People with complex needs often use behaviour to tell us many things about themselves.  There may be many underlying reasons for behaviours.  A seizure disorder can create attention difficulties, behavioural and emotional outbursts.  Food allergies can create difficulties with a person's ability to calm themselves.   An underlying physical tension can create bowel difficulties. Sensory difficulties can affect a person's movement and interaction with their environment.  An assessment process that is open and mindful of the potential reasons underlying behaviour can help determine the underlying cause, which can then increase the chances of addressing behaviour more accurately thus supporting the quality of life for that person.  It is acknowledged that compensating for underlying physical, sensory, emotional, communication and social needs is complicated and can be exhausting! 

In the workshop suggestions for observation strategies will be taught to help determine potential difficulties. Additionally, a referral list of health care practioners that can support health will be provided and communication/education strategies to other team members will be shared.  Many needs can be expressed through behaviour; the more accurate we are at determining the underlying causes, the better we can support the health and the quality of life of the people we serve. 

During the workshop participants will have the opportunity to explore the areas associated with various behavioural expressions of need. Via an illustration of case histories, and with active participation of participants, we will explore throughout the day the concepts related to the above areas.  Participants will have the opportunity to engage in practical exercises to enable application of these concepts into their own programs and practice.

This full day experiential workshop introduces participants to Bal-A-Vis-X combined with the learning readiness benefits of Brain Gym to improve integration while using the Accelerated Learning Cycle. BAVX is a series of simple to complex Balance/Auditory/Vision eXercises deeply rooted in rhythm, and utilizing sand-filled bags, racquetballs and so on. It improves full body coordination, focused attention promotes cooperation, self-challenge, and fosters peer teaching. It is user friendly and just plain fun.

Brain Gym is a program of 26 easy and enjoyable physical movements that supports whole brain integration to enhance learning and performance. Adults, children, and seniors all benefit from Brain Gym movements, which bring rapid and lasting changes in fundamental abilities, including: focus, organization, comprehension, physical coordination, social and communication skills, memory, attentiveness, and more. Participants will have an opportunity to use the BAVX activities while systematically increasing the complexity and then experience doing some Brain Gym activities. They will then return to BAVX to notice the improvements.

This workshop is designed for those who interact with children and adults experiencing sensory, cognitive, motor, and behavioural difficulties. The HANDLE paradigm has proven itself a practical tool for achieving functional outcomes by applying a systems approach to assessment and customized treatment programs for individuals, families, and communities around the world.

Valerie MacLean, Neurodevelopmental Educational Therapist, is a Certified HANDLE® Practitioner and Instructor. She will speak about the international award-winning HANDLE (Holistic Approach to Neurodevelopment and Learning Efficiency) approach.

The premise:
Change the brain (Neuroplasticity & Synaptogenesis) and address the root causes of a wide range of sensory, learning, social, and behavioural issues.
We recognize that many struggling individuals are attending to their inner needs, and have less attention and energy to learn and develop. This is often the case with those who are hyper or hypo sensitive to factors in their environment, those with neurodevelopmental challenges, or those with sensory integration issues.

Background:
The HANDLE Institute International, LLC is an international award winning organization, which provides education on it’s effective noninvasive and non-drug assessment and therapy program. Originator and author Judith Bluestone provided this approach for over 40 years. Currently there are HANDLE Affiliates in more than 20 countries. Fundamental to HANDLE the knowledge that stressed systems cannot strengthen. When we can appreciate the role of the Autonomic Nervous System, we can understand the foundational HANDLE paradigm of Gentle Enhancement. This program addresses the root causes behind the labels, investigating underdeveloped, weakened or challenged systems, or those working inefficiently to compensate for other challenges. The Gentle Enhancement Therapeutic Program is individually designed to address these particular systems by creating new neural pathways and by strengthening underdeveloped or damaged neural connections, through neuroplasticity or synaptogenesis.

Distinguishing Features:

• Assists the brain to create efficient neuro pathways through neuroplasticity and synaptogenesis Utilizes a holistic,
     systems approach
• Draws on neuroscientific principles while incorporating many disciplines
• Looks beyond labels to target root causes of learning, social, emotional and behavioural challenges
• Evaluates a person’s underlying sensory-motor and processing systems and their interdependency and interactions
• Strengthens foundational systems through the employment of the Gentle Enhancement® Therapy Program
• Based on a deep understanding of the Parasympathetic and Sympathetic divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System,
      Vestibular Functions, and the Cerebellum
• Provides guidance for implementation of activities at home or other settings
• Requires less than 30 minutes a day to implement, anywhere and anytime
• Applies to all ages and most disorders including chromosomal
• Recognizes signs and symptoms that often bring children and adults into developmental or mental health clinics as indicators of underdeveloped foundational systems
  
  Learning Objectives
  
  1. To present the HANDLE® paradigm and its basis in neuroscience.
  2. To illustrate how this extremely gentle movement based intervention can promote efficiency and functionality, and in turn,
          decrease emotional and physical stress. The Gentle Enhancement® therapeutic intervention directly promotes a more
          integrated functional sensory system through neuroplasticity and synaptogenesis.
  3. To present how, and teach the HANDLE’s Learning Foundations Assessment Tools®, assess and evaluate an individual’s
          sensory competencies and inefficiencies, and learn how to formulate individualized Gentle Enhancement® Therapy
          Programs.
  4. To demonstrate and learn how to practice some HANDLE activities, within the paradigm of Gentle Enhancement®.
     
