Tag: Gehirnschaden

Children with special needs will all in some manner be affected with what is termed “Global Developmental Delay”.  This indicates that the entire development of the child is affected to such a degree that all the defined major developmental areas (officially at least two of the areas) are affected, specifically:

•  Motor development
• Speech and communication
• Cognitive
• Social and emotional development

In reality however these developmental areas are not disconnected and disengaged from each other.  In any organism, and in the human being at a much higher level, all of these different developmental areas are highly intertwined and decidedly connected.  In fact, as our developmental hierarchy graph below attempts to illustrate, the different areas of development are not only interwoven with each other, but the developmental potential of the so called “higher and cognitive levels” is dependant upon what happens at more basic and fundamental levels.

One example that illustrates the difficulty in attempting to disconnect the developmental areas from each other can be understood when one observes human speech and communication development.

Within the world of the Speech Therapy specialists it is known and widely accepted that a child who cannot adequately swallow and chew will not be able to learn to speak. This shows us how in the human being so called “higher functions” such as speaking are dependent upon at least a minimal level of basic life functions.  In effect it is so that if a child cannot chew and cannot swallow, and – in addition – has a sufficient weakness of the respiratory level, then any attempts to “teach” the child to speak with speech intervention methods will be in vain.

This does not mean that the child cannot learn to communicate, use a computer-based program or learn some basic skills in this fashion.  But, speech as a skill involving our entire speech organism, will normally be closed for the child due to the fact that the human speech is dependant upon a finely tuned motor coordination between:

• The respiration – coordination of the air flow through the larynx and trachea
• Epiglottis as articulator
• Pharyngeal coordination
• Mouth floor control
• Tongue
• Hard and soft palate coordination
• Mimic muscles of the face
• Lips
• Jaw
• Sinuses and skull as resonators, etc.

The list of the structures that need to be fine tuned and well coordinated for speech function is long and exceedingly complex.  Yet a healthy child between the ages of 0- 3 years – through an intense ability to imitate the activities of the people close around him – begins to utilize these structures and to coordinate them in a highly complex fashion in order to be able to use speech as a means of both emotional and later intellectual communication.

A child who suffers from Global Developmental Delays will have difficulties related to all four of the main accepted developmental areas.  There is almost nothing in his or her own development that will not be touched.  From the side of the rehabilitation it would make sense if the child could be sent to a Global Developmental Specialist.  But this profession does not exist.  The typical result for the child and family is then that the child will be dutifully sent from one specialist to the next:

• The speech therapist
• The occupational therapist
• Riding therapist
• Swim therapy
• Eye Doctor
• Neurologist
• Orthopedic specialist
• Physio-therapist
• Special Education teacher

And the list goes on and on.

ABR Program and Method has shown that for children especially, all development is “Global”. One cannot disconnect one area of development from the other – in the human organism development of one “area” is dependant upon the stability of other areas.  We cannot dissect the developmental regions and place them on the floor of some workshop as one can do with a car – put the brakes in one corner, the carburettor here, the engine there, the starter motor on another spot!  This does not work with the human being.  Activities and capabilities rest upon each other – are interdependent and co-exist.

The parents and children in the ABR Program have found a fortunate means of global developmental enhancement.  ABR is a Program that promotes transformation of all developmental levels respecting the inter-connectivity of processes within the human being.

If as an ABR Parent one comes to work on the neck or the throat of the child one will be promoting a wide variety of functions all at one time.  ABR neck applications typically help the child with:

1.  Stability of the upper respiratory tract – improving respiration flow
2. Swallowing
3. Neck stability
4. Head control
5. Eye stability – even vision
6. Sound production and variation of tone
7. Inner coherence of the proprioception – body map
8. Connectivity in respect to the surroundings and environment

In this way we can see that the soft tissue remodelling achieved through ABR applications work as a foundation for the child’s higher development – whether having to do with basic life functions which are depnedent upon a stable intrinsic strength of connective tissues, –  or higher capabilities such as speech and understanding.

