Re: Handle / Brain Highways

June 17, 2009

Is there a website for handle/brain highways?

>

> I cannot speak for brain highways, but we have done handle for about 1+

years. After about 4 months of starting the exercises, my son sort of came

together in an overall way, and I even had people asking me what I was doing

with him (even a well known OT in the area). We do about 30-45 min. of handle

exercises per day. I do them myself and you can also teach others to do them

also. Once you get the concept behind it, they are easy to do and short for the

most part, and flexible- can be done throughout the day- a minute+ here and

there. It is different than O.T. It was made for kids/people that have issues

as a baseline, vs NT kids. Handle was developed assuming there were already

problems to work through.

>

> Part of the idea is called 'gentle enhancement', which is about doing the

exercises without stressing the child. It involves the reticular activating

system, which is different than other therapies as far as I know, and retrains

the body to not go into a 'stress state /fight or flight' when stimulus is

introduced, also involving the vestibular system. It is to help reorganize and

put in place neuological pathways that normally develop that many ASD kids miss.

>

> It is a bit complicated to expain in theory, and hard to hit on all of it, but

you can go to www.handle.org, to read more. The creator of it had severe autism

as a child and wrote " The Fabric of Autism " - Judith Bluestone. It is in our

library.

>

> The consultant we go to, I am sure is a genius and does tons of reasearch on

everything and did so before choosing to do handle. Apparently it also has

research done that proves it can change blood flow in the brain after scans are

done after doing handle.

>

> For autism treatments, I consider it cheap, compared to some other things, but

it may depend on the provider you go to also. We had to intially more the

first? 3 months- once a month I recall, and then go every 3 months for follow up

appts.

>

> The philosophy of it fits more with RDI (and greenspan I think), but do not

think it is as compatible with ABA in philosophy.

>

> You can do OT with it also, but our provider said to check with him first to

make sure the OT activites do not work against the handle exercises and

philosophy or I am sure the positive results may lessen.

>

> Hope this helps, I do recommend it to others, as we have had a good experience

with it, and I know others that have also.

> Angie

>

June 17, 2009

I think handle sounds very interesting but how helpful can it be if the child is

still medically unstable? Kathy

Handle / Brain Highways

?

I cannot speak for brain highways, but we have done handle for about 1+ years.?

After about 4 months of?starting the exercises, my son sort of came together in

an overall way, and I even had people asking me what I was doing with him (even

a well known OT in the area).? We do about?30-45 min. of handle exercises per

day.? I do them myself and you can also teach?others to do them also.? Once you

get the?concept behind it,?they are easy to do and short for the most part, and

flexible- can be done throughout the day- a minute+ here and there. ?It is

different than O.T.? It was made for?kids/people that have?issues as a baseline,

vs NT kids.? Handle was developed assuming there were already problems to work

through.

?

Part?of the idea is called 'gentle enhancement', which is about doing the

exercises?without stressing the child.? It?involves the reticular activating

system, which is different than?other therapies as far as I know,?and retrains

the body to not go into a 'stress state /fight or flight' when stimulus is

introduced, also involving the vestibular system.? It is to help reorganize and

put in place neuological pathways that normally develop that many ASD kids miss.

?

It is a bit complicated to expain?in theory, and hard to hit on all of it, but

you can?go to www.handle.org, to read more.?The creator of it had severe autism

as a child and wrote " The Fabric of Autism " - Judith Bluestone.? It is in our

library.

?

The consultant we go to, I am sure is a genius and does tons of reasearch on

everything and did so before choosing to do handle.? Apparently it also has

research done that proves it can change blood flow in the brain after scans are

done after doing handle.

?

For autism treatments, I consider it cheap, compared to some other things, but

it may depend on the provider you go to also. ?We had to intially more the

first? 3 months- once a month I recall, and then go every 3 months for follow up

appts.?

?

The philosophy of it fits more with RDI (and greenspan I?think), but?do not

think it is as compatible with ABA?in philosophy.?

?

You can do OT with it also, but our provider said to check with him first to

make sure the OT activites do not work against the handle exercises and

philosophy or I am sure the positive results may lessen.

?

Hope this helps, I?do recommend it to others, as we have had a good experience

with it, and I know others that have also.

Angie

June 17, 2009

www.handle.org

www.brainhighways.com

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of

dckgmiller

Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 7:10 AM

Subject: Re: Handle / Brain Highways

Is there a website for handle/brain highways?

--- In <mailto:%40> , angiehuiz@...

wrote:

>

> I cannot speak for brain highways, but we have done handle for about 1+

years. After about 4 months of starting the exercises, my son sort of came

together in an overall way, and I even had people asking me what I was doing

with him (even a well known OT in the area). We do about 30-45 min. of

handle exercises per day. I do them myself and you can also teach others to

do them also. Once you get the concept behind it, they are easy to do and

short for the most part, and flexible- can be done throughout the day- a

minute+ here and there. It is different than O.T. It was made for

kids/people that have issues as a baseline, vs NT kids. Handle was

developed assuming there were already problems to work through.

