ABR - The Method of Soft Tissue RemodellingFor a special needs child each small improvement opens up a new world. Theability to swallow, to chew, to make sounds, to smile, to speak, to begin tocrawl or even walk – all these the healthy person takes for granted. But thespecial needs child fights for function against intense odds.

ABR shows that functional limitations are governed by deficient bodilystructural elements. Any attempt to train a special needs individual willnecessarily be restricted by the person’s insufficient structure. Who would tryto make a horse learn to fly? Yet, trying to make a child with insufficient corestructures learn to crawl or to walk has similar chances for success.

ABR DenmarkAdvanced Biomechanical Rehabilitation

Courses

ABR Denmark has developed a variety of training programs in order to accommodate individualparental needs.

ABR CP Wellness An introduction to ABR designed for parents who would like to get to know the ABRtechnique and begin to implement it at their own pace at home. This course teaches basic ABR corestrengthening applications that improve the respiration and metabolic functions - giving a foundationfor further development. It entails one training day and apre-assessment.

ABR Intensive This is our traditional course. Here the parents learn to master the ABR technique in allof its forms – including the manual technique, active exercises, PAVES, brushing techniques, and theABR machine usage. This course maximises the effect that ABR can achieve through a selective strategyof applications. It includes a yearly assessment with Leonid Blyum.

ABR Speech Facilitating Course In this course parents with children with speech difficulties learn theABR applications that directly target the speech organism. The ABR method strengthens the soft tissuesstructures such as the mouth floor and trachea, helps to unlock jaw movement and develops the mimicmuscles involved in speaking.

ABR and PAVES Especially for Stroke Victims. This course is for motor impaired adults who wish towork independently. The active ABR exercises as well as several manual applications that the patientscan perform themselves are taught in these courses.

ABR Therapy Device For families who do not have the time and resources to implement the ABRmanual or active exercises it is still possible to realise some of the ABR rehabilitative effects with theuse of the ABR Massage Device. Such families can integrate the ABR Massage Device into their dailyroutine as it can be used at any time of the day or during the sleeping periods.

Awareness Through Movement These courses – based upon various methods involving sensoryawareness - exhibit another aspect of our child developmental support. The intricate process of thehealthy child’s motor development in the first year of life gives the basis for the understanding. Herethe importance of the child’s surroundings as a support for the development of his or her initiative andself- motivation are addressed. These courses are offered to the parents for their general guidance andalso as individually tailored sessions for the children.

Tegning: Klara Pap, Emmi Pikler Lasst mir Zeit, S.211

What is ABR?In individuals with cerebral palsy or other related illnesses affecting the function of the muscular skeletalsystem, it is not only limb mobility that is disrupted. Moreover the bodies entire system of connectivetissues has been depleted. This means that core structures such as the neck, trunk and abdomen arediminished in their proportion and relative volume. Weakness in the core structures directly translatesinto poor limb function.

Why is this?

Imagine a globe with latitudinal and longitudinal lines. If one could deflate the globe, the nicely spacedlatitude and longitude circles on the globe would begin to twist and to tangle. It is exactly in this mannerthat the structure of a motor impaired person has been affected.

Through generalised weakening of internal soft tissues, the relative positioning of the bones and jointsshifts substantially. The bones and joints are meant to give the body internal support and structure. Ifthey lose their relative placement, this distorts the positioning of the corresponding muscles and nervesthat follow the structure of the skeleton. The result is that the muscles cannot work as levers. Theensuing severe muscular imbalance prohibits the establishment or maintanance of the body map,making proper governance of the muscles by the central nervous system an insurmountable task. Ifwe try to force such a person to sit or to crawl, the internal background of fascia or connective tissuesupport that is responsible for postural alignment and positioning is not functioning properly. Theskeleton related structures do not hold and give the needed support. Limited muscle groups are thenforced to take over general support functions. But, as muscles are not designed to do this sort of work,they tire quickly and, in the long run, become increasingly stiff or spastic. The ABR technique is designedto specifically address weak soft tissue structures. It works by improving the overall quality of the bodiesfascia and connective tissue system. Through a specialised method of repetitive application of pressure,a slight deformation of existing soft tissues is achieved. The body reacts to this stimulus, by remodellingand regenerating the areas that are being addressed. This is why ABR is able to dramatically improverespiration and the structures responsible for speech and swallowing. Metabolic functions areimproved, general skeletal alignment and positioning follows, restoring mobility and allowing for newor renewed motor function. Cognitive advancements as also being dependant upon the general healthof the individual also follow.

Horndrupvej 36,DK-8660 Skanderborg

abrdanmark@mail.dk0045 86 51 24 86

www.abr-denmark.com

ABR directly addresses thepatients’ structuralweaknesses through aspecially developedmethod of soft tissueremodelling. Improvedbodily structure removesfunctional barriers andallows for enhanceddevelopmental progress.

ABR FACTSWe recommend our free informationalDVD “ABR Facts” to parents andcaretakers of brain injured individuals asan essential guide in their decisionmaking process. On hand from theprogress and changes in structure andfunction of eight ABR patients - bothchildren and young adults - many of thebasic ABR concepts are clearly illustrated.Our approach to rehabilitation is radicallynew. “ABR Facts” provides a basis forunderstanding the ABR rehabilitationmethod.