ABR works as a Global Developmental Enhancement tool, allowing parents and caretakers to dramatically change the life and life quality of mild to severe handicapped and special needs children.

Diane Vincentz

ABR Denmark

Director

In children with cerebral palsy and other related disorders, as well as in  individuals with reduced muscular skeletal function, one is dealing with widespread degenerative processes that have a spiralling negative effect on all tissue systems.

The bone layer, in the sequence of layers from the surface of the body inwards, is the deepest structure. – If we name the main layers of tissues from the surface of the body moving inwards we find:  skin, fat, muscles  – and then bones.  The bones are structures that are also highly dependent upon sufficient mechanical stimulus in order to maintain their structural integrity.  When sufficient mechanical loading or mechanical stimulus comes to the bones through the outer layers, then the bones will “model” and “re-model” themselves in respect to the stimulus from the surrounding tissues.

In the case of children or adults with a weakened connective tissue system, these very “bone structures” receive much too little mechanical stimulus from the interaction with the physical forces of the environment through the surrounding tissues.  In this case, the bones do not grow sufficiently and do not go through the structural transformations necessary to bring the person to the next functional level.  Or – even if they more or less keep growing in the length, the bones do not achieve the needed bone density that is necessary to properly bear and carry the weight of the child.  Problems such as hip-subluxation, scoliosis, contractions, spontaneous fractures are only the most obvious problems which show up.  All of these difficulties have deeper lying origins, which are related to the general weakness of tissue quality and the inability of the surrounding tissues to transfer mechanical stimulation.  Of course – at the same time – the entire organism is lacking the physical movement necessary for positive tissue remodelling.

When the general respiratory/metabolic level is weak, the individual will exhibit a diminished tissue quality.  The skin, the adipose fat, the muscles – all show signs of weakness and depletion – or in fewer cases but also present,  the fat layer will be thick and overly dense. Neither the overly dense tissues nor the depleted tissues can provide a proper surrounding and base for sufficient bone stimulation.

When the bone – as being the most dense layer of the body – is weak, then this also has a cascade effect outwards towards other tissues.  In general the connection between the bones and the surrounding tissues is of poor quality.

Direct mechanical stimulation of the bones is made possible with the Osteo-tapping method.  With this method we can achieve:

Improved bone remodelling and growth

1. Leading to an improvement in bone density
2. Improved “roughness” of the bones – the roughness being necessary for the bone attachments to surrounding tissues and to muscles. (Smooth bones do not have enough ridges and rough areas. These need to start to appear and are the sign of  the necessary  connective tissue attachments to the deep skeletal levels.)
3. Improved “enthesis” or attachments between the muscles and the bones. The enthesis is the connective tissue arrangement between the ligament/tendon and the bone. When the tendon to bone attachments are weak, then the muscles do not have the needed stability for the muscle contraction.   Then the motor function happens in a disorganised manner.
4. By stimulating the bones in this fashion, we stimulate the entire connective tissue “cake” – meaning all other layers are stimulated with the improved bone stimulation.
5. The vibrational movement of the stick done in an open chain fashion also helps the child or adult to release a great amount of accumulated tension. Wheel chair bound persons collect tensions the entire day, because they cannot perform basic movements, move their arms and legs and do other activities all of which allow for tensional release.
6. The tensional release also translates into improved sleep and relaxation. Many families are reporting an improved sleep of the children when tapping is performed during the day and before bed.
7. Reduction of spasticity in the feet and in the hands is apparent with consistent Osteo-Tapping combined with the power socks or other wrap methods.

At the same time this is one of the easiest of all the ABR methods to perform.  It can be done at any time of the day with a most minimal set up.  Positioning is not difficult!

We have been happily observing the positive development effects of the Osteo-Tapping method and encourage our families to use this method on a day-to-day basis.

Diane Vincentz
ABR Denmark
Director