Developmental assessment and consultation services for families in Western New York

Is your child struggling with...

Reading - Math - Ability to focus - Mild behavioral issues - Nervousness about school - Coordination... or other issues that relate to academic progress?

The Extra Lesson Assessment is not a measure of skills or a test of abilities; rather, during 70 minutes of games and activities, we look at the interrelated areas of development listed below. These areas represent a child's capacities or readiness for learning. An Extra Lesson Assessment of developmental progress is a standard part of the curriculum at Aurora Waldorf School (Buffalo NY area). Children are assessed before entering First Grade, during Second Grade, and at any other times when a need for academic support seems indicated.

Please also read the information provided under "The Hierarchy of Readiness for Learning: What Kind of Help is Needed?"

If your child is not a student at Aurora Waldorf School, but you would like him or her to receive an Extra Lesson assessment, please contact me for scheduling and information, via email: jeffptunkey@roadrunner.com. Following the assessment, a written report and half-hour consultation with parents is also provided. A guided homework plan may also be discussed at that time.

Individual evaluation and consultation services are $110 per hour

GROSS MOTOR/PROPRIOCEPTION: The Movement Sense refers to the inner sense of one’s own movement; proprioception. This sense begins even before birth, as the mother moves around, reclines, etc. It is related to the Language or Word Sense; developing proprioception helps to develop language.

SPATIAL ORIENTATION: The child’s inner awareness of himself in space is the foundation for the ability to move from inner to outer and hope to get down to shapes, which create letters and numbers on paper.

BODY GEOGRAPHY: Through drawings and movement, we look at how the child is “coming down to earth”.

DIRECTION & GOAL: Through the inner awareness of left and right, above and below, the child comes to the ability to orient a chaotic collection of lines and curves into letters and words. Difficulty in this area may be seen in an inability to follow more than one simple direction at a time, or in letter reversals when writing.

EARLY CHILDHOOD REFLEXES: Nature blesses the little child with a number of instinctive movements, for instance the startle reflex that leads the child to cry out for protective attention. These reflexes usually pass by the wayside of childhood, but can cause learning delays if they are retained past their useful age.

MIDLINE BARRIERS, MIRRORING/CROSSING, MOVEMENT PATTERNS: The first seven years of life usually produce the ability to work crossing from above to below and from left to right, as well as the ability for ‘movement independence’, that is, for the right side to move independently of the left, the limbs independently of the head, and so forth. Letter or number reversals may be a sign of a need for support in this area.

FINE MOTOR - EYE, HAND, SPEECH: Fine motor control is needed for clear speech, legible printing, and reading. These capacities are not usually complete until first or second grade.

BALANCE/VESTIBULAR: The Balance Sense (the fourth of the “lower” or “inner” senses) begins before birth and develops through the critical activities of rolling, crawling and struggling to learn to walk. It is related to the Hearing Sense.

LATERALITY: The young child is naturally ambidextrous and needs to be brought over time to an organized inner and outer pattern of hand, foot, eye and ear use. An uncertain or mixed pattern can be an important clue when there are language-based difficulties.

HANDEDNESS PATTERN: By giving the student a set of new tasks, we assess whether laterality and postural control have been fully integrated as a foundation for learning.

TIMING, RHYTHM & TONE: Singing a rhyme, marching or clapping with a tune will lead the child to the natural connection between body awareness, memory through movement, agile thinking and an inward understanding of words. Difficulty in this area may be accompanied by monotone speech or disorganized reading skills.

SEQUENCING: Some children who seem unable to follow the right order of words, figures or letters, will also be uncertain about the days of the week, the months of the year, and other natural sequences. Sequencing, Direction and Spatial Orientation are linked.

MEMORY: During the hour of the assessment, the child is given a number of memory tasks. For example, at the beginning of the assessment, the child is asked to keep in mind a phrase, a sentence, a drawn shape and an unseen object held behind the back. An hour later, the child is asked to recall these.

ATTENDING & IMITATING: The abilities to wait, watch, listen and follow are important pre-learning skills, as well as the preparation for independent work and responsibility at a later age.

HEARING OF DIFFERENCES: A brief screening for hearing discrimination is also provided.

CONSTITUTION: We attempt to form a picture of the student’s healthy capacity for meeting the world, and the ability to harmoniously perceive.

TOUCH SENSE: The Touch Sense is the inner sense of “where I end and the outer world begins.” Its development starts with the birth event itself. Touching any outer object changes one’s inner state. This sense is closely related to the child’s ability to connect to others, through the Ego Sense.

ORIENTATION IN TIME: Becoming “anchored in time” is part of developing academic capacities.




