The HANDLE Approach to Neurodevelopmental Differences

The HANDLE Institute: An introduction.

See below: Dr. Porges' interview about PolyVagal Theory and Autism and Learning | Developmental Movement

The HANDLE Institute has a growing reputation for helping with children and adults who have autism, ADD, etc. These are part of what are called Neurodevelopmental Differences. I first heard about the HANDLE Approach when living in Seattle. I am pleased to say that now the east coast has a number of people who offer different levels of the HANDLE Approach. I took the 12-hour Certificate Course in June 2011 and was very impressed with the teaching of the HANDLE organization. [PDF flyer for the event]

One of the main reasons that I am so enthusiastic about the HANDLE Approach is that it is consistent with a natural medicine way of understanding human health. The various services that I provide as a naturopathic physician and the other services available at the Washington Institute of Natural Medicine are compatible with the HANDLE Approach.

A key contribution that the HANDLE Institute has given us is the idea of Gentle Enhancement^® --

Gentle Enhancement^® is an approach based on the concept that weak, disorganized, immature, or damaged neurological systems should be gently strengthened.

Stressed systems do not get stronger, they become more disordered or shut down. The flight or fight response of the sympathetic nervous system does an outstanding job of preparing one to deal with a perceived threat to safety. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the body’s natural resources become dedicated to survival, leaving few, if any, resources left for other processes, such as learning, maintenance, and repair.

When weak neurological systems cause a sustained stress response, problems with health and/or learning can arise. Most people are aware of stress-related risks to physical health, which include digestion/absorption problems, immune system problems, sleep disorders often accompany a diagnosis of Autism, ADD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as cardiac conditions. From the HANDLE perspective, these outcomes are not surprising... [more]

My comment about the Gentle Enhancement idea is that it is a powerful example of the newly defined third branch of the Autonomic Nervous System -- The Social Engagement System. The Social Engagement System is superior and more on-alert than are the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous system. For more about that you can see several pages on my sites: A) Stephen Porges, Ph.D., and the Polyvagal Theory of ANS function [more]; B) FlexAware^® and its ability to gradually redjust the ANS background tension [more]; and C) the New Brain Science presentations from NICABM [more].

You are invited to learn more by following the links below. Click on the images. On their site: Locating a HANDLE Provider.

Joy of Learning: Linda Warschoff, MS. [site]

HANDLE Institute Flyer [ View Online | Downloadable ZIP ]

Dr. Porges [my info]: Webinar, free July 6, subscription gives access later [site]

Click picture to go to site and listen to interview

Developmental Movement

For completeness, here is a reference:

Developmental Movement Therapy:

I have been impressed with the benefits of movement patterning. There are a number of resources for this nationally. Some of the information that I have is on my other site [Developmental Movement Therapy].