:: Pilates and Autism ::
“Do Good” is the motto of our sorority. We lived by these words during my collegiate years, but I don’t believe its capacity was revealed to me until recently. Today, as I share this post with you, I have to pinch myself knowing that a Delta Gamma has come in my life to show me the true meaning of “hope”. Dawn-Marie Ickes is a licensed Physical Therapist and fellow sorority sister that has opened the door to a new way of treating Mason’s Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing issues.
Dawn-Marie of Evolve Integrative Wellness, has been working with pediatrics and women’s health for a number of years. She has combined her expertise in Physical Therapy with the rehabilitating benefits of Pilates. “Pilates helps with both movement and environmental transitions, two of the biggest challenges children with Autism face.” Transitions are an obstacle Mason faces both inside and outside of the classroom. In addition to the sensory issues he has, it is often hard for him to sit and listen for extended periods of time. The therapeutic approach to helping kiddos with sensory and attention issues, involves the application of strengthening a child’s motor coordination and muscle development. Dawn-Marie has mastered this approach with the usage of the Pilates Method that integrates both the proprioceptive and vestibular movements that Mason needs to regulate his activity level.
I call this calming down his “wiggles” or “slowing down his engine”.
Proprioceptive therapy usually entails stretching and contracting the muscles. Activities such as, pushing and pulling with his body strength (as shown above) helps to increase body awareness. It creates the sense of alertness and decreases anxiety, allowing for Mason’s brain to be up and ready to learn and not be fidgety during long periods of carpet time. Dawn-Marie worked with Mason using the basic Pilates Method on the reformer. He used the foot bar to push and pull his body forward and back and as well as using the arm bands for pulling his body weight up and down the reformer machine. She also added segments of climbing up the wall for additional proprioceptive heavy therapy work.
Mason also craves extra movement and stimulation. Pilates in general has a bit of vestibular stimulation in its regular routine via the reformer. Vestibular stimuli (swinging, jumping, gliding) help Mason’s attention span. When he does an activity such as noted, he is able to retain more information, therefore he is able to complete his tasks. At school, he is given brakes to do some of these activities so that he remains productive. Dawn-Marie added them to the routine by using the jump board, pulling him on the scooter board, standing on moving discs spinning back and forth, and rolling like a ball.
As a family, we have been willing to try an array of therapies that will possibly help Mason since he was diagnosed. The combinations of speech, ABA, Occupational Therapy, and now Physical Therapy all seem to be pieces of a puzzle that need to connect to make the whole picture. If your child is on the Autism spectrum or has a ton of energy to burn, I highly recommend a session of Physical Therapy based Pilates with Dawn-Marie. I feel blessed to have met her, and to see her in action is a true gift. Her competence speaks volumes in the way that she handled Mason. She knew right away what types of exercise that would work best for him and that would help regulate his system.
For more information about Pilates based Physical Therapy for Autism, visit Evolve Integrative Wellness on Facebook or {here}.
