New Release!
We are excited to announce the release of the latest Move to Learn publication, ‘Ten Gems for the Brain - The Move to Learn Movement Sequences’.
Some of our contacts have been moving into third world countries and poorer communities where DVD players are just not an option and the English language is a barrier. The request was put to us to develop a short, easily translatable booklet that could explain how to do the exercises in simple clear language with lots of pictures. And that’s what we have done.
In a sense, this booklet is intended to replace the exercise segment of the DVD. It doesn’t explain the ‘why’, only the ‘how’, and is meant to be translated and distributed in designated areas by specifically approved distributors working in those areas. It is not meant to replace the DVD, or to provide a simplified version of our other publications, but is only meant to be an aid or resource for targeted areas and situations.
At present, we have a distributor working in India and have had inquiries from the Philippines, the Pacific Islands and from several African nations. We plan to work closely with all distributors, allowing them to translate the booklet into whatever languages are needed and giving them full rights and responsibilities of distribution in their specified region and language/s. The wonderful Mahati Belnick, belnickmahati@gmail.com Translation , for example, will be our distributor in India. She is presently working with us on suitable translations and she will be the person to contact if anyone wants a copy of the booklet in one of the Indian languages.
We are very excited about this development, and happy to talk with anyone who working in areas where a suitably translated copy of the booklet would be an asset who is interested in taking on the task of translation and distribution.
In light of this goal, we have decided not to release this booklet to the general public in printed format, but only in the form of an e-book (down-loadable electronic book). Initially, we weren’t going to release it at all because we didn’t want it to be seen as a cheaper alternative than buying the DVD or the books. It doesn’t contain the same amount of information and is not meant for the uninitiated, but it occurred to us that there may be some of you out there who could see a need for this kind of a booklet, and so we will make it available on our website as an e-book for the bargain price of $15.00. This should be a reachable price for most income levels in the English speaking world and will cover the cost of production.
As yet, we are still polishing and proof reading, but we should have it up on the website within a month. So far, the illustrations by Tony Strachan look great, and we’re excited to think that this little booklet might play a part in bringing these movement sequences to groups of children who would not otherwise have had access.
Move to Learn 2005 Research Results!
In 2005 Move to Learn conducted research through the world renowned University of Sydney, Australia. The results have provided valuable insight into the relationship between body movement and learning.
Click here to read results from 2005 Research.
A Major Research Project On Movement
Organising Brain Function
Dear Barbara,
I wanted to let you know that the work of the Developmental Movement Centre has become the subject of a major research project in 14 children's centres throughout England and there is a conference on November 15-17, 2005 in Leeds. We are hoping to influence Early Years programs throughout the UK. If you would like to attend or want more information, please stay in touch. I will soon have a completed brochure I can email to you that is being created in England. I am a keynote speaker for the conference which will include policy makers, the Minister of Education, visiting nurse professionals, etc.
If nothing else, from your perspective, this will give more and more researched based credence to the importance of movement activities in organising brain function. Our intention is to take our work in Britain as a base, apply to major research organisations in our area and begin to apply our materials throughout the State of Washington.
Hopefully the research will be valuable to all of us globally in our effort the help kids and bring some sanity to the treatment of "conditions" such as AD/HD, OCD, PTSD - all the alphabet disorders.
Please stay in touch and keep up your good work.
Bette Lamont
Executive Director
Developmental Movement Centre — Seattle, USA.
Our Own Research In Sydney
SUMMARY REPORT:
Integrated Therapy Program for Language Impaired
Children in Public Schools:
Evaluation of Outcomes
A grant to fund the project “Integrated Therapy Program for Language Impaired Children in Public Schools” was granted to Dr. Christine Chapparo at the University of Sydney by Barbara Pheloung and the Move to Learn Foundation. The purpose of the project was to measure the outcomes that were achieved over two school terms of an integrated school based therapy program as measured by academic performance, gross and fine motor performance and perception. The following is a summary of the outcomes of the project.
Background:
In response to a request for occupational therapy assistance for children with specific language and communication difficulties at two public primary schools in Sydney, the School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences at the University of Sydney developed a final year specialised fieldwork placement. The program targeted children K – 6 who have been identified as having average or above average IQ, but significant language difficulties. In addition, the majority of children were identified by their teachers as having problems with general organisation, planning, fine and gross motor abilities, developing relationships with peers and self-regulation of their behaviour.
