Helping children to reach their potential

Does your child struggle with reading or writing? Are they easily distracted and often fidgeting? Have you noticed that their hand-eye coordination seems poor? Is he or she still wetting the bed beyond the age of 5? Do they have poor coping skills, dislike change and demonstrate poor emotional regulation. Many children will often experience some of these behaviours; however, it is only when they exhibit a cluster of such behaviours (see accompanying list below for more examples), that Neuro Development Delay (NDD), a quite common condition that hinders the development of young children, may be present.

Thankfully, help for your child is available right here in Nenagh. Local woman Sarah Boland has recently set up Nenagh Neurofuse, a Neuro Developmental Therapy service based at her home at Springfort Meadows, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Sarah was inspired by her mother Ann Boland, former teacher at Nenagh CBS, who found that Neuro Developmental Therapy is a very effective way to help children who are struggling either academically, socially, emotionally and/or on the sports pitch. Becoming a Neuro Developmental Practitioner became an ambition for Sarah, who duly completed the course when she lived in Australia. She has now returned home and set up her own practice with the aim of helping children with Neuro Developmental Delay to achieve their full potential.

WHAT IS NEURO DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY?

From the moment a child is conceived, they begin developing rapidly. During the development of the foetus a group of reflexes emerge called primitive reflexes. These primitive reflexes, sometimes referred to as survival reflexes, should be present at birth and they provide an indication of the status of the Central Nervous System.

Primitive reflexes should be inhibited in the first 12 months of a child’s life. It is an accepted medical fact that if a cluster of primitive reflexes remaining active in the body, this indicates that the Central Nervous System is dysfunctional in some way and will prevent the child from performing tasks to his/her true level of potential. The continued presence of primitive reflexes will also hamper the mature development of postural reflexes in the first three and a half years of a child’s life.

Research indicates that immature reflexes can cause motor control, eye functioning, hand-eye coordination, and perceptual skills to be impaired. This will result in under achievement, low self-esteem, frustration, and quite often hyperactivity and/or hypersensitivity. To all outward appearances the child is perfectly normal but there is something holding him/her back, something stopping him/her from achieving their full potential. This could be the child who is 10 years old on the outside and 6 years old on the inside.

HOW CAN NENAGH NEUROFUSE HELP?

The therapy provided by Sarah at Nenagh Neurofuse is based on the INPP method. Established in the UK in 1975, the INPP method has become a globally-used therapy with a proven track record, one that is becoming increasingly popular in Ireland.

It is important for parents and caregivers to understand that this is a completely drug-free and non-invasive programme. Neuro Developmental therapy is specifically tailored to meet the needs presented by your child and is geared towards getting everything working in harmony. Our eyes, ears and vestibular (balance) system all operate on the same circuit (the Vestibular Ocular Reflex Arc). If one part of the circuit is out of sync it can adversely affect the others; e.g. if the balance is off, a child 's eyesight will be affected.

The programme is a mostly at-home set of physical exercises and movements designed to improve the physical foundations of learning, and drastically increase athletic performance. Instruction in these movements is provided by Sarah on assessment, at which a parent or caregiver must be present. The parent/caregiver will be required to support the child with the daily exercises, and Sarah will provide support and advice throughout the programme.

A child’s development through the programme itself is monitored every six-eight weeks. It generally takes 12-18 months to complete the programme. Specific movements need to be completed daily for approximately ten minutes.

All of the movements, exercises and recommendations are evidence-based. The INPP has nearly half a century of efficacy and scientific data behind it, and thousands of testimonials. The movements prescribed establish neural connections and reset the neural clock.

Johansen Sound Therapy is also available for children who struggle with auditory processing difficulties. Music is fully customised to the individual listener requirements. It is scientifically-designed to gently alter and organise auditory processing by stimulating nerve pathways, both into and within the brain.

FURTHER INFORMATION

To learn more about how Nenagh Neurofuse can help your child, and to book a private treatment session with Sarah, you can visit the website www.nenaghneurofuse.ie. Email sboland@nenaghneurofuse.ie or call 089 248 2454.

Nenagh Neurofuse is based at 51 Springfort Meadows, Nenagh, E45 AW60.

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm; Saturday, 9am to 1pm.

See also the website www.inpp.org.uk for further reading about the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology.

HAVE YOU NOTICED IN YOUR CHILD ANY COMBINATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING?

CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR

Excessive anxiety

Hyperactivity

Poor coping skills / lacks emotional regulation

Dislikes change

Bedwetting

LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Poor concentration / easily distracted

Slow learning to read and / or write; often loses their place reading

Has difficulty copying from the board

Mishears words

Struggles with verbal instructions

POOR COORDINATION

Poor balance, e.g. difficulty riding a bike or learning to swim

General clumsiness

Dyspraxia

Poor hand-eye coordination