Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68165
DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED CLIENTS wears her helmet and she frequently is seen quietly rocking in her chair. Dramatic results occur over time, but each session improves the client's quality of life. The therapist benefits as well, as each session produces smiles and hugs from clients and the knowledge of having genuinely made a difference. THERAPIST TRAINING If you're considering working with the developmentally disabled, any doubt can be eased by a visit to a care facility. Touch and visit the residents. Make sure this work is right for you. Are you ready to try something different? The first step in exploring this addition to your massage practice is making a solid self-assessment. The work is demanding physically, spiritually, and emotionally; practicing good self-care is important. Second, consider receiving additional training to augment what was learned in massage school. Techniques learned in massage school need to be adapted for this population. If your education included reflexology, here is a golden opportunity to use that training, as reflexology may be one of the best methods to reach this population. Many verbal clients talk about their foot rubs. Additional training in hospice massage, Compassionate Touch, or Healing Touch could be beneficial. One of the best sources of information comes from Mary Kathleen Rose. Her Comfort Touch work offers techniques that, although designed for the elderly and ill, apply magnificently to the disabled population. (See "The Principles of Comfort Touch," page 44.) Broad contact pressure, encompassing joint or limb movement, and holding (allowing the calming warmth of our hands to penetrate deep into tissue) are frequently used Comfort Touch strokes. Wrapping both your hands around the clients' limbs, with a pressure of 2–5 pounds, is typically welcomed. It also provides important client connection for the therapist. Effleurage can be overstimulating. Yet, there are clients who thoroughly enjoy what I call "The Shimmy"—brisk friction done with alternating hands. The stroke works the limbs, distal to proximal. Whatever strokes are used, think RESOURCES Grandin, Temple. 2008. The way I see it: a personal look at autism and Asperger's. Arlington, Texas: Future Horizons. Melillo, Robert. 2009. Disconnected kids: the groundbreaking brain balance program for children of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurological disorders. New York: Perigree Trade. Rose, Mary Kathleen. 2009. Comfort touch: massage for the elderly and the ill. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. of your hands as an extension of your heart, fill them with compassion, and sink into the tissue. Touch is best when focused and firm. The work is not Swedish massage, and it is not working bodies on a table. Your clients will typically be clothed; some will be in hospital beds, others in wheelchairs with feeding tubes, and others in regular chairs. The treatment setting for the same client can vary with each session. The massage therapist needs to adapt to each client's needs and comfort. One of Tom's sessions, for example, was performed as a standing, swaying dance while his upper body was being encompassed and compressed. THE SESSION Generally, treatment sessions are 30 minutes, but your time together is determined by the client. Some will tell you they are finished by handing back a lotion bottle or pushing your hand away. You may resume treatment later, but if not, realize that your next visit could be completely different. Making clients feel safe and secure contributes to a session's success. It is best to visit clients in their care facilities or homes, as this increases their comfort level. To augment treatments, the therapist might consider using lotions. Clients like the feel and smell of lotion. Essential oils blended with emollient lotion are preferable. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 59