Extra Lesson

The Extra Lesson was originally developed by Audrey McAllen in the UK and is based on the holistic developmental perspective of Rudolf Steiner's philosophy of education.

Frequently Asked questions about the Extra Lesson.

1. What is the Extra Lesson ?

The Extra Lesson intervention program is based on the paradigm that learning difficulties are related to developmental difficulties in the first seven year phase of the student's overall development, learning and early experiences. This means that as the student has developed some of the ways of processing sensory information, which are at the basis of our learning processes, have not developed and matured as fully as they could to give the student the optimum in learning faculties. Sometimes it is difficulty taking in the information and for others it is difficulty showing that they have taken the information in and understand it.

2. What are some of the common characteristics of children or adolescents who would benefit from Extra Lesson ?

Performing below age level academically
Avoids reading and handwriting tasks
Difficulty with social relationships
Easily frustrated or blames others
Awkward or tight pencil grip
Skips lines when reading
Reversals in handwriting/reading or reversals persisted longer than peers
Easily distracted, short attention span
Behaviour problems at home and/or school
Disorganised and/or looses things
Clumsy or accident prone
Poor balance, lack of co-ordination, low muscle tone
Difficulty remembering or following instructions
Appears not to listen (no hearing problems)
Over emotional or hypersensitive
Mood swings
Anger attacks
Ambidextrous
Difficulty learning or performing new tasks
Diagnosed as ADD or ADHD

A cluster of three or more of the above indicates that your child has some developmental difficulties and would benefit from an intervention such as the Extra Lesson. Adolescents may have had some of the characteristics at an earlier age and has found ways to compensate.

3. Why does my child have learning or behavioural problems?

Disruption of a child's early development and initial sensory learning experiences can interfere with the subsequent development and learning as the child grows older.

The first seven years of the child's life are primarily focussed on the physical and sensory development of the child and lay the foundations for all later academic learning and behaviour. The analogy can be made of a house with faulty foundations, in that the house is structurally sound however cracks in the walls may appear. If the child has 'faulty foundations' than later learning may required additional effort and the learning process for the child is not an easy or enjoyable one.

Learning is a spontaneous process in most children that comes from curiosity, so a child who finds learning difficult or one who has to put in extra effort all the time may end up feeling frustrated and this is an indicator of underlying developmental issues.

Common interferences to early child development:

Problems or accidents during pregnancy
A difficult, prolonged, too quick, or interrupted birthing process
Illness e.g. ear infections, tonsillitis or the need for a lot of antibiotics
Time in a walker, jolly jumper or limited movement opportunities
Excessive passivity e.g. lots of TV, game boy
Trauma or emotional upset in the family lie
Adverse reactions to medication or immunisations
Allergies and food sensitivities
Post natal depression
And many other interferences

Sometimes the cause is unknown and often the circumstances were unavoidable in the parent/s situation. The main focus is identifying what the developmental issues are for the student and doing something about these rather than focussing on the past that cannot be changed.

4. Why is Extra Lesson different to tutoring?

In the Extra Lesson we work on the idea of giving the child or student a second opportunity to learn by working on the underlying difficulties so that learning can proceed unimpeded. At a later date after the underlying issues are addressed the student can go back in acquire the learning that was missed earlier if necessary, although this is often unnecessary.

The Extra Lesson intervention process can take up to a year, however if learning can than proceed with enjoyment then the student is free to learn for a lifetime not just catch up on yesterday's school work.

5. What is involved in an assessment?

The Extra Lesson intervention program involves you and your child or adolescent in an initial assessment.

The assessment covers the following:

A standardised reading test to assess reading accuracy and comprehension if applicable
Parent interview about early development and the areas of concern
A reflex assessment
Dominance and laterality assessment
Fine motor skills (e.g. handwriting), hand eye
Overall co-ordination, balance and rhythm
Spatial awareness
Eye movements
Memory and auditory processing
Behavioural checklist
General impression of the student's sense of self and wellbeing.

An Extra Lesson program involves weekly sessions with a trained practitioner working through an individualised intervention program to address the underlying developmental difficulties behind the presenting problems or concerns. Plus a short, daily home program.

The program will include movement, co-ordination, speech, drawing and painting exercises to work with the student's difficulties.

The length of time required for the program varies with each child and the time available to parents to support the program.

Parents maybe referred to a doctor or other professionals with experience in the area of learning difficulties e.g. a behavioural optometrist for vision and eye movement problems.

