it’s for short periods (1-2 swings) at first – persist gently. Make it a goal to spend at least 10-15 minutes on lively physical play in ways and places you consider safe for your child. Vary it by exploring different parks in your town or city. Whatever you do, don’t let your child sit still for long periods – keep activating that vestibular system on a regular basis as much as possible – and if they resist, then explore the reasons why…

So who is at risk of vestibular processing difficulties?

Children who’ve had repeated ear infections, allergies, head injuries or high fevers or long periods of inactivity are more likely to experience challenges with poor vestibular processing.

When vestibular processing is disturbed or inadequate a child may be either very sensitive to movement or under-sensitive to it.

Signs Of Poor Processing

Children who are highly sensitive to movement will:

• Avoid or limit their exposure to it – as babies they don’t like to roll, they may be slow to develop gross motor milestones, and don’t like moving playground equipment, fast rides or sometimes even going in the car
• Be controlling of movement experiences – they feel the need to be in charge of their movement experiences, and may be OK as long as their feet are on the ground
• Be more likely to suffer motion sickness
• They are often distressed by going in the pool unless their feet can touch the floor and even then can be nervous about being knocked over
• Prefer quiet indoor play and tend to direct others from a stationary position!

It is never wise to “push it” with child with gravitational insecurity (vestibular hypersensitivity) – these children need lots of support, literally, to explore movement. Low hung swings, glider bikes, soft surfaces and slow and steady is the way to go – with a great deal of patience!

Children who are under-sensitive(hyposensitive) are another story altogether! These live wires can be:

• In constant motion, seeking to satisfy that inner drive to orient themselves in space in order to concentrate
• Poor spatial awareness and difficulties with timing mean they take big risks with movement – climbing too high, going too fast and as a result, need a lot of supervision!!

It’s tempting to read high activity kids as being movement seekers who need movement to organize and to give them more – but this isn’t always true. Sometimes movement seekers are doing so for other reasons entirely, to deal with other movement or sensory issues, and providing additional movement may not only not be effective in helping them organize but actually be disorganizing. I have quite a few children in my caseload who love the trampoline, but the trampoline doesn’t love them! Because they can’t sustain rhythmic movement and are quite high arousal, bouncing on a trampoline (or jumping castle) actually makes them overexcited and difficult to settle even on their own.

When we look at seeking behaviours, we need to consider them in light of all of a child’s sensory processing, movement and behavioural regulation skills before we decide what it means and what to do about it.

Having said that – these children can often do well with Move N Sit or Disco Sit cushions, gym ball chairs or those lovely funky new moving seats when working in a classroom. My rule of thumb is if it doesn’t work the first time you try it – it’s probably not going to, and sometimes, depending on the temperament of the child, they can more of a distraction than a help – so each situation has to be assessed on its own merits.

If you have a child who you suspect might have vestibular processing issues, the best thing to do is to to seek an assessment by an OT trained in sensory processing. Additionally, if they have allergies or ear infections, a review by their family doctor is important.

As long as your child is eating from each of the healthy good groups and doesn't get too much sugar they're getting what they need, right? Well in most cases, yes - but for a small group of children, those who suffer with food intolerances or sensitivities, some of those foods that are so healthy for most children, cause them problems that growing research is showing can affect learning.

While the number of children in the general population who have problems in this area is small. Children who have learning challenges more frequently have underlying food intolerances or sensitivities. Some of the signs they present with include:

• frequent day dreaming
• difficulties with sleep
• persistent snoring and/or mouth breathing
• skin rashes, hives or eczema
• bloating after meals
• frequent constipation/diarrhoea
• frequent ear infections and/or runny noses
• hyperactivity
• explosive emotional outbursts for no apparent reason

These above mentioned problems can contribute significantly to learning challenges and identifying and managing these intolerances can make a big difference to therapy and learning outcomes for these children, in my experience.

To "unpack" this complex issue, this week I sat down with my colleague Emma Blank, Paediatric Dietitian from Allergy Medical. Emma has a special interest in food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities, and in our discussion we talk about:

• how these issues present in so many ways,
• why that is so, and
• how to go about dealing with it.

