'Aucouturier psychomotor practice' is a new method that can help all young children with difficulties, including the most severe communication disorders such as autism... to be rehabilitated.
Aucouturier's psychomotor practice on education and prevention for normal children - Photo: Dr. LE BINH
How to communicate with non-communicative children?
That was my question in 2008, after listening and feeling all the suffering of a father whose child had autism through the presentation "Autism - the scary gap of pediatrics" at the 2008 National Autism Conference, held at Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Interesting discoveries
I studied for 3 years (2001 - 2003) at the School of Practical Psychology of Paris (EPP) at Children's Hospital 1, and was able to recognize psychopathological disorders in young children, the most severe of which was autism. I was very moved and found myself able to diagnose autism but helpless in approaching and treating this completely non-communicative child.
In 2008, I received a scholarship from the French Government for the second residency program. I decided to find a way to practice child psychiatry after my internship at the pediatric neurology department at Kremlin Bicêtre Hospital.
I found the psychomotor approach to children with autism quite unique, especially the psychomotor room at the Department of Child Psychopathology at the Institute of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, which is equipped with a small swimming pool for children. It was the first time I saw a child with autism who could smile peacefully, even without making eye contact with the psychomotor.
At that time, I really wanted to learn about psychomotor, but my internship in France had ended. In 2009, I had just returned to Vietnam from France and heard that there was a psychomotor training course in Ho Chi Minh City, so I met Ms. Annette Bauer.
I was quite nervous because the training had started a year earlier, but luckily, Annette agreed. She said she was very happy because I was both a pediatrician and trained in perinatal psychology, so studying Aucouturier psychomotor was very suitable.
I discovered that Annette's psychomotor training was better than the psychomotor method I had experienced in Paris before, because it was the Aucouturier psychomotor practice (PPA = Pratique Psychomotrice Aucouturier).
This is a relationship-based approach, while psychomotor therapy in France is functional psychomotor therapy, aimed at treating symptoms and external manifestations.
Many children have made a full recovery.
PPA sets out two important requirements: the psychomotor room needs to be specially designed. The room needs to be large enough, the equipment needs to be arranged safely, and it needs to be suitable for the child's age-related psychophysical needs.
Children are allowed to initiate play, explore and express themselves freely, and live in the joy of movement. The psychomotor room is where children live with their own psychophysiological development process.
At the same time, psychomotor therapists need to transform themselves: in addition to being equipped with some skills and tools to support special children, they need to be transformed internally. They can recognize the children's abilities and positive points alongside some of their difficulties.
In addition, they understand the origin of the child's unusual external manifestations (through analysis and synthesis of information from parents about the child's development process and at least 3 observation sessions in the psychomotor room).
At the same time, understand the meaning of the child's body language, sympathize with the child's inner suffering, fear, inhibition, anger, hurt, trauma... Aucouturier is a companion in an equal position, on the same level as the child, playing with and for the child, not planning to teach the child and expecting the child to achieve the achievements he sets out.
In contact with the Aucouturier psychomotor home, children feel understood, regularly responded appropriately, respected and valued, leading them to place their trust in the psychomotor home. From there, children become confident and open, want to play, want to communicate and want to grow.
Therefore, children not only lose "strange" behaviors but also develop many other aspects, in parallel with emotions, feelings, relationships, awareness of themselves and the world around them.
The role of parents is very important
Through my experience in therapy at the psychomotor clinic since 2012, some children with autism, who came early before the age of 3, with the cooperation of their parents, have fully recovered after 1-2 years.
Cases where parents come with their children for therapy often have a higher and faster recovery rate. Children who come later (5-6 years old) also make significant progress, some of them can go to regular school.
However, there is a special case where children cannot concentrate on studying at a normal school, but their parents force them to go to school, resulting in the child regressing, showing signs of withdrawal, hyperactivity, impulsiveness...
Fortunately, the parents of this child recognized the source of the problem and changed the child's environment. Previously, the child came because of strange behavior (often kissing other people's feet), not communicating, impulsive, not recognizing himself, not expressing emotions, even on his birthday he was congratulated by friends and relatives...
Now the child has progressed in many aspects, recognizes himself, knows how to express his emotions to others and is very happy on his birthday, speaks more and expresses himself more clearly, knows how to express his feelings to his parents, communicates well with relatives, can do some housework when asked, can sit for a long time playing with assembling things, making lanterns...
Children love going to school - a school for special children that does not force children to learn letters but helps them practice self-care skills, do crafts, create art, and learn to sing.
The father also realized that he had changed a lot: from being hot-tempered, he had become very patient. His love for his son helped the father change, and played an important role in helping his son change.
The progress of these children confirmed to me the effectiveness of the Aucouturier psychomotor practice method, making me want to contribute to spreading this method in Vietnam.
When Annette Bauer suggested I take the course to become a trainer, I immediately agreed. I became an Aucouturier psychomotor trainer, recognized by ASEFOP (Association Européenne des Écoles de Formation à la Pratique Psychomotrice - European Association of Aucouturier Psychomotor Training Schools) in February 2019, after 4 years of training.
Speaking with Tuoi Tre , Dr. Tran Quang Huy - Department of Psychology, Children's Hospital 1 (HCMC) - said that the Aucouturier psychomotor practice method was developed by Bernard Aucouturier.
The main principles of Aucouturier psychomotor training are free movement, no imposition; safe and stimulating space; observation, companionship and focus on emotions, personal expression. Currently, psychomotor training rooms in Ho Chi Minh City all follow the main principles of the Aucouturier method.
NEUTER
Dr. Nguyen Le Binh - pediatrician and clinical psychologist, Aucouturier psychomotor trainer, perinatal child psychiatry department - Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giao-tiep-voi-tre-khong-giao-tiep-bang-thuc-hanh-tam-van-dong-20250207075212997.htm
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