“Movement supported by nutrition can rewire the brain.” – Judith Bluestone

Judith Bluestone is the founder of the HANDLE®  Neurodevelopmental Approach (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) Institute (handle.org), This is the core of the movement therapy we provide. Other influences have been the Feldenkrais Method and Infant Reflex Development Re-patterning.

All children possess the potential to learn – the possibilities are unlimited. And just as crawling sets the foundation for walking in a child’s physical development, there are building blocks – neurodevelopmental systems – that pave the way for academic, social and behavioural learning. As you learn more about the neurodevelopmental systems we touch upon in the following few sections of this website, you will see that the systems of some children are weak and that, until strengthened, these children simply have to work harder.

We know a lot about the physical development of children and we’re comfortable with the concept of employing developmental milestones such as first steps and first words, to gauge a child’s progress. We test and evaluate a child’s educational growth, sometimes even before they reach school age. We have even begun to recognize the importance of mental health in children. When you think about how much we do know about children and their development it’s hard to understand why there are so many that continue to struggle with learning and/or behaviour.

Each neurodevelopmental system must be functional:

• must be able to work with other systems
• must work in the right sequence
• must not interfere with other systems at inappropriate times

It may sound like it would be difficult to figure out but actually kids are providing us with clues all the time. Their behaviours and reactions to learning are a result of their systems’ attempts at telling us what is going on with them. As you begin to understand how to look at these behaviours and reactions differently, you will also begin to understand how to better help your child.

As you read on, you may recognize your child or a child you know. The HANDLE approach has provided thousands of individuals with the tools they need to strengthen weak neurodevelopmental systems, opening doors to academic, social and behavioural success.