WHY TEACHING BALANCE AND COORDINATION IS CRUCIAL FOR TODDLERS WITH LEARNING OR SOCIALISATION DIFFICULTIES

Your kid’s balance system is important to your child. It is placed within the cerebellum (part of the brain’s neural structure), which is vital for higher learning, critical thinking and analysis. Neuroscientific research studies suggest that balance and coordination support children’s vision and posture, including the ability to pay attention and retain information. 

For me this is personal, as I used to be a child who struggled with reading, writing and comprehension tasks in school, however had no issue with motor skills like hopping, skipping, catching, ball sports that needed kicking and running, riding a bicycle and even swimming. Was I simply ‘unbalanced’?

Often kids who struggle with balance and coordination problems don’t qualify for special programs offered within the education system nor diagnosed with learning issues until they are behind in pre-school or school. When placed in a room of peers they think others have above average intelligence. 

To compensate for their academic ‘shortcomings’ they finish schoolwork that's thought of “good enough,” however doesn’t lead to achieving their full potential. These children are bright and want to learn, the simply lack core functions in the cerebellum, that creates a disconnect within the brain for higher learning. Sadly these persistently these kids drift within the system and never get the intervention needed to fast-track their psychological development.
Children that have biological process delays, chronic ear infections or a traumatic event at birth are typically at risk of balance and coordination problems as they become older. Children’s balance and hearing have variety of neural pathways in common so learning challenges may be caused by a life-event which disrupts the connections within the brain used for process and deciphering data.
In her text, “Attention, Balance, and Coordination, - the A. B. C. of Learning Success” Sally Goddard Blythe writes, “When movement potency is non-heritable, degrees of freedom become possible: bilaterally, rhythm, flexibility, motor designing, and control. Coordination and balance are crucial for the event of those higher skills.”

The Warning Signs of Balance and Coordination Problems
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If your kid struggles with balance and coordination problems, you may see these signs or symptoms:
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• Trouble play acting age appropriate tasks
• Difficulty learning new motor skills (hopping, skipping, jumping)
• Delays in biological process milestones (walking, crawling, toe walking, sitting)
• Clumsy and uncoordinated (sports, walking down stairs, bumps into people)
• Trouble with hand-eye coordination activities (tying shoes, fastening buttons, cutting with scissors)
• Child prefers activities that don't need physical activity (video games, TV, iPad games, reading)

Balance and Coordination Activities
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Here are 3 activities to help improve your child’s balance and coordination which will encourage higher development of their motor skills.

1. Sensory Steps

Sensory steps are often utilized in many various ways in which to assist sensory integration, balance and coordination. For best results, place sensory steppers in a straight line, close enough to each other so children can step easily from one to the next. Children walk across the row of steppers, one at a time, alternating feet. Hold the hand of children who have poor balance.
As children master this task, mix up different ways to cross; forwards, sideways, backwards, turning around their longitudinal axis. This activity should be undertaken 3 – 5 times per week. 

2. ​Bosu Jumps

Using a Bosu ball or equipment that requires your child to balance, have children jump five times or more on top of the ball or equipment. As their balance and coordination skills develop they can jump higher and faster, which requires more balance and control. Some children may need another child or teacher to stabilize their body when starting out.

3. ​EZ Stepper Walks

Most school and pre-school sports stores have some version of the EZ Stepper. If you don’t an easy alternative is using strong metal cans and string to make your own.
Have your child place their feet on the buckets of the EZ Steppers and hold the ropes with their hands (ensure the child pulls the ropes tightly to prevent falling). When your child feels stable, have them begin walking forward using their arms and feet to move the steppers. Make sure they walk across a flat surface that is not slippery. 

Over time, children who have mastered the basics can be challenged to walk backward with the steppers or take larger steps forward. Although some may require your guiding hand for balance as the start out, the aim is for them to do this on their own.
Testing for Balance and Coordination Development
School support staff are able to assist you test your child for balance and coordination issues. Common signs and symptoms may be toe walking, W-sitting, bedwetting, poor balance and coordination, underdeveloped vestibular and proprioceptive systems, and trouble with motor planning.
If your child struggles with any number of these issues, it could be an indication that the nervous system is underdeveloped.