Mike
father of 15 month old James with a diagnosis of spastic diplegia
We had been researching and came across a number of blogs written by other families that have children with CP. Their children seemed to experience major gains with ABM (Anat Baniel Method).
We decided that now is the time, when James was 15 months old, to allow for ABM to aid his awareness and understanding of his body before he experienced the strength training approaches of other types of therapy.
We decided to work with Judy because she came highly recommended from other parents. We were also able to use our health insurance to help pay for the therapy.
Before seeing Judy, James was able to reach out and play with objects with his hands. He was able to roll from his front to back but not from his back to front. He was unable to sit independently or crawl, and often screamed.
James needs constant close supervision, which can be stressful at times on everyone. It is also visibly hard on James as he desires more independence but struggles to achieve it.
After James’ 3 Introductory sessions, he was able to loosen up which allowed for more flexibility. We were surprised with how quickly James was intentionally rolling. He seems more content as rolling has giving him further independence and success.
The ABM method is very different from other therapy options. It is confusing as a parent to choose a therapy path for your child.
In our case, we decided that we agreed with the approach of ABM to awaken James’ central neurological system and make James more aware of his legs at the earliest stage of development as possible.