						Developmental assessment and consultation services for families in Western New York Is your child struggling with... Reading - Math - Ability to focus - Mild behavioral issues - Nervousness about school - Coordination... or other issues that relate to academic progress? You may wish to consider an Extra Lesson Assessment of Developmental Readiness The Extra Lesson Assessment is not a measure of skills or a test of abilities; rather, during 70 minutes of games and activities, we look at the interrelated areas of development listed below. These areas represent a child's capacities or readiness for learning. An Extra Lesson Assessment of developmental progress is a standard part of the curriculum at Aurora Waldorf School (Buffalo NY area). Children are assessed before entering First Grade, during Second Grade, and at any other times when a need for academic support seems indicated. Please also read the information provided under "The Hierarchy of Readiness for Learning: What Kind of Help is Needed?" If your child is not a student at Aurora Waldorf School, but you would like him or her to receive an Extra Lesson assessment, please contact me for scheduling and information, via email: jeffptunkey@roadrunner.com. Following the assessment, a written report and half-hour consultation with parents is also provided. A guided homework plan may also be discussed at that time. Individual evaluation and consultation services are $110 per hour Facets of the Extra Lesson Assessment GROSS MOTOR/PROPRIOCEPTION: The Movement Sense refers to the inner sense of one’s own movement; proprioception. This sense begins even before birth, as the mother moves around, reclines, etc. It is related to the Language or Word Sense; developing proprioception helps to develop language. SPATIAL ORIENTATION: The child’s inner awareness of himself in space is the foundation for the ability to move from inner to outer and hope to get down to shapes, which create letters and numbers on paper. BODY GEOGRAPHY: Through drawings and movement, we look at how the child is “coming down to earth”. DIRECTION & GOAL: Through the inner awareness of left and right, above and below, the child comes to the ability to orient a chaotic collection of lines and curves into letters and words. Difficulty in this area may be seen in an inability to follow more than one simple direction at a time, or in letter reversals when writing. EARLY CHILDHOOD REFLEXES: Nature blesses the little child with a number of instinctive movements, for instance the startle reflex that leads the child to cry out for protective attention. These reflexes usually pass by the wayside of childhood, but can cause learning delays if they are retained past their useful age. MIDLINE BARRIERS, MIRRORING/CROSSING, MOVEMENT PATTERNS: The first seven years of life usually produce the ability to work crossing from above to below and from left to right, as well as the ability for ‘movement independence’, that is, for the right side to move independently of the left, the limbs independently of the head, and so forth. Letter or number reversals may be a sign of a need for support in this area. FINE MOTOR - EYE, HAND, SPEECH: Fine motor control is needed for clear speech, legible printing, and reading. These capacities are not usually complete until first or second grade. BALANCE/VESTIBULAR: The Balance Sense (the fourth of the “lower” or “inner” senses) begins before birth and develops through the critical activities of rolling, crawling and struggling to learn to walk. It is related to the Hearing Sense. LATERALITY: The young child is naturally ambidextrous and needs to be brought over time to an organized inner and outer pattern of hand, foot, eye and ear use. An uncertain or mixed pattern can be an important clue when there are language-based difficulties. HANDEDNESS PATTERN: By giving the student a set of new tasks, we assess whether laterality and postural control have been fully integrated as a foundation for learning. TIMING, RHYTHM & TONE: Singing a rhyme, marching or clapping with a tune will lead the child to the natural connection between body awareness, memory through movement, agile thinking and an inward understanding of words. Difficulty in this area may be accompanied by monotone speech or disorganized reading skills. SEQUENCING: Some children who seem unable to follow the right order of words, figures or letters, will also be uncertain about the days of the week, the months of the year, and other natural sequences. Sequencing, Direction and Spatial Orientation are linked. MEMORY: During the hour of the assessment, the child is given a number of memory tasks. For example, at the beginning of the assessment, the child is asked to keep in mind a phrase, a sentence, a drawn shape and an unseen object held behind the back. An hour later, the child is asked to recall these. ATTENDING & IMITATING: The abilities to wait, watch, listen and follow are important pre-learning skills, as well as the preparation for independent work and responsibility at a later age. HEARING OF DIFFERENCES: A brief screening for hearing discrimination is also provided. CONSTITUTION: We attempt to form a picture of the student’s healthy capacity for meeting the world, and the ability to harmoniously perceive. TOUCH SENSE: The Touch Sense is the inner sense of “where I end and the outer world begins.” Its development starts with the birth event itself. Touching any outer object changes one’s inner state. This sense is closely related to the child’s ability to connect to others, through the Ego Sense. ORIENTATION IN TIME: Becoming “anchored in time” is part of developing academic capacities.

			For information about developmental assessments, or to inquire about telephone or personal consultation...

			Jeff Tunkey teaches both Physical Education and Extra Lesson (academic support) at Aurora Waldorf School, near Buffalo, NY. He was a member of the core group that founded AWS. The school’s unique movement program incorporates traditional games, life sports and team sports, weekly tumbling/gymnastics, and whole-class developmental movement based on the Extra Lesson. Students have four periods a week of this program, in addition to two periods of Eurythmy. Jeff is a graduate of the Spacial Dynamics inservice training, and made the transition to teaching 14 years ago,