For Auditory Sensitivity

http-::www.foxnews.com:health:2012:02:05:solution-for-sensory-disorders:.webloc

Here is the address for a very informative and hopeful article on therapeutic listening. This is very similar to that which I will be offering in the spring in the Saratoga Springs area,Therapeutic Listening, copywritten by Sheila Frick OTR. It has amazing results for kids whose lives are limited by this sensitivity

THREE YEARS OLD AND FLYING

ANDY was three when I first saw him in late November. He was so hyperactive that he'd touched every toy I had and bounced off the wall so much
I thought he might break a window on the glassed-in porch where I do my therapy."No", he said when he could verbalize. Otherwise, he just went right on with whatever he had in mind.
His presenting symptoms were many:poor balance and coordination, hyperactvity, limited eye-contact, allergies to food,problems knowing where his body is in space (He ran into walls and banged things a lot ), poor sequencing, no concept of potty training (wore diaper), auditory processing problems,dislike of new situations, objected to being touched.He was indeed flying.

The chiropractor/nutritionist, Dr. Richard Herbold felt that the med.s given mom to prevent premature labor were the cause.I thought it was going to be a long road him to have better focus

much less better balance and proprioception.

He has made quantums leaps in 2 months. He now plays quietly with Lego's and keeps trying different solutions where before he would be frustrated and move on to something else.He now wears"big boy" underpants, and wants to jump from furniture.He has careful, good hand control, balances and alternates his feet going up stairs, is more aware of others even to the point of being kind to that formerly ignored baby brother .

He is now flying forward into his life on a more normal trajectory. Mom and Dad are thrilled and no longer say "I just don't know what to do with him". There is more to work on but what fabulous progress and coming into a normal, self-directed life.

An Interesting Story-Evelyn

She took a 3 hour car ride to come to reflex therapy. She was a little carsick when she entered my office. She blinked and stared up at me with big brown eyes.

Evelyn was having difficulties in many parts of her life but particularly in school. She felt school was too hard, had much difficulty with reading (comprehension, skipping lines, mystified by new words). She had a lot of anxiety.

Although she only came for reflex integration therapy 3 times, Evelyn made significant gains in her ability to enjoy life and function well. Her balance improved to the point where she snow skiied alone with good balance, no longer became car sick and stopped blinking all the time.Her anxiety was greatly lessened. Her parents were thrilled.

Emma got through the first reflex we work with, the Moro, and opened up the pathways which had blocked her ability to balance, fixate her eyes and endure motion in a moving vehicle.

I could have worked with her for several more months and we would have been able to open the pathways to good experiences in school with reading , writing and spelling. We often see changes,such as Evelyn's, which we weren't seeking but which are beneficial ,nonetheless.It was a good start to a better and more functional life for a lovely little girl.

Jimmy-Wonderful Gains Quickly Achieved

He came to my office with his mom in mid-March, a sweet 6 year-old with huge blue eyes. He was easy to talk to and very attentive to directions.
After testing his for the 5 reflexes we currently work with, it looked as though it would be a long road we would be travelling. Jimmy was struggling in first grade , especially in reading. I could see that, although he was very attentive to me, it took every ounce of will and energy he had to keep focused on me.
Jimmy was 5 weeks premature, born with the cord around his neck, had torticollis, and turned blue right after birth (insufficient oxygen). He was intubated for 2 days and in the NICU for a total of 10 days.
Some of the many symptoms he exhibited were: motion sickness, poor balance, low muscle tone, body segments not working together, difficulties with copying from the board,letter reversal as well as the aforementioned reading. He had anxiety which extended into phobias such as fear of loud noises and fear of insects. He was often angry with mom and let her know in no uncertain terms.
The first break-through came after 2 weeks of daily exercises: he was able to use the school bathroom, something he could not do during the rest of the year. Somehow , this little guy was able avoid the need to relieve himself until he returned home, after 6-8 hours.
By May 9th, the first reflex, the Moro , was integrated. Jimmy laughed when I did the test; he had looked very alarmed during the test previously. Results were some of his anxieties were lessened, he read aloud to the class and got high grades in spelling.
Now, in early September, Jimmy has moved onto the fourth reflex because he has made further improvements in his functioning. He has learned to swim, has ridden on a roller coaster, is only occasionally upset by bugs and has played some informal tennis in his driveway with his sister.
It is so exciting to see this adorable guy liberated from the struggles caused by retained reflexes. Hooray for "The Pyramid of Potential" , giving a normal life to these kids and their families.

HERE'S THE DEAL: DON'T TOUCH ME--Howie Mandel Problem and Solution

I just read Howie Mandel's book, Don't Touch Me, in which the renowned stand-up comedian discusses his struggles with "germophobia", ADHD and OCD. He catalogs his numerous fears and neuroses and shares entertaining, harrowing as well as sad stories from a lifetime of dealing with theses conditions. They affected his school years; he never finished high school because it was so difficult for him to focus in class and to concentrate on the work. It affected his relationships as he needed undivided attention and an outlet for his kinetic energy.
Fortunately for him, he found his passion in performing on-stage, in TV series, in movies and lately as host of "Deal or No Deal"
He has travelled extensively, performed at the White House, meeting the Clintons and also he was honored with a star on the walk at Graumann's Chinese Theater.
Many kids and with these problems aren't so lucky and suffer from childhood into an unsettled aduldhood. Drugs are often prescribed to relieve symptoms. However, there are drug-free ways to help a person to integrate and move beyond these disorders. One of these ways is "The Pyramid of Potential" program, a multi-faceted approach which takes into account nutrition, vision, reflexes,sensorimotor problems, hearing , speech and cognitive training (catch-up for phases a child has missed while in a dysfuncional state)
Our goal is not perfection but success in school, in relationships, in life in general.
Mandel very bravely delineated his struggles for us, not sparing himself. He is to be thanked for this and admired for his courage and his ability make a marriage,a life and a career from such unlikely raw material.

Advanced Craniosacral Therapy Training for Pediatrics

I recently took a training for pediatric craniosacral therapy in Palm Beach Gardens , Florida. It was taught by Rebecca Flowers, OTR.,CST-D, an absolute wizard in CST for kids. We. the class of 21 people ,were there for 4 days, learning many interesting and advanced techniques designed for children but applicable to adults in many cases. It is always so exciting to go to those classes as one meets such interesting people as well as learning new and more subtle ways to get the work done.

CST with children is so wonderful because we get the dysfunction resolved early in life and enable the person "who's a person, no matter how small", to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, to have a healthy life, free from a myriad of problems. These problems can such things as torticollis, misshapen heads, colic (for little babies while for older souls it can become IBS) and learning disabilities to name a few.

My room-mate for the 4 days was Jackie Hand, a Laban/Bartenieff-New York City faculty member who will be coming to Saratoga this summer to teach a short class on fascia in this somatic discipline, pending approval. It will be a wonderfully enriching way to learn about fascia, one of the principal elements in CST, from a movement perspective. Personal history, beliefs and feelings appear in movement;....(one can) address holding and release of tissues..." by use of this technique. Quote is from the Laban/Bartenieff website.