**2.20 The Anat Baniel method and NeuroMovement**

The Anat Baniel Method and NeuroMovement is a movement type and brainbased therapy that triggers changes in the brain. Anat Baniel is a psychologist and dancer who became interested in the relationship between movement, the brain, and wellness. She was Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais's co-worker and father of the Feldenkrais method. Her method is a type of movement therapy used to change connections in the brain and between the brain and body. She created a new unique approach to changing the brain based on this method and name it the Anat Baniel Method (ABM), also known as NeuroMovement. It uses movement to change the brain and stimulate its learning process and ability to adapt. Her team works with disabled children and adults after injuries and strokes. They work with healthy individuals such as athletes, musicians, and others to improve their performance.

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, is the core of the treatment for the brain power to change in response to experiences [62]. The current belief is only infants can have neuroplasticity, which decreases significantly with age. Scientists for a long time thought that current research is proving this assumption wrong [62]. Good and bad changes could happen to the adult brains. Positive impact could happen at any age if this ability can be used, which is the bases of the ABM. The ABM identified certain conditions in which the brain can utilize its plasticity and create new connections and patterns. These are known as the nine essentials and underly NeuroMovement therapy [63].

1.**Movement with Attention.** Movement helps the brain change but only when accompanied by focus and attention on the body.


Few research papers studied this method in CP children. There some studies and personal stories showed that ABM can reverse some disabilities. Different random movements can help a healthy baby to learn and develop. On the other hand, a CP child's movement is limited, which in turn limits development [63].

The trainer assists the child move in ways that will lead to positive brain changes and greater mobility [63]. The treatment goal is to fix certain body areas or physical defects. For example, spasticity and pain will be decreased by massage and PT for the legs, which in turn make the child's walks easier. ABM has a different approach based on the brain can learn and change, and the focus is on the brain not on one specific physical issue or defect at a time. As the primary organizing structure, the brain's ability to adapt impacts physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functions [63]. A child can overcome some of his/her disabilities caused by CP if the brain can change, learn, and form new neural connections. The therapy used by ABM practitioners replaces old neurological patterns with new ones [64]. An important aspect is that the ABM does not try to place children into predetermined developmental milestones. The approach treats each child's development as unique, and every child goes at his/ her own pace.
