Download Massage for children with special needs

Massage & Aromatherapy for children
with special needs
Paula Brown - MIFPA
Frederick Leboyer, author of Loving
Hands
“Touching is the first communication
a baby receives. The first language
of its development is through the
skin.”
Why is Massage Good for Children?
 Loving touch is vital to all babies and children.
 As well as being an important 'bonding tool',
massage is one way of expressing loving touch;
 Massage stimulates all the body systems
 It develops self esteem
 Promotes relaxation and induces feelings of calm.
Bonding and Communication
 Bonding and communication enhanced .
 The child is engaged by his parents touch, eye contact,
speech, body movement and facial expression.
 The child responds with similar signals which stimulates
further response from his parent. Over time, this
reciprocal
interaction deepens and strengthens bonding.
 Sometimes parents of children with disabilities or
special needs can feel out of touch with their child if they
have difficulty responding to their cues due to
impairments affecting sight, hearing, touch, verbal
communication, body movement and disorders affecting
behaviour.
Benefits of Massage
 Stimulates circulation and increases the flow of oxygen
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around the body
Stimulates digestion and elimination of waste thus
helping with colic or constipation. It may also help
premature babies absorb food and gain weight more
easily
Stimulates the flow of lymph and elimination of toxins
which will aid the immune system and help resistance to
infections
Encourages muscle co-ordination
Stimulates the central nervous system which is
important for both neurological and motor development
Benefits of Massage
 Improves skin condition
 Can aid recovery from childhood ailments such as
asthma, catarrh, sleep problems, eczema
 Stimulates release of endorphins (happy hormones)
that induce feelings of well-being
 Stimulates awareness
 Reduces anxiety
Benefits of massage
 Rose recounts her work with a teenager born with
gastroschisis (a congenital abnormality in the abdominal wall)
whose repeated hospital stays since birth were often
punctuated by sleepless days and nights. Sleep finally came,
the parents reported, after Rose had administered a basic
Swedish massage to the girl’s neck, back, feet, and legs.
 Another of Rose’s patients, an eighteen-month-old with a life-
threatening disease, was reported by the staff to be irritable
and uncomfortable. Most of the child’s body was inaccessible
because of medical interventions, but Rose was able to apply
comfort holds to the feet, resulting in the child calming down.
Issues for children with special needs
 Each condition is different & will need adaptations
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e.g gastronomy, cerebral palsy
Many children have sensory issues – strong strokes so
as not to over stimulate
Children with learning disabilities (LD)or autism can be
either hypersensitive or hyposensitive to stimuli.
Pressing, stroking, squeezing and tapping can help to
balance & calm children so they can function in school &
at home
Conditions such as LD & autism have comorbidities such
as pain & compromised immune system – massage
helps.
Adapting positions
Comfort holds
 A comfort hold is simply encompassing a specific
area of the body and holding. The hold does not
involve pressure, but is firm, directed, and
intentional. The holds are useful for calming children
An example is to hold the forehead with one hand
and C–7 with the other. The palm encompasses the
greatest area; fingers are closed but soft.
Comfort holds
 The solar plexus area of the hands or feet is also an
excellent location for a comfort hold. These holds
calm the central nervous system, which is
demonstrated by the patient’s breathing
What to massage with
 Grapeseed Oil – The colour of this one is almost colourless or
pale green which contains vitamins, minerals & protein and is
very light & easily absorbed on you skin;
 Hazelnut Oil - This colour is yellow. It is very rich in vitamins &
fatty acids. This is good for restructuring this skin and get the
oil into the bloodstream, plus it leaves a soft silky feeling;
 Rosehip Seed Oil – This oil is colourless. It contains a high
levels of linoleic & Fatty acids, which is particularly important
for tissue regeneration;
 Wheatgerm Oil – This is a yellow to orange colour. It is rich in
vitamins, phosphorous, zinc, iron sulphur & essential fatty
acids. It is great for nervous systems, skin irritation, scar
tissue and stretched skin;
What to massage with
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Apricot Kernel Oil – This is a very pale yellow & contains minerals &vitamins, it has a
light soothing feel and is easily absorbed with nutrition for the skin;
Avocado Oil – This is a dark green colour & contains vitamins & proteins, lecithin &
essential fatty acids, which is very good for dry skin, skin irritations;
Camellia Oil – This is a clear color and contains oleic acid which is an essential fatty
acid, that works as a lubrication oil that leaves skin soft & silky;
Evening Primrose Oil - This is a pale yellow and contains a high level of gamma
linoleic acid, vitamins & minerals which is excellent for treating psoriasis & eczema
and increases blood flow to the surface of the skin;
Sweet almond - High in Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and Vitamin E. It is odourless and
comes from pressed almonds & is a great moisturiser.
If you do not want to use an oil it is possible to use an aqueous cream as a massage
lubricant
Aromatherapy
 Aromatherapy is the controlled use of essential oils by different
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methods to enhance the well-being of the mind, body and spirit.
It uses pure essences from plants, which may have a preventative
effect, helping to care for common ailments while working alongside
medical treatment in the healing process.
Essential oils are highly fragrant, volatile and are extracted from
flowers, leaves, twigs, bark, roots and fruits of many common plants.
The essential oils have many different properties and as research
has shown, can be stimulating, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory,
relaxing, calming, soothing and uplifting. Aromatherapy, therefore,
has the ability to affect the emotions, promote bodily well-being and
balance psychologically.
Aromatherapy is beneficial to most people in most circumstances.
Essential oils must be diluted and used with care and can be
effective for a wide client group.
Aromatherapy
 Is aromatherapy safe for children with special
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needs?
Yes but as with everything take sensible precautions
Flammable
Not to be ingested
Low dilution
Keep out of the reach of children
Use bottles with droppers
Do not use un-diluted on the skin – (exception tea
tree & lavender after patch testing)
Aromatherapy
 When is the best time to massage?
No fixed rules
Cue child in – familiar signals/light/sound/touch
When you have time
 When not to massage?
When your child is unwell (depends on illness)
When you’re rushed/stressed (but it can help too!)
Over broken skin or bruises
 Can be really beneficial if there are lots of medical interventions
– different type of touch/pleasurable
 Can involve other members of the family/trusted friends to give a
mum or dad a break too
Hand massage
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Apply oil over hands and wrists
Use ‘spreading’ movements over the back of the hand
Small circular movements over wrists.
Pull down with thumbs between the bones on the back of the hand
Massage knuckles
Squeeze each finger top/bottom & then side to side
Pull very gently and squeeze off at fingertip.
Turn hand over and knead palm.
Pressure on fingers, squeezing each section of the finger gently from palm to
tip.
Small circle over inside of wrist.
With your palm massage your partners palm
Turn arm over, and suse spreading movement over the whole hand.
Squeeze clients hand between your own gently, and slide off to finish.
Repeat on other hand