Review of "Autism Movement Therapy- Waking Up The Brain" by Joanne Lara
Lara divides her book into two parts. Part 1 is entitled "Understanding Autism Movement Therapy" and part 2 is called "Behavior- Behavior- Behavior and the Value of Teaching Social Skills".
Autism Movement Therapy (AMT) Lara states is : "a 45-minute, formal, structured movement and music method that stimulates the brain to "wake up" through audio, visual, gross motor and imitation skills" (Lara, 2015, p 13). She then explains how it works:
"the method blends multi-sensory, structured movement and music experience with Positive Behavior Support (PBS) to connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain.”
It is generally accepted that dance and music are very beneficial for everyone. Christopher Bergland, author of ‘The Athlete’s Way’ states:
“Through regular aerobic training that incorporates some type of dance at least once a week anyone can maximize his or her brain function’ (2013, online)
Marcela De Viro, in her article for the Autism Science Foundation entitled “Music Therapy May Help Children with Autism”, states:
“A 2004 study from the Journal of Music Therapy found that music in interventions used with children and teens with ASD can improve social behaviors, increase focus and attention, increase communication attempts (vocalizations, verbalizations, gestures, and vocabulary), reduce anxiety, and improve body awareness and coordination” ( De Viro, M, 2013, online)
I have had teachers in mainstream education tell me that they have noticed significant progress in their pupils after they have started having dance classes with me. I put this down to the fact that, as well as the obvious physical benefits dance provides, it also helps a person to focus, improves concentration and enhances memory skills.
As well as believing in the benefits of music and dance, Lara believes in the principle of neoroplasticity; this is"the ability of your brain to change and adapt in response to experience" (Mercola, 2015). She maintains that it is possible to train a person with autism to respond differently. I have long held the belief that the brain has the capacity to heal the body and affect change in a person, so I was very interested in Lara's claim that AMT targets both sides of the brain through its combined use of music and dance and helps people with ASD improve in many ways.
Lara is not alone in her belief that movement can create new neural pathways in the brain.The Anat Baniel Method also claims that “movement is the language of the brain” ( Baniel, A, 2015, online). Baniel, like Lara, believes in the concept of neuroplascitity and also maintains that movement can affect change in the brain. She states:
“Movement is a window to the brain and movement opens to us a magnificent opportunity to communicate with the brain of the child on the spectrum and help it heal.”
The Anat Baniel Method is a “neuromovement approach in the understanding and treatment for autism and movement.” (Baniel, A, 2015, online). It is based upon the teaching of Dr Moshe Feldenkrais who believed in the plasticity of the brain and in it’s ability to bring about improved movement and enhanced functioning. The Feldenkrais Method “facilitates self-healing through a science-based approach to movement and posture.”
( Sigman, M, 2010) It works by experimenting with slow, gentle manoeuvres which enable you to gain a better understanding of how your body works. Baniel incorporates this premise and develops it further with her Nine Essentials programme.
( Sigman, M, 2010) It works by experimenting with slow, gentle manoeuvres which enable you to gain a better understanding of how your body works. Baniel incorporates this premise and develops it further with her Nine Essentials programme.
Both Lara and Baniel refer to the fact that the principal of neoroplasticity helps explain the concept of 'practice makes perfect' because the brain is developing new neural pathways which hone in on the new skill learnt. Dr Mercola describes this process as “synaptic pruning”—elimination of the pathways you no longer need (Mercola, 2015,online).
They both maintain that, if the brain has the capacity to change, then it should also be possible to affect change in people with ASD. I was interested to see how Lara proposed to do this with her AMT.
In Section1 of her book she goes into great detail about the structure of her class showing how AMT works. She clearly defines each exercise in her programme and states what it's aims are. For example the 'Alphabet Cross-Hemispheric Clapping' exercise is designed to develop eye contact, social interaction with a partner, improve memory, increase vocabulary and stimulate the right and left sides of the brain.
Lara illustrates, by referring to specific individuals she has taught, the benefits of AMT. She also sites the work of other autism experts such as Dr Steven Shore and Dr Temple Grandin, both of whom are on the autism spectrum and are, themselves, examples of how the arts can benefit people with ASD.
