Hello NeuroMovement® Friends!

2019 is gearing up to be a great one for new learning. We are structuring our year so that our families can plan ahead and get the best outcomes for students. This includes a simplified, yet potent new offering scheduled 4 times per year.

The blog post ​Please Stop Punishing Kids for Their Invisible Disabilities highlights an important concept in the NeuroMovement® world. As an ABM professional I meet my clients where they are at. Whether it is a child with with ASD,  a teen with Cerebral Palsy , or an adult who has had a stroke. We always start with what is possible for that person. 

I begin by connecting to that individual on the table in front of me. I must let go of my own expectations of what I think they "need" and any desires to "fix" them. Instead, I join their nervous system exactly where they are, and using my understanding of brain plasticity principles, I help facilitate learning so that they are able to create new neural pathways and movement/thinking/feeling patterns.

It's not about me.

Here I'm working with a group of parents at our most recent Super Intensive that is hosted by the collaborative I am lucky enough to be a part of:  ABM Northwest.

Hi Folks!  Many of you lovely parents/grandparents/caregivers bring your amazing children to see me at my office or book lessons when I travel to Eugene or Newport.  

Have you thought about how I might meet YOUR needs lately?

Here's what I offer:
1) Individual lessons:  Come lay on my table and feel the powerful changes your nervous system can create!

2) Group lessons:  Want to roll around on the floor?  I can lead a small group in movement lessons where you can discover another avenue into power of creating neural pathways

3) Workshop: Have a NeuroMovement topic you want covered?  Want to connect with other NeuroMovement families?  I would love to host a "NeuroMovement 101" course.

Click on Contact Kathy to inquire about a service you would like. I am excited to plan my 2019 parent support opportunities and adult lessons.  Hope to see you soon!

Of course I am still working with your amazing children and hope to see them on my table sometime soon! I highly recommend booking a Super Intensive with ABM Northwest too!

Besides the arguments/research/statistics listed in the article warning of the safety concerns surrounding infant walkers, I would like to add a NeuroMovement® perspective.

Please let them be!

Everyone learns to walk in his/her own unique way.  We humans are a dynamic unbalance system (big, heavy head - small feet) which, evolutionarily speaking, gives us advantage over the tiger in the jungle chasing us. But, that is another story... 

​When you consider all the brain power it takes to learn how to balance ourselves in standing and then propel ourselves forward/backward/sideways/etc... it's truly amazing how we figure it all out! Have you ever thought about HOW we, in fact, figure it all out? Well, it all comes back to the brain, and movement. We stumble, we fall, we reach, we look, we desire, we watch.... we learn. Our brain needs massive amounts of information in order to put all the pieces together into the outcome of walking. Our brain also needs time to accumulate the massive amounts of information needed for walking. When artificial "help" is added, it diminishes the rich experience of figuring out how to stack your spine in order to balance in standing or move on your feet. Conversely, when allowed to explore freely this dynamic process of walking, we can create the neural pathways needed to walk in our own efficient, optimal way. 

Consider a photograph. The more pixels, the sharper the image.  Well, it's like that with the brain. The more connections (information) the more optimal/efficient the outcome (in this case standing or walking). 

​If we want well organized, confident, independent walkers. 
​Please let them:

When a child has special needs, this concept is the same! We all need new information to learn how to do anything. ABM lessons facilitate learning through the 9 Essentials of NeuroMovement® thus, creating ways to help our brains perceive differences and allowing the formation of the neural connections needed for desired outcomes.  It's a brain thing! 

I'm lining up my last few trips of 2018!

​MoveAbilites will be headed to Eugene and Newport before the year ends. Please consider taking advantage of NeuroMovement® coming to you, or the possibility of having a NeuroMovement® getaway.  

 In my years of being a traveling ABM practitioner, I have found it to be quite rewarding for a number of reasons. 
When I come to you:

• Yay!  You get to sleep in your own bed and hopefully have just a short drive to come to lessons!
• No extra travel costs: lodging/food/gas/etc...
• There are often opportunities to connect with other NeuroMovement® parents and caregivers who are coming/going between lessons or connecting on a "night out" or gathering (which often occurs)

When you come to me:

• Yay! I'm in a cool town (Portland/Eugene/Newport) and get to spend significant time devoted to ABM NeuroMovement® lessons. 
• Location! While ALL parents need to rejuvenate, special needs parents/caregivers need it MOST. Travel to a different city sometimes gives a much-needed breath of fresh (or salty) air.  It can seem like a lot to prepare for a trip, but once you arrive, it's about the lessons and integration time... not all the rest of "life" that calls for your attention at home.
• ABM Northwest! When you come to Portland you can benefit from the fantastic collaborative team we have. You can have lessons with all of us and benefit from our combined expertise.

