The Ed Psych Practice Blog

How LEGO Therapy Uses ‘Play Time’ to Develop Your Child’s Social Skills

September 8, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Speech Therapy Anxiety, ASD, Lego Therapy, Listening Skills, Occupational Therapist, Play Therapy, Problem Solving, Sharing and Collaboration, Social Communication Difficulties, Speech Therapist

Takeaway: LEGO therapy is a fun, multisensory type of group play therapy that can help your child develop her social (and other) skills. Sessions happen at regular intervals (ideally every week), a facilitator guides the group through a semi-structured LEGO play session, and the children take turns trying out different roles. These roles and the club rules help your child expand her type of play and teaches her important skills that carry over into her everyday life. Read More

Your Child as a “Neurodiverse Learner”

August 31, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Education Accommodations, ADHD, ASD, Cognitive Functioning, Dyslexia, Neurodiversity, Neurological Differences, Thinking and Learning Differences

Takeaway: Neurodiversity is a science-based concept that thinks of people as being ‘typical’ or ‘different.’ So, some children might have challenges that others don’t, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything inherently wrong with them. They’re just different. Moreover, these differences come with a whole set of strengths, too! Neurodiversity helps us celebrate individual differences and transforms the way we think of education. Rather than targeting the average student, we start focussing on the unique needs of each child. And this individualisation of education plans can help your child be her best self.
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Why ‘Eclectic’ Therapy is a More Flexible & Holistic Way of Helping Your Child

August 26, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Mental Health CBT, Family Therapy, Integrative Approach, Mental Health, Play Therapy, Psychotherapy

Takeaway: There are many schools of psychology, each with its own approach and solution to common life problems. Eclectic therapy takes aspects of these different approaches and uses the ones that will best help your child. So, it’s a personalised, flexible form of therapy that focuses on your child’s specific needs. And it offers a holistic approach that is often missing in more rigid forms of traditional therapy.
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Autism Evaluation – Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised

August 13, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Referrals ADI-R, Autism, Communication & Language, Developmental Difference, Evaluation, Occupational Therapist, Paediatricians, Repetitive Behaviour, Social Interactions, Speech Therapist

Takeaway: Parents can spot the signs of autism long before anyone else. You just need an expert to help make sense of what you see. That’s what the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is all about. It’s a semi-structured interview where a specialist uses your observations to assess whether or not your child is in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It provides an opportunity to give your child the kind of care and support she needs.
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Autism Evaluation – What should it look like?

August 6, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Referrals ADOS, ASD, Autism Evaluation, Communication Skills, Developmental Disability, Diagnostic Tool, Observational Assessment, Repetitive Behaviour, Social Interaction, Speech and Language

Takeaway: A child’s life can be unnecessarily traumatic if her autism spectrum disorder (ASD) goes unnoticed. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule [ADOS] is one of the evaluation tools. It’s a reliable, standardised test trusted by specialists around the world. And it’s used not just to detect ASD, but also to measure the extent of its impact on a child’s abilities. Read More

Questions to Ask Paediatricians About Your Child’s Development

July 27, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Paediatricians Autism, Cognition, Communication, Developmental Assessments, Milestones, Muscle Control, Paediatricians, Sensory Processing, Social Development, Speech and Language Therapist

Overview: Children are often late in reaching their developmental milestones. Slight delays are normal, but significant ones on many fronts can be an issue. Here, a developmental assessment can help a paediatrician decide if there’s cause for concern. But what are these assessments? How can you prepare for them? And what questions should you ask? Read on to find out. Read More

Auditory Processing Difficulties: When Your Child Listens But Can’t Understand

July 20, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Referrals Auditory Perception, Auditory Processing Difficulties, Auditory Training, Auditory Working Memory, Decoding Language, Decoding Speech Sounds, Learning Delays, Speech and Language Therapy

Takeaway: Auditory processing difficulties pop up when a child has trouble processing sounds. So, she can hear fine but her brain struggles to interpret what she hears. Thankfully, there’s a lot we can do to help: (1) Start speech and language therapy, (2) Teach her coping skills, and (3) Modify her environment. Read More

Supporting emotional needs of children with learning difficulties

July 11, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Mental Health Emotional Needs, Learning Difficulties, Mental Health, Relationship Building, Responsible Decision-making, Self Discipline, self-awareness, Social Skills, Supportive

The Most Helpful Type of Comfort to Offer a Child with Learning Difficulties

Takeaway: Children with learning difficulties often think of themselves as being ‘stupid’, which stirs up a storm of frustration, anger, stress, and sadness. But with the right set of social and emotional coping skills, they can craft a new life and rebuild their self-esteem. So, support your child by teaching her the essential skills of (1) Self-awareness, (2) Social awareness, (3) Responsible decision making, (5) Self-discipline, and (6) Relationship building.
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Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Why Your Child May Be Struggling to Communicate

July 4, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Referrals Communication Difficulties, DLD, Early Intervention, Enhance Communication Skills, Language Deficits, Language Development, Poor Attention, Speaking and Listening, Speech Therapist

Takeaway: Many children have trouble learning how to speak and communicate fluently. But for most, this is a phase they outgrow. With DLD, a child’s brain develops differently, making it harder for her to learn and use language, through school and into adulthood. Thankfully, though, there are tools and techniques you can use to help your child adapt. Read More

What You Need to Know About Dyspraxia (Or, Developmental Coordination Disorder)

June 27, 2020 The Ed Psych Practice No Comments Referrals Clumsy, Coordinating Physical Movements, DCD, Delayed Developmental Milestones, Dyspraxia, Occupational Therapist, Poor Coordination

Takeaway: Dyspraxia is a developmental difference where the brain has trouble coordinating physical movements. Children with dyspraxia appear ‘clumsy’ and have problems with everyday activities like self-care, writing, and playing sports. But with the right kind of help, they can learn to adapt and live fulfilling lives. Read More