For your convenience, Emma has provided a number of links to excellent resources to make exploring this important issue a little easier:

Royal Prince Alfred Food Intolerance Resource Pack

A Review Of Unorthodox Food Testing

An Overview of Food Intolerance Signs, Symptoms, Assessment & Management

Sue Dengate's Food Intolerance Network

This week, Lisa Hudson talks with her colleague, Speech Pathologist Bronwyn Sutton, principal therapist at B.E.S.T. Autism Therapy, and author of the The Learning App Guide about the perennial questions:

1. Is screen time bad for kids?

2. What apps are best for children?

Bronwyn outlines key factors to consider for device use and app selection including:

1. Knowing your purpose for the device/app
2. Understanding how each app is played, the skills a child needs to play them and those that it develops
3. The importance of supervision - including Guided Access
4. Encouraging active engagement in place of passive use

Bronwyn and Lisa share some of their favourite apps and uses for devices for a range of learning, speech and language skills development.

This time of the year is when parents and extended family members start asking questions about what to get the kids for Christmas. When they’re in our care naturally parents are looking for games and toys to help achieve their children’s goals – so in turn Lisa and I as developmental therapists are often asked the same question - "What toys can we get that will be best for our children?"

So in this week's episode, I'm taking care of that question...

We all want our children to have the best, and those toys and games that tout being educational and look so great from an adult’s perspective look very tempting – AND EXPENSIVE!

Have you noticed that how that label “educational” or “special needs” inflates the price of a game or toy? Aggravating!! And so unnecessary!!

Now some can be great in the right little hands but the thing is, some of those educational toys just aren’t worth the money they ask because unless they entice and interest the child – you’re not going to see the benefit!

Interestingly the share of educational toys in the worldwide toy market has been growing for years – pushing earlier reading, writing and arithmetic – flying in the face of all the best research.

The kids know though…How many times have you found that neat toy or game your child received for birthday or Christmas end up in the back of the cupboard or under the bed gathering dust??

While the temptation (and pressure) for us to rush our kids towards adulthood is huge and very real. We can best serve our children with providing them “power tools for learning” with toys and games that build children natural problem solving capacities in the natural world and also allow them to playfully experiment with engaging technologies.

That’s right – we support the use of technological playthings in a thoughtful way as apart of an overall play diet that includes three dimensional play in the natural world. As adaptive beings in the 21^st cetnruy our children need us to act as guides to their use and exploration of technology in a way that’s respectful of their brain development as well as their technical skills.

So what’s the big deal about toys? Well, they can be the power tools of childhood. Since you’re listening to this podcast, I’m assuming that I’m talking to the choir when I say that play is the work of childhood – it’s not just a way that they occupy their time, but is vitally important to their learning and development in all areas.

It’s how they learn about themselves and their environment – each child discovers the world anew. Through daily play, children learn to manipulate and master body, mind, emotions and relationships. As children play, vital neural connections are formed in the brain.

Did you know that it’s so important to the very young infant that inadequate play experiences and interactions throughout the first  years of life can lead to failure to thrive and cognitive delays?

The quality and quantity of any type of child’s play is determined by their developmental level, which is in turn reliant on wide range of experiences (this can be tough for children who self-limit their play or have experienced neglect or serious illness or injury).

As children develop, they move through increasingly complex stages of development with mirroring stages of play – we never completely leave behind any of these stages but build on them and return to them as needed throughout our lives.

So getting back to those toy choices…to support that healthy diet of wide and varied play, children need toys and games that interest them and help them extend their skills willingly. The right tools and materials, in a loving and supportive environment can make a big difference in the choices children make in play and how their brains and bodies develop.

As living beings children are shaped by the things they love and the things they fear – just as we continue to be. We seek to repeat experiences that bring us pleasure for whatever reason, and avoid those things that bring us pain (hopefully) – and over time, we develop strategies to deal with those preferences.

