Club Aviva Gymnastics
Phone: (604) 526-4464
Sep 8th, 2010
 Please WaitClub Aviva's Empowering Steps Movement Therapy Club Aviva has two exciting opportunities for children with special needs. One is our popular Special Education Drop-in program, which is open only to children with special needs along with their families and assistants. The other program is a highly specialized therapy program, Empowering Steps Movement Therapy, which typically consists of private one on one weekly therapy sessions. A more in depth description of these programs is outlined below. Empowering Steps Movement Therapy Movement Therapy is an innovative approach towards the treatment of Autism. It
was designed by Vivien Symington (BA/BPHE Queen's University) who,
through her work with a number of non-verbal, low functioning autistic
children, recognized a connection between motor skill development and
readiness for acquisition of other skills. She uses
elements of Sensory Integration, Occupational therapy, ABA and DIR in a
gym setting and draws inspiration from work on learning styles (Kolb
learning styles), Brain Highways, Brain Gym and the work of Glenn and Janet Doman (Institute for the Achievement
of Human Potential) to work on balance, bilateral integration,
strength, motor development and planning, and self esteem.
**Movement Therapy spots are available for new clients**
Please call 604-526-4464 to set up an assessment.
Christy Clark Interview Press play below to hear an audio clip of Vivien being being interviewed on the Christy Clark show. How Movement Therapy Works Vivien
focuses on each area of sensory processing by providing an environment
rich in all sensory experiences - but pays particular attention to the
vestibular and proprioceptive senses.
All
children are assessed when they first join the therapy which allows
Vivien to observe key areas of difficulty (physical, behavioral and social)
and additionally activities that act as reinforcers. Once these have
been identified she seeks to identify the underlying reasons for the
behavior and then focuses on activities and changes in the environment
which can produce practical behavioral change - utilizing the
principles of ABA*. Each target is broken down into its
constituent parts and Vivien uses repetition and positive reinforcers,
measuring and recording changes to continually assess the effectiveness
of each intervention and alter her behavior accordingly. She
uses a system of visual communication to provide a pictorial
representation of the treatment and to allow the children choice over
the activity used for positive reinforcement.
*ABA is a therapeutic intervention for children with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. What Movement Therapy Accomplishes The
goal is to guide children from closed, disordered and inappropriate
behavior into functional activity and social and communicative changes.
Every child has a specialized program that is delivered either
one-to-one or in small groups to allow both individual attention
and opportunities for social interaction. Movement Therapy is similar
to both Floortime and the Son-Rise Program in this respect as the
student and therapist interact in an environment that is fun, showing
the child that our world is beautiful and exciting, and using the
child's natural excitement and enthusiasm to foster social
interaction. Vivien reinforces and works with other professionals to
encourage the child towards reading, writing, number concepts, symbolic
play and meaningful inclusion within typical environments outside of
the gym setting.
Results Over the past 7 years every child in this program has shown improvements. The
improvements range from an increase in motor skill development shown in
Occupational Therapist reports to complete integration into typical class environments. In
fact, most recently, a student who began the program as non-verbal with extensive
behavioral challenges and is now integrated into a traditional class was able
to express the following comment through his tear stained face:
"But Vivie tell the boys to come back, I want to play with them, I don't want them to go home."
 **Empowering Steps Movement Therapy is a successful recipient of the Canada Revenue Agency's Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) claim program. Drop In Programs Club Aviva also offers special education drop in programs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00am - 12:00pm. Our drop in programs encourage social interaction while allowing children to have fun playing and exploring in the gym.
See our Drop-in Programs page for more information!
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