Strengthening the relationship between parent and child through psychomotor skills

Series: Child and therapy - Part 4

Some children are unable to properly coordinate and assess their movements. Their perception, attention and confidence in their own abilities may be delayed, perhaps not quite at the level required by school. This is because since Curriculum 21 came into force, the so-called development of children's skills has been at the centre of regular lessons. In effect, children are expected to be more independent and to be able to manage learning processes themselves. Depending on the level, children are required to solve tasks independently and be able to abstract solutions themselves, for example to give presentations or work through the weekly maths plan independently. This requires a certain amount of independent ability - or skills.
The curriculum emphasises three interdisciplinary skills. Firstly, personal skills such as self-reflection, independence and autonomy. Secondly, social skills such as the ability to engage in dialogue and cooperation, the ability to deal with conflict and diversity. Thirdly, there are methodological competences such as language skills, using information and solving tasks or problems.

The decisive factor is not so much the degree of impairment, but the extent to which the affected child and their environment are suffering.

Like speech therapy and curative education, psychomotricity is a low-threshold special educational programme at school. It is funded by the school community or the canton. «Psychomotor therapy works holistically and aims to influence all three skills,» says Theresia Buchmann, psychomotor therapist from Lucerne. «Psychomotor therapy helps the child and their environment to deal with the challenges of everyday school life and strengthens the child's psychological resilience.»

Children and young people of primary school age who are impaired in their movement behaviour or experience come to psychomotor therapy. This can affect the entire development, but also only individual areas of motor skills, such as fine control when writing. The decisive factor is not so much the degree of this impairment, but the extent to which the affected child and their environment are suffering. For example, one child may be able to master a minor balance disorder independently, while for another it leads to a vicious circle of anxiety, avoidance behaviour, social exclusion, a lack of practice and even more insecurity. Sibylle Hurschler Lichtsteiner, lecturer in psychomotor skills at the Lucerne University of Teacher Education, explains that therapy is only ever considered when the support available at home, school and during leisure time is insufficient.

Therapy in the gym

If you imagine a psychomotor therapy lesson, you might think of a table, two chairs, frontal teaching, a classic teaching situation and a child whose deficiencies are to be treated. Far from it. Psychomotor therapy has a great deal to do with movement. «Psychomotricity aims to be a place of movement where it is possible to meet, perceive and feel,» explains Regula Tichy, psychomotricity therapist in Rorschach.

This means that the introduction always takes place through movement, play and action. The therapist recognises a lot about the child's behavioural patterns through movement play. And so Theresia Buchmann's room is more reminiscent of a gym than a classroom. The therapy room contains balls, hammocks, rope ladders, ropes, thick mats, wall bars, huge cushions that children can use to build huts, and much more. Children play together in a group or the child plays various games in an individual session with the therapist and/or the parent present. These can be ball games, a climbing course or a drawing.

Therapy is only ever considered when the support available at home, school and during leisure time is not sufficient.

The therapist observes whether and how, for example, a child has the necessary patience and strategy to make the transition from a thick mat on the floor to the wooden plate hanging from the ceiling, i.e. to overcome an obstacle. These considerations alone are a process, says Buchmann. In addition, it is often about belonging: the child feels different in the world and in the family, the relationship with the parents is fragile or the family situation is difficult. «It's as if these children haven't quite arrived yet,» says Theresia Buchmann. «That's why psychomotricity is often about coming to terms with themselves.» This also includes becoming aware of one's own vulnerabilities and admitting them to oneself.

Psychomotricity in a nutshell

Causes: The causes of an impairment in the perception of the body senses and in the socio-emotional area often lie in a network of biopsychosocial developmental conditions that cannot be clearly diagnosed. The influences that characterise a person are also taken into account in psychomotor therapy.

Aim: Psychomotor therapy aims to strengthen children's behavioural and interaction skills as well as their ability to learn and pay attention, thus enabling them to participate in social life according to their resources.

Assessment: The assessment provides information about where the child stands in the areas of perception, motor skills, social-emotional development and cognition and how these interact. Parents and specialists discuss possible starting points for support. A joint decision is made as to whether psychomotricity or another measure is appropriate. Registration for a psychomotor assessment is regulated differently from canton to canton. Parents are best advised to contact the responsible therapist directly.

