Brain Gym for children with special needs

MANILA, Philippines - Parents of children with special needs never get tired of finding ways to improve their children’s condition. Since 1981, several countries all over the world have been using an exciting program to address learning challenges and improve performance. This is Brain Gym — a program that espouses movements to help children realize their potentials. It offers 26 quick and easy-to-learn fun movements, which with constant and regular use, can actually make children and even adults improve their performance in all areas of learning. Schools and individuals who have been using the Brain Gym movements attest to the program’s positive results. Brain Gym was first introduced in the Philippines in 2003 by Rizalina Ochoa, a former high school Science teacher at the International School of Manila. After her son was diagnosed with ADHD, she quit her job and founded a special school named Anima Christi Center that offers programs and regular curriculum with accommodations to give students a chance to unlock their potentials. “I realized that children who are capable, but handicapped by learning and attention weaknesses, are hardly accommodated and given proper intervention in most schools,” she shares. After she became a licensed Brain Gym consultant, she incorporated the program in her school’s curriculum and has been giving workshops to various professionals and organizations. She also conducts individual Brain Gym therapy for both children and adults. In year 2008, she was given by Brain Gym International the “Movement Teacher of the Year” award for her successful efforts in bringing Brain gym to the lives of many, and using the program in her advocacy for special children. Center for Possibilities, Inc. (CFP), a non-profit organization that advocates care and solution for children with special needs and their families, has invited Ochoa to be the guest speaker for its next Parent Support Group meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 4-6 p.m. at Reach International School, 67 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City (right across Mandarin Hotel). For further inquiries, call 7255132/7231242 and look for Tina. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.possibilitiescenter.org.