Parents
Rosa, Australia
I have 3 children. My eldest just breezed through school. My second struggled. At the age of 9, we moved schools and the special ed. teacher opened my world to a new type of thinking. You see, my son didn't crawl, or roll for that matter, and this influenced his ability to learn. He was inadequately integrated. Imagine my guilt and sense of hopelessness as a mother but more importantly my child's lack of confidence as he struggled with school and playing sport. At the same time I read Barbara Pheloung's book Help Your Class To Learn, among other books. We embarked on a program of better nutrition (even though we thought we were eating healthy food), chiropractic and a movement program with the school and at home. To cut a long story short, my son did his HSC last year, applied for a university place and got his first preference. There is success.
I have only been teaching for about 5 years - I had my children and then went to university. Unfortunately universities don't teach you about this area of child development (well I wasn't taught this). As a pre-kinder teacher, we play games which involve rolling, rocking, cross-lateral movements etc. I fully understand the guilt a mother feels when she sees her frustrated child trying to cope with learning at school and life!. Now as a teacher, my aim is to ensure that every child I encounter has the opportunity to reach their potential. I believe the earlier we begin, the quicker pathways are created and gaps filled.
Louise, Australia
Hi,
I am a physiotherapist and a Mum of a wonderful son who has been challenged throughout his learning career by dyslexia and also a delightful little six year old daughter with cerebral palsy.
I bought Barbara's book when Peter was very young and have passed it around a lot because we felt it as so helpful.
I help to run a support group at our school for parents of children with learning challenges. I have often refered parents to your website. It is fantastic.
Jillian Ballantyne, Nth Queensland, Australia
Hello,
I wanted to let you know, after having purchased your Move to Learn Programme, we are having some significant success – particularly with a number of children’s reading abilities & not to mention self worth & self belief!!
Victoria Goodes, Ireland:
Dear Barbara,
Some years ago you helped two of my boys hugely at the beach house in Manly.
Ben is now 23 and Simon 16. Ben is now in his final year of an arts degree at Latrobe University and has been invited to join the Golden Club honours group - top 15% of the under graduates. Big achievement for Ben, it has been a long road. Simon is in his 4th year of high school and is doing well. He has not been on medication for ADD now for about 3 years and is doing well without it.
We are currently living in Ireland and are due to return to Melbourne in September. Our youngest son Liam has been diagnosed with ADHD and probably is the worst affected out of all the boys. Without your intervention I am concerned that this will only be exacerbated. Ireland is not at all progressive in its education in fact I think they are still back in the 60's - children are educated as I was. Scary!
Anne Hills, Queensland, Australia:
Hi Barbara,
I've just read your fascinating article in the e-bility newsletter. It's very helpful and I want to share it with some friends. How I wish I'd known some of these things when our son was younger. He is now almost 15 and my hair is nearly all grey, figuratively speaking, that is the bit left that I haven't torn out in sheer frustration. I have often tried to enter his world and try to feel how he must feel and I'm left feeling helpless and hopeless. This makes me sad.
I had a very real taste of how he feels recently when I tried to learn some new skills on the computer. The efficient teacher patiently explained, "Now you simply do this, this and this." "And then you go here and here and do this." "OK, now you do that for me again." I sat there not even comphrending the first bit and feeling awful. Now I KNOW how it feels not to understand even simple things.
I recently wrote an article for a Home-School magazine that tells a little of living with and attempting to Home-School a child with learning "challenges." I would like to post it to you, most likely you've heard it all before. You have been a help and an encouragement to us as we continue to try to help this special child find his way through life. Perhaps if I share my story it might help some other parent who is struggling to understand and come to terms with living with a child like "Ben." Thanks for continuing to send your helpful and informative newsletters.
Diana Acheson, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia:
Barbara,
Many years ago (about 10 now) I gave birth to a little boy. He was my second child. He was always sick, he nearly died, he couldn't hear properly because of the constant ear infections, it was a terrible birth and by the time he hit school, he was really struggling.
I am a Kindermusik and Simply Music Educator and have always believed in searching for answers. Doctors gave me no help and so I started my journey of reading everything I could get my hands on. I eventually came across your book Help Your Class to Learn. I found it amazing.
All in all, Cameron is now years ahead in his reading and maths skills. He has done music since he was a child and continues to do it. Thank you. Without your book I would never have found what I needed to.
I teach a lot of children with difficulties. I guess going through what I have for 10 years, people are drawn to you. I have been doing some research because I have been asked to present at the next Kindermusik National Conference in January on children with special needs and I came across the ABT site.
I started reading and it looked really interesting to me. Then I went looking for qualified people and found you again.
Thank you once again and I just wanted you to know what a tremendous difference you have made in the life of not only my little boy, but me.
