About HANDLE®

What is HANDLE?

Behavior is Communication

Everything is done for a positive purpose - but what is it?

Nothing stands alone

Less can actually be more

So how does all this work with my child (or me)?

Attending to attentional priorities

HANDLE, a Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency, is an effective, noninvasive, nondrug, empowering approach to strengthening neurological systems that are creating life and/or learning difficulties across the life span. Through this observational nonjudgmental paradigm, we go beyond labels such as Learning Disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and ASD/Autism; as well as functional difficulties such as organizational problems, obsessive-compulsive disorders or tics and view behavior from a unique perspective which in turn lends itself to a unique approach to solutions.

Visit the HANDLE website: handle.org

The HANDLE paradigm is a systems approach, taking into consideration how our bodies and brains communicate and determine how we function. It was developed by Judith Bluestone from more than 35 years of identifying and treating neurodevelopmental differences. It relies on the concept that the body will communicate its needs, weaknesses and strengths through how we function-(behave/learn/communicate). The job of the HANDLE practitioner is to interpret the clues the body gives to better understand underlying causes of challenges a person experiences; basically, creating a comprehensive guide to the individual’s neurodevelopmental functioning.

This guide informs what interventions will strengthen functioning. HANDLE is truly developmental in nature, treating problems at their roots, rather than merely providing short term solutions or compensatory techniques. The therapeutic activities are movement based and outwardly simple, yet deeply profound. They utilize research and techniques from many different disciplines in an individualized approach. Its goal is to help each client to enhance the efficiency with which the individual lives life and achieve functional outcomes.

Each person is unique, and therefore has slightly different neurodevelopmental patterns and unique corresponding behaviors that express the ‘best they can do with what they have.’ Many people – children and adults alike – who experience difficulties in learning, task performance, or social interaction have neurodevelopmental irregularities which interfere with processing (or body-brain communication.) As processing is impeded, the body seeks to compensate in order to create as complete a response to life’s stimuli as possible and to protect vulnerabilities. As a result, these individuals may exhibit maladaptive behaviors. These behaviors, although seemingly dysfunctional, actually serve a purpose for the individual. As systems are strengthened and body-brain communication is clearer, a person will naturally function more efficiently and easily.

The HANDLE paradigm asks what is working or not working. What are the clues that provide information about the patterns of compensation, protection, and diversion that create behavioral outcomes such as disorganization, distractibility, emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties? Answers are discovered through observational assessment, thorough questionnaires, and interviews. These clues help to create a picture of the individual’s neurodevelopmental functioning.

HANDLE views the individual holistically – that is that neurodevelopmental systems are interrelated and inter-responsive to one another. Since these systems are interdependent, the HANDLE practitioner will design an individualized program that works on specific systems as well as the interactions between systems.

This home based program (15 - 20 minutes a day) encourages and develops neurological organization.

These activities work on the foundational concept of Gentle Enhancement® which holds that stressed systems do not learn, they shut down in order to protect themselves. Therefore activities are done gently and stopped prior to the point of stress in the body. Clients learn to identify stress signals. HANDLE clients learn that a little goes a long way and that a lot can actually postpone development.

Learn more about Gentle Enhancement.

Rather than ask “why” a child can’t seem to behave or come up with behavior modification techniques to help her control the behaviors; the HANDLE practitioner sees these behaviors as communications from various neurodevelopmental systems that are not functioning smoothly – clues to how to help her be her best self easily. How does all this translate into functional, behavioral outcomes? Imagine a child observed squirming in her seat, unable to pay attention to the teacher in school. Her handwriting is illegible and no matter how hard she tries the teacher cannot get this child to understand the math lesson. Her reading is below grade level and she tends to be the “class clown.” She is bright, everyone knows that, but somehow, she just can’t focus long enough to “work up to her potential.” Out on the playground this child is wild, often unable to stop when it is time to begin class again. At home she is continually checking in with his parents, “bothering” them with a stream of questions, annoying the baby, and cranky for no apparent reason. Sleep is difficult and meltdowns are not uncommon.

As a HANDLE practitioner, Sindy recognizes how hard this child is trying and frustrated she must feel. Sindy identifies clues that indicate this child’s tactile system may be highly sensitive so that the feel of the chair beneath her and the pencil in her hand may be painful; she squirms to find comfort so that she can focus. Her visual system may be weakened so that her eyes are not working well together; she truly cannot follow what she is reading. She may not know, in her body, where she is in space in relation to herself and others so that her movements seem disruptive, but in fact she is unaware of them, she’s just trying to figure out where she is. Additionally, her vestibular system (how she processes movement) as well as her differentiation (her on/off switch) may be immature and not supporting her intelligence in being functionally expressed.

Through simple activities these systems are organized. As the systems strengthen, internal needs are met naturally supporting more balanced functioning.

What kind of activities are we talking about?

Judith Bluestone, the founder of the HANDLE paradigm, called the HANDLE activities “simple, yet profound.” They are developmentally appropriate movements that often mimic natural movements made in typical development. There are over 100 copyrighted activities that a Practitioner can modify to meet the age, functional and emotional needs of a client.

Each activity is done without stress to strengthen the body-brain connection. Precautions are important, do only with proper instructions. The art of HANDLE is to adjust the activities through the months to best support the individual client.

Examples of activities are:

• drinking through a crazy straw in a particular way

• rhythmic tapping on particular areas of the body

• playing specific games with hula hoops, balls, or clapping

Attentional Priorities, rather than attentional deficits will dictate where we put our energy. Self-protection and self-esteem are usually higher priorities than math lessons.

It is easy to see a squirming, distracted child who is not producing much work as disruptive, manipulative, and inattentive and to interpret that he doesn’t care about his schoolwork or helping out at home. Perhaps this child is actually being very attentive, he is just attending to things that his body is telling him, out of his conscious awareness. This focus is so encompassing that it does not allow him to also focus on the tasks at hand. Thus causing frustration for him as well as those around him.

HANDLE acknowledges Attentional Priorities (where a client needs to focus his or her energy) that create diversion from the tasks at hand. Everything is done for a positive purpose. HANDLE explores the purposes behind inefficient functioning. By enhancing the interwoven neurodevelopmental systems, independently and holistically, HANDLE nurtures the individual’s own body to learn and grow efficiently.

Learn about the HANDLE services we offer.