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LEGO®-based Social Development Therapy LEGO® Therapy Can Improve Social Competence The Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health (CNNH) offers an innovative group-based social development program using the LEGO® system. LEGO® therapy has been proven to be an effective way for children with social difficulties associated with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Anxiety, Depression or Adjustment Disorders to improve their social interaction and communication skills. Improvements in social competence enable children to sustain lasting friendships and reach their highest potential. How This Evidence-based Therapy Got Started The LEGO® Therapy was developed over 15 years ago after observing that children with autism and other neurobehavioral disorders were naturally attracted to LEGO® when presented with a room full of toys. Using LEGO® in a therapeutic and structured way was fun and seemed to naturally reinforce appropriate social behavior. LEGO® Therapy has been systematically evaluated in research studies conducted by Daniel LeGoff, Ph.D., and a replication study completed recently at Cambridge University in England under the supervision of internationally-recognized autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D. Each study has shown that using LEGO® as a modality for group interaction and communication with peers increased self-initiated social contact and the duration of social interaction in other group settings such as in the playground and school cafeteria, and improved social competence in general. Here’s How It Works Children come together each week in developmentally staged groups from ages 5-17 years. During the sessions they focus on collaborative projects in a specifically designed LEGO® room. To prompt interaction among the children and help them come up with their own solutions, adult coaches divide up tasks so they have joint and interactive jobs to do. This collaboration requires close interaction and communication among group members naturally reinforcing social contact and good behavior. The participants collaborate on building sets, freestyle projects and even make short “LEGO®-mation” stop-action films using digital video equipment. Each year CNNH holds a LEGO® Film Festival when children can debut their movies for family and friends and enjoy a “movie star” experience. How Will This Help My Child You will see your child identify with a peer group and begin to be motivated by social approval and social status within the group. It has been shown that to become a better LEGO® builder, children need to learn from each other, cooperate, solve disputes, follow rules, and be helpful. These skills are often learned and reinforced by their peers throughout the weekly sessions and generalize to school and home environments. References LeGoff DB, Sherman M: Long-term outcome of social skills intervention based on interactive LEGO® play. Autism 2006;10:1-31. LeGoff DB: Use of LEGO® as a therapeutic medium for improving social competence. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities 2004;34:557-571. Owens G, Granader Y, Humphrey A, Baron-Cohen S: LEGO® therapy and the social use of language programme: an evaluation of two social skills interventions for children with high functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2008;38:1944-57. Epub 2008 Jun 20. For more information, contact Sarah Woldoff, Ph.D. at swoldoff@thecnnh.org What is a Creative Arts Therapist? Creative Arts Therapists are human service professionals who use arts modalities and creative processes for the purpose of ameliorating disability and illness and optimizing health and wellness. There are more than 15,000 Creative Arts Therapists practicing in the United States and around the world. Creative Arts Therapy organizations have been active in this country for over 50 years. What is Music Therapy? Music Therapy is an efficacious treatment for persons who have psychosocial, affective, cognitive and communicative needs. Music is used therapeutically to address behavioral, social, psychological, communicative, physical, sensory-motor, and/or cognitive functioning.
What is Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT)? Based on the understanding that the body and mind are interrelated, dance/movement therapy is defined as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual.
No special skills in music or dance are necessary
Speech and Language Therapy The Speech-Language Pathologist will be available for evaluation and treatment of children on the Autism spectrum as well as patients with other developmental disorders. Assessment procedures will look at receptive and expressive language as well as sound production skills. Areas of fluency, voice, and language pragmatics will also be addressed. Based on the results of the evaluation, a treatment program will be developed which will include specific short-term goals. A communication notebook will be established in order to share with parent and school staff (when appropriate). Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy concentrates on increasing an individual’s ability to participate fully in the roles and routines of their lives. The word “occupation” means anything that the person needs to do in his/her daily activities that bring satisfaction and meaning to them. For children with neurological disorders, it can be areas such as self care skills, play, school related tasks, interaction with peers, and pursuing independence in preparation for adulthood, just to identify a few. Occupational Therapists engage young children in play activities to assess and address deficits in the areas of:
Family training is also conducted to encourage continuity of the therapy at home which furthers the child’s positive outcomes. Feeding and Nutrition Program This service is designed to evaluate and treat children with swallowing (dysphagia) and feeding problems that have interfered with the child's growth, health, nutrition and development. The feeding difficulties typically fall into the following categories: Failure to thrive, failure to advance texture, over selectivity of solid foods, bottle or tube dependence, total or partial food refusal, oral motor dysfunction interfering with diet advancements, dysphagia related to GERD and other medical ailments and vomiting. After a full review by the medical staff, a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist will complete a thorough dysphagia evaluation. Treatment recommendations are made and a full multidisciplinary approach to therapy is carried out including the services of occupational therapy, psychology and nutrition support services as needed. The primary goal of CNNH Swallowing and Feeding Service is to promote safe, efficient eating using mature oral-motor patterns appropriate for the textures of food offered and to provide the needed support and therapy services so that each child can master these skills by working closely with the family at home and in the school environment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy This psychological treatment approach aims to improve an individuals’ control of their own thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It has strong scientific research support for the treatment of anxiety, mood disorders, OCD, ADHD and other neurobehavioral issues in both children and adults. CNNH offers Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a stand-alone intervention, or in conjunction with other interventions. Medication Therapy When behavioral approaches are insufficient to control a problem behavior, adjunctive pharmacological therapies can be essential for managing “biologically-driven” behaviors. We are very conservative in the use of medications for autism, providing careful pre-screening and ongoing monitoring. Yoga for Children and Adults
Why Yoga? Yoga is a practice of physical and mental activities that originate in India thousands of years ago. It provides an opportunity to work on the mind and body together. Benefits of Yoga:
Who Can Benefit: Yoga therapy can benefit individuals with
Features of Classes: Yoga-based games, Pranayama (breathing exercises), Social interaction, Chanting, Asanas (yoga postures), Savasana (relaxation). Classes Available:
Prerequisites for Group Class: Ability to follow basic directions and perform movements independently; ability to function in a small group. Yoga Research The Healing Power of Yoga Therapy on Back Pain Many people attest to feeling rejuvenated after a session of yoga, however, a scientific study published in Spine Journal confirms the healing power of Iyengar Yoga on people with chronic low back pain. The study compared yoga participants with a control group who did not take the classes to analyze the impact of the yoga therapy. After 24 weeks of biweekly yoga classes, study participants demonstrated significant improvements in functional disability, pain intensity, depression and pain medication usage over the control group. Namaste. |