Atlanta Reading Tutoring | Reading Milestones
At a month old, an infant has familiarized itself to sensations and has developed responses to these sensations. Without important motor responses, development and academic skills such as reading will be difficult for a child as they grow older. Thus, three of the most important body functions a child develops early in their infancy are eye control, neck muscle mastery and integration of senses from the inner ears. Below, we will quickly review these three body functions:
Importance of the Eyes:
The eyes and neck are the first body parts a baby learns to control. A survival skill is one in which the baby learns to keep the eyes stable. If the neck cannot hold the head still, things will begin to appear blurry. This is exactly why posture and eye movements are important milestones to reading.
Importance of the Neck:
When an infant is on his tummy and can raise his head up, this is an important development. Why? It is directly related to reading as a child gets older. The baby must build strong neck muscles to lift his head and use his back and arm muscles to lift his chest off the floor. The urge for him to do this all comes from gravity. The head becomes lifted and the child learns to balance his head.
Importance of the Ears:
The vestibular system gets sensations that are sent to the brain to include new knowledge. Gravity is a new sensation for the baby and the movements are being interpreted in the inner ear. If this system becomes underdeveloped, this is when attention issues, behavior problems and fidgeting may start to be seen.
How do the three components above influence reading? The muscles of these play an important role in organizing the vestibular system. Some of these children may have difficulty tracking an object or transitioning their eyes from one spot to another. Thus, these kinds of problems can cause difficulty in reading over time. Sensory over-stimulation is another vestibular problem. When a child cannot focus, information overload can take place in their brain. Eventually, this can cause the child discomfort as they can’t concentrate, sit quietly, or listen to the teacher. These sensory sensations are so confused that the child cannot academically make it to the next level in reading.
At Dynamis Learning Academy, we have reading specialists on our staff that can help a child with the functions of these three body parts. As a parent, it’s important to know that the sooner you notice a reading problem, the quicker you should obtain assistance from a tutor. These are things that children and parents cannot solve on their own.
Contact us using the contact form on the website at Dynamis Learning Academy. We will be happy to discuss any concerns with you about your child.