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Aromatherapy and the National Curriculum
Longhorn (1993) relates massage and aromatherapy to the National Curriculum for severely handicapped children attending special schools. They maintain that massage can be a powerful medium to initiate communication through the media of touch. They also use 'interactive massage' to develop trust and communication in a non-threatening way. In addition, they advocate using massage to stimulate energy flow and balance; to teach relaxation; and to offer sensory enjoyment and enhance quality of life.
Aromasense has had many inquiries as to how to obtain the above publication. It seems that the author did not register it for an ISBN number which would have made it more freely available to order, neither is it registered with the Legal Deposit Office or the Agent for Copyright Libraries - making it a very difficult publication to obtain. However, inquiries are continuing….
Longhorn shows how massage and aromatherapy can be related to the core curriculum subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, History, Personal and Social Development) in an imaginative way, yet is still able to satisfy the School Inspector. They offer a way to access severely learning disabled children through building relationships through the medium of multi-sensory stimulation. Aromasense has adapted Longhorn's work to reflect recent changes in the core
curriculum:
Health Education
Hygiene
Relationships
Emotions
Expression of feeling
Male/female
Self-esteem
Body awareness/privacy
Personal care
History
Identity
Remembering events
Sequencing
Smell memory
Changes and time
Experiencing events
Creative Arts
Music
Sound/movement
Religious Education
Spirituality
Privacy
Dignity
Respect
The self
Relationships
Geography
Human personal identity
Human surroundings
Following directions
Acknowledging places
Mathematics
Concepts
Shape
Fast/slow
Light
Heavy/gravity
Direction
Shape and space
Counting
Physical Education
Body games
Passive/active exercise
Body awareness
Muscles/tendons/bones
Working with a partner
Pressure
Co-ordination
Neural and sensory development
Life skills
Relaxation
Leisure
Sharing
Preferences
Personal development
Relationships/trust
Choice
Decisions
Self and others needs
Remembering
Giving/receiving
Feeling of worth
Appropriateness
Pre-requisites to learning
Sensory stimulation
Cause and effect
Exploring the environment
Indicating
Interacting
Associating
Discriminating
Initiating
Participation
Attention/concentration
Turn taking
Motivation
Adapted from Longhorn (1993)
Department for Education (1995)
Hatch-Rasmussen (1995)
Hewett et al. (1998)
Sanderson et al. (1997)
Seigal (1996)