ABOUT US
FLUTTERBYS was established as an early intervention centre for special needs children in 2005, by Natalie Jamieson Engelbrecht and expanded to our current premises in 2007. In 2014 we were registered as a special needs school with the Department of Basic Education as the school grew to cater for children 7 years and older. Flutterbys currently accommodates children from 1 to 18 years of age.
“In understanding my own learning disability, I began researching, adapting and incorporating the Montessori Method and Multisensory Remedial Techniques as part of my Master’s Degree in Special Education, whilst facilitating a very special little boy for whom the centre was eventually created in Centurion during 2005.
The research for my Masters Dissertation was influenced greatly by Montessori and her vision and methods relating to children with learning challenges. It was also during this time that I was fortunate to be exposed to the remarkable impact of Sensory Integration Therapy. I found that the Montessori Method, Multisensory remedial techniques and Sensory integration were compatible with each other and by combining the approaches I was able to create an approach that addressed all the underlying learning areas I feel need to be addressed no matter what diagnosis a child has.
Every functional skill a person develops requires foundation skills and it is often these foundation skills that are lacking or underdeveloped, at Flutterbys we ensure first that these skills are developed to their greatest potential.
Being based primarily on Montessori philosophy Flutterbys aims to firstly respect and love each child as an individual by catering for all planes of development (spiritual, mental, emotional and physical), the absorbent mind and the sensitive periods in a specially prepared environment that fosters security, provides boundaries aiding regulation and a motivation to learn.” Natalie Jamieson Engelbrecht
Our vision encompasses a multidisciplinary approach to individualised education catering for any child who does not fit into the conventional education system due to their own specific challenges which include;
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder
- Down Syndrome
- Syndromes
- Cerebral Palsy
- Aphasia
- Apraxia
- Dyspraxia
- Dyslexia
- ADD/ADHD
- Mild Visual and Hearing impairment
- Neurological delays (due to pregnancy and birth complications)
- Neurological disorders (epilepsy)
- Auditory and Visual processing delays
- Modulation, regulation and sensory integration difficulties
School Creed: SUCCESS
To laugh often and much.
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children.
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty.
To find the best in others.
To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
“Ralph Waldo Emerson”
Teaching & Therapeutic Methodology
The primary philosophy of Flutterbys is that the system of education must fit the child and not the child fit the system. Through an eclectic approach the child’s ability to learn is unlocked. The Differentiated CAPS curriculums for learners with profound intellectual disabilities (PID) and severe intellectual disabilities (SID) are taught using the Montessori Method, Sensory Integration and the DIR/Floortime approaches.
MONTESSORI
The Montessori Method and approach to teaching involves a systematic system of concept development from the concrete to the abstract using specifically designed equipment and materials covering various subjects and areas of development including:
- Infant
- Sensorial
- Practical life: independence skills, behaviour modification, class economy
- Maths
- Language
- Geography
- History
- Science
- Biology
- Cosmic studies
SENSORY INTEGRATION
Sensory integration originally develop by Jean Ayres includes the application of various therapeutic techniques to assist the child’s entire sensory system to regulate itself in order for the child to reach the correct levels of arousal for concentration and focus so as to improve general functionality including communication, perceptual and motor development. The systems addressed include:
- Proprioception
- Vestibular
- Tactile
- Visual
- Auditory
- Gross motor development
- Fine motor development
DIR/ FLOORTIME
This approach was developed by Dr Stanley Greenspan, who theorized that six basic developmental levels or milestones lay the foundation for all learning and development. By ensuring the child acquires all the developmental milestones irrespective of age, huge leaps in development and learning can be made. This is the key because it is during the acquisition of these six milestones that a child integrates all the information they have received and processed from their sensory systems and is especially important for:
- Communication
- Speech
- Social development
- Emotional development
