HANDLE providers offer two levels of evaluations and programs.
Screening
The HANDLE Screening is a brief version of the HANDLE Assessment and is designed for those 5 years old and older with mild learning and/or behavioral challenges. A HANDLE Screening is administered by a Certified HANDLE Screener (and most Certified HANDLE Practitioners), and is ideal for evaluating an individual or group in a short time.
HANDLE Screenings:
Assess how a person interacts with his/her environment
Identify general areas of neurodevelopmental weakness
Identify how areas of weakness influence the person’s ability to cope with the demands of the environment
Identify how areas of weakness impact daily functions, learning, and behavior
Post-screening recommendations will:
Include HANDLE activities designed to create readiness for neurological systems to mature
Guide the person to adapt his or her physical surroundings to reduce stress and to meet his or her needs
Ease tasks through approaches that compensate for the individual's unique challenges
Include additional attention and/or therapeutic measures, if needed, including a full HANDLE Evaluation
Assessment
The HANDLE Assessment is an in-depth evaluation administered by a Certified HANDLE Practitioner that uses a series of tasks to help determine how the body/brain system of an individual processes and organizes information. This Assessment is appropriate for people of all ages with mild to severe neurological and behavioral challenges.
HANDLE Assessments:
Evaluate each system more comprehensively than a Screening does
Thoroughly evaluate how a person interacts with his or her environment
Identify how areas of weakness influence the person's ability to cope with every day demands
Identify how areas of weakness impact daily function, learning, and behavior
Attempt to indentify root causes of neurodevelopmental differences
Observe the degree to which the vestibular system (part of the inner ear) interacts with and supports other systems
Look deeply into how an irregularity within an individual system impacts other systems
Post-assessment recommendations will include:
A visual map (neurodevelopmental profile) that identifies specific findings but also illuminates the dynamic interaction between systems that explain individual functional concerns
A program of HANDLE activities adapted to address the unique developmental profile of each individual
Recommendations for protecting vulnerable systems while gently enhancing functionality
Possible environmental recommendations
Possible nutritional recommendations
Possible recommendations for complementary therapies