Your children’s choice of activities and the toys they enjoy are formed by their perceptions of themselves, and how pleasant, or difficult, comfortable, or painful something is for them to do. These attitudes, feeling and beliefs are in large part formed by how their internal world is processing experience of them.

So before you head out to do your Christmas, birthday and holiday toy shopping – it’s not only helpful, but important to really look at those toy shelves from your child’s inner perspective.

If I did that with you now, we would be here all day…but if you want to learn more about that inner world and how to look at toys and games in a different way, follow the link with this podcast to “The Smart Parent’s Guide” – our full colour e-manual covers all those bases.

In the meantime, when you are shopping keep these key ideas in mind about to selection. Make sure they:

• Meet your child where they are, rather than where you want them to be.
• Build on your child’s strengths and interests that extend them from there & in their non-preferred areas.
• Are fun & engaging.
• Are adaptable.
• Are durable.
• Are good value

Happy shopping!

Julia Eggles OTR

Being involved in a dance class has a myriad of benefits for young children, not all of them physical. 

In this episode Julia Eggles is speaking with Anita Kertland, from Spring Pointe. She has a passion for teaching children between the ages of 3-5 pre-ballet skills, and brings with her the talents as an experienced dancer, qualified yoga teacher and the perspective of a trained occupational therapist.

During our conversation, Anita shares her perspectives about the benefits of dance class. From improving posture, balance and muscle tone, to working on developmental skills such as hopping on one leg, jumping, galloping and skipping, and improve bilateral integration of their body by using both sides of the body.  Identifying left and right sides of the body, mirroring, and crossing the midline are also benefits. 

She also explains how it can do wonders socially as well, as children learn to be part of a class, attend to the teacher and follow directions.  They learn turn taking, and waiting patiently when appropriate, as well as the boundaries of their own space and shared space – when is it appropriate to touch someone else or get close and when is it not? 

One she particularly loves is that they come to realise that if they are not ready to start, there is the consequence of holding the group up – ‘we can’t play the music until everyone is ready!’ – and become motivated to work as a team.  Performing in front of an audience, even if that audience is simply the parents watching the class, can boost their confidence enormously.

Anita explains that if your child’s dance teacher is creative, they will learn so much more than just about dance in his/her class.  They will learn about animals, tasks at home, characters in books and films, different countries and their cultures and costumes. 

She introduces so many stories as her classes find that dance can be used to tell a story or to express feelings.  Even giving out themed stickers at the end can be an opportunity to introduce another concept and learn about the outside world!

But the benefits don't end there! When it comes to thinking skills is where it gets really interesting. They practise so many emerging and foundational cognitive skills such as

• Forward planning: ‘Where do we need to start this movement if it moves to the right side?’
• Being organised and ready to start; understanding there is a start, middle and end: ‘What position is my body in to start this exercise? And what’s the ending pose?’
• Sequencing: ‘What step comes after the one I’m currently doing?’
• Visual Spatial Reasoning: ‘We should be forming a circle in the middle of the room’ (Spatial relations)
• Working Memory: ‘We’re learning a new step at the end of the sequence but I can still remember what’s at the beginning’
• Auditory Spatial Thinking: By attending to the music children and identifying the beat, taking cues from the music in the form of counts, energy and instruments used, and learning basic rhythms (slow…slow… quick, quick, slow…)

To even have a chance for all these benefits to work their power, children have to love coming to dance class! 

So enjoyment is a huge factor when choosing a class for your child.  They don’t need to have perfect balance or beautiful arched feet or be even the slightest bit graceful!  Just the willingness to follow what’s being asked of them in the class and give each task a good try. 

And what’s important to look for in a dance class for your little one?  A kind teacher who the children feel comfortable with, children’s ideas being accepted, appropriate motor skills being worked on, simple rhythms introduced, experimentation encouraged, introduction of dance class practices like lines and turn taking, and neat grooming.  And what’s not important? Perfection!

If you're wondering if your child is ready for dance class, we have prepared a quick checklist for you to consider - you can find it at Lifespan Fundamentals

In our first podcast of the final term of the year we're taking a look at those challenging tantrums or are they meltdowns? And does it matter?

