2 events from Faery Glen

Faery Glen has two upcoming events in Gauteng. One is a Parent & Sibling support workshop in July aimed at those supporting children with special needs. The other is the school fundraiser.

For more info on these events please click here.

Kids Indaba to thrill Gauteng tweens for the first time

The Kids Indaba concept was successfully launched in Durban earlier this year and Gauteng audiences will now be lucky enough to be next to experience the show for the first time this May.

Participate in our interactive online story and help kids!

RemSpecED in partnership with Bundublog.com is working to develop South Africa's first interactive story where the community dictates the characters and the story line.

iPad and Tablet PC’s to change school education?

Would you consider using something like the recently released iPad in a classroom environment?

This is one of the questions we at RemSpecED have been kicking around over the last few weeks since we heard the device had been released by Apple.

Support Windy Hollow

Windy Hollow is a non-profit organisation that operates as a therapeutically based horse-riding center, we concentrate our efforts on the improvement or creation of physical and mental function in the challenged individual, therefore reducing the burden they place on ‘functional society’.

They are desperately looking for support to keep their initiative going and have come up with a marketing opportunity to assist them and those who can assist them financially. Find out more about it here.

New Business Services Page

Check out the new RemSpecED business services page which includes a number of innovative products and services for South African consumers.

Support our merchants and advertisers so that we can continue to bring RemSpecED to you our loyal reader.

Occupational therapist wanted

Are you looking to attend an event or plan a holiday? Use the RemSpecED travel tool to hire cars, book hotels or just browse some of the brilliant hotels that South Africa has to offer:

Baba Indaba set to sizzle in 2010

If you have any interest in marketing to a highly targeted base of consumers in the baby and parenting market with an esteemed & award winning organiser, the SABC Education Baba Indaba is your only partner of choice! The SABC Education Baba Indaba is a highly recognisable exhibition brand amongst parents and presents the opportunity to expose brands to a huge audience of an estimated 145 000 visitors in 2010.

Homework - a waste of time?

There is an interesting article on IOL about homework being “a waste of time”.

The article cites research by US author Alfie Kohn and his “new” book ‘The Homework Myth’.

Read the rest of the article here or contribute to the discussion on the RemSpecED blog.

Occupational Therapist needed

Looking for a young, enthusiastic Occupational Therapist interested in furthering training and developing skills by specialising in Sensory Integration! Our team is expanding and we have a position available at our private Paediatric practice in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

Occupational Therapist wanted

Occupational Therapist, preferably sensory integration trained, required to set up private practice alongside special needs therapy centre in Gauteng. More details here.

Faery Glen Therapy Centre

Special Needs therapy centre in countryside setting catering for learners with PDD, ASD, Global Developmental Delays, Downs Syndrome and other impairments.

Full listing here or download their brochure

Ithuteng Learning Support Centre

Ithuteng Learning Support Centre offers remedial therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, as well as extra lessons and study skills

More details here

RemSpecED therapy offering to kick off in January 2010

RemSpecED - The South African Remedial & Special Education portal is to launch a fully integrated therapy offering from January 2010.

Spearheaded by leading occupational therapist and lecturer Paula Barnard-Ashton, the RemSpecED offering will provide a unique and integrated therapeutic approach which will assist in providing parents and their children with the right strategies to cope with their needs.

Tips from a Speech-Language Therapist

Lindsay Brown tells RemSpecED that in the pre-school classroom, phonemic awareness activities can be weaved into everyday routines and tasks.

The objective of any phonemic awareness activity should be to facilitate children’s ability to perceive that their speech is made- up of a series of sounds. It is the breaking down and manipulation of spoken/oral language.

Read the rest of the article here and check out the Phonix in Box website.

Note from Windy Hollow

Check out the following message from Helen Du Plessis of Windy Hollow which offers Therapeutic Riding to South African kids.

RemSpecED is one of the sponsors of Windy Hollow and would love to see others support the initiative. Check them out and give them your support.

