What You Can Do with Imagination, Knowledge and a Will to Succeed

 From Laura, a child psychomotor expert who is presently working as a volunteer in Abugida.

‘ I have been teaching Nuriya, Dagem’s carer, the full range of massage techniques that she must use.  She has learned a part each day and the following morning she has used it on Dagem with me supervising.  I brought training material with me but she has hardly had to look at it as she’s learning so quickly and with so much enthusiasm.  She has memorised each step perfectly.  Dagem is enjoying it like crazy.  He’s already much more animated with his head, his look, his smile and he’s even starting to move his shoulder blades.  In addition we are practising exercises that Nuriya will be able to use on him at a later stage.  Especially focusing on the manipulation of the shoulder blades and disassociating them from the head to see if the arms can be made to move towards the stomach.  We are working on a mattress, on a big Pilates ball and on a moving board like a go-cart  that we have designed for him that gives him greater autonomy and allows him to participate in the same activities as the other children.  He really enjoys the ‘go-cart’ and the other children enjoy playing with him on it.  I am making bandage ‘tapping’ on his pectorals to open and allow movement above and to avoid the shortening of his muscles.  Nuriya is learning this and will continue to do this with him.  I have also taught and delivered learning materials with photos about his feeding, breathing, clapping massage to eliminate mucous and the stimulation of his oral facial cavity with materials that I brought especially for this purpose.  I have also constructed various splints, one for him to rest his neck and elevate his chin, one for each hand to keep them open and one for each elbow to give extension and functionality to the higher parts of his arms.'