The brain is an information processing
wonder. We process and store information in either long term
or short term areas of the brain. When we need that
information again, we retrieve it via a pathway (white brain
matter) in the mapping area (gray matter) of the brain.
Brain mapping is an interesting process. In a nutshell, it’s
like this. Say you move into a new home. You don’t know
where to find the grocery store, the dry cleaner, the gas
station or any other neighborhood establishments you need on
a daily basis. But within a short period of time you’ve
found these places and you no longer have to think about the
specific directions to get to any of these places. You get
in your car and drive right to the spot, almost as though
you’re on “automatic pilot.” Daily we map hundreds of pieces
of information by placing them in a file in our brain and
without even having to think about it, when we need the
information we retrieve the file by going straight to it,
via cognitive maps or highway pathways.
Individuals with autism have difficulty
accessing and retrieving information in both long and/or
short term memory banks. Either the pathway does not exist
or the transmitters are impaired. This makes learning
especially difficult for them. The analogy is that our kid’s
brains function like a library where none of the information
is stored in any organized, categorized way. Think of the
confusion this would cause! The good news is that scientists
now know we can often jumpstart impaired informational
pathways or even create new pathways through a process
called cognitive redirection. This “waking up the brain” is
what Autism Movement Therapy is all about.
What
is Autism Movement Therapy®?
AMT is an empowering sensory
integration strategy that connects both the left and right
hemispheres of the brain (interhemispheric integration) by
combining patterning, visual movement calculation, audile
receptive processing, rhythm and sequencing into a “whole
brain” cognitive thinking approach that can significantly
improve behavioral, emotional, academic, social and speech
and language skills.
The
primary goal of Autism Movement Therapy is that after 12 -14
weeks of two or three 12 minute sessions a week, the
individual will be more compliant when asked to complete
on-task activities, will interact with typical general
education peers more frequently, and will be using both
sides of his brain for processing. Increased overall
self-determination awareness, along with healthier, improved
self-esteem is the ultimate goal.
What
is the theory behind Autism Movement Therapy?
In individuals with autism the left and
right brain hemispheres are more often than not, not
communicating with each other. The left (analytic) or
logical hemisphere of the brain is: verbal, responds to word
meaning, is sequential, processes information linearly,
responds to logic and plans ahead, recalls people’s names,
speaks with few gestures, is punctual, prefers formal study
design, prefers bright lights while studying. The right
(global) or artistic hemisphere is: visual, responds to
tone of voice, is random and processes information in varied
order, responds to emotion, is impulsive, recalls people’s
faces, gestures when speaking, is less punctual, prefers
sound or music in the background while studying and prefers
frequent mobility while studying.
Information travels across the
corpus callosum, which serves as the conduit or bridge
between the left and right hemispheres. Studies indicate
that this bridge can be strengthened.
AMT is designed to cognitively redirect
or re-map the brain. It uses repetition of movement patterns
and sequences to establish legitimate pathways or highways
for the information to travel along. This helps individuals
with autism in processing, storing and retrieving
information in a more efficient and effective manner. How
can this be possible? Think of it this way. You buy a new
home with a guest house in the back yard. No one has ever
lived in the guest house, and the back yard grass is green,
lovely and covers the entire yard. Someone moves into the
guest house, and they use your laundry room, located at the
back of your house. After a while, inevitably a pathway
forms from the guest house to the laundry room. This is how
we make new pathways in the brain, by having the information
travel back and forth, over and over again, along the same
white brain matter transmitters until the brain establishes
that the traveled route is the preferred pathway to the
stored information. Doesn’t sound so impossible after all,
right?
Certainly many parents and
professionals will find the following “mis-association”
example familiar. A child with autism goes to the park with
his father. He sees a dog and as he leans down to pet it,
his father looks up at the sky and says, “What a lovely blue
sky.” A month later the boy sees a dog at a friend’s home.
He immediately rushes over and as he lovingly pets the dog
he says, “ blue sky” - the words he cognitively mapped and
stored in his memory bank during his trip to the park.
Because he is now re-experiencing the same activity, one
that he enjoyed, his brain retrieves the words (speech) he
heard from his father (receptive audio information) that
were stored along with the picture of the dog (language) and
the action of petting the dog (gross motor). When the child
says “blue sky,” adults then misinterpret and misunderstand
the child as thinking the name of the dog is “Blue Sky.” In
actuality, the image of the dog was the visual trigger for
the retrieval of the stored information in the boy’s brain.