Extra Lesson
The Extra Lesson was originally developed by Audrey McAllen in the UK and is based on the holistic developmental perspective of Rudolf Steiner's philosophy of education.
Frequently Asked questions about the Extra Lesson.
1. What is the Extra Lesson ? The Extra Lesson intervention program is based on the paradigm that learning difficulties are related to developmental difficulties in the first seven year phase of the student's overall development, learning and early experiences. This means that as the student has developed some of the ways of processing sensory information, which are at the basis of our learning processes, have not developed and matured as fully as they could to give the student the optimum in learning faculties. Sometimes it is difficulty taking in the information and for others it is difficulty showing that they have taken the information in and understand it.
2. What are some of the common characteristics of children or adolescents who would benefit from Extra Lesson ? Performing below age level academically Avoids reading and handwriting tasks Difficulty with social relationships Easily frustrated or blames others Awkward or tight pencil grip Skips lines when reading Reversals in handwriting/reading or reversals persisted longer than peers Easily distracted, short attention span Behaviour problems at home and/or school Disorganised and/or looses things Clumsy or accident prone Poor balance, lack of co-ordination, low muscle tone Difficulty remembering or following instructions Appears not to listen (no hearing problems) Over emotional or hypersensitive Mood swings Anger attacks Ambidextrous Difficulty learning or performing new tasks Diagnosed as ADD or ADHD A cluster of three or more of the above indicates that your child has some developmental difficulties and would benefit from an intervention such as the Extra Lesson. Adolescents may have had some of the characteristics at an earlier age and has found ways to compensate.
3. Why does my child have learning or behavioural problems? Disruption of a child's early development and initial sensory learning experiences can interfere with the subsequent development and learning as the child grows older. The first seven years of the child's life are primarily focussed on the physical and sensory development of the child and lay the foundations for all later academic learning and behaviour. The analogy can be made of a house with faulty foundations, in that the house is structurally sound however cracks in the walls may appear. If the child has 'faulty foundations' than later learning may required additional effort and the learning process for the child is not an easy or enjoyable one. Learning is a spontaneous process in most children that comes from curiosity, so a child who finds learning difficult or one who has to put in extra effort all the time may end up feeling frustrated and this is an indicator of underlying developmental issues.
Common interferences to early child development: Problems or accidents during pregnancy A difficult, prolonged, too quick, or interrupted birthing process Illness e.g. ear infections, tonsillitis or the need for a lot of antibiotics Time in a walker, jolly jumper or limited movement opportunities Excessive passivity e.g. lots of TV, game boy Trauma or emotional upset in the family lie Adverse reactions to medication or immunisations Allergies and food sensitivities Post natal depression And many other interferences Sometimes the cause is unknown and often the circumstances were unavoidable in the parent/s situation. The main focus is identifying what the developmental issues are for the student and doing something about these rather than focussing on the past that cannot be changed.
4. Why is Extra Lesson different to tutoring? In the Extra Lesson we work on the idea of giving the child or student a second opportunity to learn by working on the underlying difficulties so that learning can proceed unimpeded. At a later date after the underlying issues are addressed the student can go back in acquire the learning that was missed earlier if necessary, although this is often unnecessary. The Extra Lesson intervention process can take up to a year, however if learning can than proceed with enjoyment then the student is free to learn for a lifetime not just catch up on yesterday's school work.
5. What is involved in an assessment? The Extra Lesson intervention program involves you and your child or adolescent in an initial assessment. The assessment covers the following: A standardised reading test to assess reading accuracy and comprehension if applicable Parent interview about early development and the areas of concern A reflex assessment Dominance and laterality assessment Fine motor skills (e.g. handwriting), hand eye Overall co-ordination, balance and rhythm Spatial awareness Eye movements Memory and auditory processing Behavioural checklist General impression of the student's sense of self and wellbeing.
An Extra Lesson program involves weekly sessions with a trained practitioner working through an individualised intervention program to address the underlying developmental difficulties behind the presenting problems or concerns. Plus a short, daily home program. The program will include movement, co-ordination, speech, drawing and painting exercises to work with the student's difficulties. The length of time required for the program varies with each child and the time available to parents to support the program. Parents maybe referred to a doctor or other professionals with experience in the area of learning difficulties e.g. a behavioural optometrist for vision and eye movement problems.