Development of the ability to regulate emotions and manage frustration and disappointment is a lifelong process - some of us do it better than others!

Young children naturally have a steeper learning curve when it comes to self regulation and need our help to learn this vital life skill.

To the casual observer, tantrums and meltdowns look an awful lot alike - but knowing the difference between and acting accordingly makes a big difference in how long upsets last and how they resolve.

Recently, Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist had the pleasure of getting together with Liz Anderson of Principal Psychologist at Psychological Solutions. Together they discuss those differences, how to manage them and also how to approach interactions so the frequency and duration of meltdowns and tantrums is lessened.

We want our children switched on and connected in a "just right state" for learning  - with a gleam in their eyes, open, curious and connected...as a therapist that's certainly where Occupation Therapist, Julia Eggles always starts!

Music can be a great way to help children "tune in" - but some frequencies can do the opposite!

Why is this so? And what are good ways to work with music to help us to connect with children and help them connect with their world?

That's a big topic, this week, Julia provides a brief overview of frequency, rhythm and getting in synch with music.

Included with the podcast is PDF that lists a few of her favourite music choices to promote the "just right" state for learning and life.

The sense of touch protects is vital for health, well-being and function.

In children, when tactile processing is distorted so that ordinary, everyday experience becomes irritating or even painful, it impacts on self-regulation for learning, development and maintenance of relationships with others, and the developing sense of self.

Sensitivity to touch isn't always immediately apparent, but once identified, there is much that can be done to reduce or eliminate its' effects.

In this week's podcast, Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist briefly explains tactile hypersensitivity and defensiveness, and outlines some ways to help.

We were disturbed to learn how low the Australian Adult literacy levels. Far too many adults have less than functional literacy and many claim that they lost their way in their early learning.

We clearly need to find a better way - one that moves beyond simply do more of what is hard hoping that eventually the skills they need will "sink in" or "click".

We suggest that an individual approach, helping each child learn to read, write and spell in ways that respect their individual strengths and weaknesses and improve upon them is the way to go. This isn't a new idea, and reflects best practise in leading countries for literacy, but it is one that can't be left just to teachers- especially in our overloaded system.

Together Speech Pathologist Lisa Hudson and Occupational Therapist Julia Eggles share a checklist of skills and abilities to that children need in order to read, write and spell confidently.

If you have a child in your life who isn't progressing with literacy as well as you think they should, consider this list, and rather than doing more of what is hard and seeing children become increasingly frustrated, work out what's getting in the way and get some specific help to build those skills so that children can become the confident learners we all want them to be!

From the moment our babies are born, we look forward to some key milestones – their first smile, their first words, their first step. Concerns about the timing of skill acquisition are common in the early years, and none more so than first words and first steps.

This week, Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist is responding to a request from a new listener to talk about those first steps, the mastery of walking and it’s connection with other areas of development

This podcast addresses the following questions:

1. When is a child officially a late walker?
2. What are the early signs that a child might be a bit slower to walk on their own?
3. What are the consequences of late walking?
4. What can we do about it?

It includes suggestions for ways to promote gross motor development.

In this week's podcast Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist, is exploring the common belief that boys naturally aren't good at or interested in fine motor activities.

There's no doubt that boys and girls have differing strengths and weaknesses arising from a combination of genetics, family and societal expectations and opportunities. Additionally, partially due to their lone x and y chromosomes, boys are more prone to a range of developmental and health challenges and as a result, are much more frequently referred for therapy than girls with learning and development challenges.

Yet research tells us that in normal development, differences between the sexes when it comes to motor skills are minor.

Not only that, but research also tells us children with greater agility, speed and manual dexterity perform significantly better academically than their same aged peers that don't. 

So, when boys avoid or trouble with fine motor play, drawing, writing and daily living tasks, it's a cause for concern!

Listen to the podcast to learn how fine motor avoidance develops and some simple strategies you can use to help the boys in your life enjoy fine motor play as they're meant to!

This special episode is commemorating Speech Pathology Week and answers the question: 

“Should I see a Speech Pathologist now or would it be better to wait a while?”

