It’s a Marathon, not a Race…
Children’s development often follows a set of pattered
“milestones” set forth by the medical establishment. These milestones seem to be imperative and
predict later success as a youth or adult.
However, for those with special developmental needs or delays this
simply is not the case. Developmental
milestones seem to aid in diagnosis and comparative analysis child to child,
yet do little for achievable perspectives for the families with special needs. Once a child becomes 8, 9 or 10years the
differentiation between neurotypical and special needs widens, which causes
distress among the families of these children. What will happen in 5 yrs, 10
yrs…?
There are two important premises to remember with special needs
children:
-
It is never too late to work on something
-
If you do nothing a lot, improvement will not occur
The above sounds simple, but in actuality most families still
believe they may outgrow these delays or it is too late to try.
In the past, the assumption was
that challenged kids would eventually outgrow it, but research is now telling
us that these challenges persist throughout the child’s life. Studies have also found that children who have
motor skill deficits as children are less
active as they grow older. Children with *dyspraxia are especially at risk
for developing sedentary lifestyles because of their lack of success being
active and interest in peer interaction.
Progressive intervention therefore aims at improving motor skills, social
and emotional capabilities, improving problem solving when approaching a motor
task, and helping children find recreational activities that will prepare them
to be active for the rest of their lives.
How can this all happen? Well,
only with a long-term perspective.
Remember it’s a
marathon, not a race. An intervention that last 8 weeks will not affect a long-term
change. A child needs frequency,
repetition, relationship building and solid strategizing by professionals. From our experience, we see long-term
progressive change and improvement compared to those who do not
participate. Such things as resolving
fear of heights, running and gait improvements, focus and attention increases,
relationships, enjoyment of activity, confidence, knowledge, skipping, biking
and other complex motor skills. We have seen the results of a long term
perspective and know its really the best way to help families.
written by the team at the BODiWORKS Institute
