Rolling Your Feet

Working on the Vestibular System Creating an Internal Gyro

I apologize in advance, that I don't know if this is a new idea or developed idea, these are thoughts that I'm working on and developing in my clinic. It's very hard to find detailed or advanced thoughts of Moshe Feldenkrais or Anat Baniel. I admit that I don't have the AY books or his U.S. training. So little is publish or passed though very few lips 0r this just hasn't been studied but I've been applying a great deal of thought into this.

This will be a series of blogs that I need to work out and find clarity in my thoughts. My husband would say that it would take forever because I jump at lighting speed but you see, in my minds eye, I'm working on so many people at one time that at times it is very difficult to do think softly. Especially when I'm learning at huge leaps. Presently that's the case.

I'm taught to work with the skeletal system and central nervous system to change, development, articulate many different movements into the structure of the person that I'm working on. Only once did I see Maralee Platt work on someones intestinal system. It was more of actually working on the intestines vs. working through the abdomen cavity to move the lower vertebrae and pelvic bowl from that point of movement.

I've found that women, due to the fact that they've birthed a child or lack of clarity or relationship with themselves and their reproductive system or just feeling fat - look at the abdomen as 'this thing' or just a separate part of themselves. I have a client that was having various intestinal issues that included liver function. This came to two, then three clients that had problems in their lower cavity.

With this, I started to really concentrate the function of the pelvis, of which I find that it's is the true core of our system not the upper abs that so many believe. There is a very specific touch or approach to the abdomen that first needs to be done. It's not a connection of kneading, as one would do for bread, but as if you could actually connect to the upper part of the vertebrae.

Now, I know that most feel that the spine can not be manipulated through the stomach but I'm here to say that I disagree. To open the hand and place it on the stomach, not in a skin to skin contact but with the actual intent of commanding the system to move the spine. First it's the initial touch. Just the connection to the person's presence and letting their mind adjust to the experience that they are about to have. No difference in the approach if you were at the back of a client.

The start of working with the abdomen to find the exterior of the gyro. Even though I haven't explained my thoughts on an internal gyro of a human through the abdomen/pelvic region, I can prove that it exists and is quite powerful. I originally thought that reworking a persons vestibular system was crucial and stumbled upon the workings of the human gyro. I tried out my theories last night on a practice session with a friend and was too excited on how easy it was to access in an adult vs. a child (just do to size and positioning of the lesson).

Once the touch is established to work with my opposing hand to start to create the clarity of the exterior of the person's gyro first before going into details movements on how the spine/hips/legs and feet attach into the function. I think that I have to work this with video. Spitting it out for now.

This video is for my Healthy Back class taught at Rise. Thank you, Michelle

How a Baby Should Lie Down at Birth

What is an Autistic Stim?

Organizing the Hands and Upper Body on a Child with Cerebral Palsy

Organizing the Back of a Child with Special Needs

Do Car Seats Create Sensory Integration & Developmental Delays?

Shouldn't All of Us Be Mad?

There was another ruling yesterday that Autism is not caused by vaccines. Now what - people are coming out saying that parents should not focus their attention on this anymore and move on. What is going on? I can't be the only person with proof that Graham did get the HIB vaccine. Got sick immediately and it took three years for Graham to be diagnosed with HIB.

This is why we should all be getting mad. Let's use Graham as an example. Graham has a primary insurance and Long Term Care - which is Arizona's Medicaid program. Graham has had over 15 surgeries - let's just say that's 5K per surgery. He's spent 40 days in the hospital. Let's just say that's another 5K per day. He's had Early Intervention, four years plus of speech, feeding, physical and occupational therapy, Preschool at Foundation for the Blind, Preschool to 1st grade with services. Graham has no immune system. He got IVIg for two and a half years = that's $1500 every three weeks - now he gets Subcu Fusion - that's $850 per week. He's been to Neuro, Gastro, Genetics, ENT, Cardio, Optho, etc. One year I wrote off 11,700 medical miles that I traveled for services.

This is one child who is 7 and will need services for years to come. What's going on?

Communication of the Body

There are three types of way your body has communication. What comes out of our mouths. The way we carry our body - or what many call body language. The way our skeletal system communicates.

With my work, I have the privilege to communicate with a person's skeletal system. I have learned an am practicing the Anat Baniel Method but the sensitivity that I have through my hands increases with every lesson. Being able to touch a person's ankle and sense different points through their body that needs more information for their brain to connect the movement. I think about this a lot and I'm trying to put it into words.

I can look at a person and see what they would see in the mirror. I can look at a person and see their muscles and the way they attach to the bones. I can look at a person and see their skeletal system moving a breathing in space. The curiosity to see how my input can change their nervous system and increase the dynamics.

