The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The increasing number of able and neurologically challenged infants and toddlers attending full-time day care programs decreases the opportunity for dyadic relationships. The reflective aspect of dyadic relationships provides the blueprint for attachment, security, and relationship building. Current literature proposes that dormant mirror neurons may impede basic social functioning, including empathy. Rainbowdance, a clinical group intervention adapted for children with autism and profound deafness, utilizes repetition of integrated tones and movement, promoting the neurological capacity for development of empathy. Abstract: Background- As the number of both able and neurologically disabled infants and toddlers attending full time day care programs increases, the opportunity for dyadic relationship building decreases. The reflective aspect of the dyadic relationship provides the blueprint for future relationships and is the foundation for attachment, the initial experience of security. Without this foundation, the development of self and the expression of “Voice” are usually disrupted, contributing to imbalances in affect regulation. The high relationship between disordered attachment and increased risk for violence must not be overlooked, locally or globally. Current literature investigating autism and relational behaviors proposes that dormant mirror neurons may impede basic social functioning including empathy. As mirror neuron functions are revived it may be possible to initiate a dialogue between self and other. Rainbowdance, a clinical group intervention developed by the presenter, encourages through the repetition of integrated gesture, vibrational tones and movement, the experience of collective harmony, self esteem, and self regulation. Rainbowdance has recently been adapted for children with autism and profound deafness. Its circle formula is laced with mirroring elements, which transform the perception of “self isolated” to “self affiliated” with the physical, social and spiritual landscapes. Rainbowdance Background: Rainbowdance is a developmentally specific, multi sensorial program created to reinforce or establish healthy attachment and attunement for children (socially and cognitively) aged 1 to five years. Through the use of music, gesture, natural movement and story, this intervention promotes the self esteem, social empathy, and self regulation necessary for mastery , healthy exploration, and competency Individual and collective trust emerges as the children are soothed and energized in the natural flow provided by rhythmic rituals and archetypal movement patterns. Encouraging the dynamic of resonance, each child experiences the balance between reception and expression in his relationships to peers, to his environment, and to himself. As this work is developmentally preverbal, it is accessible to all children regardless of physical or emotional affliction, cultural background, traumatic exposure, or other disability which might otherwise exclude him from group participation. The foundation of this work may be adapted for different age groups and is adapted specifically for reincorporation following acute trauma or loss. Rainbowdance Programs are tailored to meet the needs of each community site . Interventions and trainings vary from three hour inservice staff trainings to full year interventions. Participants will take home intervention concepts and tools which they can weave into their practice with children. Rainbowdance Intervention As it Applies to Mirror Neuron Functioning and Autism: To distinguish,neurologically and developmentally, the child with autism, we consider first ,the normal range of development, with its full range of empathic perception; Infants maturing via experience and neural development have the capacity for joint attention, gestural symbolization, comprehension of separate mind, and implicit and explicit,recognition of the “other'. Autism phenomenologically includes: 1) lack of empathy, 2) deficits in social understanding, language,social cues,with impairment in pragmatic use of language, lack of eye contact, 3) self stimulating behaviors, including rocking and head banging, 4)difficulty with imitation or miming actions, 5)social isolation, 6)difficulty understanding symbolism or metaphor. Children with Autism experience the range of emotions: rage,fear, pleasure, sadness, but don't recognize it in others. The Mirror Neuron system is directly responsible for the development of Empathy, the direct internal understanding of another's actions, intentions, and emotions. The capacity for Affect Resonance and Symbolism, such as language communication and metaphor, are also determined by this neural system. The mirror mechanism creates a bridge between individual brains for communication and connection on multiple levels. In a normal brain the neurons respond equally to performing actions and to observing others performing the same action. With emotional intention behind the action, it appears that there is stronger activity in the Mirror neuron firing. It appears that, in the case of Autism, the neurons respond when engaged in an action, but no when observing others performing the same action. “Mirror Neurons appear to be performing precisely the same functions that are disrupted in Autism”. In cases of severe neglect, as with the Romanian orphans, an environmentally caused syndrome with outcomes similar to Autism might emerge. The Rainbowdance intervention appears to have been successfully implemented with empathic and communicative deficits whose etiology is both environmental and biological. Rainbowdance has three core theoretical components to its foundation: 1) Patterning, 2) Emotional Intention, and 3) Vibrational Rhythm. Patterning: As a child I was part of a small community that rallied around two elementary school aged children with neurological impairments; although not paralyzed, neither was able to crawl or walk. Each day, five times a day, for thirty minutes at a time, teams of five people, would move the child's limbs and head, in the rhythmic pattern of “crawling”. Their brains eventually held the pattern, and the children learned to crawl and ,later, walk. It occurred to me, as I observed my group of children with autism and profound deafness, mirroring my rhythmic and integrated sounds and movements, that there might be a similar neurological process underway. “If the child's mirror neuron functions are dormant rather than lost, it may be possible to revive this ability”. Emotional Intention: In my work with children with profound cerebral palsy, I observed two young men, best friends, begin to uncurl their distorted and paralyzed hands when. “dancing to music”, they were asked to reach to each other. This contributed to my understanding of the power of emotional intention behind an impossible action. Vibrational Rhythm: Rhythm is inherent in all life forms, so it is that which links us all, regardless of impairment, age and cultural or social differences. We detect a wider range of vibration by feeling, through skin, teeth, and bones, than by hearing. The Law of resonance states that anything that vibrates reacts sympathetically to its harmonic vibrations. Sympathetic vibration occurs when two objects have the same or resonant frequency. The Rainbowdance intervention utilizes movements, such as chest tapping to create sound, which acts as vocal mirroring, as children face one another.Vowel sounds, repetitively sung in octave intervals, produce Alpha waves associated with producing a state of calm. Greenspan determined the value of repetitive gestural intervention: He stated that the combination of repeating gestural and orofacial communication until the cause effect dynamic emerges with engaging the child in circle of communication via mirroring, with persistent practice of such social exchange, could produce an enhancement of the mirror neuron system. finally, the remarkable plasticity of the mulit modal neural system implies the emergence of empathic and communicative deficits regardless of environmental (neglect) or biological (autism) etiology. Intensive clinical interventions such as those described by Greenspan may yield effective results. Rainbowdance, evidence informed, is such an intervention. Learning objectives: 1)Identify methodological and clinical core components used to successfully implement Rainbowdance with children of varied neurological and social disabilities, including the dual diagnosis of autism spectrum and profound deafness; 2) Explore the relationship between :Empathy, Mirror Neuron functioning and Autism. 3) Gain knowledge of methods to modulate: Impulsivity, behavioral outbursts, sense of isolation, anxiety, and violent reactions to social conflict. 4)Define “Voice” as it applies to expression of self. Methods: Presenters will use lecture, slides, film, interactive audience demonstrations to present how Rainbowdance can be implemented as participants experience its core intervention components.

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