Rhythmic movement training has been developed by Kerstin Linde, a self-taught Swedish movement instructor and is based on the rhythmic movements that infants spontaneously make before they learn to walk.

At birth the human brain is still very undeveloped and the rhythmic infant movements give the brain a powerful stimulation from the balance, proprioceptive and tactile senses. Such stimulation is necessary for the maturing of the brain cells and the growth of the nerve nets that link up the different parts of the brain.

Autism and autistic disorders are conditions of varying degree of seriousness considered to be caused by functional disorders on different levels of the brain.

Sometimes there is damage or malfunction of the cerebellum or the brain stem. Such damage obstructs the natural rhythmic movements of the infant and therefore contributes to functional disorders on higher levels of the brain.

Many children with autism have motor problems, e.g. active primitive reflexes or problems with muscle tone. These children can be tense and walk on their toes or shrunk up with low muscle tone. Such problems are a consequence of a disorder or malfunction of the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that controls automatized motor performance.

Common symptoms in autism such as lack of curiosity of the world around, problems with social interaction, abnormal play behaviour, aversion to body contact and lack of emotional response are considered to be caused by functional disorder or damage of the part of the brain that controls emotion, i.e. the limbic system.

Compulsive symptoms such as rituals and dependence on routine are also important in autism. Such symptoms may also be caused by malfunction of the limbic system.

From the nucleus dentatus in the cerebellum there is an important nerve connection to a region in the left frontal lobe, that is responsible for speech and language. In autistic children the nucleus dentatus is smaller than normal, which could explain why many autistic children do not speak and others have great difficulty to communicate.

Most children with autism are oversensitive to various sensory stimulation. Many of them do not like to be touched or hugged. Hypersensitivity to visual stimulation, especially light, and auditory stimulation is widespread.Hypersensitivity to stimulation from the balance sense is also quite common.

Hypersensitivity to sensory stimulation is above all caused by an active Moro reflex.

Rhythmic movement training has proved to be quite effective in autistic disorders. The training is done in supine or prone position or on hands and knees. It is composed partly by passive rocking movements and partly by active rocking movements, which the child makes by itself. The training takes ten to fifteen minutes every day, sometimes more.

Most autistic children like the rhythmic training. Certain autistic children, however, offer resistance in the beginning of the training. They dodge and wriggle away. This can be caused by hypersensitivity of the tactile and balance senses due to an active Moro reflex. With patience such difficulties usually are overcome and after some time these children enjoy the training like any child.

If the exercises are done every day a positive development can often be noticed within a month. The children become calmer and more interested in the world around and give better contact and emotional response. The fits of rage diminish and the compulsory symptoms like rituals and routine dependence become less pronounced.

The improvement can be explained by the fact that the rhythmic movement training stimulates the growth of the nerve cells in different parts of the brain which are damaged or malfunctioning in autism, e.g. the brain stem, the cerebellum, the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. Moreover the training develops the nerve nets between these structures and helps the brain to function in a more unified way. Since this is a slow process the training has to be continued for a long time, preferably for a year or more.

To diminish the hypersensitivity of sensory stimulation the Moro reflex should also be integrated.

1. Basic level: Rhythmic movement training and primitive reflexes

In this 2-day course the participants will learn the basicsof the rhythmic movement training: how rhythmic exercises can be utilized to regulate muscle tone, stimulate the cerebellum and the neocortex, especially the frontal lobes in order to improve attention and control of impulses. The course also includes a survey of the most important primitive reflexes and how to integrate them with rhythmic exercises.

No previous knowledge required

2. Level 2: Rhythmic movements, reflexes and emotions

This 2-day course deals with how the rhythmic movement training affects our emotions, how to work with movements to get in touch with our emotions and to stabilize them when they threaten to take command. The course also deals with rhythmic movement training in autism and psychosis and includes an introduction of working with symbols and dreams that the training brings to fore.

Previous knowledge required: Basic level