Therapeutic Psychomotricity
Psychomotor therapy is derived from scientific concepts and methods of different disciplines such as Psychology, Body-Psychotherapy, Traumatherapy, Neurobiology, Sport and Rehabilitation.
It can be differentiated into three main categories:
Body-based therapies,
Psycho-sensory based therapies,
Therapies based оn expression related techniques.
Psychomotor therapists provide services that are of great importance for different types of clients:
- Premature babies: Babies born before the end of the 37th week of pregnancy are considered premature babies. In a large number of these infants, psychomotor difficulties are observed, which could be an expression of bonding-trauma. A support of the families of premature babies and the support of the children in their development are tasks of psychomotor therapy;
- Cerebral palsy: A condition marked by impaired muscular coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disorders caused usually by brain disorders before or during childbirth;
- Developmental delay: A condition that represents significant delay in the developmental process between 0 and 10 years of age. In children, four main types of developmental delay are observed:
- Verbal or speech delay. This includes the ability to communicate effectively with others, express and receive information, such as giving instructions or guidelines to solve a cognitive task, or compose sentences;
- Motor delay: This includes the ability to maintain balance, walk, smooth use of hands and fingers and visual and motor coordination;
- Social and emotional delay. This includes the ability to maintain meaningful contacts with others, interact with others, and the ability to interpret social cues;
- Cognitive delay: This category includes skills for thinking, learning, reasoning and memorization. Cognitive delay symptoms include:
- Cerebral palsy: A condition marked by impaired muscular coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disorders caused usually by brain injuries before, during or after childbirth;
- Different developmental delays: A condition that represents significant delay in the developmental process between 0 and 10 years of age. In children, four main types of developmental delay are observed:
- Language or speech delay: This includes the difficulties to communicate effectively with others, to understand and use language, such as producing and using phonems, words, grammar and sentences;
- Motor delay: This includes e.g. the difficulties to maintain balance, coordinate the gross and fine motor skills as well as visual- motor abilities;
- Social and emotional delay. This includes the difficulties to regulatate own emotions, maintain meaningful contacts with others, interact with others, and the ability to interpret social cues;
- Cognitive delay: This category includes difficulties for thinking, learning, reasoning, understanding and memorization.
Beside these delays, other difficulties are mentioned:
- Psychomotor retardation: Generalized problems of psychological and physical activity, whooften appear with severe depression;
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a condition marked by persistently difficulty of concentration, hyperactivity and sometimes impulsivity. ADHD is also marked as a Trauma-coping strategy, begins in childhood and often continues to adulthood;
- Autism-spectrum: A mental state, that varies in a big spectrum of perception and sensory integration. It is mostly present from early childhood, characterized by difficulties in communication and the formation of contacts with others and the use of language. Resources could be in the mathematics and strategics areas;
- General learning disorders: A condition that creates difficulties in acquiring skills and knowledge at the level expected for the age;
- Adaptation disorder: A condition in which the child demonstrates a prolonged pattern of uncooperative, defiant, hostile and sometimes compulsive behavior directed to authority figures and other social contacts. It affects participation in family and school and is seen as an early trauma-coping strategy. The child’s behavior often disturbs the child’s usual daily activities,including activities in family and at school;
- Eating disorders as Binge-eating, Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa are based on self-worth-disorders, self-perception-disorders and and could also be a trauma-coping strategy;
- Anxiety disorders: a category of mental disorders characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a fast heart rate and shakiness. They can be stress and trauma-related and appear unregular;
- Major depressive disorders: A persistently present feeling of sadness and unsatisfaction, as well as a loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities. These kids often don´t play.