Lara illustrates, by referring to specific individuals she has taught, the benefits of AMT. She also sites the work of other autism experts such as Dr Steven Shore and Dr Temple Grandin, both of whom are on the autism spectrum and are, themselves, examples of how the arts can benefit people with ASD.
Lara has also produced a film called 'Generation A : Portraits of Autism and the Arts '. It gives a glimpse into the lives of eight talented people with ASD and shows how the arts have helped them develop as people and enabled them to excel in their particular field.
AMT is seen in action in this film; a young girl at her first session of AMT is shown to be unable to concentrate, or maintain eye contact when being spoken to, but, several sessions later, she is shown in an AMT class to be clearly engaged in the clapping exercise described above, focused and reciting the alphabet with ease. I have since used a variation of this exercise,in small groups, in my drama classes and it has helped my young pupils with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to concentrate.
AMT is seen in action in this film; a young girl at her first session of AMT is shown to be unable to concentrate, or maintain eye contact when being spoken to, but, several sessions later, she is shown in an AMT class to be clearly engaged in the clapping exercise described above, focused and reciting the alphabet with ease. I have since used a variation of this exercise,in small groups, in my drama classes and it has helped my young pupils with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to concentrate.
I am currently teaching several pupils with behavioural challenges so I was interested to see that Lara was attempting to address behavioural issues in her classes using Positive Behaviour Analysis (PBS) and sought to find out more about it. PBS is described as "a set of research-based strategies used to increase quality of life and decrease problem behavior by teaching new skills and making changes in a person's environment. Positive behavior support combines:
Valued outcomes;
Behavioral and biomedical science;
Validated procedures; and
Systems change to enhance quality of life and reduce problem behaviors." (Carr, E.G, et al, 2002)
PBS is a method used in Applied Behaviour Analysis(ABA). The Applied Behavior Strategies website defines ABA as:
"the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior" (ABS, 2010, online).
In her book Lara explains how she uses PBS. She refers to three main strategies.They are:
1: stating the rule- tell the child what is expected of them, get them to repeat what you have said and praise them for repeating what you have said.
2: if and then contingencies - tell the child that if they complete a task or respond well to a request they will get a reward and make the reward instant so that it has an immediate impact.
3: giving a child choices- if you want a child to do something give them two choices which gives them a feeling of empowerment rather than dictating the course of action you require.
Since reading this I have tried implementing the 'choice strategy' with my pupils who have behavioural challenges and it has worked on some occasions but not on others. I found that, in general, the younger the child was, the more effective this method seemed to be. I attribute this to the fact that very young children think in a more black and white way, so are more likely to readily accept that they must choose one of the options you have presented them with; an older child, on the other hand, might have their own idea about what they want to do and it might not correspond with either of the options you have presented them with.
According to Piaget's theories on cognitive child development a child will think in black and white terms until he reaches the 'Formal Operational’ stage of development (. This is the fourth and final stage of development from around age 11 to adulthood. The other three stages are:
Sensori-motor -birth to aged two.
- It is when children imitate what they see and hear from their caregivers and learn that they have some control of their movements.
Pre-operational - two - seven years. In this stage children see what happens around them only from their own point of view. They cannot form abstract ideas.
Concrete Operational - seven to eleven years.
- During this stage children begin to see things from another person's perspective. They can think logically and systematically but cannot look at the abstract side of things.
Formal Operational - eleven years - adulthood.During this stage the logical, abstract and theoretical thought process develops (Child Development Media Inc, 2012,online)
Lara's book is very clearly written and easy to understand. Reading in depth about AMT and how Lara structures her classes has made me want to see a session in action. AMT will be one of the methods I observe for my inquiry research.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Applied Behaviour Strategies , online: http://www.apbs.org/new_apbs/genintro.aspx#definition
Bergland, C "Why is Dancing So Good For the Brain", article : "The Athlete's Way", (2013) online: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-
De Viro, M "Music Therapy May Help Children With Autism", (2013) online: https://autismsciencefoundation.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/music-therapy-may-help-children-with-autism/
Marcola, J "Neuroplasticity Studies Reveal Your Brain's Amazing Malleability" (2015) , online : http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/15/neuroplasticity-brain-health.aspx
McLeod,S (2009), Jean Piaget online: http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
Sigman, M (2010), "Falling For Feldenkrais: A Patient's Progress", online: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-sigman/falling-for-feldenkrais-a_b_614129.html
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