If a person has had an insult to their system. It could be that they missed the bottom stair and threw their back out - to others it takes a car accident or years of abuse. They come into my clinic to learn how they can get back to where they were. "I could play golf six months ago and I miss it."

With Autism and childhood delays, a child doesn't have a judgement. That's the beauty of working with them. They use the input that they are receiving at a lesson and use it immediately. Adding to the complexity of information and variation that their brains has to use at their leisure. For example, a child with autism hasn't developed a refined, organized way of how they relate in space. This is obvious with rocking or stimming. Less obvious with lack of awareness with toys or people.

Letting a child play with the input to the base of the spine in relation to the pelvis. The brain is the ultimate gyro. If we develop the brain mapping you could suspend a human from a rope and they could move around upright as well as upside down and sideways. The awe that we have watching Cirque performers float and defy gravity. The input that is needed to have that same affect on a young child before there system continues to develop without the awareness to space.

When I sit here and type, if I were to be very conscious - I type through the clutter in front and around me. I know where the lamp is, the shelves, hockey table, printer, legos, bakugan, etc. I don't have to be in the now with all of this information. In fact, if I were, I would become over-whelmed very easily. If my son were to come into the room and ask for one of these objects, then I could adjust my body and get the item for him.

With Autism, the brain is not thinking in that mode. Why? For many, a child doesn't have a clear enough idea of who they are. That this is their hand holding the train. That their elbows relation to the shoulder assists the train to move. It's why their language fails them. Until they know that it is their elbow how does their brain go to "Mine!" as a healthy two year old lets you know.

Having a sensitive touch that helps let their brain know that this is them and watching language appear, walking change, being silly letting laughter in. It's nice to watch. Always with the curiosity of looking for ways to improve and stimulate the language of their skeletal system. When that increases - the other two system upgrade immediately.

Movement Lesson and Spinal Cord Injury

I just started working with a Alex. He's has a spinal cord injury (it's not complete) that's three years old. He's totaled sucked me into coming to his house - twice a week. We had his first lesson in my office @ three weeks ago. One lesson at his house last week. As of today, we are doing two lessons a week for the month of March to see where all of this goes.

I don't know his official diagnosis and I don't really care. The difference between what I do and everyone else is that my one and only job for Alex or anyone else that I work with is what can I do to make your life better. If I looked at anyone as a diagnosis first then I'm only going to limit my client and me.

To make more sense, I was working with a young girl, quadriplegic, hyper extended neck, dislocated hip of five years (doctors said that she didn't need it fixed - that's a whole other story). She had herpes encephalitis of the brain. The main reason that she was brought to me was that the legs were so rigid that not only could you not get her in a car seat but it was almost impossible to diaper her. She was six at the time.

One of the first things that I noticed was that when I put her into various positions (a slight roll to her system) she had a gurgle and slight cough or more of a clearing. I wouldn't add variation into what I was doing until her lungs settled. I didn't know at the time that she couldn't clear her lungs. She needed to be suctioned. After the second lesson, she could breathe on her own and cough. What did I do to help her breathe? If I had made that a 'goal' of mine, I don't think that I could have achieved it. I do ask me clients about why they are here to see me. Or why they think that they might need in their life. All I really need to know if there is a particular area that needs caution for some reason - a recent break for example.

All I really know about Alex is that he broke his back and femur during snow boarding which left him a quadriplegic. When we started, he could move his right foot, right index finger, left wrist has feeling throughout most of his system but can pinpoint the location or put a word to it.

What I love about the Anat Baniel Method is how the approach is to the entire system. It's the body, brain and central nervous system. There isn't a word for it in English but that's the way it works. The biggest problem that a person's brain has when they have a global trauma to the system (brain injury, Parkinson's, ms, MD, spinal cord, etc) is that the brain's response is get me back to where I was. I could do this yesterday and this is how I did it. When I start working with the system, it's today and now. I need to communicate at the exact level that your system is at this very moment. It's my job to find a way to teach the brain how to have a new way to communicate to their body and central nervous system. Not to exert the effort that it is now needed to pick up a cup the old way. To show him a way to do it today, with less effort and new neuro pathways.

You can now stop by his house and tickle his left foot. How cool is that?! After two lessons, he's getting ankle rotation and sensation throughout his body. I'm also talking to him through the entire system. Telling the brain what I'm doing so it can learn a new movement vocabulary.

There Are Two Forms of Autism

Genetic – Symptoms can present themselves within the first few months to a year old.

Environmental – Parents feel that there child was typically on track with sudden regression.

Unfortunately most doctors prefer to wait to diagnose a child with autism. Depending on parent’s assertiveness a diagnosis of autism is given between 2 ½ and 4 years of age. I personally don’t believe it matters if your child has a diagnosis or not, the key to getting on top of autism is aggressive early intervention. The older the child the more habitual patterns are set into their path.

