Parents of special children see benefits from holistic therapies.

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Alternative therapies being used to treat children with special needs---http://www.newstarget.com/017991.html---Highlight:Muscle therapy, yoga and acupuncture are three alternative medicinepractices that are catching on with the parents of children withspecial needs.Original source:http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2006/01/10/life/life01.txtSummary:Anthony Puleo's life improved dramatically just one month after a doctor performed acupuncture on him. The result: ''I could fully understand a lesson and pay attentionmore easily,'' Anthony said, referring to his schoolwork. A

growing number of children like Anthony are turning toward alternative practices - like acupuncture, yoga and massage - to treat learning disabilities and other developmental challenges. Harris said no disease in Asian medicine compares to what Western cultures call ADD or ADHD. ''Oriental medicine looks at problems from a totally differentperspective than Western medicine and is patient-specific,'' said Harris.''A Western physician looks at a child who has difficulty concentrating and who has problems in their relationships with their peers and problems in the structured setting of a classroom and makes the diagnosis 'attention deficit disorder.''' ''Imbalances in one child that might lead to problems with lungs or digestion can in another child lead to problems with the mind, with the mood and behavior,'' Harris said. Muscular therapist Erin Barry of Abington teaches massage to parents of children with special needs. Massage for

children with autism and other special needs is adifferent technique than traditional hands-on body work, she said. Few autistic children can tolerate a stranger's touch or have a stranger in the home - and a broken routine can have a huge impact on a child with autism, said Barry. After a few yoga lessons, Judi Sacco-Coleman saw a positive difference in her 4-year-old daughter's behavior. And Sacco-Coleman said Kayla, her daughter who has Down syndrome, gets excited every week about the yoga class the child endearingly calls ''exercise with Lin,'' referring to yoga instructor Linda Roberts. Roberts said her first approach is ''fun'' and making a connection with that child. "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." -

Aurobindo.

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