TLC The Learning Coach

SOI’s ability to develop comprehension, memory, evaluation, problem-solving, sensory-motor skills, and more is what makes our program stand out!

We are ready to help you develop the lifelong learning abilities that you need in order to be successful in school, your career, and life.

learn more: https://www.soisystems.com/

Find out what areas - such as comprehension, evaluation, problem-solving, or memory - may be causing learning difficulties, and see what areas are already strong.

Parents, teachers, and students will find the results fascinating!

Anyone who spent hours of their young life practicing fingerings and drilling scales understands that the tedium is real. Thankfully though, new scientific research has concluded without a shadow of a doubt that all that time and energy was not wasted: Learning to play an instrument is one of the most effective ways to improve the cognitive powers of the mind. You and everyone else who learned to play an instrument as a child is smarter now because of it.
TED Ed recently released the above video detailing some of most cutting edge research on the cognitive benefits you gain just by learning an instrument. Their conclusion: Playing an instrument is exactly like a full brain workout.
The newest research on music and the brain has revealed an amazing connection with memory. Music-learning offers a huge boost to one's memory faculties. Trained musicians can create, encode and retrieve memories more rapidly and accurately than non-musicians, showing special improvement in verbal memory.
In fact, children with one to five years of musical training were able to remember 20% more vocabulary words read to them off a list than children without such training. That's especially compelling because highly developed verbal memory skills have numerous applications in non-musical contexts, such as helping students learn and remember more content from speeches and lectures. Musicians who began their training as children have also been shown to learn new languages more quickly.
And, unlike a stint at the gym, the mental gains you make by practicing an instrument don't disappear easily. Neuroscientists have observed musicians' brains while they play hooked to EEGs and seen vibrant activity in the visual cortex, as well as the auditory and motor cortices of the brain. A focused regimen of musical practice can cause permanent changes in these neurological structures, which can help people to perform numerous extra-musical tasks more quickly and efficiently for a lifetime. Some combination of the visual benefits and the motor benefits led to Victor Wooten choosing this amazing shirt while playing this incredible cover of "Amazing Grace."
Music-making engages both halves of the brain equally. By stimulating the left brain, which is the more mathematical, calculating and syntactic hemisphere, and the right, which is the more creative, musicians build a strong corpus callosum, which acts as a neural bridge between the two hemispheres. Musicians who begin their training around 7 years old have a significantly larger corpus callosum than others without the same training. That means that the two halves of musicians' brains can communicate with one another more quickly and along more diverse routes across their expanded corpus callosum. As a result, musicians are more likely to be inventive problem-solvers.
All that plays into the strengthening of the brain's executive functions, including the ability to strategize, retain information, regulate behavior, solve problems and adjust plans to changing mental demands. The results of one such study on the connections between music training and executive function found increased activity in the supplementary motor area and prefrontal cortex of musicians’ brains, two areas that are often seriously deficient in people suffering from executive function disorders, such as ADHD.
Musical training can therefore be a huge therapeutic tool to helping adults and children manage and overcome their symptoms.
It's all remarkable, but the most incredible aspect of all of these studies is the exclusivity of these cognitive benefits to music. No other art form, hobby or activity can produce the same level of lasting neurological benefits as music. And these benefits are never out of reach. Sustaining musical activity into adulthood, or picking up an instrument for the first time, can do wonders to stave off the effects of aging by slowing cognitive decline, decreasing the risk of dementia and improving working memory and motor control.
Think about all that when you're burrowing into the couch to binge watch Netflix and instead go dig that keyboard out from your closet. Your brain will return the favor somewhere down the line. Reprinted

It's time to start thinking about school.
Are they ready? Do they have what they need to succeed? Did the last report card give you hope, or leave some worries and doubts?
A School Readiness Assessment will clarify your child's learning profile. Over 26 learning abilities are measured. Memory, Problem Solving, Math and Writing. Results available in 7-10 days include a prescription to improve weak areas.
Weekly private sessions develop cognitive abilities
Message me with your email address, and I will send a full description of the assessment and possible follow up training.
Make this year your child's BEST year.

It's almost time to start thinking about school.

Are they ready? Do they have what they need to succeed? Did the last report card give you hope, or leave some worries and doubts?