     Judith Bluestone is the originator of the HANDLE approach. Her first book, The Churkendoose Anthology, includes personal accounts of triumph over neurological disorders as well as insights into HANDLE theories and practices, and has just gone into its second printing. In her book The Fabric of Autism, Weaving the Threads into a Cogent Theory, Bluestone combines her personal autistic experience with academic research and more than 40 years of clinical practice to craft a unique and compelling view of the phenomenon called Autism.
     
     HANDLE has helped:
     
     • Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders; ADD/ADHD; Dyslexia; Learning Disabilities; Tourette’s Syndrome;     Brain Injury; Stroke; Cerebral Palsy; Bipolar Disorder; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Dyspraxia; Dysgraphia;     Dyscalculia; CHARGE & other Rare Syndromes
     • Families concerned about Perplexing Behaviors; Language Delays; Organizational Issues; Memory Problems; Disorders     Deemed Psychological in Nature; Sleep Disorders; Work Efficiency; Social Interactions; Mental Health; Maximizing Learning     Potential
     
     What others say:
     “I am a Paediatrician, who against and despite all my medical school training – treated my own child and still treat my patients with Autism using biomedical therapies. However, there was always something missing – a piece I did not get, not taught in Med School, not fixed with supplements and nutrition – HANDLE is it! I think I get it. Thanks Judith Bluestone for sharing all you’ve learned”
     
                                                                                         Dr. Wendy Edwards, Pediatrician & Parent - Chatham, Ontario Canada
     
     
     Valerie MacLean is the director of the Phoenix Centre for Neurodevelopment and Learning Efficacy. The Phoenix Alternative Learning Centre is located in Peterborough Ontario. It is a therapeutic centre within an educational environment, where students participate in academic, cognitive and neurodevelopmental programs. The Phoenix Centre for Neurodevelopment is a clinical setting. Clients from across Canada, and U.S.A. participated in the Neurodevelopmental Evaluation and Gentle Enhancement Therapeutic Program. Additionally, Phoenix continues to provide HANDLE courses across Canada. Valerie has given many presentations at national and international conferences, and is involved with several projects with The HANDLE Institute International LLC. Valerie is Canada’s first Certified HANDLE Practitioner and only Instructor

Who Might Attend: This workshop is ideal for everyone; it is especially beneficial for people who live on the edge of burnout from stressful lifestyles, and /or keeping up with the demands of caring for others.

While providing and promoting quality of life to others, many caregivers operate on the brink of burnout. A few minutes of self care can go a long way in renewing one’s sense of well being. During this workshop participants will learn about, and. have the opportunity to practice, various relaxation techniques of mindfulness, movement, and hands-on care. We will also take a common sense approach to incorporating these techniques into your daily life. These easy-to-follow approaches to relaxation can be practiced within a few minutes during a break at work, in the luxurious privacy of your own home, or during everyday life situations as they occur.

Mindfulness: Participants will learn a variety of straightforward focusing techniques i.e. letting go of worry, affirming what you want, watching the breath, giving thanks, and guided imagery. These techniques of mindfulness are designed to relax the mind, promote mental discipline, stimulate mental clarity, and restore a positive outlook.

Skeleton Dance: This light-hearted approach to movement uses principles of perpetual motion balanced with moments of stillness to free up the skeleton. Particular attention is given to lubricating the joints, shaking out the limbs, and “laying down the bones”. All of these techniques help release tension, increase flexibility, encourage free self-expression and renew your vital life energy.

Hands-On Care: Focusing energy through the hands is an innate ability common to all people. Participants will learn about the basic principles of hands-on care, and have time to practice on themselves and others. Receiving and / or giving hands-on care promotes overall relaxation for the giver and the receiver. States of deep relaxation trigger the para-sympathetic nervous system, which awakens the body’s natural ability to restore balance on all levels.

Practical Applications For Daily Life: Relaxation techniques are an effective way to manage daily stress and rebalance your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy. Whatever your chosen lifestyle, all of these relaxation techniques are easy to learn and simple to practice, and can be applied in everyday situations. During the workshop ample time will be given to explore practical ways to incorporate what you learn into your daily life. In addition to learning how to prevent burnout, another practical benefit of this full day workshop can be related to the known principle that states that “what we learn we can also teach”. So, eventhough this workshop focuses on prevention of burnout and is intended to teach care givers how to take care of ourselves, the knowledge base and practical ability acquired during this workshop will also enrich participants’ “tool kit”, resulting in increased ability to also implement into, and use, these techniques in supporting the people we serve.

This one day workshop will provide a program for a caseworker to implement in their facility that develops and expands the physical involvement of the people they serve. It will discuss the basic physical needs of the human body, the approaches to develop and expand the physicality of clients, as well as, the physical empowerment, learned-helplessness and other limits of establishing set goals.

Topics will include:


1. Physical –Cognitive – Spiritual model of care
• Significance of the physical domain
• Connections between physical and cognitive
• Limitations – physical, cognitive and ‘follow the leader’.


2. Evaluation of physical avenues of care
• Personal limits of activities
• Health screening, PAR-Q and red flags
• Designing a physical fitness battery of tests
  • Posture
  • Balance
  • Agility
  • Power
  • Endurance
  • Aerobic
  • Body composition
    
    
3. Outcomes:
• Significance of outcomes for awareness and planning
• Qualitative and quantitative options
• Developing outcomes
• Multi-professional role
• Reports and modifications
  


4. Structural Faults and problems
• Postural
• Cumulative degeneration
• RSI/CTD
• Fall risk assessment


5. Core stabilization
• Scapular stabilization
• Osteopenia & Osteoporosis
• Other: Diet
• ‘Side Effects’, errors and problems of increasing client activity!
  


6. Facility Needs

• The value of ‘Low Tech’ programming
• Identifying circuit programs within a facility and neighbourhood