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PSYCHOMOTRICITY

General overview

The concept of psychomotricity is said to have been initially developed in Germany in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Griesinger, the founder of neuropsychiatry. The profession of psychomotor rehabilitation appeared in France in the 1940s: it is defined as a technique which, through the body and gesture, addresses the individual as a whole. The State Diploma of Psycho-educator was created in 1974.

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Main objectives of the method

  • Psychomotricity allows the child to progress in the perception and control of his body. The goal is to allow him to express himself through his body, and to truly inhabit it. 

  • The spirit of psychomotricity is to reconcile mind and body through the work of the body. 

  • Psychomotricity aims to develop gross motor skills, fine motor skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, interaction and socialization.

Specificities of the method

The psychomotrician pays particular attention to the relationship between the body and affect, to what fears or psychological blockages can have as consequences for the child.

He begins by carrying out a psychomotor assessment to adapt the exercises and activities he proposes to the child.

 

The psychomotricity work is carried out by means of :

  • various relaxation techniques

  • gestural education

  • of body or plastic expression 

  • by rhythmic activities

  • gaming

  • balance and coordination exercises.

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The notion of pleasure is fundamental to allow the child to find the desire and the pleasure of doing. The psychomotrician will thus propose playful situations giving the child the possibility to move, manipulate, learn to know himself, and to enter into a relationship with others, through games or mobilization in space: psychomotor courses, games of skill, rhythmic activities, sensory stimulation (musical instruments...), drawing, modelling clay... 

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Sessions last about 45 minutes, and are weekly or several times a week. The sessions are mostly individual, but there may be group sessions to work on the relationship with the other. The length of follow-up varies from several weeks to several months.
 

Who is this method for ?

Psychomotor therapists take care of children with concentration disorders, communication disorders, graphic design disorders, dyspraxia, stuttering, hyperactivity, relational disorders, autistic disorders...

Scientific references

  • ADHD and psychomotricity: http://www.psychomot.ups-tlse.fr/chagneau2010.pdf
    A study of children with ADHD suggests that psychomotor skills coupled with problem-solving training can significantly improve decision-making ability in some children.

  • Can Psychomotricity improve cognitive abilities in infants, 2016, María Teresa Llinás Más, Judit Castellà
    The results suggest that the systematic practice of psychomotor skills can improve general development and cognition in infants, and that it may therefore be useful to implement this methodology in educational intervention.

  • Effect of Psychomotricity Program on Anxiety, Withdrawal and Problem Behavior of Children with Asperger Disorder, Youn Tae Suh, Yun Jung Kim
    The findings suggest that psychomotricity is effective in reducing the aggressive behaviour and frequency of withdrawal in children with Asperger's Disorder and in keeping the level down.

Any remarks or comments ?

This work is based on a collaborative approach to sharing research and family experience.

If you have any comments, suggestions for modifications or corrections or clarifications to make, please let us know by email at contact@leneurogroupe.org

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