METHODS and TECHNIQUES for IMPROVING MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

FROM PRESCHOOL TO SCHOOL AGE

• Sensory Integration by Jean Ayres
• Foundation therapy
• Delacato therapy
• INPP
• Reflex exercises
• Smart gymnastics
• Hippotherapy (horse riding)
• Sub-aqua gymnastics (preparing and learning to swim)

FROM PRESCHOOL TO SCHOOL AGE

SENSORY INTEGRATION BY JEAN AYRES

Sensory Integration Therapy was published in 1972 by Anna Jean Ayres, a Californian brain researcher and psychologist. It is a process that offers a wide range of playful activities and is pleasing to the child. Its devices resemble the world of playgrounds or circuses: giant balls, rolling cylinders, hammocks, rotating and balancing plates, planks and swings. All toys that provide stimuli for balance and tactile perception. Children are free to choose what they want to play with and for how long, and this complete freedom brings to the surface unconscious thoughts, thus making it a self-healing process.

Whom does this method help?

Children with:

• attention deficit disorder
• hyperactivity
• emotional problems
• intellectual problems
• hypersensitivity to touch, certain motions, certain visual stimuli, sounds and taste
• the exact opposite of the above, i.e. when these experiences are never enough and the child is constantly looking for them: rocking back and forth, hitting objects intentionally, even if it is painful for them
• difficulty with motor coordination: learning new forms of movement can be just as difficult as balancing in everyday situations
• too fast or too slow movements
• difficulty controlling their behavior: they jump into a new task too quickly and without planning, have difficulty adapting to new situations, become aggressive or desperate too quickly if they find a task complicated, or they won’t even start it, thus their wider environment sees them as lazy, unmotivated.

The above difficulties are not directly related to intellectual ability. Therefore, they can appear in a child with an intact intellect just as much as in one with a mild degree of learning and intellectual impairment. They might be more pronounced in autistic children.  

FOUNDATION THERAPY

Foundation therapy helps the nervous system via complex motor development, after which the child will reach a very high level of dexterity.

The series of exercises developed by Dr. Éva Marton-Dévényi also affect the areas of the brain responsible for speech function (reading, writing). During therapy, the basic exercises are supplemented with developmental pedagogical methods (time, space, memory, hearing and speech perception improvements, etc.), making it a whole system. This therapy is a long and intense therapy, and is very effective at 5-16 years of age.

When does this method help?

In cases of:

• delayed and/or problematic, impaired speech development
• pronunciation problems, e.g. lisp
• dyslexia, difficulties reading and/or writing
• overactive children, or children with attention disorders who are suffering from brain damage caused by oxygen deficiency
• preschoolers lagging in development and maturation
• children with mild intellectual disabilities
• any child who suffers from clumsiness or awkward mobility, whatever the cause

Delacato therapy

According to Carl Henry Delacato, a neurologist living and working in Philadelphia USA, the development of motion is closely linked to the maturation of the nervous system. If any stage of motor development is missed, or is not practiced well enough, the associated sensory and control centers do not develop or differentiate properly. The insufficient functioning of several areas may lead to learning difficulties, behavioral problems and disorders, because it is through motion that nerve pathways are stabilized and the brain’s systems develop. The essence of Delacato’s therapy is making possible for children to relive the motoric stages of their infancy. This in turn makes it possible for the areas lagging behind to close the gap and make up for the deficit. If a child is not able to move independently, several adults are there to move his/her head and limbs. It is recommended for children aged 4-10 years.

Whom does this method help?

Children with:

• lack of language skills even in their mother tongue
• nervous system immaturity
• delayed motor coordination
• delayed and/or problematic, impaired speech development
• dyslexia, dysgraphia
• overactive children, or children with attention disorders who are suffering from brain damage caused by oxygen deficiency
• preschoolers lagging in development and maturation
• children with mild intellectual disabilities
• any child who suffers from clumsiness or awkward mobility, whatever the cause
• delayed choosing of hand dominance

INPP MOTOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

This program was developed by the Institute of Neuro-Physiological Psychology (INPP) in Chester, England, under the leadership of Dr. Peter Blythe. The exercise program includes a series of skill-enhancing motions based on a baby’s natural movement patterns, and it is supposed to be practiced daily. It is different from other sensorimotor methods in that these exercises reach as deep as possible, i.e. they develop the earliest stages of the sense of equilibrium first. It can be performed both individually and in groups.

