Seminar for parents and the wider community given by Laughton King - psychologist, counsellor, trainer and author on the evening of Tuesday 30th March at Muritai School

Yesterday, Muritai Staff had the pleasure of hearing Laughton King deliver a very inspiring seminar, full of interesting insights and information. He covered many topics surrounding the issue of reaching and teaching the reluctant learner.

Laughton is himself dyslexic and his seminar was invaluable for us as educators. It gave us a real insight into what life in the classroom can be like for children who learn differently, often in a very hands-on, pictoral way.

Laughton will be returning to Muritai on the evening of Tuesday 30th March to extend a warm welcome to our parents and wider community. These are some of the areas he will be covering:-

Motivation, emotional needs, energy systems, reinforcement systems, learning difficulties, dyslexia/ADD/ADHD, parent’s needs and effective communication.

I fully recommend coming along if you can, he is certainly an inspiring speaker. Look out for flyers around the community and further information in The Birds Eye View.

Some Background Information about Laughton King

As a young boy Laughton had significant learning difficulties at school, and even at University, learning was a ‘nightmare’. He knew that he had lots of pictures in his head, ones that came and went, but nothing over which he had particular control.

Coping with classroom lessons was a nightmare, and his responses as a child ranged from fear, depression to emotional withdrawal, to sheer anger at himself for his repeated failure to comprehend. It is therefore remarkable that he went on to University and eventually became a Child and Family Psychologist – with the specific intention of preventing other children from having to have the same tormenting experiences.

He has lived in Whangarei for the last 25 years pursuing his passion about children and their learning difficulties, working in schools and homes, helping children overcome the same hurdles he has faced himself.

Laughton knows that there are possibly three or four children in every classroom throughout the country, who find learning a challenge. Having now-adult children he also knows the challenges of being a parent to such children.

His fascination with the dynamics of adult/child interaction and his enjoyment and fascination in parenting his own children, led him to publish a second book “WITH, NOT AGAINST” (2006). Here he explores and demonstrates the simplicity of a co-operative relationship between children and their parents and teachers.