6 Ways to Improve the Manual Ability of Your Special Needs Child
by Rosalind Doman
The staff of Doman International teach families of special needs children a specialized and customized treatment program at their first appointment. By the end of the 3 day appointment at one of our worldwide clinics, the family has an overview with a Doman International Director to review the child’s treatment program, and to answer any question the family has.
It is a common question of parents, at the end of the appointment, to ask, “Does our child receive a specific program to improve their use of their hands?”
Fair question. Here are 6 fundamental ways that the Doman Method® helps manual ability in kids:
1. Patterning:
Parents are always surprised to hear that Patterning, one of the Doman Method® fundamental programs, is an important manual program. The average patterning program takes about 30 minutes (spread out throughout the day). As the family does the patterning session, a family member opens up the child’s hands and gently brushes it on the table as it is moved from above the head to the child’s side. This is great for both tactile ability (the ability to feel) and manual ability. The hands are opened at least 25 times per minute, in a 5 minute pattern - giving a child 125 opportunities a day to feel stimulation and to improve hand function.
2. Tactile Stimulation:
If a child can not feel their hands properly, how can they use them properly? The tactile stimulation program is done on the child’s body, but especially on their hands. About 5 years ago, a little boy named Nicholas had been trying for months to hang from a overhead bar, but could only hang for a second. Parents, staff and Nicholas were frustrated that he could not hang for longer. We asked him what the problem was, and Nicholas being smarter than staff and his parents, responded that “his hands felt like sausages.” How could anyone expect “sausages” to hang? Nicholas received an intense tactile program for the next three months with no hanging. After the three month program, Nicholas went from hanging for 1 second to hanging for 30 seconds within two months. This showed us how important tactile integration is for the hands and body.
3. Read our books:
The book, “Fit Baby, Smart Baby, Your Baby” has an incredible amount of information to help improve a child’s manual ability. While the book has “baby” in the title, it is helpful for any child with special needs. The book gives recommendations for every level of manual ability that a child might have. At each level there is a description of the level and program of activities that can be done to promote that level of manual ability.
4. Stimulate each level on the Developmental Profile:
Our Developmental profile is an amazing guide to help manual ability. To help a child advance to the next manual level on the profile, the best thing to do is reinforce and stimulate the prior level. This is why an understanding of the Developmental Profile is so important, and why we teach it in the online Doman Method Course!
Let’s say your child has no ability to vital release (i.e. letting go), but has a perfect grasp reflex. This reflex at Level 1 on the Developmental Profile when stimulated enough will disappear. For an average child this may happen by accident. But for a child with special needs, they may need hundreds of hours of stimulus to achieve the next level. So consider that every time a parent patterns they dedicate 30 seconds to the grasp reflex. The child will have 30 more opportunities daily. Achieving vital release much sooner.
5. Brachiation:
For a child who is able to walk but has problems with manual dexterity or hand-eye coordination, the staff of Doman International would recommend brachiation. The purpose for this program is to improve structure coordination and increase oxygen to the brain. Most importantly the strength in the child’s hands will improve while improving your child’s eye hand coordination. The book, “Fit Baby, Smart Baby, Your Baby”, has an entire chapter on how to teach brachiation. Many mothers of special needs children have taught their child how to brachiate just by using the book.
6. Opportunity:
Like everything with the Doman Method®, giving a special needs child more opportunities is the name of the game. If a parent wants their child to learn to hold a glass, a parent needs to give their child the opportunity to do this as many times as possible. Sometimes children with special needs are not given the opportunity to do life skills, or household responsibilities, for themselves and the family. Legos, puzzles and time to draw are very important for all children, but especially children with special needs.Pick one life skill, activity or chore and give that child maximum activity to do it daily, and make certain it is done with great joy and enthusiasm.