Extra Lesson ® is an assessment and intervention program for children, and adolescents with learning and behavioural difficulties. All Extra Lesson practitioners are professionally trained and accredited by The Extra Lesson Institute and work with a holistic approach combining movement, speech, rhythm and painting.
The Extra Lesson program is based on the premise that learning difficulties are often due to disruptions in the developmental stages of the first seven years of life. This can result in poor spatial orientation and body awareness, sensory processing challenges, retained early movement patterns and co-ordination difficulties. Research supports the connection between learning difficulties and early childhood development and shows that regular movement and physical activity can help develop neural pathways in the brain.
A typical Extra Lesson program involves a thorough assessment followed by weekly individual lessons tailored to each child’s needs. These lessons include fine and gross motor exercises, movement combined with rhythmic language or song as well as painting and drawing.
The first step in assisting your child is a developmental assessment
to identify as clearly as possible the underlying causes of your child’s learning difficulties.
An Extra Lesson assessment takes 2-3 hours and is focused on
the underlying capacities needed to achieve full learning potential.
A comprehensive developmental history will be taken and assessment of:
- Spatial orientation
- Body geography
- Balance
- Laterality and dominance
- Fine and gross motor skills and coordination
- Visual perception skills
- Neuro-developmental maturity
- Primitive reflexes
The assessment also includes:
- Standardised testing of reading, comprehension, spelling and mathematics. The results of such tests can offer you a benchmark for gauging future progress.
Extra Lesson ® was first developed over 40 years ago by Audrey McAllen from her observations and research as a teacher of Steiner education in the UK. Extra Lesson is an educational program based on an understanding of sensory processing and the natural stages of childhood development. It has become internationally known as a successful intervention for students, who have learning and behavioural difficulties.
http://www.extralesson.com.au