Additional Therapies Can Benefit Special Needs Children

By Nancy K. Crevier

Moderator and school psychologist Joan Nash was joined Tuesday evening, December 2, by a panel consisting of Gina Bradbury and Cindy Freedman, aquatic therapists, Lynn Friebel, occupational therapist, and Barbara Baker, music therapist, at the final program of the three-part “Identifying Possible Delays in Your Child’s Language, Social Skills, and Learning” series. The program, sponsored by the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library, focused December 2 on additional services in the community that can help identify special talents in special needs children.

In aquatic therapy, explained Ms Bradbury, the properties of water are used to help children overcome difficulties in a fun environment. Children on the autism spectrum, with ADD or ADHD, Down syndrome, or other physical and mental challenges can benefit from water therapy, she said. “The warm temperature of the pool and the pressure of the water is used to ‘organize’ kids who may need the comfort of the allover pressure offered in the pool situation,” she said. The buoyancy of the pool gives a sense of freedom to children who may otherwise be restrained by physical limitations, said Ms Bradbury, although for other children that floating sensation can be a little scary.

“Water is viscous. It helps to slow movements down, and this can help children build up protective actions,” Ms Bradbury said. For children who are troubled by balance and clumsiness, a fall on land can be far more traumatic than that same motion in the water. Practicing a protective action from a fall in the pool can translate to land action, she said. “We always try to make the action functional,” said Ms Bradbury.

Because a pool environment offers a sense of flexibility and a lessened fear of falling or getting hurt, more can be done in a pool toward building up body tone, trunk control, and balance, she said.

It is possible to work on both gross and fine motor skills through games and exercises, often set to music, in the pool, said Ms Freedman. “The hydrostatic pressure of the water in a pool increases confidence,” she said, “and the feedback we get is that the aquatic therapy helps with organization and focus, even into the next day.”

Aquatics is also a good resource for children with behavioral problems, said Ms Freedman, reminding the audience that what is perceived as a behavioral issue can often turn out to be a sensory problem. “It’s hard as a parent to decide what is a behavior issue,” she said. Understanding neurochemistry can help parents modulate behavior, Ms Freedman said, citing as an example the order that certain hormones are released into the blood stream that can affect the short- and long-term effects of certain activities. “It’s why you do a series of activities one day and the child has a great day, then you do similar activities again, but in a different order, and have a completely different result,” she said. “You need help to figure out what children need.”

The Danbury School System is one of only a very few schools that offers music therapy, said Barbara Baker, who works at Hayestown School, but it is a growing field that has shown to be extremely beneficial to special needs students. “Music is a motivator and offers positive immediate feedback,” said Ms Baker, who uses a number of simple instruments to help teach colors, numbers, and cognitive skills. “Melody catches the children’s attention, and rhythm helps with speech,” she said.

Even children who suffer from a sensory overload disorder and have a low tolerance for sound can gradually be introduced to singing and music, said Ms Baker. “You may need to start very softly and gradually build up, but keep singing,” she encouraged the caregivers in the audience. “Children usually look forward to music,” she added, and said that she has even had instances where nonvocal children will sing a song in class.

“Kids light up when they’re put into a musical setting,” observed Joan Nash. “This is just one of many opportunities in a community where kids can shine.”

Lynn Friebel of Therapy Kinections in Southbury specializes in sensory issues. She discussed the use of therapy dogs for special needs children, one of several options she offers clients. “Dogs have gotten kids to do things that they wouldn’t have tried without the dogs nearby,” she said. Rupert and Vinnie, the Therapy Kinections dogs, are used as a just one form of therapy, said Ms Friebel. Coordination is often an issue for special needs children, and dogs can effectively be used to improve this skill. By walking the dog through an obstacle course, a child can gain confidence and skills, and the wonderful thing about dogs is that they are nonjudgmental, she said.

Therapy Kinections also provided several handouts for caregivers and parents that defined developmental milestones, and listed websites and resources for special needs. One handout dealt exclusively with the holiday season, a time that can be very stressful for families with children with sensory processing disorders, according to the handout. “Try including your children in the decorating process… When decorating your home, it is important to consider and respect your child’s sensory preferences and needs. This may include choosing lights that stay lit rather than ones that flash…. choosing decorations that are silent. Holiday stories may also cause anxiety, stories about reindeer on the roof, being naughty or nice, etc.”

Preparing the child for any upcoming changes during the holidays is important, as well, and involving the child with things like a “visual shopping list” can be of assistance. Consistency, as is possible, is very important in order for family and child to have a healthy and happy holiday season, suggests the handout.

Panel members Tuesday evening all agreed that it is important to be open to various therapies. “Try different things,” encouraged Ms Friebel. “You never know what will work.”

“Sometimes you discover the love of a child’s life by chance,” Ms Nash added. “If a child has an interest in something, go with it. It can be a stepping stone to improving other behaviors.” It is not always easy to see the strengths in special needs, Ms Nash pointed out, until those eccentricities are channeled in the right direction.

In closing, C.H. Booth children’s librarian Alana Bennison, who coordinated the series along with adult program director Kim Weber, said, “This has been a very educational series. I see a lot of children at the library and we have resources we can point people to, now.”

Packets containing handouts and resource information from all three special needs programs are available in the children’s department of the C.H. Booth Library.