Category: Creativity
-
Little Drummer Boy
Sam was eight years old with a diagnosis of Down’s syndrome. He attended a local primary school and received daily help from his support assistant within the classroom. Sam’s limited understanding of language, meant that he expressed himself using single words only i.e. names of familiar people, objects and actions. To help him communicate,…
-
Fly Me To The Moon
One wet Saturday afternoon in Scotland, several years ago, my four year-old grandson and I spent the morning exploring the towpath on the Polwarth canal bank in Edinburgh. I was ‘baby sitting’ while my son and his wife took a much needed over night break . Undeterred by the weather, Fin and I shared…
-
Playtime
In my early days as a speech and language therapist, I had a deep desire to work creatively with children with special needs but became disillusioned with systems and methods of working that failed to address the child’s underlying emotions. In the past, I had made hasty judgements which may have interfered with the child’s…
-
Healing Through Play
Robert, a subdued little boy of eight, was referred to me for creative play because of his struggles at home and at school where he was unable to order his thoughts. When he tried to express himself, his speech was muddled and incoherent. His actions were clumsy and he often tripped and banged into things. …
-
Energy Field Alignment : An Agent Of Change
This updated blog was first written in 2006 but so much has changed since then. Hopefully, in the current turmoil, my words will encourage you to reduce your own stress levels and discover your true purpose in life. In the 1990s, in search of an understanding of spirituality, I began my own healing journey. Healing…
-
Never Make Assumptions
A young Asian man was referred to me because of his limited communication and challenging behaviour. Arif had a history of violent outbursts and his parents and members of staff in his residential home were subjected to regular attacks of spitting, scratching, pinching and biting. On my first vist, Arif was sitting cross-legged with head…
-
It’s Never Too Late
My mother Betty was born in 1921. She was the youngest daughter of Alice and Enos Sherborne. Her mother Alice had been a milliner and a window dresser for Harrods, the now famous department store in London. Alice married Enos, a cabinet maker and they had six children. Betty was the youngest daughter. After leaving…
-
Susie and Chopin
Susie, a woman in her forties had learning disabilities and had difficulty expressing herself. Her mother, with whom she had lived, had passed away two years earlier and since that time Susie had lived in a residential home with four other women she hadn’t previously known. Susie was referred to me because the care staff…
-
Vocal Toning: Rainbow Chakra Tones
Toning is an ancient and powerful method of using the voice. The toning process energises the brain and stimulates and regenerates the central nervous system to activate the body’s own self-healing mechanism. Ancient cultures in both the northern and southern hemisphere understood the law of vibration and recognised sound as energy in motion, acknowledging that…
-
A Musical Memory
Music has had a marked impact on the life of many of my clients with learning disabilities. I particularly remember one lady, who was referred to me because, although she was forty- four, she had never spoken. However, staff in her residential home believed that Jean understood most of what was said to her. One…