Understanding Dyslexia

Today we looked at dyslexia in detail, and it is interesting to see how people judge people with dyslexia, yet they do not realise that it does not mean that these people will never succeed. So many creative people are dyslexic, and that is their gift.  Just looking at the list of famous people who are dyslexic, Tom Cruise, Richard Branson, Pablo Picasso, Magic Johnson, Steven Spielberg, Mohammed Ali, and look at what they achieved in their lives. It really shows that we should not judge people, nor shut them out as if they will achieve nothing.  We also spoke of how children are victimised at school for being 'different'. Who determines 'different' to be quite honest, I would rather say 'Gifted' because we are all born with special abilities and talents. How boring it would be if we were all the same!  Let's celebrate our children and their uniqueness

Here is what we shared on the show:

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that makes it difficult for people to read. It’s the most common learning issue, although it’s not clear what percentage of kids have it. Some experts believe the number is between 5 and 10 percent. Others say as many as 17 percent of people show signs of reading issues. The reason for the wide range is that experts may define dyslexia in different ways.

Dyslexia is mainly a problem with reading accurately and fluently. Kids with dyslexia may have trouble answering questions about something they’ve read. But when it’s read to them, they may have no difficulty at all.

Dyslexia can create difficulty with other skills, however. These include:

• Reading comprehension
• Spelling
• Writing
• Math

People sometimes believe dyslexia is a visual issue. They think of it as kids reversing letters or writing backwards. But dyslexia is not a problem with vision or with seeing letters in the wrong direction.

It’s important to know that while dyslexia impacts learning, it’s not a problem of intelligence. Kids with this issue are just as smart as their peers. Many people have struggled with dyslexia and gone on to have successful careers. That includes a long list of actors, entrepreneurs and elected officials.

If your child has dyslexia, she won’t outgrow it. But there are supports, teaching approaches and strategies to help her overcome her challenges.

Here are some examples of signs of dyslexia:

Preschool

• Has trouble recognizing whether two words rhyme
• Struggles with taking away the beginning sound from a word
• Struggles with learning new words
• Has trouble recognizing letters and matching them to sounds

Grade School

• Has trouble taking away the middle sound from a word or blending several sounds to make a word
• Often can’t recognize common sight words
• Quickly forgets how to spell many of the words she studies
• Gets tripped up by word problems in math

Middle School

• Makes many spelling errors
• Frequently has to re-read sentences and passages
• Reads at a lower academic level than how she speaks

High School

• Often skips over small words when reading aloud
• Doesn’t read at the expected grade level
• Strongly prefers multiple-choice questions over fill-in-the-blank or short answer.

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyslexia/understanding-dyslexia#item0

It is important for us as parents to look out for these signs and get our children help as soon as we can.  


Till next Monday

Stay Blessed

#beingaparent

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

Today we discussed a very crucial topic which is learning disabilities. So many children in Zimbabwe go through the education system with learning disabilities mainly because of lack of awareness. Some parents thing a child is just being lazy, stubborn, or just hates school. Sometimes it could be true but sometimes it could be that the child has a learning disability. 

Today we just gave definitions of the leaning disabilities from the Special Needs website, next week we will go deeper into some of the more common disabilities.

The important lesson is that we must closely monitor our children's developments and if there is a recurring pattern in their learning challenges, it would be best to go for an assessment or alert the teacher


Overview of Common Types of Learning Disabilities
If your child has trouble with schoolwork and learning, it can be both frustrating for you and your child.  Your child may feel unintelligent, and you may feel that your child is not trying his best.  However, there can be a hidden factor that explains why your child is struggling.  Your child may have one of several types of learning disabilities.
If your child is constantly struggling with learning and developmental stages, it is a good idea to get them tested for one of the many types of learning disabilities.  If your child ends up having a learning disability, they may qualify for an Individualized Education Plan, IEP, as well as for extra help and resources.  A child with a learning disability does not make them unintelligent or lazy.  It simply means that he is not able to function or process in a certain area as well as a child without a learning disability.

Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a common learning disability that affects a child’s reading and how they see and understand written words.  Children with dyslexia can mix up letters, have a hard time with reading speed and fluency, and may even complain of physical ailments when reading.

Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is the learning disability that revolves around arithmetic and numbers.  Children with dyscalculia have difficulty telling time, counting in a sequenced pattern (such as by 2s or 5s), and handling money.  Dyscalculia also affects one’s ability to memorize number sequences as well as comprehending number sequences.

Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is the learning disability that affects one’s writing, spelling, and information comprehension.  The learning disability of dysgraphia is usually present alongside with dyslexia.  Dysgraphia makes it hard for one to organize sentences and words, comprehend writing structure and organization, as well as copying letters and words accurately. 

Dyspraxia 
Dyspraxia is the learning disorder that affects the fine motor skills and gross motor skills.  Children with dyspraxia have a hard time with hand-eye coordination and completing simple fine or gross motor skills, such as cutting, buttoning, jumping, and running.  Usually those with dyspraxia are clumsy and hard to understand due to their trouble of pronouncing words.

Aphasia or Dysphasia
Aphasia or Dysphasia is the learning disability of understanding language.  Children with these types of learning disabilities have a hard time retelling a story they heard, as well as difficulty understanding the meaning of words or directions. 

Auditory Processing Disorder
Those with auditory processing disorder have a difficult time hearing words correctly in the right speed as well as the difference between different word sounds.  This issue makes it difficult for them to read and comprehend language and written words.

Visual Processing Disorder
Those with the learning disability of visual processing disorder find it challenging to read and comprehend the meaning and difference of symbols, shapes, maps, charts, and pictures.  They will often reverse letters and numbers, skip lines, or skip words. 

While there are many types of learning disabilities, there are also many resources and aids to help parents and their children. Many of these types of learning disabilities are usually not present alone in a child.  Instead, many children will have a mixture of two or more learning disabilities in different severities. 

http://www.specialneeds.com/children-and-parents/general-special-needs/types-learning-disabilities

Should We Push Our Kids To Be Academic?

Many parents that I know, prays that their child excels from the moment they start school; they want to be the parent that goes for prize giving and is too tired from getting up to clap for their child because their child is getting most of them! The child should be good at sports too and other activities, an all-rounder. I must admit I am like that too. I would love my children to be excellent in their academics, so I will admit I am a pushy mum (They say the first step is acceptance ...hahahah). My push comes because I am an academic, so unfortunately I push. But the importance is understanding WHY you want your child to be an academic and understand the consequences

So some of the effects on your child could be:

1. Stress: The child could feel pressure to excel and could be depressed, be angry, and physically they could have headaches or stomach aches.

2. Anxiety: Children feel the pressure to please their parents and thus put more pressure on themselves to succeed. The need to be praised and rewarded is always there. If they fail, they feel they have let you down.

3.  Anger: Sometimes the pressure can affect a child to get to the point of resenting you the parent.  Your child may refuse to follow rules or guidelines, lying or acting out

4.  Withdrawal: Some children internalise their 'failure in your eyes' by thinking they do not deserve to be loved.


So how do you manage your expectations, which is what we need to do?

1. Find out why: Take time to find out why you want your child to succeed. Is it a failed goal that you wish you had achieved? Is it pressure to show your child off?

2. Find out if your child is really good academically 

3. Accept your child for who they are. The importance is their happiness

4. Have an open relationship with your children. Offer them help where you can, or understand what they enjoy at school and what they are not strong at. This makes them feel like you care. 

5.  Monitor your child.  Watch how they eat, sleep and interact with others to see if they are feeling any pressure from school or from you

6. Enjoy your child.  Enjoy the uniqueness of your child and enjoy being their parent. Be balanced and supportive and celebrate your child's achievements and efforts, academically or not

You only live once, make the most of the time you have with your children

Till next Monday

Stay Blessed

#beingaparent




 

World Breastfeeding Week

Its World Breastfeeding Week!!!

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August all over the globe to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. 

Growing up in Zimbabwe, you are given advice by your mom and other mothers on how to increase your milk. I heard people were told to eat nyimo (not sure the English word for that), sugar cane, drinks lots of water.  I was told to drink alot of Mazowe Orange juice, VERY salty roasted peanuts, and my favorite was TEA!! I am a complete LOVER of tea...i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! So being told to drink it even more was like the best news ever! I can't say if all these things worked, I can definitely say I never ran out of milk, and I breastfed both my children for 18 months each. So no harm in trying them, plus its healthy stuff anyway

I enjoyed breastfeeding firstly because it was bonding time with my babies, just me and the baby for a good amount of time, actually a LONG time (boy did they love their milk!)

