Rowena Markies
I am an experienced teacher, neurodevelopmental therapist and a dyslexia specialist. I have been working in different educational settings for over 20 years and am currently working part time as a special needs teacher and adviser for children between the ages of 4 and 12. The learning difficulties I work with include dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and autism but the question is how does the environment play a role.
“I started to question why so many children didn’t seem to make much progress and noticed a general overwhelming weakness in coordination, ball skills, pencil grip, sitting posture and concentration as well as being over/under sensitive to the environment. I had to get to the root of the difficulty rather than simply target the problem which led me towards extensive training in Sensory Processing difficulties and then rhythmic movement training (RMT).”
Since then I have set up my own practice ‘Pathways to Potential’ supporting many families and children who are struggling to cope and are being misunderstood. This platform also enables me to reach out and support more parents, teachers and staff in order to reach a wider audience and benefit more children. I have trained many staff in different schools on the benefits of movement and how to incorporate movement into daily school life. I am also raising an awareness in schools about the need for school readiness skills as a preventative measure. Some children aren’t developmentally ready for the academic challenges they face which can have negative long lasting consequences contributing to the rise of learning difficulties and poor mental and physical health.
“How can a child be expected to sit upright, focus and write beautifully if they can’t balance or catch a ball?”
Services I offer include:
- Assessment and treatment for retained reflexes (RMT). I will set up and oversee a simple individual program of movements.
- Talks, workshops and advice to groups and individuals on child development and learning difficulties.
- How to implement and run a movement program in your school
- Dyslexia screening
- Educational consultancy