If you are wondering whether your child or an adult family member should be seeking help from a Speech Pathologist, then you are not alone. This is one of the most commonly asked questions that clients want answered when they first get in touch with a Speech Pathologist.

During Speech Pathology Week, experienced Speech Pathologists from the Darling Downs Speech Pathology Interagency Group answer this question and provide valuable information for people who:
• Have a child who is not yet talking;
• Have a child who is a picky eater or a problem feeder,
• Have a child with a hearing loss;
• Have a relative who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease;
• Have a relative who has experienced a stroke;
• Have a child who is experiencing reading or spelling difficulties;
• Have a stutter, stammer or dysfluency;
• Have a child whose speech is hard to understand.

Communication and eating skills are essential for maintaining a positive quality of life. Ensure your loved ones receive timely assistance so they can thrive and enjoy life to the fullest.

Some children just can't enough chewing in! It's a habit that frustrates teachers and parents alike.

Children with regulation disorders and difficulties such as anxiety,attention deficits, sensory processing disorders/difficulties and autistic spectrum can have great difficulties with this issue.

They chew on shirt collars, hair, pencils and other non-food objects - sometimes constantly. What's going on? What can be done about it?

Today Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist, is talking about excessive chewing behaviour, why it happens and some ideas about how to handle it.

It has been a long break between podcasts this time, but we hope you think it's worth it!

This week Lisa and I are talking about how to navigate the hectic pace and demands of life with the added burden of homework and home programs. It's hard enough to do either of them let alone both!

We're all too familiar with how challenging this can be for families! The keys are:

1. Recognzing when your child is in a learning state - switched on, interested and engaged - how does your child look, sound and seem in this state?
2. Knowing how to get them in that "just right" state what does it take to get them there?
3. Know their strengths and interests:
   • Is your child a hands on, physical player - prefers to be on the move?
   • Is your child motivated by puzzles?
   • Does your child love music?
   • Is your child into pretend games and characters?
   • Does your child have a greater preference for indoor activities?
   • Is your child entranced by music?
   • Does your child love drawing?
   • Is your child at their best in the bathtub or the sandpit, or playing in a tub of Lego?
4. Being creative and "thinking out of the box" - use their strengths and interests to modify games and activities to reach your goals. This is exactly what therapists and leading teachers do everyday!

This is easily said, but not always easily done in busy households!

If you are looking for some help to work this with for your child at home, then our new membership program may be "just the ticket".

This week we are launching Home Program Help - our new membership site designed to make home programs (and homework) easier for parents of children with challenges following the principles we outlined above. Follow the link to check it out.

This week Julia spent time with Kaye Dixon, a physiotherapist with decades of experiences working with children with co-ordination and learning difficulties.

She is a passionate believer in the connection between movement and learning, and in this episode talks about how the inability to kick a ball can sometimes be a hint of challenges in other areas, and some strategies to help.

As another term draws to a close, many children and families are happily looking forward to a restful break and an adventure or two.

For others, the break from school can bring a shudder of dread!

Some children, particularly those with special needs, rely on the predictable routine of school to manage their stress and anxiety dealing with life. Even though towards the end of the term, they are starting to get tired and cranky, and clearly really need a break, it can take a few days to get used to being home and in a different routine.

This can create problems with children constantly looking to you for direction or tussles with siblings. If you have children who usually have you to themselves during term ad suddenly have to share with older school-aged siblings, it can be a real tug of war!

Short breaks can be frustrating as the kids are only just settling down when another adjustment comes with the return to school or childcare…

The good news is that this is a perfect opportunity to practise learning how to cope with change. There is nothing more certain in life that your children will have to face and deal with changes far more challenging than a break in routine!

As they practise learning to cope with change, they develop resilience – the ability to bounce back from tough situations, and they learn this by watching the important adults in their lives. And even better - Wouldn’t it be nice to know that this school break will be better than the last?

With a little advance planning it can be done!

