58 Yoga for Speech-Language Development
During the massage, the caregivers can produce infant-directed
speech as they label their child’s body parts from head to toes while
they administer gentle strokes with open palms. Garabedian (2004)
describes a massage-like technique, which she calls “Heart-Warm
Touch.” In this practice, the infant lies on his back while facing the
caregiver who vigorously rubs her hands together creating heat.
Then the caregiver gently massages her infant from shoulders to
toes while imagining that her heart is glowing. This activity was
designed to soothe both caregiver and baby.
Infant massage as part of a yoga practice can be initiated
with newborns and adapted as infants and toddlers develop in
the physical, emotional, and linguistic domains. An option for
linguistic input that accompanies massage for infants who are
about six weeks or older is to engage in an adapted counting game
such as “one yoga-sippi, two yoga-sippi, three yoga-sippi,” up to
ten as caregivers administer long, gentle strokes from head to toes
over the entire length of their baby’s body. As it is easier to massage
babies before they are six months, this practice is ideally suited for
the preintentional child. In addition to engagement, the soothing
nature of massage as sensory input assists the baby in attaining a
calm, regulated state, which is consistent with Greenspan’s (1985)
first developmental stage mentioned earlier.
Obtaining a calm, regulated state is a challenge for some
children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including children
with ASD and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/
HD). Children from these populations may benefit from the
soothing, deep pressure massage. Sumar (1998) provides specific
procedures for using infant massage with children with Down
syndrome and other special populations. She notes that massage
facilitates relaxation, stimulates blood flow, and provides a context
for caregiver/child bonding. Like Larson and Howard (2002), she
recommends that the adult incorporate the names of the body
parts into the activity.