Q & A
(√) Was WTM tested?
Yes.
For thirteen years, Catherine Rosasco-Mitchell and a team of educators refined and tested the techniques in four elementary schools (Kohala Elementary, 2008 to 2016; Parker Elementary School, 2010; and Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s lower school, 2006).
(√) Does movement organization affect behavior even if a child acts normal?
Yes.
Even healthy, functioning children use movement to develop their perception, but they often lack awareness of how their body organization and brain work together. Like most skills, understanding the Sensory Body (SB) needs to be learned.
Everything a child does, thinks, and feels involves motion, and motion and attention are inseparable functions.
For example, desires and actions do not always align, which can impact self-confidence. Imagine a baby who sees a bottle on the floor; initially, the baby’s feet and legs may move, but there is no sense of propelling forward to reach the bottle. This fumbling stage is valuable as it teaches the baby how to negotiate between the brain and the body. How a child organizes their movements during developmental stages will influence their abilities.
A child’s movement can also provide psychologists with insights into their behavior. Aspects of movement can contribute to behavior, self-confidence, and character development.
In the WTM approach, movement is not merely a means to achieve a motor skill; instead, it enhances the synergistic relationship between the mind and body. More importantly, the sense of the Sensory Body (SB) helps children gain tangible sense insights to their internal process. By understanding their inner processes and how they interact with the outside world, children can make better choices.
Often, children need to be taught how to feel their bodies. When they learn to connect with their Sensory Body, it can feel like they have found their best friend.
For more information, refer to the program “Get Sensational Attention,” which teaches children about their SB. The sense of movement is foundational to the development of self-identification. To explore more about the relationship between movement and the psyche, visit the Science page. You can also find references to relevant neuroscience research at the bottom of that page.
(√) What should I look for in children’s movement?
Look for awkwardness in movement patterns. We are looking for movement patterns that may be challenging how the child wants to operate versus what is operating. For example, are their two eyes tracking together? Do they use only one leg when they crawl? If your child can walk, do they seem balanced on each leg when walking up or down steps?
Movements beyond exercise have patterns. We usually think of movement as exercise. However, how we move communicates to the brain in how we think. We move in accordance with the behavior of every emotion and thought. We move to find and organize balance and coordination. The results? Physical movement patterns give the brain biological tendencies for mental development.
Henry, a five-year-old boy, couldn’t listen. He would look like he was listening, then crawl under the desks. One day, he was walking up the stairs, and I noticed his movement was similar to that of a child with CP (cerebral palsy). Henry would grasp the railing with every step for balance and seemed to have difficulty maneuvering his foot onto the next step.
During the WTM class, instead of playing on top of the mat, Henry would crawl underneath the mat, disrupting the whole class. What to observe? Something in his body wanted pressure to be around him. Under the mat, his actions were saying, “I want you to find my legs.” The sense of tactile contact was helping him do that.
Movement behavior is a clue to how to help a child’s brain. Henry needed to feel where his lower body was in space. Each class, Henry would run into the classroom and lie down under the mat. His sense of organization from his lower body to his upper body was not happening.
The following week, he put his feet within reach of me. The biomechanics of his movement patterns were disengaged between his feet and his torso. For the next six weeks, a few minutes a week, I stimulated actions to help him sense his lower body into his torso. (See find Feldenkrais® Practitioner page if you want to know how.)
Once the nervous system senses dysfunctional patterns of action, it can begin to reeducate them. That awkward movement pattern is tied to his cognitive disorder. When his body integrated (meaning it became graceful from his feet through to his spine), within 48 hours, his character totally changed (within 48 hours. He started talking for the first time. I had never heard his voice before. Not only did he talk, but he some traumas that happened to him in school. After reeducating the motion from his feet into his torso, he was also able to follow directions.
The critical perspective is for adults to consider children’s misbehavior as something deeper than just being bad. The WTM methods (finding the SB) help the child feel the organic intelligence of centeredness. When the body-brain relationship develops a sensory type of awareness, so do insights into behavior, the brain function, and the children’s relationships.
Here’s information about the Feldenkrais® work or the Science behind the body-brain.
The takeaway from this example is for parents and teachers to step back long enough to observe and wonder about the movement and ask themselves what is behind the action. What are the actions saying the child needs? The awkward movement can lead the professional to help the child find a solution. Wonder as a parent how to uncover what the movements are trying to do to help the child.
If You Want More: Researchers worldwide are identifying correlations between motion and the cognitive sciences. Here is a link to a talk Catherine Rosasco-Mitchell gave on WTM strategies held at an international movement and cognition conference held at Harvard. As mentioned above, there is also a list of valuable references on the Science page.
(√) What do you mean by the “biomechanics behind psychology?”
omechanics of psychology is the awareness of the Sensory Body (SB), or as scientists may call the awareness of “proprioception”, “body ownership”, and “neural elasticity”. Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been a “great divide” between brain and body that still shapes our education and healthcare systems. Although scientists around the world recognize that there is a foundational, integrative unity between motion and cognitive development, the community is unaware of it. It is up to our school administrators to introduce these concepts.
How can movement change the demeanor of a child? What effects does motion have on mental disorders such as attention deficit? The science behind the biomechanics of psychology deserves serious attention. Today, 2025, more than ever, we are seeing a skyrocketing confusion between what people do and what they think they are doing. We need bridge builders between research, classrooms, and medical offices. The “bridge” is made of the heart. More specifically, the heart of consciousness.
When the word “mind” is used, we think of thoughts. When the term “body” is used, we typically think of the physical structure of bones, flesh, and organs. The Biomechanics of Psychology is neither and both. The gravitational field, motion, speed, and timing in an action tie every part of emotions, sensing, feelings, and actions through sensation. It is a child’s spirit. Together with body and mind, movement becomes a light. It triggers a chain reaction of impulses in the muscular-skeletal impressions. These impressions become conversations of motion – recorded movement patterns. In other words, the biomechanics of your children’s wellbeing is the hidden “brain” of motion behind consciousness.
When the word “awareness” is used in this context, it means the experience of sensory knowledge. Sensory knowledge, or the Sensory Body (SB), is sensations, actions, and organization of motion married to the brain. To “experience” this awareness SB, it needs to be taught.
If you are an adult, learning awareness of the SB develops when inquiry, attention to motion, state of mind, and structural organization come together. Teaching children is much simpler. If you are working with children, teach them through playful games. Bing-bong their attention between sensations, emotions, thoughts, and physical positions. (Here’s some help: the Personal Bubbles Freeze Dance game. If you are doing counseling, it is highly recommended to use the game in the program, Get Sensational Attention.)
If a person experiences the structure of action, it becomes a conversation. Learning to use the SB tool will be the greatest gift you can give your child. Understanding movement from the body-mind will open doors to a world of wonder and grace.