Giving children in difficulty a new chance to recover what they have missed in their development, this is the mission of Padovan therapy. How? ‘Or’ What ? By making them perform rhythmic movements which recapitulate the major stages of development. Why ? Because it would thus allow to reorganize the cerebral circuits, by repairing the damaged or unstimulated areas. Details with Florence Fromageot, speech therapist, therapist and trainer in Padovan therapy.

“This therapy was invented by a Brazilian, Béatriz Padovan, in the 1970s,” recalls Florence Fromageot. Teacher in an elementary school, then speech therapist, she is frustrated at not being able to sufficiently help the young people in difficulty that she meets. She then turned to work in pedagogy and neurology. “To realize that all healthy children go through the same stages to get to the walk. “

Béatriz Padovan examined, among other things, the work of Rudolf Steiner. The Austrian occultist (1861-1925) had identified three phases of development for the young child, inseparable from each other: walking-talking-thinking.

The Brazilian is also passionate about the work of the American neurosurgeon Temple Fay (1895-1963) on the link between neurological organization and the stages of child development. And for 30 years, Padovan therapy has continued to enrich itself with new advances in neuroscience.

“The evolutionary process of walking prepares the nervous paths of language, which itself leads to the development of thought. The three activities support the “‘ripening’ of the human nervous system,” she concludes from her research. In fact, neuronal plasticity, this formidable capacity of the brain to create new connections between its neurons, in particular from motor function, is now proven. This plasticity makes it possible to catch up with a delay in development. And gives a struggling child’s nervous system a second chance to develop as it should. In other words, it’s never too late to do the right thing.

The teacher then developed “thanks to her intuition, her empirical observations, and her very good knowledge of the functioning of the nervous system, a new therapeutic tool. “

This method of neuro-functional reorganization will be dubbed Padovan therapy. The objective: to repair a dysfunction of the nervous system which has led to a delay (motor, cognitive, etc.). And thus, allow the children concerned to overcome blockages, in order to progress. This discipline is now taught at the university in Brazil.

“The idea is to take again, the time of a session, all the stages of development through which a child passes between birth and 1 year. In other words, to roll, crawl, crawl … to finally stand up, and walk. “

It is the therapist who makes his little patient perform these movements. “In addition to developing the most archaic movements, the Padovan method also recapitulates the development of the hands, eyes and prelinguistic functions: breathing, sucking, chewing and swallowing.”, Can we read on padovan-synchronicite .com. Each movement is made to the rhythm of poems or nursery rhymes recited by the therapist. This is to promote the synchronization of movements. The sessions are repeated at regular intervals, for at least several months. Sometimes much more, depending on the patient and the problem to be treated. Because the creation of new connections between neurons is based, in part, on the repetition of stimuli. “It is this consistency that will allow the patient to acquire results that will last over time. “

The method can be used at all ages. It is, for example, recommended during rehabilitation after a stroke, in addition to traditional methods. But it is particularly effective in children with developmental delays. “Cerebral palsy, those with dys disorders (dyslexia, dysorthography, dyscalculia), autistic people, ADHD, etc.” Anyone who has not been able to go through the usual stages of development. “

“A session lasts between 45 minutes and 1 hour,” explains Florence Fromageot. This involves repeating a series of movements in one session, following the normal course of the developmental stages. “We will go through all these stages again. First by putting the child in a hammock, to work on rocking movements. We sing poems and rhymes during the session. The goal is for the child to be in the feeling. Then we put the child on the ground on his back, with a pedaling movement of the legs. Then we put him on his stomach, we roll him, crawl, crawl forward, then squat, before getting up, etc. Each time, we repeat the same things, we go through the same steps. A child needs repetitions to “imprint” a gesture. This is why this therapy, to be effective, requires regularity and repetition. “You need at least two sessions per week. It is not a work of gymnastics, but a process of rehabilitation of the nervous system. “

In France, speech therapists are trained in Padovan therapy. But also psychomotor therapists, physiotherapists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, etc. To find a therapist, we advise you to consult the directory on Padovan-synchronicite.com. The sessions can be reimbursed by Social Security, if they are prescribed by a doctor.