
Blog
Usha Patel, Neurocognitive Therapist and Director of Raviv Practice London shares her first-hand experience of working with children /adults and the latest research and upcoming events in her series of blog posts.
How Much Sleep Should Your Child Get?
Putting a child to bed at 7:30 pm doesn't mean they'll be asleep by then. Many parents say bedtime routines take ages—bath time, a story (or reading), and then waiting for their child to drift off. An hour later, they check in and find their child still wide awake!
Does my child have attachment disorder?
Jake was four years old when his parents asked a psychologist to observe him at nursery. At home, he was playful and communicative, but at nursery, he remained silent..
Bridget Jones:_Mad About the Boy (an ADHDer?)
The film opens with classic Bridget chaos: She's late, her hair unbrushed, and frantically trying to dress while simultaneously cooking for her kids. She burns the spaghetti and sets off the smoke alarm, and her children—wise beyond their years—step in to salvage the situation.
Does your child use both hands on the handrail when climbing up or down the stairs?
She was using both hands to hold the handrail. I watched Yasmin ascended in a rather clumsy manner. She twisted her body as she tried to grasp the rail with both hands. At times, instead of facing forward, her feet and body pointed towards the (handrail) wall. .
How to teach a child to do their own shoelaces.
At age 2, her son caught meningitis, which caused him to lose his hearing. Around age three, doctors fitted him with a cochlear implant, allowing him to hear again. Before his implant, he had already learned sign language proficiently and communicated as best he could using it.
Helping your child through GSCEs
Do you feel like you're taking your GCSE exams all over again? Revision demands discipline. Parents across the country work hard to help their teenagers cram in the facts before the mocks. The actual exams follow straight after the mocks.
Help! My child is writing with both hands.
Screening children for the various therapies we run is a critical aspect of our work. Sometimes, parents are curious about their child and want to understand why their child behaves in what they perceive to be 'strange behaviour!'
Theory of mind: what is it and how can you help your child?
Sarah told me of an incident involving her then eight-year-old son, Albi. Wendy had fainted in the bathroom of their small flat. As she was coming round, she called out for her son. He said, “Yes, I saw you.”………
Understanding your child’s circadian rhythms
Do you have difficulties getting your child up in the mornings? Knowing that your child may not be getting sufficient sleep is worrying.
Sleep is a vital process for children, especially regarding memory consolidation.
The part of lockdown they never mention
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’m betting you heard a lot of this around COVID. Yes, there were restrictions on going to school and hanging out with their friends.
Unlocking Potential: The Transformative Power of Working Memory Training
As an educator, I've encountered numerous bright and capable students who suddenly struggle to keep up with their peers. One such student was a 14-year-old girl who had been excelling academically but began falling behind unexpectedly. Her Educational Psychologist's Report…...
What the Euros 2024 - England Vs Spain taught us about emotional brains
We all watched the match on Sunday, July 14th. But how did we feel? Could we rationalise our disappointment?
How can I help my child’s handwriting improve so that it starts from the margin?
Are you looking at your child's handwriting and wondering why they cannot start each sentence from the left-hand margin when writing a line of text? Does your child's writing move further away from the margin with every sentence so the page looks like a triangle of text?
Can you tell if your child has Dyslexia just by looking at their handwriting?
While issues with handwriting are certainly considered when it comes to diagnosing dyslexia, they are not actually key indicators themselves. Letter or number reversals can occur for a number of different reasons, and concerned parents should look elsewhere for signs of dyslexia in their children.
Can Dyslexia be ‘cured’ by AI?
When we talk about the possibility of AI 'curing' dyslexia, what we really mean is to ask if it can be a useful tool in overcoming these challenges.
My child is now four but still doesn’t speak.
When Miriam, a mother of four, called me, she was at the end of her tether: her 4-year-old could not speak. She had already waited a year for her doctor to refer her to a speech and language therapist and, despite pinning all her hopes on this, she was deeply disappointed when no tangible progress seemed to come from it
Are you Neurodivergent and struggle with Time Management?
MANY individuals with dyslexia often continue to struggle because of a weak working memory, even long after good literacy skills have been established. So, in a busy work environment that is increasingly flooded with information, professionals need to stay on track, prioritise activities and overcome the constant distractions that slow productivity.
Why does my nine-year-old still wet his bed?
The problem lies with the child’s psychological makeup … reversing this problem is relatively straightforward and sometimes can take as little as three weeks
How can we address post-pandemic education gaps in our children?
Research has revealed that the pandemic significantly impacted children entering the reception year in 2020/21
Training Muscles ‘verses’Training the Brain
Sometimes you might hear that “your brain is a muscle”. Well its not. It is much more advanced than just a muscle, and completely useless at lifting heavy objects off the ground.
There are some similarities though, especially when it comes to training.