I also enjoyed it because it was a natural 'medication' so to speak. I HATE medication and I try to avoid it as much as possible. When my kids had colds, breastfeeding worked so naturally, and having them close to me kept them warm too

And the best part, it helped me lose my tummy!! Ladies it works!! I am a lazy person at keeping fit, if it weren't for breastfeeding, I would still be looking pregnant now, 4 years later!

Breastfeeding is a good way to tighten the belly because it causes the uterus to contract and quickly shrink back to its pre-baby size!!

Aside from my own reasons for breastfeeding, I have some other benefits of breastfeeding to share with you that I found online:

Breast milk helps keep your baby healthy.

• It supplies all the necessary nutrients in the proper proportions.
• It protects against allergies, sickness, and obesity.
• It protects against diseases, like diabetes and cancer.
• It protects against infections, like ear infections.
• It is easily digested – no constipation, diarrhea or upset stomach.
• Babies have healthier weights as they grow.
• Breastfed babies score higher on IQ tests.

Breast milk changes constantly to meet babies' needs.

The milk changes in volume and composition according to the time of day, nursing frequency, and age of baby to promote healthy growth. Breast milk is the perfect food for your baby.

Breast milk is always ready and good for the environment.

• It is available wherever and whenever your baby needs it.
• It is always at the right temperature, clean and free.
• No bottles to clean.
• Breastfeeding has no waste, so it is good for the environment.

Why is Breastfeeding Important for You?

Mothers who breastfeed:

• Have a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes and certain cancers such as breast cancer
• May find it easier to return to what they weighed before they got pregnant
• Strengthen the bond with their children

Source: https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/nutrition/wic/breastfeeding/importance.htm

I hope this has helped you

Till next Monday, HAPPY WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK

Stay blessed!

#beingaparent

Dealing with a child's loss of appetite

I have so many friends who say their children do not eat well, and this seems to happen from the age of 3, or maybe it is just a coincidence. So as I was researching about it, I discovered the various reasons that children lose their appetite. Here are a few:

• Illness
• your child is eating and drinking between meals
• Your child is exerting less energy than usual
• Worms
• Sickness
• Stress
• Medication
• Constipation

 But the one that I thought most mothers face is one due to decrease in energy levels.  It seems after turning 1, children's appetites fluctuate according to age, their nature, energy levels and stage of growth.  So it is perfectly normal! As they say 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!' DO NOT STRESS MOMS!

So what should you do?

- Firstly stop panicking, it won't change anything
- Check if your child is ill or has worms etc...cross out all the options above
- Buy what your child enjoys to eat and encourage them to eat nutritious food
- Make meal time exciting for the child. 
- Involve them in the preparation of the food, it could be exciting to them
- Do not force feed them, you will only make it worse
- Some kids may enjoy eating small amounts of food frequently, try it
- Praise him/her when he eats, it boosts their self-esteem
- Never scare them with food if they have been naughty, you could create a permanent fear   of food without realising it
- Avoid distractions at mealtime

I hope this will help some moms out there. Please also feel free to share your tips of what you did/are doing to make your children eat. It takes a village to raise a child, we are the village, let's share our ideas

#beingaparent

Till next Monday

Stay blessed


Thankyou once again to our sponsors, Mountain Dew (Distributed by Brands Africa) who have made our show possible



More material for you to read

http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/HealthAZ/HealthandWellness/Nutrition/Pages/Appetite-Slump-in-Toddlers.aspx

Did You Know This about Tea?

DID YOU KNOW?

Tea is a 100% natural drink which is made without any artificial additives whatsoever. It is one of the most affordable drinks available in the Zimbabwean market today.

A lot of research has been done on the health benefits of tea consumption and some of the benefits which have been identified are as follows:

·      Tea in a rich source of the vitamin Thiamine which is required by the body.

·      Tea is high in natural antioxidants – which are a class of bio molecules which help fight cancer in the body.

·         Tea is a good source of calcium

·        Some research seems to point to the existence of a positive correlation between tea consumption and heart health.

·         Tea has a slightly anti-microbial effect and may help counter the prevalence of undesirable microbes say which cause mouth odours

·         Tea is over 90% water and as such it is a very convenient way of taking water especially in winter months when consuming plain water is not very appealing.

-    Tea therefore keeps the body hydrated.

Thankyou to our Sponsors

We would like to thank our sponsors, Brands Africa, the distributors of Mountain Dew Tea, for sponsoring our show for the month of July