Anat Baniel Method© and Feldenkrais© for Children

Feldenkrais© and Anat Baniel Method © For children with special needs

I have been working with adults and with children with special needs since 2004.
Working with these 2 related methods can help children with a variety of issues to improve their ability to move and support the learning process itself.

Many of the children who come to me have movement limitations, often due to a condition or a brain injury. The sessions can also be very helpful with speech difficulties and for children who have been given a spectrum diagnosis.

Appointments are available throughout the year in Dublin. Below are frequent conditions which children are brought to me with. There are many others, however, which are less commonplace. Please contact me with any questions.

One thing we loved from the beginning is that Mark never focused on the condition but instead focused on Evie as a person and what her needs and abilities were.  Within a few months, Evie became used to working with Mark and we all thoroughly looked forward to the sessions.
Victoria and PaulDublin
Thanks to Mark, our daughter Evie has achieved things we never thought were possible.  They might seem like small things to other people, but they are huge to us, and they all build up to the bigger things. I would absolutely recommend Mark as a therapist and as a family we can’t thank him enough for the changes he has made to our lives. 
Victoria and PaulDublin
Alexandra came on brilliant after the lessons – she felt really comfortable on her stomach then in january crawled and started walking 4 weeks later !!! She runs and can walk backwards when she wants now. I just wanted to say thank you for your help. Alex really responded well to you and the gentle exercises you did with her and I have no doubt in my mind this brought her to walking as soon as she did . Thanks again and I will recommend where possible again 
Pamela and IanDublin
My journey with FI and Mark has been pure magic
L. H., IACP,
Mark apart is his razor sharp observation and intuition which means he can spot and address your very specific individual needs and ways you can practice feldenkrais to improve – hence his feedback and personalized sessions and adjustments are highly bespoke and effective
JoleneGenev
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Here are some of the ways the sessions can be helpful for kids with special needs:

  • From the inital baby movements like turning the head, reaching and kicking to rolling, crawling, standing and walking and all the stages in between.
  • Helping children more clearly to sense themselves in relation to the environment and others
  • Reduce tension and pain
  • Address sensory issues and oversensitivity
  • Improve gross and fine motor skills
  • Reduce the impact of trauma
  • Gain confidence and feel calmer and more settled.

How do we work with children?

We use gentle movements and a focused/precise touch to assist children to learn what they need for their next level of development. Each lesson is a response to the child’s current capacity and ability. My aim in a session is to help each child learn, with ease and comfort, the relevant developmental steps which will assist them to go further.

In which ways can the method help children?

The method is beneficial for children with a variety of neurological, developmental and genetic conditions because it works with each childs individual capacity to learn. In the lessons I work to create the optimum conditions for each child to take their next developmental step . The principles of ABM are summarised in The 9 Essentials

I work with children both with and without a diagnosed condition, but frequently see children with the following diagnoses and presentations:

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
  • Autism spectrum diagnosis
  • Developmental delay (diagnosed and undiagnosed)
  • Regression/delay due to neurological disease or stroke
  • Difficulties walking, crawling, standing, or with balance, co-ordination and other motor skills

Structuring the sessions

There are different ways to structure the sessions. Some parents come weekly or fortnightly for a period of time while others will come for an intensive group of sessions once every 6 weeks. It is helpful to have consistancy and, at the beginning, I encourage parents to come for 8 sessions quite close together after which we can assess the progress and make a plan for how to continue.