Paying attention to what matters

Mariselle Stofberg





Tanya Byleveldt is the owner and an agent for Biolink Attention Training Windhoek, which offers support, hope, answers and solutions for children and adults with attention, behaviour and academic challenges.

“When I was 10 years old, my grandmother passed away and my aunt came to stay with us permanently. Aunty Hertha was an adult with Down Syndrome and lived with my family for 25 years until she passed away in 2018.”

During these years, Byleveldt’s family faced a myriad of challenges as a family having to take care of someone with special needs.

“Despite these challenges, I learnt so much from my aunt and growing up with her affected my life profoundly. I developed an interest in mental health and achieved my master’s in clinical psychology,” she said.

Commitment and dedication

Seven years ago, Byleveldt and her husband learnt about Biolink Attention Training and decided to become partners in the business. Today, her husband serves as the financial manager and she is responsible for assisting clients, marketing and providing training to children, parents and teachers.

“My career goal for my business is underscored by a commitment and dedication to helping mainstream children and children with learning challenges achieve academic success.”

Hope, answers and solutions

At Biolink Attention Training, they offer support, hope, answers and solutions for children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other learning disorders or academic challenges. “Study after study confirms children today are struggling more than ever before with academic, social and behavioural issues that impact their success in school,” Byleveldt said.

Biolink Attention Training offers assistance within the following areas:

Children and adults with ADHD

Children and adults with poor executive functioning

Children struggling at school

Memory decline and traumatic brain injury

Sports performance

Comprehensive assessment

If one enrols for November, Biolink Attention Training has a special where you can get 40 sessions for free, with terms and conditions that apply.

What sets Biolink Attention Training apart is their comprehensive assessment programme, which includes different steps on the assessment of learners.

The first step is the initial assessment.

“To measure is to know. If your child struggles with any attention or behaviour problems, our FOCUS continuous performance test (CPT) is the place to start.

“FOCUS scientifically measures the performance of key cognitive skills: Attention, processing speed, impulse control and the ability to filter auditory and visual distractions. The results are 100% objective – removing any chance for bias,” Byleveldt said.

From these results, you receive a detailed, objective look at your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

“This is where you get to experience an ‘aha!’ moment. You get to see in writing which of your child’s skills are responsible for their poor attention skills and poor behaviour and you get answers to make informed decisions regarding interventions or treatment for your child,” she added.

The second step is the comprehensive skills development programme.

Byleveldt said Biolink Attention Training Namibia is the only company with a product that provides feedback technology with cognitive skills training and behaviour shaping and that the armband they use for assessment is the only one out there that can monitor brain activity below the head.

“No one else can provide this combination – and that’s what makes us unique and the best. Our fully customised skills development programme includes neurocognitive exercises. During these exercises, your child needs to be fully focused and engaged for the exercises to commence and continue,” she said.

Each exercise develops and strengthens specific cognitive skills which include, amongst others, sustained attention, brain processing speed, impulse and emotional control, memory, filtering of distractions, processing, visual tracking and fine motor skills.

Continuous support

This works towards improved academic performance, increased occurrence of positive behaviour, strengthened executive functioning skills, which helps to process information faster and filter or ignore distractions that impact attention and to develop mental flexibility and problem-solving skills, and enhanced social interaction skills.

The lasts step is continuous support.

“We offer educational workshops both online and in-person to develop the skills and increase the knowledge of parents to help them to actively support and guide their children with academic and emotional challenges. We host free monthly educational webinars to help parents and teachers on topics such as routine, reading comprehension, ADHD and anxiety,” Byleveldt added.

Support content available

They also provide an array of digital content in the form of checklists, fact sheets, eBooks, eMagazines and fun activity books. They have an informational and educational weekly blog and all their content is created with parents and teachers in mind to help increase their knowledge with practical information to use at home and in the classroom.

For more information, visit the Biolink Attention Training Namibia Facebook page, the website windhoek.biolinkattentiontraining.com, call 081 299 7164 or email [email protected].