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 […]
Baking Benefits Children with Special Needs
If it’s not enjoyable, kids won’t stick with an activity. Baking is fun and interesting, and there’s always something new to make. We find that baking benefits children with special needs. Baking Practice, Many Benefits, Much Fun Learn more about the many benefits of baking here. Find also our favourite healthy muffin recipe. Your child […]
Mindstretch News – Speaking Up, Reaching Out
Here we are in May with plenty of New and very good progress. New staff. New activities. New developments with our 2023 focus on expressive language and speech facilitation. New to Staff, Teacher Aides We’re delighted to welcome Jo-Mari and Lulama to Mindstretch as Teacher Aides. As with all our teaching staff, they’re well qualified […]