The Neuro-Play Method: How to Proactively Transform Early Childhood Development
by Elizabeth Agrapidis View Bio
Elizabeth Agrapidis is an accomplished educator, pediatric physical therapist, certified teacher, NDT certified practitioner (baby movement specialist), author, toy inventor, wife and a mom of two. She is putting many of the pieces of whole child development together for childcare professionals to elevate and grow their abilities & success along with the babies you care for.
She is building this active community to change the futures of children, families & caregivers by learning specific, scientific ways to connect and unblock a baby’s brain/body communication and create the best developmental experiences that will set them up for success in a simple sequence!
Her growing movement is called AbiliFit Pediatric Development Specialists and The Neuro-Play Method ®.
As a neuro pediatric physical therapist, PE teacher, and adaptive PE teacher, she noticed that there was a gap in the information & support for parents & caregivers. After witnessing the effects of “Wait & See (for a diagnosis)” she now takes the knowledge and practical experience from many years of intervention AFTER DIAGNOSIS and has created a simple, repeatable approach that provides hands-on developmental sequences and strategies, knowledge and tools as well as ways to communicate your value through consulting, mentoring, and her
online program.
This will elevate you as the childcare professional to being asked for your observations before the pediatrician appointments and being an integral part of the child’s physical, cognitive, emotional and overall neurological development.
Her mission is to promote the Abilities for professionals, babies, and their families to result in way fewer healthy babies having preventable issues that cause difficulty, stress, & the need for therapies! #thebabiesalwayswin
Thank you for being a part of my journey!
www.Abilifit.org
elizabeth@abilifit.org
Facebook: @AbiliFit Pediatric Development Specialists
Free Facebook Group: @www.facebook.com/groups/developmentallyspeaking
If you are a parent and would like a private assessment for you and your baby, please reach out via email or a free 15 minute consultation at - https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/dc7drpdgbflzl0n45xck
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- Engage in Play: Incorporate simple movement routines into daily playtime to support your baby’s development.
- Observe Your Baby: Pay close attention to your baby’s movements, noting any areas of tightness or lack of symmetry.
- Communicate with Confidence: Use your newfound knowledge to articulate your child’s developmental needs to healthcare professionals.
- Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to reach out if you notice concerning patterns in your baby’s development.
By embracing the Neuro-Play Method, you can transform your approach to early childhood development, empowering not only your child, but also yourself as a caregiver. Together, we can build a brighter future for our little ones, one playful moment at a time. To reach out or to get more information about how you can join the Neuro-Play Movement go to www.abilifit.org
As a parent or caregiver, you play a crucial role in shaping the foundation of your child's future. Every smile, giggle, and movement holds the potential for growth and learning. With this role can also come worry or stress if everything isn’t happening as it should be. This adds to the weight of the first year of your child’s life and can steal your joy!
With the Neuro-Play Method®, you can have a simple but transformative plan that emphasizes the importance of early movement patterns in brain development and takes the stress off you to find all the answers!
By integrating easy yet powerful sequences into playtime, you can address potential developmental blocks in babies, preventing future disabilities and reducing the need for clinical interventions, even if you don’t see any signs of trouble.
5 Simple Play Tips to Deepen Connection
Here’s the thing—opportunities and experiences shape babies' brains. Babies learn and grow through every experience. Their early movements provide a window into their brain development and potential challenges they may face, so even if everything is going fine, by playing with intention you are benefiting and helping to organize even the most perfect brain.
In addition, by playing with purpose you will be addressing movement patterns that can limit a child's success. The Neuro-Play Method helps identify and unblock these patterns before they escalate into significant developmental issues, therefore promoting ability where there could be disability.
My life’s work has been to address disabilities, limitations, and dysfunctions in children of all ages and at all levels. After many years of experience working with hundreds of babies and children, I realized that there were abnormal movement patterns in the first year left unaddressed that if identified by the right person, could have changed the trajectory of these children’s lives.
At AbiliFit Pediatric Development Specialists, our mission is clear yet profound: to ensure that babies' development is on track by the time they reach 13 months. Through state home visiting programs, daycare collaborations, and community outreach, we educate caregivers and parents to recognize and address subtle movement patterns that could lead to disabilities. With this approach, all babies receive amazing opportunities for learning and engaging, families gain confidence, and infant care programs significantly increase their impact.
How do I include this in my already packed day, without losing even more sleep, you may ask?
The Neuro-Play Process: How It Works
Step 1: Simple, Specific Sequence of Movements
You will do a sequence of simple, engaging movements that include input to all joints and body systems with your baby with the intention of sharing joy, love, smiles and songs. Using a structured awake time schedule, you will also determine when to incorporate movements each time they are awake and reduce feelings of overwhelm. This will ensure that you are doing everything you can, and that your baby is getting all the input needed to develop neurologically, physically, and sensorily. These movements, accompanied by songs and smiles, create a nurturing environment and support critical brain-body connections.
You can stop here, and you would be doing amazing! If you choose to learn more, because this interests you, you can hire a Neuro-Play Method Consultant to complete the next two steps.
Step 2: Observe and Assess Baby’s Response to Movement
While playing with intention you can observe your baby’s movements—looking for signs of asymmetry, tightness, and purposeful motion. This observation helps identify potential blocks in brain development that can be corrected with straightforward actions. Many times, what you observe will be a mild tightness or limited movement in a direction. You could also observe repeated frustration or intolerance to certain positions or movements. Now, because it is early and these will most likely not be limiting all function, most health care professionals will not see the need for concern and at this point there most likely is not a need for “concern.” This does not mean there is no need for action. This leads us to Step 3.
Step 3: Play with Purpose
You can learn (or hire a consultant) to use specific movements, stretches, and positions tailored to your baby’s unique needs that were observed in Step 2. These movements correct small compensations before they get bigger and stronger, which will enhance the baby’s ability to connect and interact with the world, preventing the need for more intensive clinical interventions later. These are gentle ways of purposefully playing in positions that are uncomfortable or difficult for him or her. Holding positions that encourage use of the part of the body needing to engage can be very helpful. And always…more floor time!
Step 4: Refer to Early Childhood Professionals
Neuro-Play Consultants and home visitors are trained to identify when more complex developmental needs arise, but as parents it can be tricky to know when and who to go to with any concerns. Sometimes your main health care professional will not see the need for any intervention. If this is your situation, stick with your original intuition and seek out someone trained in different areas that will address your concern. The “wait and see” approach has no outcome except to wait until something is big or bad enough to warrant more concern and then you must begin the search for intervention (which can take many months I might add). Just remember you do not need to ask for permission to enroll your baby in movement classes, mom and me swimming lessons, music classes, or chiro, so trust yourself and find what you need! You don’t get this time back.
Challenging Misconceptions in Early Development
As a parent, your ultimate goal is a thriving child physically, neurologically, and emotionally; a child who can excel with education, athletics if they choose, communication, and social/emotional experiences of having friends and participating fully in life.
As a childcare professional our goal is to thrive in a career while bringing the most value possible to families and in return be appreciated and respected for our expertise.
Both very valid goals take work and dedication. It is through experiences and proceeding with intention that either of these can be achieved.
A common misconception among parents and professionals is that babies develop on their own, leading to this “wait and see” approach. Neuro-Play introduces a proactive model, equipping parents with the knowledge to recognize early signs of blocked developmental processes. By acting early, we can reconnect these pathways before they lead to long-term issues.