In this week's podcast Julia Eggles, Occupational Therapist, shares some practical tips and strategies to manage the transition to and from school more easily, and how to plan for trips away. Do listen to this podcast well  ahead of your next trip, as some planning is required if you're going to act on the information!

Not listening, distractibility and inattention are some of the most common reasons for referral to our clinics. They are also the source of a great deal of frustration on the part of both teachers and parents.

There can be a number of reasons for failure to follow directions and inattentive, off-task behaviour. More often than not, it has nothing to do with the child's willingness to co-operate!

Left to fester without appropriate treatment and support, children can come to believe their own bad press and start to live out what they've been told - that they're naughty, lazy, disruptive and disobedient.

So how to know what to do? In this week's podcast Dr Lisa Hudson, Speech Pathologist, talks about some strategies and resources along with an introduction to all things listening. She covers:

• what listening involves
• recognizing what listening problems look like
• understanding what different listening problems tell us about what is causing them
• strategies and resources for improving listening and refining skills

It has been said that to raise a child, it takes a village. This is never more true than with a child who has a developmental disability. For so many children with special needs, the services and funding they receive through school make a massive difference to their learning and development. Yet funding and staffing levels often strain to meet those needs.

This week's podcast is with two parents - Lisa and Kate, who between them have 5 children with a variety of special needs. They are speaking with Dr Lisa Hudson, SLP about their experiences advocating for their children  and working with schools for funding and services.

If you're looking ahead to the transition to school, or are contemplating a change of school,  their insights about what to look for and what to avoid are a valuable starting point.

For those listeners who are teachers, health professional or parents who are fortunate not to have the need of special services, it is at times a thought provoking insight into the lives of these families.

A vision check prior to school and regularly thereafter is important for all children. It's all the more vital considering the concerning figures for increasing shortsightedness that our guest, Behavioural Optometrist, Antoinette Dupree shares today.

The good news is that there are simple things that can be done to decrease the likelihood that children will develop shortsightedness, even those whose parents experience it!

Antoinette talks with Julia about what you can do at home and at school that can make maintaining good vision easier.

In this week's podcast Julia Eggles, occupational therapist and author, looks at scissor skills.

Research tell us that fine motor skills are are reliable predictor of cognitive development in the early years, and even into high school.

Yet increasingly reports are that children are arriving at school with less fine motor competence in greater numbers than ever before.

If we are to help our children be truly ready for the demands of school, it seems that a greater focus needs to be placed on key fine motor skills such as using scissors.

Julia looks at what makes scissor skills so important and goes onto discuss ways to foster them, with a few key strategies and tools.

Sid The Sloth, Tweety Bird and Daffy Duck all share a similar problem but in different ways - lisps!

In Dr Lisa Hudson's speech pathology practice every week she gets questions about whether a child has a lisp that needs therapy - and the children concerned range in age from 2.5 to 12 years!

Clearly there's a little uncertainty when it comes to intervening with lisps. In Lisa's podcast, she's aiming to make it easier to decide when to take action. This week you will learn:

• about the four types of lisps,
• which two are usually developmental and "grown out of" ,
• which two really need to be seen,
• when to seek therapy, and
• what other speech patterns children show when they haven't mastered "s"

Children who have trouble sitting still and paying attention in class, often also have difficulty with sitting still for mealtimes.

Working on changing the routines and habits around meals and snacks helps children practice and develop attention, concentration and mindfulness.

In this week's episode, Julia talks with Deb Blakley, Accredited Practising Dietician from Kids Digg Food, about simple strategies that can be used at home, childcare and school to increase childrens' focus and engagement during meals.

This regular practice sets children up for improved attention and self regulation in other situations and settings.

In  this week's podcast, Julia meets with fellow Occupational Therapist, Marga Grey, author and developer of "Co-ordikids".

Together they explore the importance of establishing a consistent hand preference or dominance for learning, and some fun and effective ways to naturally develop it.

You might be surprised at how many learning skills are connected to this key developmental milestone! In our discussion we cover:

• Why it's so important to have a dominant hand
• Why never to force a change of hand preference
• How it develops
• The link between dominance and executive function
• Tips for developing dominance in play and daily life