Massage therapy is an accepted therapy for those with disabilities. According to several studies, massage therapy has been found to help children with autism, ADHD, cystic fibrosis, and cerebral palsy. The combination of strokes and passive stretching benefits most people. It is also very important for adults in that it keeps the muscles stretched and smooth.
Neuromuscular therapy, trigger point therapy and active release technique are just a few options. Active Release Technique (ART) is a soft-tissue management system created by Dr. P. Michael Leahy. These two therapies along with ART can be used for children who have gone through surgery, as it helps decrease scar tissue. When choosing a therapist, it’s important to find one who is well versed in a number of techniques and has a good knowledge of pain disorders and dysfunctions.
Basically, massage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical and psychological purposes and goals. Massage involves acting on and manipulating the body with pressure. This can include structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving tension, motion or vibration. There are over eighty different recognized massage modalities and most states require that therapists be licensed. Always use a licensed massage therapist as if the therapist is not properly trained, he/she can aggravate the condition of the muscles.
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder of children that is characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity and emotional detachment. Autistic children have impaired social interaction along with restricted and repetitive behavior.
Various scales describe the extent of vision loss. Total blindness is the complete lack of form and visual light perception. Clinically it is called no light perception. Blind is frequently used to describe severe visual impairment with residual vision. Those described as having only light perception only have the ability to tell light from dark. A person with only light projection can tell the general direction of a light source.
working dog Fred, my mom and dad (on the left), Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff (in the center), Congress Woman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (second from right) and Ella Cisneros of the Cisneros Fontenals Foundation (on the right). Over 500 people showed up to support the children with disabilities.
disabilities who can’t paint with their hands. They instead use a tracker (a person who is like their body) to help them. We choose everything from the size of the canvas to the brush or tool, and guide them with our words and a laser. We even choose the color of the paint.
soaring on canvas and reaching places within, that others have never been able to know. The results are stunning pieces for the world to admire, appreciate, and finally, to understand what the inner artist always visualized. This is what CCT-ART enables.
to work with professional artists critiquing pieces, interacting and questioning, gaining knowledge and refining their craftsmanship. The artwork produced is mainstreamed and exhibited alongside the work of other community artists. Pieces are not admired for the artist’s disability, but rather for the quality and depth of their work. Many are spectacular museum quality pieces. CCT-ART increases self-esteem and empowers the spirit. It provides a method of financial gain for the artists who exhibit and sell their work. The power of ART is unleashed and these lives are enriched.
Cerebral Palsy is a disorder usually caused by brain damage and marked by muscular impairment. It’s a disability that affects about 1 million individuals in the United States. Cerebral Palsy can occur at or before birth, or as a result of surgery or other trauma, as in my case. CP is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the brain and statistically it occurs during pregnancy about 75 percent of the time, during birth about 5 percent, or after birth about 15 percent.