Conventional therapies are good but not good enough.
My son Liam was diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia at ten months old. He received early intervention therapies (PT, OT and SP) from ten months old till he was two and a half years old. We saw some progress in the beginning but the developmental milestone gap widen as he approached his second birthday. He happily participated in most of his therapy sessions, but we noticed strange habits forming like knee locking after a few months of therapy. This was brought to the attention of his therapist and a series of exercises were assigned to help with the knee locking. We tried the suggestions but we didn't see any changes.
When I first learned about the Anat Baniel Method (ABM) I asked my son's doctors and therapists if they were familiar with this therapy and the answer across the board was no.
The Anat Baniel Method for Children has been around for over ten years. The method evolved from the groundbreaking work invented by Moshe Feldenkrais. The ABM for Children method was the brain child of Anat Baniel. Her method found an effective and efficient way to communicate with the childs' brain. The method creates a brain that learns, it transforms the body, the mind and the spirit. Some kids if seen early enough by ABM practitioners no longer suffer from their brain injury. The Anat Baniel Method for children has been so effective that the brain absorbs the injury.
The Anat Baniel Method is endorsed by leading brain plasticity researcher and neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich. The co-founder of Fast ForWord. The Fast ForWord software program has helped many children overcome learning deficiencies by targeting the temporal processing area of the brain.
Anat Baniel's groundbreaking work with special needs children was published in multiple professional trade magazines. There are numerous parental testimonials that state how this method transformed the lives of their children when doctors or other medical professionals told them there was no hope. There is scientific proof that the Anat Baniel Method works.
This excerpt is from Norman Doidge's book, The Brain That Changes Itself
"In the course of my travels I met a scientist who enabled people who had been blind since birth to begin to see, another who enabled the deaf to hear; I spoke with people who had had strokes decades before and had been declared incurable, who were helped to recover with neuroplastic treatments; I met people whose learning disorders were cured and whose IQs were raised; I saw evidence that it is possible for eighty-year-olds to sharpen their memories to function the way they did when they were fifty-five. I saw people rewire their brains with their thoughts, to cure previously incurable obsessions and traumas. I spoke with Nobel laureates who were hotly debating how we must rethink our model of the brain now that we know it is ever changing."
What Anat Baniel figured out before the scientists
There are nine simple elements Anat identified that can be incorporated into all aspects of life that creates a learning brain. The byproduct of this new and improved learning brain is a release of inner spirit and energy that can be visibly seen and felt. Anat calls these fundamentals her nine essentials for vitality. When using any of these nine essentials, a brain MRI will show a visible change in that persons brain map. New paths have been created in the brain and a shift from impossible to possible was made. That is the goal of ABM. ABM aims for transformation.
I attended Anat's three day Move Into Life Seminar in June. A 94 year old woman attended the same workshop. She had a severe curve in her back known as kyphosis or humpback. When we met her on the first day, I only saw the top of her head when standing. Over the course of three days we listened to inspirational stories and experiences and we were guided through a series of movement exercises. On the second day this woman transformed before our very eyes. On the last day of the seminary she stood tall and proud in front of the group with a beautiful smile on her face as she shared her thoughts. She did not believe she would be able to perform the movements in class because of her curved back and arthritic knee. She made a conscious decision to change her attitude and to just go for it. As she continues with her voice cracking and tears in her eyes, she thanks Anat for what she has achieved and for the wonderful gift she has given to human beings.
Do conventional therapy methods work?
Yes and no.
Yes, if the child is almost there and they are being guided by these well intentioned therapist in the right direction.
No, because some of these guided exercises have no meaning to the children. I've seen Liam zone out, move away or cry. What is the point of propping a child up to stand when that same child does not know how to transition from sitting to standing on their own. How will this help the child walk? How does drilling the same movement or sounds over and over help him understand what it means and how to use them. It doesn't unless the child receives these signals from within their brain to initiate these movements. Then they will truly know what it feels like to be standing on their own bones.
Physical, occupational and speech therapist are the best people in the world with the best intentions and enormous patience and dedication. But something is missing from their training.
We made the decision to use ABM in lieu of physical therapy. After making this switch we saw a boy that figured out how to pull himself up to standing. Shortly after we stopped all conventional forms of therapy and we witnessed a more confident Liam taking his first three independent steps.
During our intensive lesson at the Anat Baniel Center in San Rafael, California. The first lesson Liam had with Anat was spent throwing a book on the table hard than soft. He came away with a full understanding of how he affects his environment and people by his touch.
How can we embrace the Anat Baniel Method and bring it to the mainstream?
As PTs, OTs and SPs trained in the ABM for Children method, you have the power to transform the lives of children that come to you direct or through Early Intervention programs.
As a parent of a special needs child, I encourage ever therapist (PT, OT, SP) to sign up for the continuing education classes offered for credit at Anat Baniel's center in San Rafael California. Her methods combined with a therapists dedication and efforts can bring about a revolution.
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