Explanatory notes on aspects of therapeutic riding

Helen Du Plessis of Windy Hollow has prepared an article for the RemSpecED readers on some of the medical reasons why therapeutic horse-riding can be a valuable tool for children. Check out the article here.

Room to rent

Room to rent in therapy practice in Highlands North. 15 square metres with own bathroom. Ideal for educational psychologist, speech therapist, remedial therapist. Contact Gerald on 0739236479 or maidensgk@yahoo.co.uk

Blog and win R1000!

Would you like to win R1000 simply by blogging on your parenting and teaching experiences? Well RemSpecED is giving you that opportunity! Rival Industrial, the company which publishes RemSpecED has recently bought Bundublog.com - a FREE platform for people to develop their own blogs or web diaries.

Occupational therapy recognized as a - “Best Career” by US news & world report

The following is a news release that was posted on the American Occupational Therapy Association website and RemSpecED thought it was a fitting article to highlight on our site:

Bring Back Fun in Our Schools

The Department of Education often comes in for quite a bit of stick for the state of South African education, so its great to see them making some positive statements.

Recovery from Autism is Possible

The following is an article published by the Autism Research Institute in the US which RemSpecED thought would be a good place for parents to start to get their heads around autism.

Homework Study Skills Lessons From A Football Quarterback

A study skills expert explains how important it is to have a strategy for homework and provides a fun example from a football game recently played by Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.

Comment on Outcomes Based Education (OBE)

Outcomes Based Education (OBE) has been something of a hot potato for South African educators and administrators in recent months with some very tough questions being asked of government.

In theory, the idea is sound, but the reality that is actually happening in the classroom is very different with teachers drowning in paperwork and a constantly 'moving target' of what is and isn't allowed.

Those being educated also seem to be getting rewarded for mediocrity.

Give us your comment on whether South Africa needs to drop OBE or what changes need to be made to the system to make it effective in educating South Africans.

Comment on this debate by clicking here and posting a comment on the RemSpecED blog.

Post-It Stuck on Kids Market

Beautifully pristine walls and pen art, when used together in the same sentence, can cause dread in the minds of most parents. Coming home to creatively redesigned home furniture and wall space is enough to send most parents straight over the edge. Fortunately, the Post-it range from 3M now includes a brilliant new product that allows children the freedom to explore their creativity and artistic selves without damaging the home.

Future proof your child - Parenting the wired generation

Nikki Bush, who has previously written for RemSpecED has written a great book that is an ideal gift for parents and teachers.

Introducing Phonix in a Box

Phonix in a Box is an educational range of reading and spelling card games designed to strengthen a child's phonic skills. The product is developed by Gauteng based therapist and RemSpecED writer, Lindsay Brown .

Darn Homework

I hate berating teachers but I think when you send a child to a private school environment where you are paying an arm and a leg, a certain level of teaching and involvement is expected.

I'm Audacious, Original And Innovative - I have AD/HD

This is the title for the new book from the LADD team. The book is the first in a series of books aiming to assist children and adults cope with ADD / AD(H)D.

What is YOUR take on Jail4Bail?

The Jail4Bail campaign that we covered below has come out in for some severe criticism from the local and international autism community. What is your take on the situation?

Teachers and kids homework

This article is specifically aimed at the teachers out there. It’s time for a good hard look at yourselves, because the level of irritation that parents are experiencing around homework is a problem that belongs at your door.

Jail4Bail

Kicking off on the 16th of June, Autism Western Cape (AWC) is embarking on a campaign - “Jail4Bail”– with the aim of not only raising awareness about autism spectrum disorders, but also raising R1 million.

Position Available - Bryanston

A post is available in a private practice based in the Talk Shop Pre-school in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, specializing in early intervention.

Colour Therapy at Rietvlei farm

Colour therapy by exploring colour is a non-invasive way of discovering yourself. It also beneficial for ADD and ADHD children.

RemSpecED provides FREE teacher resources!

RemSpecED - the Remedial & Special Education portal - has recently added a new section to the site with FREE teacher resources.

