Dyslexia is the leading cause of reading failure and school dropouts in the United States, and eighty percent of kids with learning disabilities have dyslexia. A 2005 study determined that ninety percent of sixth graders who fail English will drop out of school. By implementing a RMT program in early elementary classes, schools have the potential to dramatically reduce the number of dropouts and increase the academic skills of their graduates.
RMT has been used successfully in Europe for over 25 years, but it was only introduced into the US four years ago. Developed by Swedish psychiatrist Harald Blomberg, RMT is based on the developmental movements that infants make in their first year of life. Everyone is born with primitive (infant) reflexes that act as a blueprint for brain development. Primitive reflexes are what cause infants to raise their head, roll over in the crib, get on their hands and knees, and later to walk. If the primitive reflexes remain active beyond the age of three, behavioral problems and learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, impulsiveness, oppositional/defiance, lack of coordination and other issues can occur.
To the untrained eye, the classroom activities look like a cross between total mayhem and a circus. The students spin plates, pick up marbles with their toes, bounce balls off their backs, and balance on teeter boards during the sessions. Students were evaluated then prescribed specific play designed to fill in developmental gaps that cause learning disabilities.