Most learners have subjects where they are average, some where they are weak, and some where they are strong. As an Educational Therapist/Learning Coach, I know it helps parents and kids to know just where those strengths and weaknesses lie. (Knowing there ARE strengths can boost a child's hope)

A School Readiness Assessment will clarify your child's learning profile. Over 26 learning abilities are measured. Results available in 7-10 days include a prescription to improve weak areas.

Message me with your email address, and I will send a full description of the assessment and possible follow up training.
Make this year your child's BEST year.

Behaviours can be developed. Contact me for info about SOI.
This article is from BrainFit.
Did you know that children with strong executive functioning skills are better equipped to regulate their emotions manage their time, stay organized, and make sound decisions?
Children with poor executive functioning skills are more likely to exhibit frequent uncontrolled outbursts, aggressive behavior, defiance, challenges with focusing attention, completing tasks, and adapting to new situations.
Without proper support and intervention, these behaviors can worsen over time, and persist into adulthood.
If this sounds familiar you are not alone. This is something I hear from parents every day. I want you to know that these behaviors are not a reflection of your parenting skills, but rather a sign that your child needs extra support to develop their executive functioning skills.
Children are not born with executive functioning skills – they are born with the potential to develop them. Children struggling in this area have great potential bubbling beneath the surface, but they need help to get there.
Just like any other skill, with the right support, these capabilities can become strong and automatic, helping your child to become more emotionally regulated.
Why is this important?
If we don’t take action to help our kids, we’re going to experience a new generation without the ability to regulate their behavior or have insight into their actions.
Without the ability to think about their thinking they'll be unable to formulate effective arguments to stand up for what is right for themselves or others. As a society we’re at a tipping point, so the time to change it, is right now.
Here are some little-known facts about executive functioning:
1. They can be enhanced through practical strategies
2. They are interconnected
3. They are not a measure of intelligence
4. Executive functioning skills affect all areas of life
5. Children are not born with these skills, only the potential to develop them.
And the most important…
Your Child’s Behavior Is Not Permanent!
Executive functioning skills can be developed and improved over time. These skills are not solely determined by genetics or inherent neuro-cognitive abilities but can be nurtured and strengthened through intentional practice and support.
✔️ A child may be highly intelligent but struggle with organization, time management, or impulse control. With stronger executive functioning skills, they can learn to manage their time better, and their behavior will improve.
✔️ A child with low frustration tolerance can learn to become more tolerant with these skills.
✔️ Children with ADHD, or ASD naturally struggle with executive functioning, but their behavior and functioning can be greatly improved by strengthening their executive functioning skills.
Research has shown that by strengthening executive functioning skills, children can experience significant improvements in academic performance, social interactions, and overall daily living activities.
They may also show a reduction in typical symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in ADHD, as well as enhanced communication and social skills in ASD.
Regardless of neurotype, strong executive functioning skills can contribute to increased emotional regulation, leading to a more positive self-concept and greater resilience in the face of challenges.
Parents who understand and support the development of these skills can effectively change the trajectory of their child’s growth and success.
That is the power of executive functioning!
This does not mean they'll never have challenges. It means they will become stronger and develop the capacity to tolerate frustration which increases their capacity for solving their own problems and advancing in life in a more positive manner – brining more peace and harmony to your home.
Executive functioning skills are as important as learning to read, write, or perform arithmetic. They form the foundation for all cognitive activities and are critical for academic success, social development, and performing everyday tasks.
Without these skills, children may struggle with basic life skills that many take for granted, such as making friends, completing homework, or even managing simple routines.
There are numerous practical strategies you can employ to support the development of executive functioning skills. However, deploying strategies without insight into how each executive function works at which age is like trying to hit a target blindfolded.

Locating excellent pre school curriculum

It’s hard to know how to get your child ready for kindergarten - you want them academically ready 🎓 but you also don’t want to overwhelm their learning before they really even get started.
🖍️ How can you make sure your child is learning everything they need, in order so it all makes sense?
🖍️ How can you keep it fun and engaging?
🖍️ How do you know what’s enough and what’s too much?
Simple. You don’t do it alone.
Check out what Donna M. said: 👉 “This is CURRICULUM DONE RIGHT. I was that mom. I was nervous this was a ripoff. Boy, was I wrong!!!! It’s absolutely amazing. Easy to follow, easy to understand. And it hits all the topics we need to have done for our reviews...a lifesaver and my daughter enjoys it. Don’t hesitate; you will not be disappointed!!!!”
And Donna is just one of nearly 5,000 moms 👩 whose kids are learning and laughing through this curriculum.
This 9-month curriculum comes complete with weekly lesson plans. In just 20 minutes a day, you’ll provide a strong foundation of the essential skills they need for kindergarten 🎉
This fun, simple curriculum is designed specifically for parents looking to be involved in their child’s education 📘 by another homeschooling mom and teacher.
With over 800 pages of learning activities, your little one will stay busy and engaged while they learn week after week…🙌 right up till
kindergarten!

