Attachment - Child-in-Family Services

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HANDLE® stands for Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency. This approach offers an effective, non-drug alternative for diagnosing and treating most neurodevelopmental disorders across the life span.

HANDLE® acknowledges labels and diagnoses as a form of shorthand to describe clusters of symptomatic behaviors. The HANDLE® approach goes beyond labels, to the root cause of the disordered behaviors and offers families effective non-drug methods to promote efficient neurological functioning and learning.

Attention Deficit Disorder/-Hyperactivity
Learning Disabilities, including Dyslexia
Tourette' s Syndrome
Brain Injury, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy
Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Bipolar Disorder and Depression
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
CHARGE and Other Rare Syndromes
Fetal Alcohol and Drug Effects

Just as no two fingerprints are alike, so also no two people have the same arrangement of pathways that carry messages to, within, and from their brains. That is, each of us acquires slightly different neurodevelopmental patterns. Many children and adults who experience difficulties in learning, task performance, or social interaction have neurodevelopmental differences which interfere with processing. When the systems that support vision or the sense of position in space, for example, are not strong enough, then reading, math, general organization and efficiency may suffer. Trauma may further complicate matters.

The HANDLE® approach, developed by Judith Bluestone from more than 30 years of diagnosing and treating neurodevelopmental differences, is unique. It is truly developmental in nature, treating problems at their roots, rather than merely providing short-term solutions or compensatory techniques. Its goal is to help each client achieve functional outcomes. HANDLE® incorporates research and techniques from many disciplines. It includes principles and perspectives from medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, education and nutrition. It is founded on an interactive, developmental model of human functioning.

Intervention techniques are practiced in the home or daycare/school setting, in almost all cases. In this way, small doses of specific activities are incorporated into daily activities and those organizational patterns strengthened become functional for the individual in his/her environment.

The recommended activities are simple to perform, and require virtually no special equipment. Each exercise program is specially designed to meet the individual client' s specific needs. Some of the more frequently suggested activities involve:

drinking from a crazy straw
playing follow-the-leader with a flashlight
rhythmic ball bouncing
copying designs by feel alone
stepping through a hula hoop ' maze'

Therapy time typically requires about 20 minutes a day, preferably interspersed throughout the day. Most clients notice significant improvement within the first 6-10 weeks of treatment. For more information, see www.HANDLE.org.