Moving Minds: Proprioception and Learning
What is Proprioception? We often mention is at Mindstretch, but what is it? The proprioceptive system gives information about the body’s position in space, such as the direction we’re facing or how close we are to an object. It’s also how we identify how our body parts are moving and how much strength our muscles […]
Mindstretch News – Building Bright Futures
Welcome to Mindstretch 2025! There’ was magic in the air as our children returned to school, each one brimming with potential. We’re excited to share what’s new and wonderful at Mindstretch. Nurturing our Learner’s Growth Meet PEA, Our New Sweetpea Approach: We’re excited to introduce PEA – Pause │ Engage │ Act. This simple yet […]
Feeding the Gut Microbiome: New Hope for Autism
Shared by Valerie Southgate Msc MFA CMPP It’s long been known that many children with ASD experience gastrointestinal issues. Evidence shows that their gut microbiome composition often differs from that of typically developing children, and may be part of the problem. The gut microbiome refers to the trillions of bacteria living in our digestive systems. The […]
Mindstretch News – Springing into (more) Action
Spring has sprung, bringing a fresh burst of positive energy. Having wrapped up another excellent term, we share here a few of our accomplishments. Know someone who might benefit from our programme? Please spread the word about Mindstretch School – we brighten futures! Expanding our Team We’re delighted to welcome Nicolette and Warda to Mindstretch […]
Bilateral Integration Skills for Special Needs
Shared by Christelle Nel We thank Paediatric Occupational Therapist Christelle Nel for explaining the concepts of midline crossing and bilateral integration skills, and why they are so important in the development of our children. Best Explained By Example Peter is a 5-year-old heathy boy. He loves playing outside. He bunny hops (bilateral integration) to the […]
Mindstretch News – Team Enrichment
Ensuring a brilliant team of Mindstretch School educators is a key part of our magic sauce. All our teachers are special needs trained and all receive ongoing training. Add in our learning’s individualized programmes and continuous monitoring and it’s no wonder every child reaches their full potential at Mindstretch. Specialized External Training At Mindstretch we […]
Best Behaviour Management
Shared by Kellie-Jane Bennett Kellie-Jane is Head of Junior Development and teaches Grade RR at Mindstretch School. Her keen observation skills, special needs understanding and empathy enable her exceptional behaviour management expertise. Kellie-Jane also provides at home consultation – find her contact details below. Understanding the Child The best way to manage an unwanted behaviour […]
Mindstretch News – Always Progress
We’re into the 11th year of Mindstretch School and stronger than ever. Continually updating our best practice helps us achieve our vision for being a model school for children with special needs. Here are some of our most recent developments. There’s always progress at Mindstretch. Progressing Teaching Development and Support Good collaboration between our educators […]
Structured Teaching – for ASD and Related Communication Disorders
Shared by Kellie-Jane and Pam – Mindstretch Development and Support Leads. We’ve recently introduced TEACCH, modified to our classes and the needs of our learners. It’s a proven structured teaching approach with a communications focus. We appreciate that it takes account of both the strengths and weaknesses of the child with communication-related learning challenges. TEACCH®, […]
Mindstretch News – Positively Forward
We’re into our final term and it’s been a Big Bold Beautiful time optimizing good progress. Here’s a snapshot of some of our recent activities. Tailored Education, a Priority We’ve just completed our mid-year IEDP (individualized education and development plan) term. Parents get to meet with their child’s teacher. Together they agree any revisions to […]