What are the cognitive brain skills a child needs to succeed in the next grade? Skills underlying learning are:
Being able to identify a pattern, discriminate similarities and differences, and execute a familiar series of steps in a procedure relate directly to underlying cognitive skills, such as sequential visual or auditory memory, working memory, logic and reasoning, and, of course, attention skills.
Please DM me for information on how and when your child can be tested in 26 areas most needed for learning and life. Gr 3 - 12

Cognitive skills are the core skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention. Working together, they take incoming information and move it into the bank of knowledge you use every day at school, at work, and in life.

To find out how well each of your child's 26 learning skills are working, book a School-readiness Assessment today!

Frustrated with Constant Meltdowns? Children with strong executive functioning skills are better equipped to regulate their emotions manage their time, stay organized, and make sound decisions.

Children with poor executive functioning skills are more likely to exhibit frequent uncontrolled outbursts, aggressive behavior, defiance, challenges with focusing attention, completing tasks, and adapting to new situations.

Without proper support and intervention, these behaviors can worsen over time, and persist into adulthood.

If this sounds familiar you are not alone. This is something I hear from parents every day. I want you to know that these behaviors are not a reflection of your parenting skills, but rather a sign that your child needs extra support to develop their executive functioning skills.

Children are not born with executive functioning skills – they are born with the potential to develop them. Children struggling in this area have great potential bubbling beneath the surface, but they need help to get there.

Just like any other skill, with the right support, these capabilities can become strong and automatic, helping your child to become more emotionally regulated.

Why is this important?

If we don’t take action to help our kids, we’re going to experience a new generation without the ability to regulate their behavior or have insight into their actions.

Without the ability to think about their thinking they'll be unable to formulate effective arguments to stand up for what is right for themselves or others. As a society we’re at a tipping point, so the time to change it, is right now.

Here are some little-known facts about executive functioning:

1. They can be enhanced through practical strategies

2. They are interconnected

3. They are not a measure of intelligence

4. Executive functioning skills affect all areas of life

5. Children are not born with these skills, only the potential to develop them.

And the most important…

Your Child’s Behavior Is Not Permanent!

Executive functioning skills can be developed and improved over time. These skills are not solely determined by genetics or inherent neuro-cognitive abilities but can be nurtured and strengthened through intentional practice and support.

✔️ A child may be highly intelligent but struggle with organization, time management, or impulse control. With stronger executive functioning skills, they can learn to manage their time better, and their behavior will improve.

✔️ A child with low frustration tolerance can learn to become more tolerant with these skills.

✔️ Children with ADHD, or ASD naturally struggle with executive functioning, but their behavior and functioning can be greatly improved by strengthening their executive functioning skills.

Research has shown that by strengthening executive functioning skills, children can experience significant improvements in academic performance, social interactions, and overall daily living activities.

They may also show a reduction in typical symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in ADHD, as well as enhanced communication and social skills in ASD.

Regardless of neurotype, strong executive functioning skills can contribute to increased emotional regulation, leading to a more positive self-concept and greater resilience in the face of challenges.

Parents who understand and support the development of these skills can effectively change the trajectory of their child’s growth and success.

That is the power of executive functioning!

This does not mean they'll never have challenges. It means they will become stronger and develop the capacity to tolerate frustration which increases their capacity for solving their own problems and advancing in life in a more positive manner – brining more peace and harmony to your home.

Executive functioning skills are as important as learning to read, write, or perform arithmetic. They form the foundation for all cognitive activities and are critical for academic success, social development, and performing everyday tasks.

Without these skills, children may struggle with basic life skills that many take for granted, such as making friends, completing homework, or even managing simple routines.

There are numerous practical strategies you can employ to support the development of executive functioning skills. However, deploying strategies without insight into how each executive function works at which age is like trying to hit a target blindfolded.
The above info written by BRAINFIT, also aptly describes what we do at TLC The Learning Connection in Port Elgin. Contact me for more info.