Sensorimotor therapy: Physical and psychological regressions contribute to an improved kinesthetic and vestibular capacity in children and adolescents with motor difficulties and concentration problems

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Mats Niklasson
Irene Niklasson
Torsten Norlander
Cite this article:  Niklasson, M., Niklasson, I., & Norlander, T. (2010). Sensorimotor therapy: Physical and psychological regressions contribute to an improved kinesthetic and vestibular capacity in children and adolescents with motor difficulties and concentration problems. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 38(3), 327-346.


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Our aim was to gain increased understanding of the effects of sensorimotor therapy on the physical and psychological development of children and young people when using the method Retraining for Balance. The records of 8 children who had completed the program were randomly selected from a cohort of 232 with sensorimotor difficulties and concentration problems. The participants, 7 boys and 1 girl, averaged 9 years of age. The Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method (the EPP-method, Gunmar Karlsson, 1995) was used for this analysis, which resulted in 29 categories which yielded 3 overarching themes: a) the introduction of sensorimotor exercises, b) regression to earlier sensorimotor and psychological behaviors, and c) transformations in which the sensorimotor and psychological skills of the children matured and developed. The themes formed the kinesthetic-vestibular developmental model illustrating how sensorimotor exercises push the therapy process forward while recurrent regressions are followed by positive developmental phases. The results of the study were generalized to the remaining 224 children in the cohort by comparing each individual’s records to the kinesthetic-vestibular model.

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The research has followed the ethical standards of the World Medical Association declaration of Helsinki concerning Ethical Principles of Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. The authors acknowledge the excellent technical assistance of Bo Ahrenfelt

MD

in visualizing the kinesthetic- vestibular developmental model in Figure 1.

Appreciation is due to reviewers including

Martin McPhillips

PhD

School of Psychology

Queen&rsquo

s University

Belfast BT7 1NN

Northern Ireland

Email

[email protected]

Torsten Norlander, Department of Psychology, Karlstad University, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden. Phone: +46 54 7001178; Fax: +46 54 839165; Email: [email protected]

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