Now, the book that I have written has been turned into the publisher and I want all of y'all to say some big prayers as this book NEEDS to be published. It is God driven and written from what I call 'the trifecta of understanding.' What this means is I live with special needs of my own, I bore two children with special needs of their own that I successfully treated, and I have worked with special needs for 25 years as an OT. I believe I have earned the honor of writing a book given this type of cellularly felt knowledge of understanding. Wouldn't you agree?
'The Dragonfly Approach' is what I myself deem the absolute justice you can do for each of your pediatric kids because it is based on knowledge, understanding, and treatment of the whole child, not his/her parts. It is a wholistic, healthy, spiritual, feelings, and OT treatment type approach.
'The Approach' includes:
-Testing and recognizing the presence of retained reflexes. This is the most important piece of the puzzle and must be addressed or your child will have no foundation to work off of! I am floored at the number of therapists that are not looking at this at all and they wonder why some of the goals that everyone has set for the child are not being met and everyone is so dang frustrated.
-Treating these retained reflexes with exercises and cold laser with harmonic frequency practice. If you don't know what this is, look it up on line. This type of treatment acts as the needles of acupuncture but works twice as fast. It also utilizes cell energy, regeneration, the meridians, and acupoints of the human body. I also give daily exercises for home to each of my families to help integrate these retained reflexes faster so we can work on higher centers in the brain.
-Nutrition is imperative for a healthy gut and a healthy body and brain. If you are putting processed, poisoned foods into your body and the bodies of your kids, stop right now because you are damaging them and yourselves. I am now an advocate of Juice Plus+ and all of the research and hard work they are putting into the importance of plant based whole foods that is our body's fuel and if you want your body to work for you, you better take care of it. Did you know that 70% of the bodies immune system resides in the intestines? Leaky gut is real and when I don't eat properly, my leaky gut kicks my tail.
-Sensory integration issues are the direct result of retained reflexes. This type of sensory integrating therapy needs to go hand in hand with intense retained reflex integrating exercises. I do both at the same time.
-Get your kids a DEVELOPMENTAL eye exam if they are struggling with reading or school in general. This is different from a regular eye doctor. Your child has to have good eye development if he/she is to be able to do well in school.
-Aquatic therapy is a piece that I feel is imperative for certain types of children. The hydrostatic pressure is like a big water hug and feels so good to those sweet children. Now, not all clinics can provide this and if this is so, get your child into a pool and just play! It'll do them good.
-Hippotherapy is my latest and greatest medium that I have had the honor and privilege to add to 'The Approach.' The movement of the horse is rhythmic when it is walking. This rhythm is key in aiding the reorganization of the brain-body maps located in our brains. There is a whole bunch of literature and teaching on rhythmic movement therapy and the cool thing about the horse is, its doing it with just the ease of walking around a corral. There are a ton more benefits of horse assisted therapy and can be easily Googled and read about.
-Therapeutic Listening is a program that I love and use with just about every child on caseload. This therapy utilizes the vestibular system located in the ear and through modified music, can do wonderful things to the brain and its organization or re-organization. Vital Links is my go to program.
-Brain Beat is a program that utilizes the visual system, the motor system, the auditory system, and our inner timing. This program helps with timing, sequencing, and attention by helping the synapsis of the brain run in a more organized and fluid way.
-Biofeedback is one of the most awesome thing I use right now. I actually had a child who is so 'busy' and has never been able to feel what a calm state is until he worked on biofeedback. I got tearful when he looked at me and said, "I have never felt like this before, Ms. Sharon . . . never this calm." Holy cow!
-Yoga is one of the most powerful tools for getting in tune with our bodies. My OT kids absolutely love their yoga classes that I teach each Saturday morning and during their OT sessions. There are loads of benefits to yoga. I have also added a meditation and centering piece so these sweet kids can enter into a self-induced stated of calm. When was the last time you or your kids were calm? Sleeping doesn't count.
-Essential oils are Mother Nature's gift to us. For years I thought they were hooey, but boy was I wrong. I am a wholesaler for the Plant Therapy company and these folks do not have a pyramid scheme to support so their prices are incredibly affordable and their oils are 100% pure and wonderful.
Now, folks, I realize that not every clinic you are attending can offer all of these things and I'm not saying that my approach is the end all of approaches, but I can say that I am seeing things in these kids that are incredible. I have families in tears thanking me for bringing their child out of themselves and into a world that is easier for them to be a part of because of the skills they are accomplishing.
I have a huge beef with docs throwing meds at these tiny kids before the root of the problem is discovered. That's wrong y'all. Throwing pills at a little kid is like putting a band-aid on a pussy, oozing, bloody sore and expecting it to get well. It ain't gonna happen.
In my opinion, the marrying of Western and Eastern medicine is a necessary and vital thing for our human race. Pills are not always the answer but the natural ways of Eastern medicine can compliment the Western beliefs and pills should only be used as THE VERY LAST RESORT.
I realize the benefits of penicillin, antibiotics, depression meds, certain cancer drugs, etc. but getting to the root of certain issues can not only save a child, or yourself for that matter, a lot of added side affects from that pill that can sometimes outweigh the very need of those pills in the first place. Wouldn't you agree?
Before we run to pills, lets take the Eastern philosophy and practice into consideration first. Lets look at what the child's birth looked like. Were they born by C-section? Did the mom get a virus at a critical time of pregnancy? Was their undiagnosed diabetes, etc.? These things can cause retained reflexes which are located in the most primitive area of our brain called the brain stem.
If we start our investigation of each child at the brain stem level and not at the top more complex of the brain for the answers, loads of information can be learned and help start a good strong foundation of recovery.
I pray that my book gets published as I feel 150% sure every parent with or without kids with special needs will learn and feel empowered to ask the questions that need to be asked of every healthcare worker on your team. Trust yourselves parents for you are driven by 'intuitive neurons' and they are whispering to you when you feel something isn't quite right either about your child or anything else in your world for that matter.
Love y'all!!