[aris99]

Can someone explain this? Looking for help w/my very stiff 8 mos old dd (adjusted 5 mos old).

Thanks!

 

[kondonis]

I haven't heard of it. Was this something your child's OT talked to you about? What kind of medical history does your child have? this will help...

Stella

 

[kondonis]

I found this on their website

Quote:

13. Functional Integration is the other form of expressing the Feldenkrais Method. Just as Feldenkrais practitioners can guide people through movement sequences verbally in Awareness Through Movement, they also guide people through movement with gentle, non-invasive touching in Functional Integration. 14. Functional Integration is a hands-on form of tactile, kinesthetic communication. The Feldenkrais practitioner communicates to the student how he/she organizes his/her body and hints, through gentle touching and movement, how to move in more expanded functional motor patterns. 15. The Functional Integration lesson should relate to a desire, intention, or need of the student. The learning process is carried out without the use of any invasive or forceful procedure. Through rapport and respect for the student's abilities, qualities, and integrity, the practitioner/teacher creates an environment in which the student can learn comfortably. 16. In Functional Integration, the practitioner/teacher develops a lesson for the student, custom-tailored to the unique configuration of that particular person, at that particular moment. The practitioner conveys the experience of comfort, pleasure, and ease of movement while the student learns how to reorganize his/her body and behavior in new and more effective manners. 17. In Functional Integration, the practitioner/teacher's intention is instructive and communicative. 18. Functional Integration is usually performed with the student lying on a table designed specifically for the work. It can also be done with the student in sitting or standing positions. At times, various props are used in an effort to support the person's body con-figuration or to facilitate certain movements. 19. The Method is based on principles of physics, biomechanics and an empirical understanding of learning and human development.

also they say this:

Quote:

The Method is not a medical, massage, bodywork, or therapeutic technique. The Method is a learning process

Was this suggested to you by someone or rather, how did you come across this? in your research, does it say anything about it's results on infants?

Movement is always a good thing, especially in a stiff baby, but I would ask you if you were also getting occupational therapy (which works on the specific muscules that are stiff, among other things.

it sounds like they could work very well in tandem! Movement is always a good thing, but truthfully, I'd be very wary of letting a practitioner work on my baby who a) was not trained with children, not experienced with children, not experienced with children with their specific medical condition, and never before I got a ton of references from other parents whose children were like mine who benefitted from it.

but, tell me more about your baby - what is her history?

 

[aris99]

Thanks for the reply Kondonis...

I was rushing thru the posts written on the introduction of solids and I came across this term but am unfamiliar w/it so I thought I'd inquire...now just have to figure out how this relates to infant massage or PT...

 

[BetsyNY]

www.anatbanielmethod.com

Look through this site, and then let's go from there.

In a bit of a rush but let me just say this--Feldenkrais has helped our boys tremendously. I can't say enough good things about it.

 

[sehbub]

Also, you can PM Amys1st...her husband is a PT and familiar with the method.