WIESBADEN, Germany -- While homeschooling his autistic son, one dad stumbled upon a way to help his child thrive. Now schools and child care centers at U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden will benefit from what he learned.
Rupert Isaacson took his son horseback riding and noticed a transformation in the boy's ability to communicate and learn while on the horse. After consulting with neuroscientists and university researchers, he discovered that there was a science behind why this scenario worked so well for his son. Since then he has recreated that environment and applied it to all types of children - those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, trauma and even neurotypical kids - and developed an educational and therapeutic set of tools for parents, teachers and caregivers.
"Our intent is to have an additional tool to enhance the ability of our teachers and caregivers to accommodate children in their classrooms," said Victor Garcia, Exceptional Family Member Program manager.
The Movement Method involves kinetic learning, or learning through movement, which Isaacson said is a way to access the learning centers of the brain.
"The reason it works so well is it simply activates the learning receptors in the brain in the optimal way," he said. "A human brain wants to learn, so when a child's brain is really engaged, they don't need to misbehave; they don't need to act out; they don't need to do all those things, because those are stress-related behaviors. A learning brain is a happy brain."
Isaacson asserts that the specific movements in the program profoundly increase the brain's receptiveness to learning. This allows teachers of students with a variety of needs and levels to deliver inclusion and avoid burnout, he said.
Movement Method is also being used on veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder at the U.S. Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as at schools in Germany and the U.S.
The techniques will be taught to teachers at Wiesbaden Department of Defense Education Activity schools and child care providers and staff at Child and Youth Services, Educational and Developmental Intervention Services and New Parent Support.
Parents can learn more about Isaacson's Movement Method during a presentation at 9:30 a.m. March 11, 2020, at the Taunus Theater. For more information, call (0611)143-548-9201.
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