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Assessments offered: All ages Cognitive : this assessment considers a person's level of cognitive or intellectual functioning. Different tests provide different types of information but in general they assess practical ability, verbal ability, memory (auditory and visual), processing speed, general knowledge and motor co-ordination. Educational : these tests cover a person's reading, writing, spelling and mathematical ability, as well as their potential. Emotional : a variety of tests make up the emotional battery which considers various emotional issues in a person's life such as self-esteem, anxiety, helplessness, aggression, etc. Pre-school : does the child have the necessary concepts in place to cope with a Grade 1 curriculum and are they socially mature enough to cope with the demands of school? These tests also consider a child's gross and fine motor ability. Career/Aptitude : this considers a person's strengths and weaknesses as well as their preferences within a job situation. Can be used for Grade 9 subject choice as well. A career assessment always includes personality and emotional components to determine if a person will be able to succeed in their chosen field. Tests can be conducted in isolation or in combination with each other. MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM At Japari we have a multidisciplinary team which caters for the individual needs of all our learners. This team consists of well qualified, experienced therapists and educators who work closely together to ensure that our learners have the opportunity to reach their potential. Educational Psychologists Japari refers pupils to educational psychologists who specialise in learning disabilities and assessments. Assessment batteries are tailor-made for each client according to individual difficulties or suspected problems as explained by parents and teachers. A variety of assessment instruments are used. Reports incorporate all of the assessment information recommendations for parents and teachers.In addition, parent consultations are available to help parents or care givers to best help their children. Assessments offered include: cognitive, psychological, educational, career, IEB and GDE concessions, emotional, aptitude, personality, subject choice, school readiness and more. Assessments are available to all whether they are part of the Japari family or not. Speech – Language Therapy Speech – language therapy is aimed at improving a child’s ability, both academically and socially, by targeting specific areas of speech and language according to their needs. Speech – language therapy intervention is aimed at a wide range of areas. These include rectifying speech errors such as mispronunciations; language intervention which assists the child in expanding his vocabulary and general language abilities as well as auditory processing. Auditory processing abilities are precursors for reading and writing and therefore children who have difficulties require intervention to remediate this vital area. Speech –language therapy is provided throughout the school from Grade 0 –7 depending on the child’s needs. Occupational Therapy Occupational therapy aims to enhance the child’s functioning in both his school and home environment, through the use of gross and fine motor activities, as well as perceptual and sensory motor techniques. Sensory integration is the ability to process information received through or senses i.e. touch, movement, body position, sight, sound, smell and taste. Occupational therapy intervention is aimed at improving body image awareness, spatial awareness, gross and fine motor development and general muscle tone. These areas are vital to all aspects of learning and it is therefore important that difficulties are identified and remediated as early as possible Occupational therapy assessments and treatment is available to pupils throughout the school and programmes are drawn up according to individual needs. Physiotherapy For success in learning we need bodies that support our minds easily and automatically (requiring no conscious thought) and efficiently (minimizing effort) in function. Physiotherapy aims to develop a stable base from which to work; facilitate good posture through correct alignment of spine; gain central body control, from where a child can then explore movement of his body through space, develop co-ordination and balance and improve his functional abilities. This is done through posture correction, strengthening of the large muscle groups of the trunk, hip and shoulders; strength and endurance training; balance and co-ordination; improving functional skills and finally building confidence through successful movement. Physiotherapy assessments and treatments are available at the school. Play Therapy Play therapy is a form of therapy that can be used effectively to help young children to work through emotional difficulties. Often children do not have the words and vocabulary necessary to express how they are feeling. The benefit of play therapy is that the toys in the room essentially become the child’s vocabulary and way of expressing him or herself. Through play the child can communicate to the therapist unconscious thoughts and feelings that may be inhibiting him or her from functioning in a healthy and adaptive way. By allowing the child to engage in play in a non-directive way, the therapist can slowly allow the child to deal with difficult thoughts and emotions. The therapy leads the child towards greater self-acceptance and confidence. The therapeutic process is a gradual unfolding of the child’s true self. Parents need to be patient with the process by not expecting dramatic results in just a few weeks. The above therapies are provided by private therapists using facilities at Japari and take place during school hours. The costs are additional to school fees and are settled directly with the therapist concerned. Parents may claim from their medical aid. Reading Therapy Japari places great emphasis on Reading and we have a unique system in our Reading department where all learners from Grade 2 to Grade 5 go out of class on a regular basis to have individual lessons with qualified reading specialists. During their lessons the focus is on word recognition, fluency, good comprehension, perceptual problems and the spelling programme followed in the classroom where necessary. We have a large selection of graded readers and all learners read at their own level so they never feel pressurised. When pupils do not read optimally it affects all their subjects, including Mathematics. For this reason reading should be a priority when doing homework. This programme is additional to reading done in the classroom. Focus Groups These classes have been instituted to better equip the individual needs of our children in Grades 4 – 7 who require more intensive interaction in English and Mathematics. The aim of these classes is to:
Through the implementation of the Focus Group we aim to guide these children to achieve to the best of their ability. Pupils will attend all other lessons with the rest of the class. Reading Therapy and the Focus Groups form an integral part of the daily programme at Japari and are included in the fee structure. |
Japari's Therapy Assessment Centre is housed in a modern, well-equipped Centre situated on the school campus. Japari is able to provide supportive therapies through a multi-disciplinary team of educators trained in learning support, reading therapy, speech, language and hearing therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and psychological play therapy. A holistic approach, coupled with a nurturing environment, enables a vast number of our learners to reintegrate into mainstream schools as soon as they are ready.