In the framework of individual development, all stages of development from the intrauterine period through birth to crawling are repeated, and all foundational motions are stabilized, but this time in the correct order. Parents have to practice these exercises every day at home in the form of a “guided home-training”, which is under a regular, approx. 8-week control of the  INPP development specialist. In any case, the expected norm is a maximum 5-7 minute, monotonously repeated, slow-motion-like practice every day, performed very accurately and in complete silence.  

Group training is more focused on the postpartum stage and can last for approximately 9-12 months. It is performed on every school day in kindergarten or in school under the guidance of a qualified professional. The success of the method lies in the correct compilation of the exercises, the accuracy of their execution, and persistent, regular practice. Although results are amazingly impressive, the INPP method is not a miracle cure. It organizes the foundations on which further learning and development can be built much more efficiently.

Whom does this method help?   

Children with:

• learning difficulties
• behavioral problems
• developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
• attention deficit disorder (ADD)
• attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Reflex exercises

An infant initially expresses himself/herself with reflex-driven, instinctive movements. They learn and get to know the world through motion. As their mobility develops so does their intellect, and they will be able to do more and more. Infants optimally they develop their nervous system via simple motions (e.g. lifting of the head, creeping-crawling, etc.), and through this they affect their intellectual abilities. If any part of the above mentioned process is missed or is performed and practiced incorrectly or insufficiently, it can result in various problems that affect – among other things – the child’s integration into communities, his/her learning abilities and behavior.   

The little ones feel like they have been dropped into a playful day-care center, not even realizing that they are actually “working hard” at developing their intellect, skills, speech and social relationships. Special emphasis is placed on ensuring that children have a sense of success during the sessions, and gain a healthy self-confidence. Classes are recommended from the age of 2.5 years to adolescence.

What do reflex exercises develop?

• depth perception
• balance
• attention
• motor coordination, both large and fine movements
• sense of rhythm
• self-confidence
• brings baby reflexes under inhibition

Smarts exercises

Gymnastic exercises that help the maturation of the nervous system and inhibit primitive reflexes.

When does this help?

In situations where:

• the inhibition of primitive reflexes has not been completed by age 3 and a half, postural reflexes have not developed
• the child has exaggerated fright reactions
• motion is not coordinated, has difficulty coordinating the movements of two hands / two legs, detaching is difficult
• the child is unsteady, has a bad sense of balance, falls often
• some stages of motor development were missed (had difficulty rolling over or only rolled to one side, didn’t crawl, stood up very fast)
• the child has difficulty with spatial orientation, mixes up directions
• s/he struggles with attention, has difficulty focusing for longer periods
• the child has difficulty with integration and socialization.

HIPPOTHERAPY (HORSE RIDING)

Hippotherapy is a complex therapy. On the one hand, it stimulates the nervous system through movement impulses of the horse. On the other hand, it exercises the sensory pathways (e.g. sight, hearing, smell, touch, deep sensing). It also helps psychomotor areas (e.g. success in motion, self-confidence, alive and accepting partner). Despite the complexity of hippotherapy, complementary therapies are needed. It can effectively be linked to speech therapy, ergotherapy, hydrotherapy, and can greatly increase the effectiveness of physiotherapy treatments. The hippotherapist must have equestrian training, as s/he is responsible for the therapy and for safety, and has to be guiding and possibly disciplining the horse during sessions. S/he has to be familiar with the movements of the horse, their effect and possible reactions from the patient, and must be able to influence and change it if necessary, as this is the therapy.

What does hippotherapy improve?

• head and trunk control
• differentiation of muscle function
• breaks down pathological synergisms
• balance during sitting
• posture correction
• balance perception, development of motor coordination and overall motion
• due to its emotional impact, it is a strong motivational factor towards an active lifestyle and the strenghtening of willpower.

SUBAQUA GYMNASTICS (PREPARING AND LEARNING TO SWIM)

Subaqua gymnastics – a special method of hydrotherapy – is physiotherapy in water. Moving under water usually requires less strength, but does require continuous balance while providing a special tactile, acoustic and visual experience. Patients can move in the water like they can nowhere else. Due to buoyancy, we are able to float; the water aids the upward motion of the body and limbs. The hydrostatic pressure and the fluid resistance helps to maintain static positions and reduces the fear of falling. Water allows a typical form of motion that is not possible anywhere else.

Who/when is sub-aqua gymnastics recommended for?

• people with reduced mobility
• for the visually impaired
• for the hearing impaired
• people with learning disabilities
• people with mental disabilities
• people with severe abnormalities
• people with mental health problems
• people with autism spectrum disorder
• in case of hyperactivity
• in case of learning disabilities
• in case of behavioral problems
• people with posture problems