Looking for flowers for your next function? Check out the Angiflora Business Profile

Get your own business profile for R1750 excl. VAT per year (once off) or R250 excl. VAT per month. For further information please e-mail our Sales Team

RemSpecED launches its own Facebook group

RemSpecED - www.remspeced.co.za - is an online resource for parents, teachers and therapists in both the Mainstream as well as Remedial & Special Education fields.

Children must get out

It is often easier as a parent to tell their children to go and sit in front of the TV or play PC games than it is to tell them to get out and actually play and interact.

Mxit and social communication

I am an out and out communications nut. Skype, MSN, SMS, Mxit etc. are simply my favourite kind of tools. When I discovered Mxit at the ripe old age of 26 I simply drooled. I used to drive Paula absolutely nuts holding multiple conversations via text message while at the dinner table…. I’ve toned it down a bit after the got a bit grumpy the one day.

Calling all parents, teachers and therapists! Write for RemSpecED

One of the reasons that the RemSpecED website has continued to be a success is the quality of the content that is being run. Carine van Vuuren's letter below stimulated some good debate around the topic of Dyslexia and this is exactly the point that the RemSpecED resource is trying to develop.

Remedial and special education in the media!

Paula is turning into a minor celebrity this month!

Play, Play, Play!

An interesting discussion came up around the dinner table the other evening – are our children becoming soft and have they actually forgotten how to play?

Parenting Advice - 8 Ways To Grow Healthy Children

Parenting can have it's highs and lows throughout childhood development. Keep in mind that as the parent, you are the single most important factor in determining how your children grow up. This article will help show you a couple ways to grow healthier children.

Gender Prediction With The Chinese Birth Calendar

For a bit of fun we thought we would feature the Chinese Birth Calendar as something for a our readers to have a look at!

Quality Parenting

When you raise a child, you are creating the future. Not just his or her future, but everyone's future. The results of your parenting will ripple and spread through the years, affecting thousands, and eventually millions of people. If you want the future to be better than the present, then you had better learn the principles of quality and how they apply to being a parent, for that is all that quality is: making things better.

World Autism Awareness Day

On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in perpetuity.

Lesley Potgieter introduces her range of audio books for children

When children are exposed to the magical world of books they are never alone. Reading expands their imagination and vocabulary and is one of the cornerstones in their everyday life.

Open letter from Carine van Vuuren to Vrouekeur regarding Dyslexia

After an article regarding the cause of Dyslexia in the “Vrouekeur” of 7 December 2007, I have been swamped with phone calls and emails. The article apparently stated that no one is sure what the cause of dyslexia is, which is totally untrue.

Dare to be a Daddy

Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Daddy.
Fathers bring home a pay cheque, sit on the couch and occasionally bark orders, but Daddies make a massive difference in their children’s lives. Too many children spend their entire childhood without a “Daddy” (even if they have a father) it is time for us to change this.

AD/HD – Who Suffers Most?

What a difficult question! Is it the adult or child with AD/HD? Is it the parent, spouse, grandparents or siblings living with the ADDer?

Learning tables in multimedia – Is fun!

Local distributors of entertaining, creative and inspirational software, Edutain Distribution and GSP the market leader in providing easy-to-use software solutions and multimedia content bring you Know your Tables.

Education in the Digital Age

Modern educational trends are rapidly moving away from the traditional “chalk and talk” methods of education to more interactive, progressive outcomes-based education. No longer are learners expected to sit passively and absorb information while the teacher drones on in the front of the classroom. Instead they are encouraged to discover things on their own. The premise is that we learn better from personal discovery than from passive listening.

Life Takes Practice

My respect for the miracle of the brain-body connection has once again been rekindled. I spent last weekend watching my sons (now 8 and 12) play in a round robin tennis tournament and it was truly amazing to see the development of their game.

Stephans Story Continued

We took Stephan back to the audiologist and speech therapist again. This time the audiologist repeated the instruction each time and finally we got some results. His hearing is quite normal, he just doesn’t like loud sounds. He also needs to have the instruction repeated each time because he doesn’t retain it. He needs to have his hearing re-focused each time.