Check your calendars and click on the links below to register for your next intensive with Kathy.

Or, take advantage our our amazing NeuroMovement® team in Portland and register for a Super-Intensive. 

Have I introduced you to one of the most exciting parts of my business currently?

Allow me to introduce you to ABM Northwest, a collaboration with 2 other amazing Portland-based practitioners:   Joanna Cutler and Phoebe MacRae.

Together we are: ABM Northwest

In the ABM NeuroMovement® world we think we are better together.  While we all speak the same NeuroMovement® language, we each bring our own personal life experience, understanding of the work, and personality to the table as we give lessons. The children and adults in our care benefit greatly from the variation and we can all follow and/or lead each other on similar threads of learning throughout a series of lessons. We each have something valuable to offer our shared clients.
 
ABM Northwest has created a dynamic series offering called a Super Intensive. This format offers clients a 3 day intensive, with 3 lessons per day (1 with each practitioner) plus a parent/caregiver education piece each day.  We LOVE it!  

When was the last time you, as a parent/caregiver had a NeuroMovement® lesson?  We have found that the most common answer when we inquire about a parent lesson is:  "I am just going to give all the lessons to my child."  Well, we feel that it is extremely important to have an understanding of NeuroMovement® from a deep feeling level. When you enter this process as a learner, you become a better observer of your child's progress... plus, you will also learn a little something about yourself along the way. 

Won't you join us?

​We have 2 more Super Intensives scheduled for 2018.

GATHERING

I enjoyed dynamic collaboration with the PT's at McKenzie Crossing Orthopedic Physical Therapy. Thank you, Cheryl Gesik for inviting me to explore ABM NeuroMovement with your curious staff.  I can't wait for our next collaboration.

CHOICES

Singing or counting?  Counting to 5 or to 6? My turn or Mukti's turn? This cutie takes it all in quite rapidly!  We work, then take a break, then work, then break. 
​
In ABM terms it can be described as learn / integrate / learn / integrate.

HERE AND THERE

​We all have movements/patterns that we do without thinking. A person with CP might experience this powerfully. By naming the movement and going with that system, we can "create" intention into a movement and thereby give it some meaning.  Sweet Annalise was going from here to there as she felt her spine engage in rolling to her side. Smarty pants!

And so.... I guess that this reflection would be about this weekend's last weekend. It was definitely a hot one last weekend when I visited my ABM Friends in Eugene!  My weather app threatened me with a 108* day... but Eugene was kind to me and it only hit 102* on Friday.  Phew.  And while the heat waves were "flowing" so were some series brain waves.  I had a great time with all the kids on my table.  And we all came away from the lessons with some new connections (neurologically and emotionally!)

Joel is the speaker of the above quote (the title to this post) - it's my FAVORITE quote of the weekend! He has so many reflections and we always have great conversations together.  Something we touched on this time was the subject of consequences. We discussed how most people think of consequences as "bad," but in fact, consequences are just the effects of a choice.  Then, we might have some feelings about that consequence and that choice.  For example, we spoke about the consequences of a good night sleep: feeling rested and ready for the next day.  We spoke about the consequences of a healthy meal: getting good fuel into our body.  And it can get a little confusing too!  We thought about after that good, healthy meal, sometimes we might have the consequence of a dessert or  treat - Yay!  But, the consequence of too many sweets might be: an upset tummy.  Hmmmmm, consequences are a little complicated and no matter what they are, they can bring up all kinds of feelings: happiness, sadness, frustration, hunger, anger, joy etc....  I'm so glad I got to work out some of these tough issues with my friend, Joel!

Ollie, as usual, comes in bright and enthusiastic.  He is a long time friend and keeps working so hard to learn,  and feel,  and connect to his body. Our weekend together had some quiet, focused moments and, of course, our usual silly times too. He was working hard to bring himself up to sitting in a beautifully smooth way - Way to go Ollie! Oh, and one last appreciation: I always treasure his "I love yous" throughout our lessons.

Can't you just see the amazingness in this one?!?!  Annalise can captivate anyone in the room - it can be a little hard to get any work done... when all I want to do is just hang out and take her in! Annalise is new to Eugene and fits right into this wonderful community.  Together we softened some stiff shoulders and ribs and figured out some of the pieces of rolling to the side. And, we chatted all along the way.  She is one motivated girl who is definitely on the move!

Killian and I are going to be fast friends!  I just know it.  But since it was our first time together, he was sure to put me through a series of tests to see if I was up for the great task of being his friend!  Well done, Killian!  He was definitely the ultimate "moving target."  While we whirled around the table enjoying mommy hugs, and music, and bean bags, and blocks, we also worked on what Anat calls "attentioning." Talk about a "smart cookie!"  By the end of our series he had a more clear sense of self and more moments of clarity and awareness.  I'm looking forward to our next time together.