AAM Guest Post: Help for a Friend w/ MeMoves DVD giveaway #autism

I am pleased to have Roberta Scherf, Co-Creator of MeMoves and parent of a special needs child guest blogging here today, and offering a giveaway of MeMoves!

What is MeMoves

MeMoves™ is an easy and innovative way to increase attention and calm in as little as two minutes – in the classroom, at home, anywhere – for people of all ages and abilities.  A multimedia product that transforms the mind and body through interactive “body puzzles,” the program simultaneously engages a person’s auditory, visual, motor planning and sequencing, and limbic parts of the brain. Each MeMoves™ sequence is a patented combination of music, movement and images, utilizing simple, geometric shapes.  Organized into three categories; Joy, Focus and Calm, users select one of the 13 sequences on the DVD and follow along (imitate) the actions on the screen.

Help for a Friend

By Roberta Scherf, Co-Creator of MeMoves

A few days ago I had coffee with a friend whose child was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She spoke with a mixture of relief and sadness.  Relief at finally comprehending the source of her son’s challenges, and sadness at the loss of the life she dreamed for him.

Although my friend’s son is only 5, the future she imagined for him drastically changed with the diagnosis.  She recalled her own love of high school—marching band, hayrides, prom—and wondered what his experiences would be like growing up. Is college even an option? And what about dating? Would he ever get married and have children? Not to mention finding a career.

The conversation ultimately circled back to his playgroup. He was no longer in one.  Isolated from the community of peers he had just barely discovered, she wondered whether he would ever be connected to a group outside of his own family.

As the saying goes, I had walked a mile in my friend’s shoes. I know exactly how she felt; her concerns were familiar territory: how to be the mother of a remarkable child who doesn’t fit into a group like everyone else? As the parent of a child who is different, it’s one of the first things you discover—without ever really learning how to do it.

The incredible frustration I felt seeing my daughter, who struggles with autism, battle to make connections inside of her brain—and outside to a social group—is what drove me to create something that would ultimately make life easier for her. 

Thirteen years ago, the simple, repetitive, rhythmic music and movements (an early and primitive form of MeMoves) that we did together a few minutes each day changed so many things for her: She began to make eye contact, asked to be held, and, overnight, went from not recalling a single letter of the alphabet to reading chapter books. 

Her transformation ultimately led me and Chris Bye to create MeMoves, which is now being used in special education and mainstream classrooms, therapy centers, and homes across the country. MeMoves is an easy, multisensory series of activities to move from “fight or flight” to “calm and rest.” For many users, it’s the first time they’ve been able to organize overwhelming sensory input.

MeMoves requires no training and is something the entire family can easily do together. In truth, it’s a great way for everyone to connect and find calm and focus. And that’s something that can help all of us.

For more information, please visit: www.thinkingmoves.com, or feel free to contact me at Roberta@thinkingmoves.com.

Thank you,

Rorberta Scherf

Bio: Roberta Scherf

Before developing MeMoves, Roberta created programs for several non-profit organizations.  When her second child struggled with the world around her, Roberta's life changed as she studied everything she could about embodied cognition, movement, music, and their effect on learning.  She spent more than a decade designing MeMoves and other tools to help people of all ages and abilities self-regulate and learn more easily.  She is a very proud mom as well as the happy caretaker of an english setter.

How to win your copy!

Mandatory Entry - Go to the MeMoves web site and then comment below to win!  

Here are the links to MeMoves on Twitter and Facebook - please visit and become part of their community.

Rules:

• There will be three opportunities to enter - one on each of three posts about MeMoves this month.
• Giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents only
• Giveaway will end on April 28th, 2011 at 11:59 PM and 
• the winners will be chosen by Random.org, announced on Acting Balanced and contacted by email.
• The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize. 
• There are three opportunities to enter to win - Comment on ANY MeMoves post before April 28th