Fostering Potential in Children with Special Needs An Abilities-Oriented Perspective on Early Childhood Motor Development

Table of Contents: 

1            Learning to see a child in motion

2            Abilities orientation

3            Primary elements of movements

4.           Developmental perspectives

5            Unique children, unique solutions

6            Neuroplasticity, modifiability, and patterns of activity

7            Freedom in movement

8            Individuality

9            My time with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais

10          Practical techniques

References

Index

Biography

Jeremy Krauss is an educational director and clinician who has taught internationally for over 40 years. Jeremy developed the Jeremy Krauss Approach JKA for movement-based therapeutic learning with adults and children with special needs. 

'Everyone notices other people’s nonverbal behavior, but it takes a special skill to really see what another person’s body is doing, and how that relates to their bodily and psychological functioning. The genius of Jeremy Krauss’s book is that he shows how this can be done. His expertise is amazing, as is his ability to explain it for readers whether they are parents, teachers, or therapists.'

Judith A. Hall, PhD, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Emerita, Northeastern University, Boston

'Developed by the author over decades of clinical work, the Jeremy Krauss Approach JKA uses touch and movement to access brain plasticity, fostering learning and growth in children with developmental challenges.  Krauss's book elucidates his revolutionary and comprehensive approach and clearly teaches readers—parents, therapists, physicians, teachers, and caregivers—how to observe ability and facilitate each child's next stage of development, enabling the child to reach their full potential.  I highly recommend Fostering Potential in Children with Special Needs to anyone interested in helping special needs children.'

Mercedes von Deck, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Guild Certified Feldenkrais practitioner, JKA practitioner

'Grounded in decades of experience and embedded in contemporary neuroscience, Jeremy Krauss’s book presents a transformative movement-based methodology and a compassionate perspective on motor development in children with special needs. Shifting the focus from deficits to abilities, it presents practical strategies that draw on insights into neuroplasticity and critical developmental periods, while emphasizing each child’s individual skill set. Prioritizing careful observation, attuned connection, and growth through iterative learning, Krauss shows how building confidence in motor coordination enables children to engage more fully with their social environments, supporting emotional regulation, motivation, and cognitive development. Rich in case studies and images, this deeply encouraging work is an invaluable resource for clinicians, educators, families, as well as an inspiration for developmental neuroscientists.'

Stephanie Rudolph, PhD, Assistant Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

'Ever more frequently I encounter exceptionally gifted parents, pedagogues, and therapists who do a very remarkable job in supporting children. They succeed in helping the children entrusted to them to unfold their intrinsic potential and to develop their individual possibilities in a way which outsiders might call impressive and even amazing. More often than not, rather than taking on the support of so-called 'normal children' on their life journey, these individuals tend to focus on children who arrived into this world with some properties which make them very special. Most of these children have more or less distinct impairments in the form of certain functional idiosyncrasies which even the most intensive training or practice cannot convert into 'normal' versions of themselves. The talented companions described above seem to be aware of this. So they empathize with the child and try to find what type of support this individual needs.  Accordingly, they refrain from making the child an object of their own expectations and ideas, their instructions, approaches, and treatments—something that happens all too easily. And they certainly never judge the child.  They leave it to the child to figure out for themselves how things might work, offering empathic and competent support if the child's initial attempts don't turn out so well.  In other words: they provide children with the opportunity to experience themselves as the engineers of their own learning process, as both the subjects and the designers of their own intentions and goals. This is what makes a real difference and enables the "miracle moments" described by Jeremy Krauss in this book to emerge: an experience of self-agency—almost impossible to express in words—of the child having accomplished something they wanted to do which nobody would have thought possible, not even the child themselves. These are magical moments in the child's life, moments which open the door to the next developmental steps that the child will then approach with even more courage and determination—a door which otherwise would have remained shut. This is what Moshe Feldenkrais already recognized half a century ago, and it is a phenomenon also understood by highly empathic parents, teachers, and therapists. It is very fortunate and demonstrates the growing understanding of the function and structure of the human brain that in the meantime neurobiology, too, has found ways to describe and explain the theoretical underpinnings of situations when developmental leaps of this kind occur.  But what is a theory good for if it is not put to use? How this can actually work and what kind of basic attitude it requires is shown impressively by Jeremy Krauss in his book.'

