Opinions
Attila Kovács, Professor
“Dear Readers! / Dear Colleagues! / Dear Patients!
Communication, making contact with other people, expressing our feelings, thoughts or wishes is an integral part of our life, one of the main components. We are all aware of the degree of isolation, disadvantage, and possibly vulnerability that the lack of contact and hindered communication can mean. A more serious nervous system disease can hinder or even make it almost impossible to communicate both verbally and with our hands, and the movement functions of the hand can be damaged not only in the presence of neurological but also in the presence of musculoskeletal pathologies.
The method of hand signal communication developed by Krisztina Puskás is really promising, a hopeful new opportunity for patients and their relatives to develop communication in various diseases, and with adequate practice in addition to adequate medical therapy, even to regain the former movement function as fully as possible.
It is a well-known fact that in the case of a stroke, hemorrhagic or softening damage to the central nervous system, the range of limb changes ranges from damage to fine motor skills to complete paralysis. We know of several rheumatological/immunological diseases where the function of the hand is impaired and narrowed due to the inflammatory process of the joints and/or muscles, possibly cartilage wear or fibrotic transformation of the connective tissue. Arthrosis of the joints of the hand (cartilage wear and tear) is a much more common disease than we think, but chronic polyarthritis, myositis (muscle inflammation) with or without skin involvement, and systemic sclerosis or scleroderma with connective tissue proliferation and fibrosis can also occur more often, primarily due to genetic predisposition in patients.
Krisztina Puskás’s method can be effective even in the case of long-standing motor impairment, with sufficient duration of practice and faith and trust in recovery, since practicing the functions of the hand can also stimulate brain coordination. I recommend learning hand sign communication and spreading it to the widest possible range of patients who lack movement function and communication.
I wish you a speedy recovery and a full recovery if possible!”
Attila Kovács, Professor
department chief physician
titular university professor
rheumatologist
Margit Fazekasné Fenyvesi, Professor
“Some of the gestures are immediately understood by people living in every culture, i.e. instinctive. It is the result of learning born with us (e.g. turning towards it as a sign of attention, guidance), we do not have to learn it, it can be interpreted even without learning, already from birth. For example, a newborn can feel whether he is safe or not just by holding our hands when bathing. If we get it right, he doesn’t cry, he lets himself go.
The indisputable advantage of hand signals is that the signals can be differentiated and are easy to learn. In summary: the form of learning accompanied by movement is simpler, more effective and greater it has an emotional charge, like verbalization without movement.
The understanding of the gesture is based on a spontaneous reflex (what is a reflex-Pavlov). Anything that moves brings immediate attention. The interpretation of instinctual signs is not vulnerable, strongly motivating and accompanied by positive emotions. Therefore, it is definitely beneficial in cases of speech-language disorder (SLI), impaired understanding (sensory) and use of verbal communication. We can expect a certain effect in cases of mild and moderate degrees of intellectual disability, selective mutism, damage to the speech process (stuttering). According to our hypotheses, it can relieve anxiety in various cases of generalized anxiety, depression, Tourette’s syndrome, post-traumatic personality disorder, phobia and panic. Another hypothesis is that the processing advantage of visuality in children with autistic traits can be increased by accompanying them with gestures.”
Margit Fazekasné Fenyvesi, Professor
titular university professor
public education and equal opportunities expert
member of the public board of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences II. Department of Philosophical and Historical Sciences
Judit Kormos-Tasi, Professor
„Kriszti’s method of hand signal communication has different roles in each stage of a child’s life: communication, support of language development, development of fine motor skills, or it can even be an additional tool for movement rehabilitation even in adulthood.”
Judit Kormos-Tasi, Professor
college professor
Semmelweis University Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Family Care
Methodology
Istvánné Botka
“The “BAD” visited me in the spring. My life changed radically, because of the stroke, my left side was paralyzed, neither my hands nor my legs could move. I was terribly scared! What will happen now? What’s next? Family, relatives, friends and acquaintances rushed to help me in whatever way they could.
Kriszti Puskás did the same, and through him I was able to get to know hand exercises in depth.
Kriszti dug deep into the subject, the world of signs, which he based on countless research results and experiences. He projected data published in countless foreign literature onto the paralyzed fi ngers.
And now comes the “GOOD”.
If “BAD” hadn’t reached me, I might not have gotten to know the importance and benefi ts of hand signals so thoroughly and successfully…
…I’m already working in the kitchen, sweeping, bathing, I’m almost self-suffi cient.
