Undiagnosed Developmental Delays and NeuroMovement®
Undiagnosed Developmental Delays: How to Help Your Child Become a Brilliant Learner with NeuroMovement®
From time to time, we have a child who comes to our Anat Baniel Method (ABM) Center who has not received a formal diagnosis. The condition is often labeled “undiagnosed developmental delays” or “Undiagnosed Developmental Disorder.”
Today’s parents are well aware of the concept of developmental stages, or what are often called developmental milestones. However, the variability in the time frame of development is quite wide. Most children do not necessarily go through each and every one of the known developmental milestones.
With NeuroMovement and the 9 Essentials, we approach each child as an individual, having unique challenges and needs. We don’t attempt to have all children be the same. Instead, we meet each child where she or he is at. We provide the most effective conditions for the brain of most any child to become a brilliant learning brain.
With our holistic approach to learning and development, we have seen many children with a wide variety of conditions gain new skills and achieve developmental milestones.
A Boy with Undiagnosed Developmental Delays: The Story of Julian
I remember vividly the first child who came to me who had “undiagnosed developmental delays.” His name was Julian. He was 8 years old. He could walk; however, his posture was very poor. He had limited language and he stuttered when he spoke.
For me, what was most prominent was the degree to which Julian seemed unaware of his environment and of himself. When I began moving him, every joint in his body barely moved…
In the very first session, I put Julian on his stomach and very gently worked on his back, spine, rib cage, and pelvis to reduce the stiffness in his joints and to increase the differentiation of the movement of his torso….and it worked!
Over time, Julian learned to read, write, ride a bicycle, and engage in social activities; and he even learned to read his Tora section in Hebrew for his Bar Mitzvah.
Julian never got a medical diagnosis, but he certainly got better.
Every Child’s Path of Development Is Unique
We recognize that there are developmental stages that children go through. And if a child is significantly behind, it may mean that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. However, there are great variations in the way children develop.
We also understand that when we try to directly control and force a child to perform what we think she “should” be able to do, we are very likely to interfere in her brain’s development. Click here to learn more about our approach to developmental milestones.
We believe that every child develops at his own rate and through his own unique path.
At the same time, the underlying processes and conditions needed for successful brain development is the same for all children. Your child’s brain is a remarkable system that will grow successfully if given the right conditions. NeuroMovement and the 9 Essentials provide the conditions to help your child become a more effective learner to reach higher levels physical, emotional, and cognitive performance, irrespective of a diagnosis.
The lack of a diagnosis does not stop us from helping your child develop more fully.
How Can NeuroMovement® Help Undiagnosed Developmental Delays?
It’s Important to Evaluate the Risk
What is at greater risk? Waiting until there might be very clear evidence that there is a problem or not? Compare this to the risk of taking your child to an ABM NeuroMovement® Practitioner who can evaluate your child. Perhaps more importantly, a practitioner can help to move your child to the next level of development if there is some kind of interference.
A Practitioner can look at the way your child is moving and acting to be able to determine whether your child’s brain is developing as it should.
NOTE: We believe that it is of the greatest importance that whomever you decide to take your child to, in order to be evaluated, this person should have a positive attitude and a profound understanding of the actual process of development. The person needs to understand the underlying neurological processes that are the basis of any transition from one milestone to another.
About Anat Baniel
A trained clinical psychologist, dancer, and close professional associate of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais for over a decade, Anat Baniel is perhaps best known today as the founder of Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement®.
She is the author of two highly acclaimed books about this transformational methodology: Move Into Life: NeuroMovement for Lifelong Vitality and Kids Beyond Limits.
Anat Baniel has experienced over 30 years of remarkable outcomes with thousands of children with special needs and adults with strokes, injuries, and other limiting conditions. It is through this experience that she developed her innovative, scientifically based approach with concrete and easy-to-use tools—the Nine Essentials—that enable children and adults to move beyond their limitations, making the seemingly impossible possible.
Anat Baniel’s work is at the forefront of the emerging brain plasticity field, helping wake up the brain to its greater potency for learning and change throughout life. Anat has trained hundreds of practitioners in this Method. She collaborates with leading neuroscientists, doctors, and educators including Dr. Michael Merzenich, Dr. Martha Herbert, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Dr. Elizabeth Torres, and others. She and her team work out of the Anat Baniel Method® Center in San Rafael, California.