Early Signs of Autism

Rolling Over – A healthy, more organized baby will roll over with ease, legs are extended as the back initiates the roll. When a baby ‘can’t’ roll over or eventually learns to throw his legs up into the air and allows their weight to bring him over to his side.

Not Recognizing Faces – Babies love to look at faces as they quickly learn from your expressions. A pre-autistic behavior is not looking into your eyes or reading your face. Notice if your child is looking away from you or through you.

Not Responding to Babble – Babies love to copy you sticking your tongue in and out. Smacking their lips, smiling and soon they are making sounds. Notice if you are trying very to get your babies attention or if interaction is forced. Keep an eye out if your child is not interested in having a ‘conversation’ with you.

Lack of Name Recognition – Mom and Dad will start to see eye movement that leads to excitement when a child hears their name or certain words, ‘hungry, milk, dog, brother, etc.’

Cranky or Fussy – Your child’s colic seems to go on forever. Parents might not realize that sensory issues are kicking in at a very early age. A parent needs to work with a doctor to rule out health issues. Parents should also take note if a child can’t tolerate tags, certain textures of clothing, needing their blanket or toy to go everywhere so they can sooth their child.

Warnings signs for regression after your child is over one year old:

Non-responsive - A healthy child starts to look if you say 'Where's Daddy? Where's the ball?" Suddenly you find yourself repeating it or saying it louder. Needing to touch or prompt your child to get their attention.

Staring - Babies and toddlers work the room. You don't loose a child into a good TV show until they're a few years older. If they seem like they're zoning out or loosing track of what they are doing or obsessing over one item for a length of time.

Sensory & Touch - Babies and toddlers like to explore there environment. If they once enjoyed food & getting messy now the suddenly have fear of smells, messes, touch and/or sounds.

Fear - Does your child suddenly have fears? Does the child suddenly cling to a parent or have separation anxiety? Lost a sense of calm or peace that they previously had?

Slouching - Babies and toddlers with a healthy nervous system don't slouch. Your child might suddenly seem heavy to pick up or carry around. They're not 'laid back' or easy going. Young children should be curious about the world around them.

How Movement Lesson Was Created

All that I am is for my family. I've always believed that if your family is strong - the world can be strong. With my husband, I have two beautiful boys. It is them who taught me how to do Movement Lesson.

My story, our story, starts with complications and regression do to my son's 13 month vaccine. He got the HIB vaccine and we lost him. This is more than just autism. I wish that it was only autism but he didn't develope the antibodies - he got the disease HIB (haemophilus influenza). The only problem was - it would take us another three years to get that diagnosis. Most doctors felt that I was a mother that couldn't handle the autism diagnosis - I needed a medical reason why this was happening to my son. At the end, all I got was "You were right."

This is what vaccine regression looks like. The CDC doesn't know about Graham and countless others. I have the diagnosis - of polysacchride ab deficient. He has no immune system due to the length of the infection and receives subcu infusions every week. This isn't about the vaccines = it's about trauma and recovery. The trauma from vaccine reaction can be so severe to a child's central nervous system that without intervention can lead to a diagnosis of autism and developmental delay.

He was two years old when Dr. Schenkein, pediatric gastroenterology, suggested that we go to California to the Anat Baniel Method (ABM) Center in Marin County. We were at Anat's new clinic on the day that the doors opened. Before going, his physical therapist told me that he's walking but shouldn't be. His body is not capable but he's doing it. Within two days of , he was walking heal to toe with his dad and he said to me, "I don't know what they are doing in there but you are going to learn how to do this." That's when my life changed.

This is a picture of him was taken after 10 ABM lessons in five days.

When I started my training, his speech goal was a one word self-help at the age of four "Mom, open, please." He was going to the Foundation for the Blind for PreSchool. He's now 7 and mainstreamed with resource for reading and writing comprehession. He gets 100% on all of his work and loves studing the Periodic Table, karate and Cub Scouts. He and his brother come to my clinic every week for their lesson.

It's been almost five years since that May. I have a wonderful clinic in Peoria, Arizona called Movement Lesson. My clients are babies - the biggest is 97! I wanted to concentrate on children with special needs. I quickly recognized that we all have special needs.

I use my personal experience with my professional training to help children avoid the same route Graham has taken. I continue to discover how our systems, so fantastic and complex, can be shown and new and more efficient way to move. I'm using this blog to grasp all these thoughts on paper.

I'm and expert on movement and pain, not at writing. I can't do this any other way than to Blog. To begin to formulate all that I'm learning and bring it to a form where I can articulate it.

I will be blogging about my clients to bring an awareness that children and adults with special needs, people recovering to trauma, neuropathies, strokes, etc can be helped by a Movement Lesson.

Bring me your questions and I'll try to answer them the best way that I know how.