Toddlers and children are affected by their experiences as infants and babies. Early memories and experiences are held in the tissues of their bodies and can affect later function and behaviour. Early mispatterning has later consequences and treatment may be needed to repattern muscle groups.
Patterns resulting from instrumental births may affect the motor milestones and the progression from rolling to crawling to cruising to walking.
Child development
Sensory integration is the foundation. The Classical Osteopaths emphasised the importance of the "sensory side" of the nervous system because, not only is sensory integration the foundation from which learning arises, but it is also a foundation for health - (or if there are problems for disease.) Disease they said "begins on the sensory side" and treatment therefore emphasised rhythmic passive "patterning". This patterning differs from patterning exercises or motor patterning like cross patterning (contra lateral "cross crawl" patterning) used in rehabilitation or Physiotherapy and from exercise regimes like "brain gym".
In Classical passive Osteopathic techniques, the major joints are taken through a normal range of motion in relaxation. Reinforcing rhythmic passive movement within the normal range of movement helps reorganise the nervous pathways by integration of sensation by the brain. This is picked up from the joint motion and joint position receptors both from the area being moved, and from the movements of the whole body in response. One part of the body cannot be moved without the whole becoming involved even if the movement is completely passive. This passive motion also stimulates circulation which has great health benefits in itself.
The Osteopath may work on the lower body and then the upper or switch a few times in treatment from working on one side to the other and also, from front to back (to help with "front back" or "anteroposterior" postural balance). This approach helps midline orientation from all directions not just from side to side (front/back;side/side;up/down;in/out;opening/closing). Osteopaths postulate that there is a "two-way" relationship between the motility/organisation of the nervous system and the mechanical/postural balance/alignment of the body.
Health as well as disease, "begins on the sensory side" and giving the body the stimulus of normal rhythmic movement in a passive state helps the brain "map" normal function. Restrictions, strains and stresses in the body contribute to an imbalance in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and their release balances the whole nervous system as well as removing focal reflex irritation. Treatment may also settle and calm the whole nervous system and out of the stillness the system is better able to find its own balance.
Sensations are first processed during foetal life as soon as the nervous system develops. Information from all five senses is processed from the outset, as well as sensory information from the balance receptors in the ear (vestibular system) and body (proprioceptive system). Hearing is one of the first senses to develop in the womb (and one of the last faculties to be lost at the time of death). A mass of sensory "data" is filtered, processed and integrated by the brain. Sensory integration is thus a complex but normal process occurring constantly throughout life, but is particularly active in children as they develop rapidly in their first seven years.
The early years are crucial and any misalignments, stresses, strains, tensions or restrictions in the body may affect development. Osteopathic help in these early years and especially in the early months may be of great benefit and possibly prevent later difficulties.
Motor Development
Motor development, as explained above, is secondary to sensory integration which is why sensation is emphasised.
Motor skills improve rapidly in the normal child with movements becoming progressively more refined and complex. The shift from primitive to postural reflexes, the refinement of balance and posture as well as motor planning all develop as a result of a child's active interaction with their physical environment and through problem solving or play. If the motor system is dysfunctional learning is not optimal because all learning involves movement. Sitting at a desk (basic postural motor pattern of flexed hips and extended arms), reading (coordinated eye movements) and writing (fine motor skills) all depend on good motor development as well as steadily increasing awareness and concentration.
A child learning how to climb up the stairs must first observe, feel and spatially "map" the steps. During this process new neural connections are made and reinforced. Some children with special needs take longer to make the connections. It may help to guide them through the movements initially but this is the role of the Parent, Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist not usually the Osteopath. Perceiving and learning about their surroundings involves cognitive as well as motor development and includes parallel development of cognitive processes such as memory, concentration, attention and imagination. Alongside these aspects of development other skills are developing such as language and social interaction
Laterality
Awareness of the two sides of the body is related to developing a sense of the midline. Developing a preferred hand, learning to co-ordinate the two sides of the body together in actions and learning to co-ordinate the eyes (visual tracking) and hands also happen in relation to the midline and refinement of motor skills depends on this sense of laterality. Visual tracking improves by working on balance and coordination between the two sides.
Perception
Interpretation of information depends on developing perception. This includes both visual and spatial awareness as well as listening skills. Black and white is distinguished more easily in early life than colour. Later children start to be able to make abstract judgements about things, such as recognising a ball visually because earlier they have spatially mapped the ball by handling and observing it.
Total Integration of Nervous System functions
Aspects of nervous system development are not separate just as its more central or more peripheral parts cannot really be considered separately (other than for the purposes of classification for study). As a baby learns to sit, stand, walk, navigate its surroundings and handle objects, the neural pathways begin to be mapped and "patterned" between the brain (central nervous system) and body (peripheral nervous system). Information "highways" are built, as are the minor roads and smaller byways. Re-routing remains possible though and new pathways can be laid down at any time in response to learning or development of new skills.
Integrating sensations are basic prerequisites for successful academic learning, because it means that children can:
sit still
shift and maintain attention appropriately
make sense of what they see and hear
develop a preferred hand
develop fine and gross motor skills to a good enough degree, for example, to control a pencil
Children need to be posturally stable and emotionally secure so that they can listen to instructions and concentrate.
What can go wrong?
Genetic disorders, brain damage or abnormality, complications during pregnancy, birth or after the birth can all affect the child's learning potential. Difficulties in early life like bonding or feeding issues, excessive crying, irritability or poor sleep patterns can all be an indicator of future difficulties.
Sleep
Quality and quantity of sleep and the sleep "pattern" is important throughout life and especially during childhood. If a child does not sleep well or does not get enough sleep, development, social interaction and learning will all suffer significantly and noticeably.
Dental and jaw development
The teeth are like extensions of the bone and the development of dentition and the jaw mechanics affect the posture of the whole body. There is a strong relationship between occlusion and posture. The teeth and jaw are also crucial in the facial mechanics and cranial mechanics.
A Cranial Osteopath will be looking to assist the body to integrate its nervous system functions through gentle motion of the joints.
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