Dualistic Notions About Children With Motor Disabilities: Hands to Lean on or to Reach Out?

Abstract

This article is an attempt to break through the dualistic thinking in theories on the treatment of children with a motor impairment. There is the Cartesian thinking that views the body and mind as separate entities; alternatively, some existential phenomenologists have constructed a dichotomy between the (positively valued) unnoticed body and the (negatively valued) noticed body. Dualistic notions of this kind can lead therapists to treat parts of the child (arms, legs, or speech) rather than the whole child. How can the disadvantageous effects of these dichotomies be overcome in the treatment of children? First, a concrete sketch of the development of corporality in (disabled) children will be provided. Next, the dualistic notions will be discussed. Finally, there is a discussion about how children and their care providers might benefit from this phenomenological explication.