Ms. Brenda Steegmans

I’m a Pediatric Physiotherapist, received my training in Brussels, Belgium and graduated in 1997.

After graduating, I gained experience in working with babies and young children. In Belgium, I combined working in my own practice with a part time involvement in an early intervention project.

Over the last 20 years, I guided many families in Belgium and Dubai with babies or young children with different developmental challenges.
I have done extensive postgraduate training including: Bobath NDT, Bobath NDT Baby, Psychomotor therapy, Motor Development in Autism, Fidgety movements, Physical Therapy in Neonatal Intensive Care, Cranio Sacral therapy, Myofascial release techniques, Tummy Time Training, Newborn Movement Assessment, Movement Lesson, AIMS, Osteopathy training program for babies & Treating the Birth.

After moving to Dubai with my husband and 3 kids in 2013, I joined Healthbay Clinic in 2015.

I strongly believe that early intervention, gentle bodywork in combination with handling advice for parents can help babies that are struggling with
• Breastfeeding; latch, coordination sucking, breathing, swallowing
• Issues related to a difficult birth
• Tongue tie; pre and post release
• Digestive issues: colic, reflux
• Irritability
• Preference for one side, torticollis or postural problems
• Plagiocephaly and underlying movement problems
• Developmental delay caused by hyper or hypotonia or a combination of both
• Developmental delay caused by premature birth
• Developmental delay caused by underlying neurological or genetic conditions
• Plexus brachialis injury

In my session I use observationof milestones & movement combined with hands-on assessment to locate areas of decreased mobility, tightness or restriction.
Problem areas are addressed using a combination of non-invasive techniques, gentle touch, stretch and movement.
Every session is completed with tailor-made advice and reassurance for parents: insight in development & movement, exercises, movement games, tips on how to adjust handling during playtime, cuddling, napping, breastfeeding, positioning in car seat, positioning in baby carrier

ABOUT BOBATH NDT
Bobath therapy is a one-on-one treatment that involves various techniques to enable the baby/child to practice motor skills or prepare for future skills.
The therapy focus is to improve coordination of movement and posture. Through specific handling skills or modification of the environment, normal patterns of movement are practiced within play.

Non-invasive techniques like handling, facilitation, inhibition, stimulation, weight baring, weight shifts, are used to control muscle tone, to improve posture and balance.
The goal of the therapy is to help the baby/child gain more control of their body, to interact with their environment, and to achieve a greater level of independence.
Bobath therapy also aims to reduce the problems that develop as the child gets older.

An important aspect in the therapy is to actively involve parents. This means:
• Helping parents, to recognise the development/progress of their child based on observations and feedback during therapy/playtime with the baby/child.
• Provide practical tailor-made advice on how parents can adjust their approach/handling during playtime, feeding, nursing and other daily activities, in order to stimulate their child’s development outside the therapy sessions.

During therapy sessions, there will be continuous assessment by observation of quality of movement in achieved milestones, playing skills,vision and social interaction

ABOUT CRANIO SACRALOSTEOPATHY (CST)
CST supports health in the body and has a good reputation for its effectiveness in helping for many of the ailments of young babies. It is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions and restrictions in the soft tissues that surround the central nervous system.
A baby’s wellbeing is significantly influenced by their position in the womb and their birth experience.
The compressive forces on the head and neck of the baby before and during birth can cause an imbalance in the baby’s system. Often, these imbalances relieve spontaneously after birth as the baby cries or suckles.
In case c-section, prolonged labor, a difficult birth process with interventions as the use of ventouse or forceps, this spontaneous process of ‘un-molding’ often is incomplete.

The strain on a baby at birth may lead to dis-balances, misalignments, asymmetry in their system causing difficulties as
• colic and reflux
• breastfeeding difficulties
• digestive or elimination difficulties
• irritability, excessive crying, difficulty settling
• sleeplessness
• asymmetry and headshape problems
• unresponsiveness or slowness to reach milestones

By light and perceptive touch CST can help ease these patterns. Babies and children will often sleep for a longer stretch than usual after a session. Both mum and baby are treated in the session, in recognition of the very close relationship between the two; if one feels better, so does the other.

ABOUT NEWBORN MOVEMENT ASSESSMENT & MOVEMENT LESSON
Movement lesson is a therapeutic approach that initiates, stimulates and optimizes functional movement. It all starts with gentle touch, weight transfer and rotational movement to build functional milestones and enhance cognitive and visual development.
The Newborn Movement Assessment evaluates a child’s birth process, assesses rotation and the infant’s response to movement.
It is an effective comprehensive assessment tool to determine short-term and long- term developmental concerns.

ABOUT PSYCHOMOTOR THERAPY (PMT)
PMT can be a big help to children with impaired psychomotor skill development.
Movement, coordination and balance skills are important for children to be able to actively take part in activities at home, in the nursery or at school.
By stimulating children in developing gross motor skills (moving the whole body), fine motor skills (manual activities) and handwriting skills, PMT also enhances the child’s self-confidence. PMT may be advisable when your child has difficulties in developing movement and sensory skills and in interacting with others. Examples of these difficulties are listed below:

• problems with coordination, balance, clumsiness
• difficulties with controlling the tonicity of muscles (tonus), poor posture
• difficulties with fine motor skills like using scissors, building, playdough games
• spatial and time perception difficulties
• problems with handwriting, pencil grasp, placing too little or too much pressure on the pen/pencil, handwriting movements and processes that are not automatic to the child