>

> Part of the idea is called 'gentle enhancement', which is about doing the

exercises without stressing the child. It involves the reticular activating

system, which is different than other therapies as far as I know, and

retrains the body to not go into a 'stress state /fight or flight' when

stimulus is introduced, also involving the vestibular system. It is to help

reorganize and put in place neuological pathways that normally develop that

many ASD kids miss.

>

> It is a bit complicated to expain in theory, and hard to hit on all of it,

but you can go to www.handle.org, to read more. The creator of it had severe

autism as a child and wrote " The Fabric of Autism " - Judith Bluestone. It is

in our library.

>

> The consultant we go to, I am sure is a genius and does tons of reasearch

on everything and did so before choosing to do handle. Apparently it also

has research done that proves it can change blood flow in the brain after

scans are done after doing handle.

>

> For autism treatments, I consider it cheap, compared to some other things,

but it may depend on the provider you go to also. We had to intially more

the first? 3 months- once a month I recall, and then go every 3 months for

follow up appts.

>

> The philosophy of it fits more with RDI (and greenspan I think), but do

not think it is as compatible with ABA in philosophy.

>

> You can do OT with it also, but our provider said to check with him first

to make sure the OT activites do not work against the handle exercises and

philosophy or I am sure the positive results may lessen.

>

> Hope this helps, I do recommend it to others, as we have had a good

experience with it, and I know others that have also.

> Angie

>

June 17, 2009

Exactly! I ran into that myself with my child. No therapy helped my child the

way getting her healthy did!

-

>

> I think handle sounds very interesting but how helpful can it be if the child

is still medically unstable? Kathy

>

> Handle / Brain Highways

>

> ?

> I cannot speak for brain highways, but we have done handle for about 1+

years.? After about 4 months of?starting the exercises, my son sort of came

together in an overall way, and I even had people asking me what I was doing

with him (even a well known OT in the area).? We do about?30-45 min. of handle

exercises per day.? I do them myself and you can also teach?others to do them

also.? Once you get the?concept behind it,?they are easy to do and short for the

most part, and flexible- can be done throughout the day- a minute+ here and

there. ?It is different than O.T.? It was made for?kids/people that have?issues

as a baseline, vs NT kids.? Handle was developed assuming there were already

problems to work through.

> ?

> Part?of the idea is called 'gentle enhancement', which is about doing the

exercises?without stressing the child.? It?involves the reticular activating

system, which is different than?other therapies as far as I know,?and retrains

the body to not go into a 'stress state /fight or flight' when stimulus is

introduced, also involving the vestibular system.? It is to help reorganize and

put in place neuological pathways that normally develop that many ASD kids miss.

> ?

> It is a bit complicated to expain?in theory, and hard to hit on all of it, but

you can?go to www.handle.org, to read more.?The creator of it had severe autism

as a child and wrote " The Fabric of Autism " - Judith Bluestone.? It is in our

library.

> ?

> The consultant we go to, I am sure is a genius and does tons of reasearch on

everything and did so before choosing to do handle.? Apparently it also has

research done that proves it can change blood flow in the brain after scans are

done after doing handle.

> ?

> For autism treatments, I consider it cheap, compared to some other things, but

it may depend on the provider you go to also. ?We had to intially more the

first? 3 months- once a month I recall, and then go every 3 months for follow up

appts.?

> ?

> The philosophy of it fits more with RDI (and greenspan I?think), but?do not

think it is as compatible with ABA?in philosophy.?

> ?

> You can do OT with it also, but our provider said to check with him first to

make sure the OT activites do not work against the handle exercises and

philosophy or I am sure the positive results may lessen.

> ?

> Hope this helps, I?do recommend it to others, as we have had a good experience

with it, and I know others that have also.

> Angie

>

June 22, 2009

We started handle before we started and still had many gains from it. This

can obvioiusly differ for individual children. I guess it would be the same as

the idea of still doing other therapies like OT, speech, ABA or other, even if

the kids are not at their physical ideal. I think this idea would also apply to

handle. Even if kids have medical issues that are not stablaized, it may often

be best to continue and or try other therapies, and then see how they go and try

to get the most out of them that one can.

I have also had the opposite problem that you are talking about with my

son. There have been several times I have stopped doing certain therapies and/

or teaching that will not work at that time, until other issues are addressed,

or it is not even worth it. These other issues may be severe enough to not

allow them to 'work', then I tend to focus on the main problem first.

I do think that how handle works however that it would help most despite medical

conditions, unless really severe, as it works on turing stress responses off in

the system. That would be a good question to ask a consultant probably.

Angie

From: JOSKAT95@... <JOSKAT95@...>

Subject: Re: Handle / Brain Highways

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 9:18 AM