My immediate family is happy to see the improvement. The task was given out:
– You can stop on the side of the road, the signaling works, your hand gesture works clearly.
By practicing hand signals several times a day, in two months I got to the point where I can now do things in the kitchen, sweep, bathe, and become almost self-suffi cient. My fi ngers are getting better every day.
“I can’t tie shoelaces yet.”
So the successes achieved by practicing hand signals pulled me out of the pit. My fears were replaced by joy and confi dence.
– If you encounter “BAD”, be sure to look for “GOOD” in it.“
Istvánné Botka
Nurse
Kolonics Zsuzsanna
„As a travelling special education teacher, I believe I have a treasure in my hands. Hand signal communication helps communication before speech, provides support in the process of speech acquisition, and thus multichannel communication achieves its goal in a mutually reinforcing way. And for those children where communication is difficult or hindered for some reason, it also offers a huge opportunity. The hand signs of the complex phonemic ABC, following the work of Margit Fazekas, Dr. Fenyvesi, are great for teaching letters and sounds.”
Zsuzsanna Kolonics
special education teacher
Klára Dobrai-Molnár
“I visited Kriszti to start her speaking, when my three-year-old daughter has not yet spoken at all. She had autistic symptoms, and the opinion of professionals was not unanimous. She quickly acquired the signalling skills and the tension caused by the lack of communication was reduced. We used the signs. She quickly realized that verbal communication is much faster than signaling.
At the age of three and a half, the signs were still there, speech started. At four, the signs were lagging. She spoke in simple sentences. The autistic traits have completely disappeared. She is already (6 years old) a little loci-fecsi saucer. I will always be grateful to Kriszti, her attitude towards the profession and her perseverance are exemplary. My daughter still reinforces her communication with signs when she is excited.”
Klára Dobrai-Molnár
Mother
student of special education teacher
Anna Vargáné Nagy
“We invited Kriszti to our kindergarten group, where we develop cumulatively impaired, non-speaking children. He enchanted both children and adults. We learned a lot from him about signaling and hand signal communication. He was open to our questions, he stayed there even after the session, taught and talked with us. Our kindergarteners were enchanted by Kriszti’s presence. The children with attention deficit, used to a 20-minute session, listened for 40 minutes. They enjoyed the fact that their new performer, a born teacher, sings, plays, points, and makes learning even easier with delicate touches. We are happy to welcome you back at any time.
We use her sign-cards every day in our AAK – augmentativ and alternatív – sessions. The children express their joy when they see the pack of cards. The colorful, lovely children’s figures, the helpful drawings and precise descriptions on the cards make learning very quick. One little girl in the group has made leaps and bounds since using the cards, connecting more signs, forming sentences. With this, his behavior changed a lot, he became calmer, and this development also affected other areas, becoming housebroken. I recommend Kriszti’s programs and developments to communities and families where the child’s/adult’s speech has not started, is damaged, and is open to alternative solutions. Communication is everyone’s right. If he is not able to do it, then we have to help him so that he can express himself in an alternative way. Hand signal communication does not prevent the initiation of speech, but rather supports it.”
Anna Vargáné Nagy
conductor
AAK – augmentative and alternative communication – specialist
Zita Kovács Beszedics
„The “Show it!” cards give the non-speaking children an alternative way to communicate. This is why the use of hand-signs can be well integrated into speech therapy for language delay. Fine manipulation by the hands promotes the emergence of verbality, and mutual communication strengthens the mother/father-child relationship. While using hand signs, the child’s passive vocabulary expands, his understanding of speech and his thinking develop. The nice, yet easy-to-interpret drawings on the cards help the child, parent and teacher to learn hand signals accurately and start speaking.”
Zita Kovács B.
special education teacher
speech therapist
Erika Betlejné Szurdusz
“Hand signal communication is the lifebelt of the “terrible twos”. Babies understand us much sooner than we understand them. Without words, they often cannot express their thoughts and feelings, so they often cry, throw tantrums, and become bitter. We give them a wonderful gift when we teach them hand-signs that are specifically tailored to their dexterity, because in this way the tension and frustration resulting from misunderstanding is reduced in their little souls, and it can make the parent-child relationship much happier and more balanced.”
Erika Betlejné Szurdusz
certified doula
mother-to-be yoga and baby-mom yoga instructor
childbirth and breastfeeding coach
baby massage instructor