Each of us processes information in
this same manner. The difference between processing the
correct information and/or misinformation, as in the above
example, is dependent on the negative or positive
interpretation of the information. We process through audio,
visual and natural cues, which in turn become triggers. A
visual image can be a trigger as well as audio or sound
information, and many times both become triggers for the
retrieval information process. Autism Movement Therapy
utilizes these different forms of information processing and
triggers in remapping the brain. It requires that kids use
receptive language to hear the music, visual processing to
see the physical image and gross motor skills to reproduce
what they see.
What
does an Autism Movement Therapy® session look like?
AMT is fun, involving music and dance
that appeals to all ages! The program is available through
live sessions or through an instructional DVD. AMT is
divided into three levels that take approximately 12-15
minutes to complete, with a fun Hip Hop level at the end.
Each of the three levels is further divided into five
sub-sections: A warm-up, stationary movement, locomotion
movement, improvisation and relaxation or cool down. More
importantly, each of the three levels are designed to
scaffold on the level in the previous section, 3 on 2, and 2
on 1. The student begins with Level 1 and through repetition
and predictability moves to the next level when he has
mastered the movement sequence and patterns, tempo and
rhythm in the current section. In other words, he moves on
when he has “mapped” the sequence and patterns
(information), and when his body will reliably respond to
that information (triggers).
Level 1 is designed for individuals
with EMERGING gross and fine (motor), and cognitive skills.
Level 1 introduces and trains the individual to “map” by
listening to the music (using his right brain), visually
interpret the movement or form of the demonstrator’s body
(using his left brain), and consequently move his body in
space to the music (the whole brain approach). Level 1 is
essentially "Listen, See and Do skills."
Level 2, the DEVELOPING skills level,
is designed for the individual who is more advanced in his
fine, gross, and cognitive abilities and who has mastered
the Level 1 section. Level 2 focuses on longer sequences,
more complex patterns, and an overall general appreciation
of the dance form.
Level 3, the PROFICIENT level, is
designed for the advanced student who has mastered the
skills in Level 1 and Level 2. This section involves more
complex sequencing and patterning and combines improvisation
with more challenging movement.
Level 4 is the HIP HOP level or the
independent instructional level. This level is designed for
the student to dance to the beat, using the rhythm and tempo
skills they have acquired in the previous three levels and
to HAVE FUN! Our kids so often feel left out at parties and
family gatherings and this creative, improvisational level
helps in being more spontaneously engaged.
The goal is for the student to move
easily from Level 1 to Level 3 over time. How long that
takes depends on each student, how easily the brain responds
to the remapping, and how quickly transmitters are being
reprogrammed. The ultimate goal is that the student is able
to execute combinations independently, without the adult
model.
Cognitive
redirection or re-mapping requires dedication, perseverance,
along with repetition and predictability, all keys to
successful interhemispheric sensory integration.
We want our kids to perform well
and work on-task; mastering these basic skills can have an
enormous impact in all other areas of learning. We also want
them to be the best they can be. Autism Movement Therapy
stimulates the brain and wakes up areas that are dormant.
But, like life, it's a process and no two kids respond in
exactly the same manner. The program can be used with
children as young as age three, yet has been shown to be
effective with teenagers and young adults too. Retrain your
brain!
BIO
Joanne Lara, MA is the founder/president of
the nonprofit Autism Movement Therapy, Inc and developed the
aut-erobics DVD. She earned a masters Special Education from
California Sate University Northridge, a[JL1]and
a B.A. in Dance. She has appeared on:
KPFK, FoxNews.com. ABC 7 Eyewitness News, KCSN 88.5 FM LA
Shrink Wrap, Health Net Radio, Autism One Radio, KBUL 970AM
Tommy B Show, WVNJ Sam Greenfield Show, For the People w/
Chuck Harder, The George Putnam Show, the Denver Post,
UPI.com & Forbes Magazine. She is an adjunct professor at
National University in the Department of Special Education.
For more information on AMT and Lara’s program, visit
www.AutismMovementTherapy.com.
“In this DVD Lara gives the gift of her artful knowledge
to children with autism, helping
them to fulfill their wholeness and their
potential."-Martha
R. Herbert, Ph.D., M.D.
TRANSCEND, MassGeneral Hospital for
Children
Professor Pediatric Neurology, Harvard
Medical School
Disclaimer: Publication
of stories should not be considered a
recommendation by Hope Magazine Online as results are not typical and
can vary. The information presented on this site is not intended as
medical advice. Its intention is solely informational. There are amazing
stories out there but please consult a medical or healthcare
professional before starting any new treatment or therapy. DO YOUR OWN
RESEARCH.