Neula Sands, Woree, Queensland, Australia:
I have been receiving the Missile and look forward to receiving them every month. They have been very helpful in that it gives me hope for my son. I was once told by a Learning Support person - when Brayden was in Grade 2 - that with a little bit of help Brayden might at least be able to read the paper - in other words he wasn't going to amount to much and if he can read the paper I should be happy with that. I cried for my son that day and I am determined to prove to people like that, that he WILL do well in his life.
Missile has been very encouraging and we need all the support we can in helping our children.
Julie, Australia:
I am so excited about your work and know it is going to benefit many. Tony continues to go from strength to strength.
Today I was for no particular reason remembering the little boy who had to be dragged off to the school bus each morning and how he returned at the end of each day feeling very much worse for wear. He suffered dreadfully from car sickness and the half hour bus trip was a daily dose of misery.
After attending the Manly Beach House my husband built Tony a swing and he would go to it every afternoon and go higher and faster do more and still more circles in the air on it. It was amazing to watch as it was a swing to beat all swings, with really long ropes and plenty of scope for going round and round, as he was advised to do. Of course the aim was to stimulate his vestibula and get his balance mechanism working and that certainly happened as the car sickness is no longer a problem and he went on to become a dirt bike rider able to do heart stopping jumps and compete to the level of NSW trophies.
He found reading so hard back then and now devours each copy of Dirt Bike Magazine as soon as it arrives. Working in a motor bike repair shop he had to order parts, write accounts, deal with the public, all things that seemed impossible to one small shy boy with a "problem pen", that just wouldn't do what he wanted it to do.
I love the Missile. Thinking of you and sending my love and support.
Jean Houghton, Australia:
I thought that you could enjoy some of "the fruits of your labours" by seeing under Bachelor of Theology, Jamie Houghton! Rev. Foord said to George & I that James has a good mind, the way he thinks & asks questions. The N.T. Greek, he reads & writes, the books he loves to read, I'm amazed. God is so good. I thank the lord you came into his life, & spared him much correction at school.
God bless you Barbara.
Teachers
A Participating Teacher from the 2006 Research;
Last year (2006) we did the MTL programme every day in the school with all the kids (2.5 - 6 years). At the end of the year, we normally expect the older children to be working with 50-odd piece puzzles and be able to draw a decent body image (mostly still 'stick' like). Well by Dec 2006, we were running out of 100-piece puzzles (first time EVER) and the body images were all full figure and with immense detail...... You see - it CERTAINLY works!’
Jocelyn King, Nyngan High School, Australia:
Dear Barbara,
Thank you so much for producing the video. It is very informative and helpful. I have also gained a lot of information from the books. They have been extremely helpful.
Carol Hewatt, Sydney Australia:
Dear Barbara,
Thanks for your 1st missile. I will be able to use the tip about walking up the stairs! Great to have someone to discuss some of the joys and trials. I have continued this term with two classes of 15 for 4 days of 15 minutes.
My sixth class boys have progressed to marching and rope skipping which they beg for after our flip flops etc. I am preparing an evaluation page for them to record the informal changes they verbalise to me e.g. I could read for just 10 minutes, last night I read for an hour! They are so proud of their achievements.
A visiting principal from a sister school in Uruguay spent some time with me watching the movement program and then talking with me. He was so impressed by what could be done for LD with no cost as his country is very poor. He said that, that input was the most worthwhile part of his visit. Of course I loved having a captive audience too! More appreciative than our teachers! He watched your video and went home with a copy and an outline of the exercises and a list of books that could be useful.
My school continues with the usual mix of parent/teacher who can understand what I am doing and are supportive and the others who are negative/derisive.
Great to hear from you... Thank you for all you continue to do... you are an inspiration!
Svea Gold, USA:
Dear Barbara,
Your book and video arrived yesterday and of course I have already read the book and seen the video. I am very much impressed. Of course we are on the same wavelength.
I have great admiration for the fact that you are tackling the schools.
Your information is so valuable but I have little hope to reach the schools here except fot the occasional teacher or so. With the "No Child Left Behind" the teachers are exhausted. The kids are forced to read before they are ready and Middle School and High School students can't read.
Your work is great and I love the whole child approach. Part of the problem here, is that if a teacher identifies a vision problem, the school is required to pay for treatment! Since the schools don't have the money, the teachers are not allowed to say anything. Just forget about the other problems!
Anyhow, one step at a time, and I will do what I can with the backing from your material! Great stuff!
I am delighted to be part of your network!
Children
Chelsea Smith (23), Sydney, Australia:
I just wanted to thankyou for helping me when I was younger at Oxford Falls Grammar School (Primary).
I now work for a great Company in Brookvale; I am a Customer Service Representative. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the confidence, you helped me build. I still am a bit slow at things but it doesn't bother me one bit, cos I could have been worse. I still think in my head 'b'- bat than ball and 'd'- drum than stick, even if I've got the idea by now. I love to learn, I can't get enough and im reading novels that I thought would be impossible.
I couldn't thankyou enough for your love; friendship and support that helped me get through that tough time in my life.
