Cranial Osteopath FRANK KELLEHER on how gentle techniques can help a child’s concentration

 
HOMEWORK is back on the agenda for school-going children. If your child had a report that stated his/her focus and concentration were lacking, then maybe now is the time to do a little work.
Getting distracted is normal for children but if your child is fidgety, unable to sit still or concentrate for long — and you have out-ruled the obvious causes of distraction — it may be due to physical discomfort and tension that they do not have the words to explain.
As some children retain the stresses and strains of birth, gentle treatment from a trained cranial osteopath can be beneficial to help release these pressures, enabling your child to fully engage with life again.
A child who is physically uncomfortable may not complain of aches and pains. The stresses have probably been present since birth, and have become ‘normal’ for that child.  They may however be affected at a subtle level and display any or all of the  following characteristics:
Illnesses: The child often has a lower immune system and gets frequent infections. Learning can be detrimentally affected by both a child feeling unwell and increased time lost from school. Retained birth moulding in the head restricts the development of the nasal sinuses and the ears. Such children are vulnerable to chronic ear infections and glue ear, with associated loss of hearing that can delay speech and interfere with learning. They are often habitual mouth breathers.
Physical signs: There may be asymmetries in the child’s posture, such as holding the head on one side, or one shoulder being higher than the other. It may be easier for the child to turn to one side than the other. This has implications on the best seating position within the classroom, to allow for activities such as watching the teacher, copying from the blackboard etc.
Physical discomforts: The child may complain of headaches, growing pains, stomach aches or other aches and pains.

See the full report and case study in tonight’s WOW!