Updated: Oct 20, 2022
I hold curiosity and an open mind as two of my most precious values and so I love nothing more than to step off the straight and narrow in search of treasures and possibilities.
I am struck however by how much synergy there is in what thought leaders and master clinicians that I’ve interviewed are saying - and how Anat has packaged these up in her 9 essentials. Such seemingly opposing philosophies of approach all in agreement despite their many differences,
Kim Barthel talking about emotion, the brain-body connection, and the importance of verbalizing behavior to bring awareness and connection.
Brian Hoare talking about the importance of extrinsic learning and learning to learn.
Jean-Pierre talking about not treating into the child's limitations but accessing the brains capacity for change, and
Prof Rosenbaum recognizing the importance of accepting each child as perfectly whole and amazing no matter their current challenges.
I'm excited by so much synergy and worried that egos get in the way of building on these connections, and concerned about how we start to tease out the hope from the hype. What a crazy, energizing, and precarious place to be as therapists. We have important roles to play here because we are the ones who walk the longest and closest with the parents and their children. We have a responsibility to be open to new possibilities, whilst being informed and cautious.
How do we do that? With conversations - open conversations for a start! Which is exactly what this interview is about. Anat and I had so much to say, that I’ve had to split it into two parts. This is part 1 as we seek to understand the concepts. In part two we really dig into the hot topics, hard questions, and the science.
Enjoy!
—Scroll down to the podcast player to listen or find us on Spotify, iTunes or Stitcher.
For handy links to things we've discussed in this interview, scroll down to the Resources Section at the bottom of the page.
Time Stamps in green
11:15 minutes- A Possibilities Process not A Certainties Process
12:04 minutes- Is it scientific
15:21 minutes- Maths and Crawling
18:06 minutes- Movement and Exercise
21:03 minutes- Possibilities vs Performance
23:49 minutes- The brain as an information system
27:22 minutes- Variability and spasticity
29:28 minutes- Task-specific training
34:46 minutes- fixing to connecting
40:00 minutes- Devorah
45:55 minutes- Learning with Feldenkreis
1:10:48 minutes- General movements
1:24:58 minutes- Disorganised movements and effort
1:27:06 minutes- What exactly is our responsibility?
Time Stamps in green
2:00 minutes- Walkers and standing frames
5:54 minutes- Potentiating the brain
7:07 minutes- Using equipment in ABM
13:00 minutes- More about walkers
16:25 minutes- A nod to the wonderful Dr Karen Pape
17:46 minutes- Tummy time
26:15 minutes- Nobody owns motor development
31:40 minutes- The research
36:21 minutes- Synchronous brains in therapy
45:20 minutes-Sensory and motor challenges in ABM
48:06 minutes- Differentiation
55 minutes- What is the brain learning?
1:00:53 minutes- More about walkers
1:11:15 minutes- It's the relationships - not the parts
1:11:56 minutes- Funding
1:17 minutes- Training
1:20 minutes- ABM and ASD
1:22:49 minutes- Advice for new therapists
Deborah Zelinsky - Mind-Eye Connection (Neuro Optometry)
An interesting article that links to Anat's description of the importance of early random movements
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