“These movements make powerful changes in my clients and help improve their motor skills, emotional regulation, cognitive functioning and self-esteem!” 

 

Maggie Hall, OTR/L, Atlanta, GA

 

Shared with permission

Case Study by Erin Roon, MA CCC-SLP

Speech Language Pathologist
Certified Nutrition Consultant, Feeding Specialist
Rhythmic Movement Training™ Provider
Horizons Developmental Remediations Center, www.horizonsdrc.com

Name: G.

Dates of Sessions in 2010 June 30; July 21; August 10 and 18; October 13 and 21; November 4 and 18; December 10

Dates of Sessions in 2011: January 13 and 27; February 10 and 23; March 10 and 23; April 14 and 28; I also met with parents alone one time per month to update progress at home.

Relevant Information:G. is a nine year old boy diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. He attends a private school 3 hours per day and although he is considered a second grader he is working at a kindergarten curriculum level. Prior to this year G. was homeschooled. G. and his family have been my clients for 3 ½ years. Prior to implementing RMT G. and his parents were engaged in treatment to improve missing developmental milestones and develop relationships. G. also received treatment for sensory based difficulties and tried medication for attention deficit issues. G. is currently on a diet that limits sugar and dairy intake and he avoids certain grains.

 Client Needs: G. presented as a child with abundant energy. Many of his movements were “chaotic” in nature and he did not have a sense of his body in space. He would sit for very short periods and then dart off to something else. Often times he would request an activity, but by the time the adult would get the materials he would only participate for 30 seconds and then be off to another task or making a new request. G. was very impulsive and seemed to act without any regard for what the consequences might be. He was also very sensory defensive and would scream if anyone tried to physically direct him or give him light touch. Suspended equipment was not tolerated and he could not ride a bike. G. often used a very loud voice and had extreme difficulty with listening and following directions. His verbal communication was limited to single words and was typically used to make demands. It was difficult to keep G. engaged in activities for more than a few minutes at a time.

RMT Movements: I started in June 2010 with the passive movements from RMT. We started with doing movements for about 10 seconds each and worked up from there. By the time I saw G. in July we were able to do six different rhythmic movements for up to 30 seconds each. Over the course of the next few months (August and September) G. began carrying the paper with the movements around with him and requesting that his Dad do this at home with him several times per day.

 As we progressed I switched from doing solely passive movements to active and passive movements, as well as the Fear Paralysis movements. Each time I would see G. he had improved from the previous time in his ability to do the movement and the rhythm that he was able to use with them.

 RMT Movements at Home: After each in-person session I would assign the new movements for G. to do at home. G.’s father was the primary person doing the movements with G. and they were done at least one time every day. Often times many of the movements were done multiple times a day at G.’s request. G. started out very slowly with the movements at home, but his dad was able to quickly extend the amount of time they did the movements. The family sent me video of the G. and his dad doing the movements on a weekly basis so that I could monitor progress over time and offer corrections/suggestions for doing the movements.

Observed Differences:  The first noticeable differences were in pacing, as G. began to slow his overall pace down. His need to create chaos and move all the time began to be reduced. This included a reduction in his impulsivity. The next big change that was noted by myself was that G. was able to play on suspended equipment for 30 –60 seconds without crying or attempting to jump off. The amount of time he does this has continued to increase and he now chooses to go in our suspended lycra hammock swing each time he visits and has climbed by himself to the very top layer which is suspended about 7 feet in the air. His parents also noted that he was now riding his bike on his own (this was in late September) (he started riding a tandem bike early in the summer). Around Christmas time we started noting changes in G.’s communication. His articulation improved slightly and he had started to offer his thoughts and initiate conversation. His phrases are getting longer and his sentence structure continues to improve. G. is attending for longer and longer periods of time and can sit and do a fine motor task for up to 10 minutes without leaving. He loves to play games and do art projects which were impossible to do with him prior to RMT. G. no longer complains about the clothes that he wears and seems to be transitioning between seasons and clothing much easier. His willingness to try new foods has also greatly improved. One of the biggest successes is G.’s ability to attend school, participate and actually learn some academics. In fact he has done so well at school that recently his time has been increased to 3 hours and he is attending lunch and playing at recess with his peers. The most recent development for G. is that he is finally beginning to recognize pain when he hurts himself and giving hugs and kisses to his parents. He was not doing this prior to RMT. G.’s overall awareness and presence in the world has greatly increased.

 What have I learned:  The biggest things I have learned from doing rhythmic movements with G. is to start small, go slow and work on it a little every day. I finally feel like after 3 ½ years that I have found the key to helping G. move forward with his development. He still has his ups and downs, but we are seeing a lot more good days than bad at this point. His parents are so committed to helping him and doing this with him every day and his progress shows this. G. is a perfect study for the power of rhythmic movements. I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months bring for him.

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