Gerald Hüther, Dr. rer. nat. Dr. med. habil., Neurobiology, Head of the Academy for Potential Development 

'In Fostering Potential in Children with Special Needs: An Abilities-Oriented Perspective on Early Childhood Motor Development Jeremy Krauss shares in an interesting, clear manner his compassionate and comprehensive approach to working with children who have special needs. He illuminates this process by engaging movement, touch, voice, mindfulness, and relationship. Jeremy begins with respect, acceptance, and trust in each child and their ability to become more freely who they actually are and to uncover their physical, emotional, and behavioural innate potentials. Based upon over 40 years of experience learning from each child their specific challenges and gifts, Jeremy has developed a unique and transformative practice to guide the children and to teach the adults who care deeply about them. If you have a child with special needs or engage with them in your life, “miracle moments” can bring you the joy of discovering a path of deep healing, not only for the children, but for your relationship with them. This book can inspire you.'

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, author of Basic Neurocellular Patterns: Exploring Developmental Movement  

'In his book Fostering Potential in Children with Special Needs: An Abilities-Oriented Perspective on Early Childhood Motor Development Jeremy shares about our possibilities to flourish in adverse circumstances. He invites a way to look for the emergence of the new in every child, no matter their challenges. By meeting them from a place of acknowledging their wholeness and possibility, his sophisticated hands become a child’s best friend, leading them to experience and strengthen their abilities. To support a child’s journey through a sequence of allowing them to recognize “Yes, I am able” is much more than looking at the cup as half full. His method teaches us to see each child as already complete and functioning. He speaks to a quality of connection every child deserves, is waiting for, and depends on us to offer to them. It allows children to connect with their natural life force, which runs through each of us, and is often stronger in our early years of life. Jeremy wisely nudges us away from our false perceptions, full of assumptions and projections, to open ourselves to the big and small miracles unfolding in front of our eyes. Through his practice, he knows and also shows that ongoing discovery and development are genuinely possible. As a somatic therapist, I know that when parents who feel powerless meet therapists that feel hopeless, children take the toll. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a child thrive. Let’s all be inspired by Jeremy to look at special needs children with fresh eyes, learn with them, and enjoy their unique growth.'

Ale Duarte, Teacher, Therapist, and Creator of Tune in to Children

'In recent years, the importance given to early intervention in childhood has been increasing. In particular, detailed studies on neural plasticity and motor development theories have been revealed in many studies that are effective in minimizing neuromusculoskeletal problems that may occur in the later stages of life. In particular, a detailed understanding of typical and atypical motor development has become more valuable. It has been shown that motor development does not only consist of gross motor milestones such as head control, rolling, crawling, sitting, and walking, but especially the movement components and experiences performed by the baby/child among these developmental milestones are much more effective in acquiring these skills. For this reason, it has been more clearly understood that it is essential for professionals and families to create environments where they can concentrate on these movement details, and for the child to be exposed to these experiences through trial and error. During my nearly 25 years of clinical and academic career, as a physiotherapist, I have gained a lot of experience in the approach to baby and child, and I have received and continue to receive many trainings to practice my profession better, effectively and up-to-date. Here is one of the methods that I have taken recently and contributed to my point of view, is the Jeremy Krauss Approach. As a child physiotherapist, although I know the typical and atypical motor development in detail, I think that with this method, I understand how effective it is to observe the movement in detail, and then to experience and feel it on myself, in terms of understanding typical motor development then implementing to babies and children. Therefore, after learning the Jeremy Krauss Approach, I think that neurological problems are not the only reason behind the inability of the baby and/or child with special needs to perform a movement; in fact, it may be due to the limitations in experiencing movements in line with their existing potential. The Jeremy Krauss Approach has been an important and promising resource for me to fill the gap in understanding the typical and atypical motor development in children with special needs in detail from my daily practice. From this point of view, I believe that this book will be an important resource for professionals and families working with children with special needs. I sincerely congratulate Jeremy Krauss for his successful work and thank him for his field contributions.'

Bulent Elbasan, PT, PhD, Prof. Decan at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Gazi University, and Lecturer at the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation