Somatodyspraxia
When:
Grounding work, foot work, and the yoga can be done at any time of day. The foot work is easily done at night when the child is lying down.
Foot Work:
The idea behind the foot work is to open up the foot. The foot is very important because it allows us to move dynamically, balance, feel grounded, etc. When there are primitive reflexes present on the feet (like the grasp reflex), the toes curl when the ball of the foot touches the ground. Try walking with your toes curled and notice how it impacts your balance and overall demeanor.
You can never do too much work on a foot; you can always massage the foot with the intent of opening up the toes, the ball of the foot, and the arch.
This is another term for poor body awareness.
Your job as the caregiver is to provide the child with as much deep touch and deep pressure as possible; this includes movement and resistance activities.
When the child is stationary or has less energy, focus on grounding work, yoga, and foot work.
When the child is more active and/or you have more time, follow the “dyspraxia home program.”
Why:
Improving body awareness is the same thing as improving your ability to feel your body. Imaging moving around your environment without being able to fully feel where your legs, feet, arms, and body were. The “treatment” for this is not rocket science; it is actually very easy and allows for more connection between you and the child.
Activities to do at Home:
With the “dyspraxia home program”: move from the first column, to the middle column, to the right column. These activities are ideas for how you can put sensory based tactile and proprioceptive activities into the child’s daily routine.
Yoga and Grounding Work:
These are almost same. The idea behind the grounding work/yoga poses is to have the child push against the ground (engage their muscles with resistance) with their arms and feet while also having their belly against the ground for that deep touch input on a lot of the body.
