Page 32 - Blue Valley News 2 2021

PERCEPTUAL SKILLS ARE THE HIGHEST
PREDICTOR TO LITERACY SUCCESS

Kyalami
Prep Nursery School

With every passing year, it becomes more evident that our little ones are growing up in a changing world. It is not just
COVID-19 that has brought about this change, but the introduction of technology from a young age, our change in lifestyles,
the lack of opportunity to play outside or the freedom to spend hours at the park, to name a few. Simply, our children are
not benefiting from the exposure to activities that promote the positive development of perceptual skills as they once were.
So what, you may ask? Studies have shown that, “Perceptual skills are the highest predictor to literacy success and provide
children with the ‘data’ they need in order to discriminate, recall, blend and segment syllables and words. These form the
cornerstones to developing sound literacy skills and productive readers and writers down the line.”
(Kieran Gray nee: Mardghum - Ba(STA) Honors (Wits).
PERCEPTUAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD

skills are intentionally prepared and taught during class. These
WHAT ARE PERCEPTUAL SKILLS AND HOW DO THEY skills and extensions are then practised throughout the week to
PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT? reinforce the concepts our children have learnt. Our therapists have
created a COVID-19 friendly programme so that our children do not
Perceptual skills can be broken down into two main groups: miss these crucial skills during these unpredictable times.
auditory and visual perception. The development of these skills
require the brain to break down information it receives from the ear WHAT IS OUR GOAL IN IMPLEMENTING THIS
or eye. It is not the physical ability to hear or see, but rather how
what is heard or seen is interpreted by the brain. The ability of the PROGRAMME?
brain to correctly interpret this information is crucial for learning to
take place. “Children learn and develop by what they hear and what Our goal in implementing this programme is to ensure that every
they see. Enhancing the development of these skills at an early stage child is given the opportunity to develop, implement and practise
can only set them up to succeed later in learning skills like maths these vitally important perceptual skills before beginning to read
and reading, where these developmental skills are essential”, writes and write, reducing the need for therapy in years to come.
Mrs Raeesa Bulbulia - BscOT (Wits).
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM
We would love to tell you more about our Perceptual Programme
and introduce you to our wonderful teachers implementing ‘Look,
At Kyalami Preparatory Nursery School (KPNS) we have noted
the global trend toward more children requiring additional support Listen, Learn’. If you would like further information, please contact,
from an occupational or speech therapist. This is due to gaps in Tammy Odendaal, or the therapists involved in developing this
their perceptual skills development. A speech and occupational programme by using the details below:
therapist can assist a child to develop neurological pathways in
their brain in order for it to correctly interpret messages sent from
the ears and eyes. While these therapists have an important place
in our schools, we have taken a proactive and innovative approach
in the classroom to support and bridge the gaps in developing our
children’s perceptual skills.

AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION
Tammy Odendaal
KPNS Headmistress
At KPNS, we have created a Perceptual Programme (called, Look, todendaal@kyalamiprep.co.za
Listen, Learn) to develop our children’s perceptual skills from the
ground up. This programme has been specifically designed by
experts in the field, an occupational therapist (Mrs Raeesa
Bulbulia) and speech therapist (Kieran Gray nee: Mardghum),
to take our children right back to the basics of perceptual skills
development and build their knowledge, understanding and skills,
layer by layer. Each age group has a graded programme designed
to ensure that every pre-skill required for reading, writing and
numeracy is taught and practised with the intensity of a therapy Kieren Gray nee: Mardghum
session, by our trained teachers. The two components, auditory kieren.mardghum@live.co.za
and visual, work hand-in-hand when learning takes place and are
integrated into classroom activities based on physical activities
and a hands-on approach to learning. It is important that our
children do not use these skills in isolation, but incorporate and
practise their skills throughout the day, doing what children do best
- play!
OUR PLAN OF ACTION
Raeesa Bulbulia
Weekly lessons to combine elements of both visual and auditory ot@raeesa.co.za
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