Promotion and excessive demands

She gives an example. Marco is a bright child who comes to therapy with his father. Marco was once afraid to ride his bike down a steep road on a family outing and got off, despite parental encouragement. During the therapy session, Marco tries to send a ball whizzing from one end to the other along a track with loops while standing on a swing board. A tricky task, which he solves in around ten minutes. He proves that he has patience, wants to get to the bottom of things and is persistent.
Marco then uses several mats to construct a higher level from which he jumps down onto the trampoline. Meanwhile, his father tells Theresia Buchmann about the bike trip. When the therapist asks the boy how much of the courage he had just shown when jumping on the trampoline he would have needed for the steep section, Marco gets angry. He says that he will never go to her for a therapy session again, puts on his shoes and marches off. What happened? «The support became too much for him,» explains Buchmann. «But perhaps the memory of the experience also hurt him.» During the conversation, the father says that he will try to accept Marco's cautious movement behaviour better in future and let him go at his own pace.
This example shows what psychomotor skills are all about: supporting the child in trying things out and failing. And to show them and their parents that they can go at their own pace, that they can accept their weaknesses - such as their cautious movement behaviour. But parents should also accept their child as it is. The child enters into a relationship with itself through shared enjoyable experiences with the father or mother, positive experiences in the environment and joint action. According to psychology, it becomes self-effective. This means that the child learns that it can also successfully overcome difficult situations and challenges on its own. This experience happens through the body, movement and interaction.

Building a relationship of trust

Sometimes a child also needs psychomotor skills because parents are too protective and guarding. Like Leander. According to the nursery school teacher, he lacks various so-called basic functions such as getting dressed, tying his shoes, clearing the table, setting the table, etc. Leander quickly gives up while playing, climbing on the wall bars; the boy says the soles of his feet hurt. Theresia Buchmann tries to motivate him to endure this little moment. Then he jumps from one place to another without being able to stay there.

A relationship of trust is essential for the development process. Psychomotricity is therefore also relationship work.

Together with his parents, Leander now learns to stick to one toy, for example, to do a number of jumps on the trampoline set by his mum and perhaps repeat them. The goal: Leander learns to trust and expect himself to do something. According to Theresia Buchmann, this is only possible if there is a relationship of trust. Parents should accept the child's level of development and build trust in the child and the therapist. This means cultivating the relationship so that a relationship of trust develops, which in turn is essential for the further development process.

Psychomotor therapy is therefore also relationship work. «However, it's not about curing, but about respectfully and empathetically conveying that a child's positive development is possible, even if the circumstances are difficult.» How much time this takes varies from child to child. According to Sibylle Hurschler Lichtsteiner, there is no standardised programme in psychomotor skills. The duration and approach vary greatly and are adapted to individual needs. In practice, it can be individual counselling sessions, regular weekly therapy sessions over one to two years, and occasionally several years of support at longer intervals. The aim is always to establish the support options at home.

Psychomotricity would like...

• die soziale Interaktion stärken.
• das Kind beim Ausprobieren und beim Scheitern begleiten.
• das Kind über das gemeinsame Handeln ­Wirksamkeit erleben lassen.
• ressourcenorientiert arbeiten, z. . Spielideen aus der eigenen frühen Kindheit oder der Kindheit der Eltern aufgreifen.
• über die Wahrnehmung Denkprozesse entstehen lassen.

(Quelle: Regula Tichy)

Links

www.kinderstarkmachen.ch
www.psychomotorik-schweiz.ch

Read more about therapy:

• Wann braucht mein Kind eine Therapie?
  Ein Kind hält den Stift nicht richtig, ein anderes kann beim Turnen nicht auf einem Bein hüpfen – diese Dinge kommen im schulischen Standortgespräch im Kindergarten zur Sprache. Oft folgt ein Therapieangebot: Welche Therapieformen gibt es und wie sinnvoll sind diese?
• Medikamente gegen Stress: Wann kann ein Kind selbst entscheiden?
  Ist ein Kind noch nicht fähig, ein eigenes Urteil zu fällen müssen Erwachsene über medizinische Behandlungen entscheiden. Doch wann ist ein Kind urteilsfähig? Ein Wegweiser durch den juristischen Dschungel.
• «Nicht schon wieder schreiben»
  Für Kinder mit einer Lese- und Rechtschreibschwäche ist das Lesen und Schreiben ein «Chnorz». Die Logopädin Andrea Weber-Hunziker über Anzeichen und Ursachen und wie das Lernen in der Schule trotzdem gelingen kann.