Kategorie: english

What it’s all about

 

 

My aim is to improve the quality of life for people on the spectrum.
I achieve this both, by imparting knowledge about autism and by teaching simple movement exercises from the field of reflex integration.

Understanding Autism in its core

All living beings strive to develop their inherent potential to the best of their ability.
If unimpaired, this leads to the development of a coherent Self consisting of body and mind. With this, we perceive ourselves and our environment, we process the information we receive and act thereupon in the best possible way, according to our nature.
Every human being is a multi-layered system and follows logical laws in its development. All developmental processes take place simultaneously on different levels. If only one part of the original development plan is impaired, this has consequences in different areas.

Autism is a highly complex developmental process – visible is only the tip of the iceberg!

An impairment during early pregnancy is considered to be a possible cause. Subsequently, the entire further development proceeds fundamentally different and varies greatly to the neurotypical course, depending on the onset and severity of the impact. For example, brain functions and even brain anatomy often organize themselves atypically. This results in a broad spectrum of different abilities on the one hand and a wide range of impairments on the other.
If we take up the brain physiological cause of autism and dovetail it with other theories, e.g. on early childhood development or on communication, on the functioning of the brain or on the construction of knowledge, a completely new perspective opens up: Some things that previously seemed strange or inexplicable can now be understood and appreciated as personally meaningful and systemic development under difficult conditions.

This comprehensive understanding enables us to support people on the spectrum in their development in a focused way.

My offer

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I offer lectures and seminars for people on the autism spectrum and their families, for professionals working in the areas of health, education and social work and for students in these fields. In these, I identify and illustrate different levels and areas of the individual’s development in both, the neurotypical and the autistic / the neurodivergent course. A comparison of the two, followed by a chronological classification, leads to an understanding of the challenges faced by autistic people from a neuronal perspective.

Improving autism at its core!

This theoretical knowledge is complemented by practical guidance on simple movement exercises to integrate existing early childhood reflexes, a common comorbid symptom. This has a positive effect on regulating emotions, perception processing, and motor skills.
In addition, I am happy to share with you the latest scientific findings in the field of nutrition.

Lecture content
  • Aspects of embryonic and early childhood development
  • Fundamental anatomy and functioning of the human brain
  • Brain physiology and developmental psychology of autism
  • The principle of embodiment (emotive and cognitive embodiment)
  • The neurotypical and the autistic course of development
  • The construction of knowledge
  • Aspects concerning the organization of operations and the aquisition of language
  • Regularities within impaired development and subsequent compensation mechanisms.
Target groups
  • People on the autism spectrum and their relatives
  • Educators, curative education nurses and teachers
  • Students of special education/inclusion, developmental psychopathology and speech therapy education
  • All interested parties.

The lectures are aimed at professionals and laypeople alike. They are delivered in generally understandable language and illustrated using vivid graphics.

They last approx. 60 to 90 minutes, allowing time for questions. In the half-day or full-day training courses, we address different aspects of the topic and explore them in greater depth. I gladly adapt my knowledge to your individual questions. Practical examples are very welcome, so, in order to prepare myself, I’ll need a brief description of the situation in question.

My fee depends on the length of the event and the number of participants. I will be happy to arrange this with you personally on request.

Beyond that, I provide personal support and individual consultations.

Me, myself, I

The desire to learn and the desire to travel – inner and outer journeys – have always broadened my horizons.

My life’s journey has often connected me with people on the spectrum: During a school internship at a day support center, I met an autistic person for the first time, which ignited my curiosity.

At that time, however, no one could tell as to why autistic people are different. During my stay of several years at ‚Garvald Community‘, I learned to appreciate many of the strengths and skills of autistic people in their everyday interactions.

My degree in special needs education in Bremen was arguably my greatest journey: I learnt about the self-organisation of living systems, which is based on an active-dynamic approach of development. Closely linked to this is the understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’, just as dialogue is the prerequisite for any form of development. This knowledge led to a new and comprehensive perspective on autism, to an understanding of the underlying difficulties, and it enabled me to develop a broader view of autism.

At present, I work in early intervention with children on the spectrum, which gives I greatly enjoy. My work focuses on exercises to reduce early childhood reflexes. I use mirroring interaction as a basis for initiating communication and language. Together with the children and their parents, we develop practical life skills.

Based on my research on autism and language acquisition, “Why Verbs Are Green,” I am creating a range of lectures and training courses.

My expertise is based on many years of practical experience and solid theoretical knowledge – both of which I am happy to pass on to you!

 

My expertise

 

Professional Qualifications & Occupations
  • Currently I’m working as an Early Intervention Specialist in various daycare centers
  • 2010 – 2022 Employment in Residential Homes for Autistic, Learning Disabled or Traumatized Adults
  • 2001 – 2009 Study of Special needs pedagogy (Cultural-historical Theory of Development), German Literature & Linguistics and Educational
    Sciences at the University of Bremen (Prof. Feuser and Prof. Jantzen)
    Degree: 1st state examination for the Teaching Children with Special Needs at Public Schools
  • 1991 – 1993 Teacher Training at the Edinburgh Steiner Teacher Training Course
  • 1988 – 1993 Employment at Garvald Community in the Borders Region of Scotland, especially with Autistic Adolescents and Adults, there
  • Bakery and Arts & Crafts Teacher

Publications

„Autismus und Spracherwerb anders denken!“ –
‚Autism and language aquisition – a new approach‘
In: BEHINDERTENPÄDAGOGIK (2010), Heft 3, S. 268 – 283

„Warum Verben grün sind“ – ‚Why verbs are green‘
2012, Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main