<< BACK TO MAINPAGE

SeMoCo
A Sensory & Motor Approach

During the past 50 plus years a concept now titled Functional Neurological Development has lead to the SeMoCo Exercise and Activities Program as offered by the Voluntas Organization of Antwerpen, Belgium.

SeMoCo is the abbreviated name for a Program of Sensory + Motor + Cognitive Exercises and Activities. It has enabled many individuals with special needs to improve their quality of life and very often the quality of life of their family.
The program has until the past five years been predominantly home based program that was done by family or friends. During the past five years the concept has been used in schools, child care programs, institutions and after school programs.
The basis for the SeMoCo concept was initiated in Antwerpen in 1984 by the Voluntas Organization.
The SeMoCo Program is still in operation today as a service to families who choose to have their child or adult/child visit the SeMoCo Clinic to participate in a assessment and exercise and activities program.
The Clinical Team is made up of physicians, physiotherapists, ergo therapists, and psychologists. The exercise and activities program is usually done in the home by the immediate family, often with assistance from therapists and friends.
Individuals receiving the service range from those diagnosed with some type of brain injury such as cerebral palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning problems, Downs Syndrome, and other type of neurological disorders.
The age range of persons served is from as young as 6 months to adults, 21 years to 45 years of age.

During the past five years the SeMoCo has been used beyond the clinic setting. Today the concept is being used in two special education school in Finland, an after school program for special needs children in De RegenbOog, a day care program children in Antwerpen, Belgium, and three adult programs for persons with developmental disabilities (mental retardation) in the eastern part of the United States.
Members of the IOFND have recently written both a book for parents and early education teachers/care givers on how to prevent possible learning problems. And also 'a how to manual' for parents, teachers and caregivers of persons with special needs. Both the book “Prevention” by James McGonagle and “A Wholistic Approach to Behavior and Learning – A Guide for Parents & Care Givers” by Don Szegda and Erja Hokkanen provide user friendly approaches to the use of SeMoCo (as expanded from the concept of Functional Neurological Organization) exercises and activities in various settings.

The book and the manual recognize the need to keep things simple so that the person reading them can quickly and efficiently use the techniques presented.

How and why can the SeMoCo approach be of use in so many different areas?
When one does a review of the basic needs of persons with the general label of developmental disabilities or learning problems, whether they be young or older it is quickly recognized that the majority of these persons have an inefficient motor system. Their basic coordination skills do not function well. Often their gross motor skills are poor hence their fine motor skills are also lacking. Individuals labeled mentally retarded often have poor coordination both in their general motor skills as well as in their fine motor skills. By the very nature of their label they function below their age level in the cognitive skills such as reading, writing and mathematics. It has been my experience that children who have these types of learning challenges are usually not well coordinated in either gross or fine motor skills. Younger children labeled with a developmental delay often do not have the ability to perform efficient gross motor skills such as crawling on their stomachs or creeping on their hands and knees.