“Rebecca helped me get feeling back into my foot by rubbing my foot with balls, stuffed animals, puppets, having me crawl, and do other fun activities. I really liked the dry, red beans and used a pot of beans for my exercises at home—making figure eights, feeling the beans fall between and around my toes. She also taught me the vocabulary, like hyper- and hyposensitive, to describe what I was feeling. I used these words to explain what I was feeling when I worked with Rabia and Mary. I learned more about how my body is connected, because Rebecca worked with me to participate in healing my fifth metatarsal and foot by using my body and my mind.”
– Inez, age 7
“Rebecca worked with our son from age 3 to 5. During this time he made tremendous progress in overall coordination, gross and fine motor development and most importantly general confidence. Rebecca approached working with him in a genuinely caring and present way. She was very involved in keeping him engaged on “learning” even when he was resistant or insisted on getting off track. Her involvement in our son’s early childhood treatment was absolutely critical to his success in overcoming sensory and motor challenges! I cannot recommend her highly enough!”
– Rachel
“My children have grown enormously since they have been working with Rebecca. My son has gained control of his body and strength, now he is enjoying and feeling comfortable doing physical activities with his peers. My daughter has developed body awareness, rhythm, focus and control of her body. She is able to participate with confidence in all the activities she is passionate about – dancing, performing and singing. Her schoolwork has also benefited due to her increased ability to focus.”
– Rosita Newman
Rebecca is a dedicated professional who is willing to go the extra mile. She listens to clients and customizes her work. She is flexible, creative, and insightful. She helped both my son and me (her father) and that was a tall order!!!
– Jeff
Body Learning hands-on movement repatterning has been successful for children with cerebral palsy and other special needs. My work with babies and children with movement issues aims toward the fullest possible physical functioning. I partner with each child with full respect for the body intelligence that the child already possesses. I bring knowledge of anatomy, physiology and developmental pathways into a play environment. The intent is to encourage and guide a child to expand his or her ability to move fully, to attend to rather than avoid impairments, and to find new pathways. I encourage parents to witness sessions, learn simple things to do at home, and explore their own movement patterns.
Independence and self-trust are key elements to any child’s development, and even more so when there are physical challenges. I encourage a combination of self-awareness and patience combined with desire, curiosity, and creativity, all toward the child developing a whole sense of self and an approach to self-directed learning.
With cerebral palsy early intervention is key, and the earlier we introduce somatic (whole-body) support, the better. Developmental movement patterns in the body are established very early and lead to functional movement. When there is injury to the brain these patterns are usually interrupted or delayed. I emphasize early developmental stages because they are often missed by other therapies. It is never too late to address early development.
Body Learning incorporates the movement repatterning work of Body-Mind Centering® with early communication and learning development to provide a comprehensive approach with your child.
Contact Rebecca Haseltine with questions: rebecca@bodylearning.net