Second Edition
This edition first published 2017
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, except for Appendix I, which is a revised and adapted version of a study published by the College of Occupational Therapists; and Appendix II, which is revised and adapted from www.listenhear.co.uk, published by Steven Brown, for which permission has been kindly granted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to obtain permision to reuse material from this title is available at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
The right of Sally Goddard Blythe to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.
Registered Offices
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
Editorial Office
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
For details of our global editorial offices, customer services, and more information about Wiley products, visit us at www.wiley.com.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. Some content that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty
While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services, and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication data applied for
ISBN Paperback: 9781119164777
Cover image: © real444/iStockphoto
Cover design by Wiley
Sally Goddard Blythe, MSc, is a director of the Institute for Neuro‐Physiological Psychology (INPP) in Chester, United Kingdom.
Sally Goddard Blythe has worked in the area of neurodevelopment since 1987, and is the author of several books and published papers on child development and neuromotor immaturity in specific learning difficulties. Her first book, Reflexes, Learning and Behavior, provided the basic information for many other professions throughout the world using reflex assessment. Her subsequent books—The Well Balanced Child, What Babies and Children Really Need, and The Genius of Natural Childhood—examine the importance of physical development and interaction with the environment for later learning success, health, well‐being, and social integration.
Sally Goddard Blythe is also the author of Assessing Neuromotor Readiness for Learning—a screening test and daily physical movement program designed to be used in schools with a whole class of children over one academic year. This program has been the subject of published research1 involving 810 children across various schools in the United Kingdom. The aim of the program is to enable teachers to identify children in the classroom who are at risk of under‐achieving as a result of immature neuromotor skills (physical readiness for learning), and to implement a daily movement program to improve the physical foundations for learning. Sally Goddard Blythe is passionate about the need for better understanding of the issues involved, and about communication between professionals involved in education, medicine, and psychiatry. She is also the author of a screening test for clinicians and health practitioners.
Peter Blythe
The late Peter Blythe, PhD, was formerly a senior lecturer in applied psychology/education at the College of Education in Lancashire. In 1969, he became aware that many children with average to above average intelligence who have specific learning difficulties in the classroom still had a cluster of primitive reflexes that should not be present above the first year of life and under‐developed postural reflexes, which are necessary to support all aspects of education. These developmental “signposts” of maturity in the functioning of the central nervous system were connected to inability to demonstrate their intelligence in an acceptable academic way. In 1975, he established the Institute for Neuro‐Physiological Psychology (INPP), where he developed the protocols of assessment and effective remedial intervention now known as “The INPP Method.” He was the director of INPP until 2000. The INPP, located in Chester, United Kingdom, is the international training center for professionals seeking access to the INPP Method.
Lawrence J. Beuret
Lawrence J. Beuret graduated from the Loyala Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinnois, United States. During a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, he observed a high incidence of learning disabilities in the adolescent psychiatric population. Following two years as an emergency‐room physician, he entered a private practice in the treatment of psychosomatic and post‐traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). In 1985, he trained in Chester, United Kingdom, with Peter Blythe in the INPP treatment techniques for neurodevelopmental delay (NDD). In the course of practice, he has extended the diagnostic and treatment techniques of INPP to include pre‐school ages, as well as adolescents and adults with reading and learning difficulties. He is currently active in developing courses for therapists in the recognition and treatment of subconscious aspects of PTSD. His medical practice is in the Chicago suburb of Palatine.
Valerie Scaramella‐Nowinski
Valerie Scaramella‐Nowinski is committed to children, their health, learning, and development. She has worked as a clinician and researcher regarding pediatric brain behavior development for more than 35 years.
Her doctoral research was titled “Systems Analysis: A Neuropsychological Investigation of the Psychological Structure and Cerebral Organization of Human Mental Processes.” Nowinski’s clinical research involves: electrophysiological dysrhythmias associated with neurodevelopmental disorders; eye movement related to brain behavior development, especially literacy development; and neurodevelopment of intelligence and learning. Throughout her professional career, she has been deeply involved in developing neurosystems biology understanding regarding human development and learning, especially in the pediatric population.
Nowinski is the founder of the Pediatric Neuropsychology Diagnostic Center, Orland Park, Illinois, United States. The center houses three specialty programs: Brain Injury Program, Autism Spectrum Program, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders/Attention and Learning Disorders Program. These diagnostic and training programs incorporate an interdisciplinary team of pediatric specialists, including neuroscientists, educators, and speech, language, movement, child development, and learning specialists. Bridging neuroscience with education is a primary focus at the center.
She and her team have developed brain training and education programs for thousands of children. The team consults for multiple school districts, hospitals, health and allied health specialists, and child development programs.
In 2003, Nowinski and her family founded the Neuropsychology C.H.I.L.D. (Child Health Initiative for Learning and Development) Foundation, non‐profit 501 (c)(3). The mission of the foundation is to “promote public awareness of current neuroscience and education research and clinical work related to child development and learning.”