Getting ready for school, reflecting on the summer
- Sally Goddard Blythe
- Aug 27, 2024
- 2 min read
As the summer holidays draw to a close and parents have spent more time with their children, it can be a time for them to reflect on aspects of their child’s development.
Many children blossom during the summer months – growing physically and emotionally – in the relative freedom afforded by more outdoor time, physical activity, fewer restrictions, family time and simply time to be.
However, it can also be a time when parents become aware of small differences in their child that have been masked by the general busy-ness of working life, the demands of family and the school year. Many of these “differences”, if present as a cluster, might on the surface appear to be minor signs of neurodiversity, but viewed individually, are not enough to merit assessment.
This “grey area”, which describes symptoms that are not quite bad enough to call for formal investigations, but which prevent children from being able to achieve their potential in the classroom or enjoy easy peer and social relationships, can be the product of neuromotor immaturity.
Neuromotor immaturity is a term used to describe persistence of immature patterns of motor development which can interfere in subtle ways with coordination, balance and visual-perception, affecting not only school performance but also emotional regulation and social interaction. Paradoxically, the more intelligent the child, the greater the degree of frustration and potentially, manipulative behaviour. The child can also easily become the scapegoat for other problems within the family as parents feel helpless in finding effective ways to deal with the problem.
One such child described his feelings as,
“My brain knows what it wants to do but my body does something else. Then I don’t know where I am and I get confused, I feel angry and then I get upset. I can’t seem to do things as fast as my friends, they don’t want me to join them and they call me weird. I hate school, I hate sports and my parents get cross when I lose it”.
While there can be many reasons for behavioural and emotional problems, investigation and remediation of immature neuromotor skills can make a significant difference to both the child and family, over time.
It involves:
1. Completing a screening questionnaire online
2. Initial consultation online
3. Two hour assessment in person (if indicated as a result of the above)
4. Daily exercises carried out at home under parental supervision for 5 – 10 minutes per day
5. Follow up reviews at 8 weekly intervals
Duration – approximately 12 months
If you think your child or family could benefit, or you would like to understand more about neuromotor immaturity,
please visit:
And to find an INPP Licentiate near you:
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