NeuroSomatic Therapy & Neuromovement®
Montreal, France, Online & more
Empower learning in Kids with Down Syndrome
If, like me, you are one of the lucky few, parents of children with down syndrome, you have probably sought high and low for the ways in which you can help them live up to their true potential. I believe that all children with Down Syndrome have untapped learning potential and that the systems currently used to teach them are inadequate. I also believe that children with Down syndrome have brains that are more plant than those of neurotypical children and that they are extra sensitive to the energy we bring into any learning situation.
This is why, in my view and in my experience, traditional modes of educating and teaching kids wth Down syndrome are not enough. We need to find new ways in which we can empower the brains of children with Down syndrome to become better learners. Neuroscience gives us many clues, and NeuroMovement® is a highly supportive method that helps our kids reach their true potential and shine their true light.
Movement and learning
Learning, as a fundamental brain function, is often impaired in children with Down Syndrome due to cognitive delays, sensory issues, and signal processing difficulties. But a delay doesn't mean learning is impossible!
Learning requires the perception of differences between one signal and another. If your child struggle to acquire some skills, it is because, somehow, their brain does not recognize, distinguish or process the differences required to learn that skill.
In the Anat Baniel Method® of Neuromovement®, I will work with your child to give them opportunities to perceive increasingly complex and subtle differences. I do this by exploring their body's own movement in a way that is non-threatening and attention-building.
A learning-ready brain
For many children living with Down syndrome, learning has been a source of stress. Many of our kids are insecure because they are afraid to fail. Conventional therapy usually feeds into this insecurity and disability by showing our kids that they are not succeeding. Under stress, learning and skill acquisition is nearly impossible.
To help your child prepare for learning, NeuroMovement® first creates the ideal conditions required by the nervous system. I do this by promoting slow, attentive and connected movement, and by never forcing a child to perform a task they are not already able to do. I do not seek to cure Down syndrome or change your child; I connect with them in ways that are meaningful to them and give them the conditions to succeed. By meeting them where they are, I am able to guide children in a continuous learning process and to empower rapid brain change.
The results are often surprising: as children become more self-aware, they are increasingly able to make sense of the world, acquire new skills and reach new levels of thinking, functioning and emoting. This has immense beneficial impacts on the whole family.
If you are curious of what to expect, click here to read more, or contact me for a conversation.
How is NeuroMovement® different from other therapies?
Ever notice how the conventional occupational therapists, or physiotherapists therapists seem to approach your child from the angle of their limitations? Or maybe you've noticed that all the conventional methods require endless drilling and repetition for the slightest learning.
Is your child happy during therapy? I know my son wasn't happy when physiotherapists tried to stand him up, or force him into uncomfortable positions. Until he was ready, he kept failing at what the therapists asked, which led to lots of crying and insecurity.
So if your child is crying or nervous, or having meltdowns during therapy, then maybe it's time to try something else.
Under stress, a child will learn nothing. Or worse, they will learn that whatever you are trying to teach them is synonymous with pain and suffering. Trust that, under the right conditions, your child would do what you ask if they could.
I work with your child from the angle of possibilities. In every state, wherever your child is, there is ALWAYS possibility. By working with them in ways that help them see what they CAN do, what they CAN be, they develop the safety and confidence to learn. And because movement is the language of the brain, exploring movement with a child helps them upgrade their brain for all types of learning.
Whether your child is experiencing motor challenges or not, learning and attention deficits, verbal or non-verbal, movement is a language all humans understand. Give your child the gift of a free, learning brain.
