The continuous changes and needs of young, growing children provide us with both delight and challenge. Toddlers and preschoolers may develop at wildly different rates in each arena of their little lives. We can sort out what is going on inside their little minds and bodies to help them develop balance and secure sense of self and other. Early intervention incorporating developmental movement and mindfulness can change the course of a little one’s life.

Mover and shaker

We sought craniosacral therapy for our son, Gus, in the first few days of his life following a long, intense labor that left his head “molded.” It was amazing to see his hands uncurl and feel our champion nurser’s latch shift to center. 

We were referred to Catherine just as Gus became a mover and shaker. His excitement to move resulted in MANY tumbles and bumps. Catherine was able to make adjustments to the areas affected, all while following him from one end of the room, to the other, and back again! 

Teething and ear problems go hand in hand for Gus. Catherine has been an indispensable component in naturally supporting Gus through these growing pains.

The personalized home programs and DVDs Catherine provides has given us the techniques and confidence to support Gus’ development. An amazing resource for any family!    – Erica

Behavior concerns

From ages two to five, children must make many strides in mastering themselves and their world to develop emotional balance. Young children rely on a secure sense of self and other as they explore work. They also depend on their senses and sensory-motor systems to work well for them to learn self-control.

Problem behaviors are communications from a child’s inner world. Behaviors can originate from developmental gaps, cranial misalignment, birth trauma or health issues. These may lead to poor sensory, sensory-motor and brain organization. Families do have choices that work. Children can lose their labels. Craniosacral therapy and developmental movement therapy awaken a child’s own inner resources.

Movement delays

Delays in large movement and in fine movement skills during early years call for early intervention, as developmental movements underlie maturation of the brain and sensory systems. Your child may need help in balancing tone, whether they are very passive with low tone, or tense with high tone, or have mixed extremes of tension and collapse.

Profound challenges often cause movement delay and poor tone. Children with very low tone, including down’s syndrome and those with very high tone and spasticity, including cerebral palsy, benefit from developmental movement therapy and myofascial toning with craniosacral therapy.

Learning readiness

A young child learns first through movement, relationship, touch and each of his senses. In the early years, certain natural movements form your child’s emerging mind. Through these developmental movements your child prepares for learning and for school by setting in place his ABC’s of learning readiness:

• A – attention
• B – balance
• C – coordination

Attention, balance and coordination are crucial pre-academic skills for a child’s growing brain. As the child does simple, specific moves, she activates neural pathways that organize her brain for early learning and for reading, writing and math. Developmental movements bring these all together in playful activity.

Developmental movement therapy benefits children by engaging natural, playful movements that organize the brain. These early intervention strategies are especially valuable during the formative first years of life. The developmental movements are nature’s design to organize the young child’s brain and body.

Language delay

Language is a complex skill that depends on many of a child’s experiences in the first year of life. A child with language delay may have structural or neurological barriers to speech. Children may have had bonding and attachment issues from complex histories, including prior infant losses in the family or adoption. Children who skipped breastfeeding have fewer resources for speech, including poor organization of muscles of the mouth and tongue. Children who have had birth trauma or overwhelming health problems may be impaired in speech. Children benefit from a combination of craniosacral therapy focused on auditory and oral-facial areas, along with reflex integration of developmental movement therapy.

Health and wellness

Many health issues of early childhood can be resolved with gentle, non-invasive methods. Young children who suffer from chronic health problems, or who are listless or who are tense can find relief with craniosacral therapy and appropriate integrative therapies.

Developmental delay

What goals do you have for your child? What motivates your child? We begin here – with you and your child’s desire to move into an active, engaged life.

Developmental delay can come in many forms, and many mixtures of issues. Stress has interrupted development in many arenas and triggered behaviors which don’t serve the child well. A child’s sensory systems may not be working well for him. Disorganized movement may be undermining his ability to organize his attention or emotions. A child’s behaviors provide us with multiple clues to unravel the puzzle of his hidden being, to remove stress, and to enable the natural unfolding of development.

We can remove barriers to development, and strengthen weak systems. I team with health providers and educators to help children with multiple issues and with pervasive developmental delay or autism spectrum disorder. Early intervention gives us the most powerful access to a child’s innate developmental drivers.

Somatic therapies

Craniosacral therapy and developmental movement therapy are powerful resources to free up your child’s inner resources for development, especially in support of the brain and central nervous system.

What to expect in a session for your toddler or preschooler

 Movement and the Emerging Mind

Body-mind integration through play