Barbara Pheloung is a resource teacher, born in Canada, who has spent over 35 years specialising in working in the field of special education. Frustrations encountered while trying to find help and support for several members of her own family who struggled with hyperactivity and Learning Difficulties (LD) inspired her to share what she had learned with other parents and teachers of those with LD.
Barbara's work experience includes Social Work and High School teaching in Canada, and in Australia she has concentrated on all the aspects of Special Education working with the "whole child" approach.
In 1987 she founded The Beach House in Manly, NSW. This was a private centre for those with Learning Difficulties and Hyperactivity in which Teachers, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and a Physical Education Teacher worked together sharing their expertise.
It had become clear that a variety of professionals were essential to help LD children become ready to learn, and that no single profession had the full answer for every child. Barbara's team proved that by working together, starting with the professional who met the most basic needs of a particular child, results could be quick and permanent. The success of The Beach House also demonstrated that similar centres could be set up in any community and with a minimum of financial support.
In 1993 Barbara was given the opportunity to work in Oxford Falls Grammar School in Sydney, to set up a new approach to handling Learning Difficulties in a school setting. This was done in conjunction with Robyn Taylor, Educational/Clinical Psychologist, who used the results from this 2 year project, along with the results from another project conducted in a school in Wollongong, for her research to measure the benefits of a sensory integration movement program to academic performance.
In recent years, Barbara has spent much of her time in writing, private consultations, mentoring and in public speaking, both nationally and internationally. She has hosted four Move to Learn seminars and been a guest speaker at many others.
Barbara has written 4 books; Help Your Child to Learn; Overcoming Learning Difficulties (with co-author Jill King); Help Your Class to Learn; and her most recent book, School Floors. Barbara has also produced a film called Move to Learn, which is available on DVD and video, and a booklet called Why and How To Get Started.
In 2004 Barbara was nominated for Australian of the Year.
