In gaming, a player “levels up” when they have succeeded in a previous level. They have mastered it! The next level will hold harder challenges, bigger bosses – but the levelling up process equips them with the new skills and tools they will need to succeed. The gamer is excited to move on and explore their new world.
Are you/your child as excited about “levelling up” to a new school year?
If not, it’s probably because they haven’t fully mastered all the skills the current level has demanded. In UK education, we level up each September regardless of previous success. These skills may be learning-specific, or more general:
- efficient reading
- mental processing
- organising numbers
- remembering facts
- fine motor skills for design
- coordination for sport.
- being organised for the day
- able to relate well to friends
All children will be better at some of these skills than others, but for many, their struggles will be holding them back. For a few, these difficulties might lead to a diagnosis such as dyslexia, ASD, ADHD. But for many, their difficulties are unseen. These children get by, but their grades don’t always reflect their ability, and it might cost them a lot of effort. As the work gets harder, their struggles become more inhibiting. Their energy is drained, their confidence sapped. The thought of moving on up might fill them with dread.
A fundamental but fixable reason?
The good news is, there could be a fundamental, but fixable, reason why you child feels this way. It could be that they have been trying to build on faulty developmental foundations. It’s a bit like a Jenga tower which has a couple of bricks removed from near the bottom. Instead of simply stacking new bricks on top, each one needs very careful placement. It all takes a lot of care and effort – and ultimately there might be the one brick which collapses the tower.
A child with early developmental problems might be very successful! They use their cognitive ability to problem-solve their way through. They might find ways to excel in their strengths, and avoid or manage their biggest challenges. For other children, things begin to disintegrate when there is one “level up” too many – they are just not equipped for the new challenges. This might come as late as A-levels, or even university! Or it might start in reception or earlier.
If only we could go back in time and correct those earliest developmental building blocks – without doing too much damage to the life built upon them! i.e. stabilising the base of the Jenga tower without demolishing it.
Well, we can! In neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT), we look for those very earliest building blocks – the ones which would have been doing their thing in the womb and the first year or two of life. For a surprising number of people, those earliest foundations are not completely in place, but through a thorough assessment we can identify them. Then, most remarkably, through a programme of specific physical movements, touch and sometimes sound, we nudge them into line. It’s a gentle process achieved over time – so we do no damage, and the changes made are wired in so they stick.
The results? Beautiful transformation – like the butterfly finally flying away having left the chrysalis. New skills are built on solid foundations. Memory and organisation improve. There is greater self-awareness and improved relational ability. Anxiety diminishes. Every client is different of course, and the degree of change will vary from person to person, and on their age at the start of the programme. It’s important to say that we are not providing a cure for developmental disorders. But the changes wrought make so many areas of life more possible, more enjoyable – and free up energy and cognitive power for the rest of life.
If you think there might be an issue for someone in your family, I would urge you not to delay. You can try the screening questionnaire on my website, and book a free no-obligation discovery chat with me to see if you/your child might benefit. I’ve seen this work in my family – I want to make it happen in yours.
Very best wishes,