More about MAES
It all begins with an idea.
MAES (Movement Analysis Education Strategies) is an approach to therapy that analyzes and treats missing brain skills. Instead of treating physical symptoms like weakness, tone, coordination, MAES analyzes what is missing in the brain that is causing a person to move with reduced quality. The approach considers what area of the brain is damaged or has developed differently, and how that affects the movement patterns we observe.
A child can show a lack of coordination, but if the injury in the brain is based in the cerebellum versus the basal ganglia, versus the white matter, the reason behind the poor coordination would be different, and thus the approach needs to be different to treat what is missing at the brain level.
Brain scans in the form of MRI, CT, ultrasound are used to identify what area of the brain is developing and working differently. Analyzing a child’s movement and their classification of CP: spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, or hypotonic can also help determine what area of the brain and the brain skills that are missing in the absence of imaging.
MAES uses a different lens to analyze movement. Instead of looking at a direct fix for weakness or dyscoordination and treating– such as by strengthening and balance conditioning, MAES takes a step further and analyzes why a child is moving the way they do; and oftentimes it’s a compensation for something else. Compensation demonstrates the child does not have an appropriate strategy to perform an activity. They may be able to demonstrate a skill with compensations, and poor quality, but can we change our outlook of goal-based outcomes and instead encourage true skill learning? For example, a child can “learn to stand” by using a whole body extension pattern, but can they stand and weight shift to one side in preparation to take a step? Can they stand on an uneven surface? Or can they stand and lean forward to stand at a table? Let’s ask ourselves, is this where we should be working, or is this just reinforcing the use of tone to accomplish a task? What is a child learning, and are we preventing the development of more complex and variable tasks?
Again, a child will often use the easiest path to move. But knowing only one path limits a child from learning more complex skills. With MAES we are providing many paths and increasing the repertoire of a child’s movement. MAES focuses on quality of movement and setting up intervention in a child’s learning zone where the level of physical difficulty meets the child’s ability without needing to use compensations. This with understanding the brain’s role in movement and mobility, treatment is set up for the child to make lasting changes both at the brain level and body level.
I hope this gets your brain turning! Got questions? Are you thinking differently about physical therapy? Are you looking at your child’s movement and ability in a different way? Let’s chat more!
Check out the MAES webpage for more: www.maestherapy.com
© 2025, Brenda Huey