The Program:
The program ran for eight weeks in each of the 3rd and 4th terms in 2004. It focused on three areas: gross and fine motor skills, and tool use (writing, cutting, pasting), and sensory processing and regulation. Fine motor intervention focused on hand and finger dexterity and strength. Tool use was specific to the use of writing tools such as pens, pencils and paper. Intervention sessions were run as in-class groups for all children each day, and individual sessions from one to four times per week for children who needed particular help with pencil grasp, spacing, letter size and alignment. Sensory integration sessions were carried out once or twice weekly in the school halls. These sessions aimed to develop tone, posture and balance as well as motor planning. Activities were graded from simple to complex as skills developed and generalised to the playground and PE. Student therapists worked with specific children during class time on organisation, planning and regulating attention and behaviour.
Outcome measures:
All children were assessed at the beginning of the program and at the conclusion of the program using the following measures. The children were assessed and re-assessed by student therapists who had been trained in the assessment procedures and whose reliability had been checked by the senior researcher and an independent occupational therapist. Re-assessments were carried out by student therapists who had not completed the initial assessment, nor had been involved with the child’s intervention, to control for tester bias.
- Curtin University Handwriting Assessment
- Assessment of Handwriting Readability
- Handwriting Speed
- Assessment of Scissor Use
- Development Test of Visual Motor Integration
- The Motor Free Visual Perception Test
- Clinical Observations of Posture and Movement
- Qualitative observations of classroom behaviour and application
Outcomes:
All children improved in at least one area of ability, with the majority demonstrating significant improvements in all areas of function. As a group, the children made significant quantitative changes in all areas.
Generally, the visual and organisational skill required for handwriting improved, with students demonstrating improvements in spatial organisation, amount and coherence of written expression, consistency in the spacing and size of letters and speed.
Clinical observation group scores relating to posture, balance and planning showed significant improvement, with all children demonstrating a constellation of scores at the conclusion of the program that were close to those expected of typical children their age.
Qualitatively, changes observed in the classroom related to improved tone and posture during schoolwork tasks, improved balance and coordination during gross motor activities and a more active and initiated inclusion in PE and playground activities with children from other classes. During sensory integrative sessions, the children demonstrated an ability to perform more complicated sequences of movement, to calibrate their motor and affective responses to sensory input.
Qualitative reports from the classroom indicated that self-regulation and attention were areas demonstrating considerable improvement. Pre and post assessment scores of visual perceptual measures showed the greatest variability across children, with the group as a whole showing significant improvement.
Unsolicited reports from the teachers indicated the effects of the program. The following is an excerpt from a letter received from two teachers and a school principal after just six weeks of the program:
"We would like to thank you for assigning (two OT students) to the Support Class (Language) at our Public School. The impact on the class has been outstanding. All the children have made excellent progress in all areas. This is true not only of the occupational therapy aspects but also the flow on effects to all other areas of the language curriculum.
In the K/2G class, one child in particular has made dramatic improvements. C. is 6 years old and has been in the class for nearly two years. We were very concerned about her apparent lack of academic progress. However, in the last eight weeks, she has become focused, is able to complete her work and her reading and writing have improved. She is more alert in class and is communicating outside the classroom with other children and teachers.
In the 2/4L class, all the children have become more focussed, have begun to produce more consistent work and are showing greater attention spans. All are producing more fluent writing, particularly two boys, who had notable difficulty. One of the boys, S., who has visual perception difficulties, is clearly more able to self-correct and produce focused work. He has had the same problem for the eighteen months he has been in the class and we were concerned that he is approaching the exit point in the class without having gained the strategies to manage this problem. As with C., S. appears to have made a definite turn around. We could not be more pleased with this result.”
(SCL Class Teachers and Principal).
Television Program '60 Minutes' - June 2002:
Try A Blind Week!
One of the most basic building blocks for academic learning is our proprioceptive system. This system gives us our ability to learn where we are in space. Our muscles and joints give our brain this information and it is essential to know about our bodies position before we can learn about the position of other things in relation to ourselves and then in relation to each other. This is obviously essential for geometry, for positioning our writing/drawing on a piece of paper and of course being able to put figures in straight even columns. As well most of the clumsy children I’ve seen have poor proprioception.
SOLUTION
Stimulate the brain in our muscles and joints by temporarily removing other support systems such as the eyes. Do things with eyes closed so that the muscles/joints have to be used more.
For example:
- Try eating with eyes closed.
- Blindfold your eyes and have a friend near as you walk to a chair and sit down, or go out a door.
PRE AND POST TESTING
Take note of how hard clapping hands blindfolded with a friend is today, keep practicing blind activities for 2 weeks and then try the test again.
