c - Enki and the Special Needs Child

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How does Enki with special needs challenging different children?

This is a large topic and I think it is best to realize that the underlying answer is contained in the question: the child is expressing special needs and they cannot simply be addressed by overlaying a set curriculum on him. Special needs require special adaptations of the curriculum to address them such that the child grows to the fullest of his capacity. This is not something that can be done “in bulk,” but requires a personal exploration for each child. In our special needs prepurchase call we work with you to figure out how many individual consultations will be needed in the first year with Enki and then build these into your custom package with the most relevant materials and consultation support.

That said, we see all special needs as lying on one end or the other of the human spectrum of experience. We are all of the same cloth - human. We all experience overwhelm, times when the world does not fit together and we panic in our particular way. We all have times when, however hard we may try, we cannot make sense of something, times when we can’t pay attention, times when we lash out, times when we withdraw. Such is the human response when either a situation or internal system leaves us unable to put the world together in a safe and meaningful manner. Those with special needs have a harder challenge in getting back to towards the center of the spectrum, but, from our perspective, we humans all share one spectrum.

Given this perspective, no matter what the particular “diagnosis” may be, our question is the same: how do we use the areas where the child is able to organize in a meaningful manner (however small), and build on them to steadily expand his base? For example, one child with Autistic spectrum behaviors may easily connect to rhythm and music but not to story. We will use the natural connection to movement and rhythm to build the image making capacity until the door to story opens. Another child with Autistic spectrum behaviors can listen to story, but is distressed by rhythmic speech and activity. For her we will build from the other side.

While a great deal of individualizing is needed, it is extremely rare that a special need arises in a child when there isn’t also some aspect of the sensory system under stress. In the modern world, most children - special needs or not - have some challenge to this area. Therefore, throughout our program, sensory nourishment and integration are a focus for all children. For the special needs child, more individualizing is needed so that his integration is strengthened and not strained.

All told, Enki has been extremely successful with children facing many types of challenges:

• Dyslexia
  
• SID (Sensory Integration Disorder)
  
• Reflex Integration Challenges
  
• ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)
  
• ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
  
• ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
  
• APD (Auditory Processing Disorder)
  
• Autism spectrum (including Asperger’s)
  

However, special tailoring is needed and can only be done on an individual basis. Because the neurological system is most flexible when the children are young, we feel it is important to work with special needs as early as possible. A great deal of this happens through movement work; our movement books are set up to make this easier for the parent to address specific needs. In all cases - from ADHD to dyslexia - we find that building the neurological base through reflex and sensory integration is the starting point, and is best addressed earlier rather than later.

For all the children - special needs or not - we are looking to help them strengthen and expand all the capacities that make up a human being. We are not looking first to training skills or behaviors (though that may become a focus down the road); rather, we are looking to strengthen and expand the deepest human capacities so the child can grow to his fullest potential - whatever that may be.