BART (Bonding and Relaxation Technique)

BART (Bonding and Relaxation Technique) is a type of infant massage that was developed in the late eighties. This therapy is specially designed to benefit children with disabilities.

Evelyn Guyer, nurse educator, created this massage technique in 1989 to assist in increasing the bond between developmentally disabled children and their parents. She noticed that many parents with disabled children struggled to connect with their infants and saw massage as a way to facilitate that bond.

The techniques used in this infant massage are based on the parenting theories of Vimala McClure. McClure is credited with bringing baby massage to the United States in the mid-seventies. She wrote Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents.

In this form of therapy the parents are encouraged and empowered to communicate with their disabled child physically by touching, stroking and applying pressure to certain regions of the body. The massage is of course quite gentle as infant massage should be.

This therapy helps infants develop muscle tone and eases cramping and pain associated with some physical disabilities. It also helps to normalize respiratory and gastrointestinal functioning. Children who receive this therapy also demonstrate increased sensory integration and behavioral organization. It helps parents learn ways to communicate with a child that may seem unresponsive to them initially.

This therapy is taught to parents by trained practitioners across the world.