Eating Disorders Disability

We have a team of ABM practitioners that can work with your child. When you bring your child to the Anat Baniel Center you can choose to work with any of the teachers, or we can help place you with a teacher. When Anat Baniel works with a child often times she gives the child some of the lessons in the lesson-cluster and one of her team teachers gives the rest of the lessons in that cluster. If you bring your child to Anat from out of town, she will try to help you find a local practitioner for your child to work with in between visits to her center.

Detailed information for this topic will be coming soon.

To discuss your child's situation, or to make an appointment,
please Contact Us.

Treatment for brachial plexus injuries.

“With the Anat Baniel work, it has been astounding to see the changes. The right arm has become such a part of her body and her experience of life.”
Betsy Ginkel, mother of Grace with Brachial Plexus injury.

What is a Birth Defect?

A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism present at birth that results in physical or mental disabilities or death. Several thousand different birth defects have been identified.

Brachial plexus injuries are caused by damage to nerves that conducts signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Symptoms may include a limp or paralyzed arm, lack of muscle control in the arm, hand, or wrist, and lack of feeling or sensation in the arm or hand. Although injuries can occur at any time, many brachial plexus injuries happen during birth.

Torticollis means twisted neck. It is prolonged contraction of the neck muscles that causes the head to turn to one side. Torticollis may occur without known cause (idiopathic), be genetic (inherited), or be acquired secondary to damage to the nervous system or muscles. It may develop in childhood or adulthood. Congenital torticollis (present at birth) may be caused by malpositioning of the head in the uterus, or by prenatal injury of the muscles or blood supply in the neck.

Steps to Take
for Concerned Parents

If you have been told by your child’s physician that your child has a developmental disorder, or if your parental instincts are telling you something is not quite right (often parents know “something is not quite right” long before a medical diagnosis is given), it is important that your child gets help as soon as possible. Early intervention can make a big difference.

Here are some steps you can take to explore whether the ABM is something you want for your child:

Watch 2 free videos [Please make this a link]: 7 minute PBS DVD on a “global brain damaged child” that now is fully functioning; a 3 children DVD with Anat’s voice over explaining her work.
Read what medical doctors and therapists are saying about the ABM
Read parents’ stories about their child and the ABM.
Read related articles by Anat Baniel
Get answers to frequently asked questions
Read about the Anat Baniel Method
Contact the Anat Baniel Center to schedule an appointment: scheduling@anatbanielmethod.com;
415-472-6622
Find an Anat Baniel Method Practitioner in your area.

Possibilities: A revolutionary approach to helping children with special needs. Reprinted from Massage & Bodywork Magazine, 12-06
(view pdf)
A new approach to helping children with Cerebral Palsy and other brain related disorders
(view pdf)
Working with the Whole Body
(view pdf)
On the use of Ankle-Foot Orthotics with the Child with Cerebral Palsy
(view pdf)
Movement and Learning Based Approach to Working with Scoliosis
(view pdf)
Parent's Stories: Read What Parents Say About Anat Baniel
(view pdf)

What Does Success Look Like?

The child shows some progress / change within the first few ABM lessons or therapy sessions. Otherwise it means that the child is not learning.
The child should feel safe, comfortable and happy in their sessions. True learning is a pleasurable and satisfying experience. Acquiring a better organization of movement, thinking and feeling is an empowering and wonderful experience for the child.
On-going learning, improvement and maturation. In any growth process, there will be fluctuations in the rate of change. However, over a period of any few weeks, certainly months, as the child is receiving therapy, or ABM lessons, there should be clear learning, change and improvement.
At home the child begins to spontaneously do on their own, without encouragement, what she/he was doing in the session. It may take a few sessions for that to happen with any newly acquired skill. If not, most likely the child is not learning and needs to be placed where they will be learning and improving.
In between sessions, you should be able to see some additional spontaneous improvements beyond what was accomplished in the ABM lessons or therapy sessions.