Winter 2013 News
Sherborne Developmental Movement - Level 2
Well done to all the participants who have passed their Level 2 SDM this autumn.
* All participants rated the course at the highest grade
* All participants felt it met their expectations
* All participants felt there were no gaps
* All participants were comfortable with the way the course was run
* All participants were comfortable with the way they were asked to participate in the experiential activities
* All participants felt confident to follow up on what they had learned
* All participants felt confident to put the methods into practice.
COMMENTS
"Another enjoyable and informative training session."
"Really enjoyed the course."
"Very informative."
MOST USEFUL ASPECTS OF THE COURSE
"Practical applications to my role."
"Practising observational skills."
"How to do the observations."
"Expanding the blanket experience."
"The creative matrix."
"Observation sheet."
NEXT STEPS- International course leaders
Watch this space for more updates
Quote of the week
"Movement is first and fundamental in what comes forth from a human being as an expression of his interntions and experiences."
Rudolf Laban, 1976
Keep on dancing!
DECEMBER 2013
EXCITING BREAKING NEWS IN SUPPORT OF DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT
Good news for Sherborne practitioners - evidence of what we have instinctively known from experience for many, many years. The "love hormone" oxytocin alters the brain activity of children with autism and makes them more social, according to US researchers.
Brain scans, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hint that there is an effect.
Oxytocin is naturally produced by the body, triggers labour and is
involved in mother and baby bonding.
Seventeen children with autism, aged between eight and 16, were
given two nasal spray - one containing oxytocin, the other no drugs
at all. After taking each one, the impact on brain activity was recorded
in a scanner while the children were shown "social" pictures of human faces or "non-social" pictures of cars. The parts of the brain normally associated with social situations appeared more active after the
children had been given oxytocin.
'Exciting'
One of the researchers, Prof Kevin Pelphrey, told the BBC: "We are very excited by the findings, all 17 showed a response, although the response was variable.
"There are still lots of questions about oxytocin, but the study suggests it enhances social brain functions and decreases non-social functions - helping kids to focus on socially relevant information."
Larger trials are taking place to see what the side-effects and benefits of oxytocin might be in children with autism.
As a Sherborne Movement practioner, I know from experience that providing a supportive and non-judgemental environment and that when we use touch it is empathetic, respectful and you could even describe it as loving, that our participants grow and develop improved social skills when actively participating in Developmental Movement. This research supports our work that extends beyond the autistic community.
