Event Registration
MNRI® Oral-Facial Reflex Integration Level 2
A digital copy of the manual is included with your registration. Hard copies are available for purchase following registration.
Dates: February 14-16, 2025
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Address: TBA
Instructor: Helena Björelius
The Masgutova Method® is a set of programs focused on the restoration and maturation of primary movements, reflexes, coordination systems, skills for optimal performance of natural mechanisms, developmental processes, brain functioning, and sensory-motor integration. You can read more about Reflexes and MNRI HERE.
Watch an overview of how MNRI works
The Mission of the Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute (SMEI) is to provide health, wellness and educational professionals, parents, and caregivers with non-invasive techniques to address maturational, developmental, and life challenges.
Course Overview
Oral-Facial motor reflexes first appear in infancy and remain active throughout life, supporting a broad range of needs essential to:
- Human survival, including breathing, rooting, eating and general neurovascular function
- Accessing and managing visual, auditory, and other sensory system input
- Different coordination systems in different combinations – hand, mouth, ear, eye, tongue, neck, and cranial coordination systems
- Nonverbal (emotional expressions and cognitive activity) and verbal communication (articulation)
- Language development (decoding and coding, phoneme/sound programming and performance) and comprehension
Facial reflexes not only affect function in the facial area, they also affect function though out the whole brain-body system. The MNRI® Facial Reflex Integration Program techniques work to activate and engage reflex actions, movements and patterns necessary for the maturation of more complex motor reflexes and the development of advanced communication and cognition. The engagement and maturation of facial reflexes can be impeded by congenital issues or traumatic events that occur in utero, at birth, or anytime after birth. Depending on the number of facial reflexes and related primary motor reflex patterns impacted, a broad array of associated life challenges can appear. MNRI Facial Reflex program techniques have been used with great success for children experiencing various delays in communication development.
MNRI Oral-Facial Reflex Integration course explores:
- The general MNRI Method and the role played by the Facial Reflex Integration Program
- Oral-facial reflexes and how they relate to primary motor reflex patterns and important body systems
- The role oral-facial reflexes play in establishing a foundation for motor, communication and cognitive development, and emotional and behavioral regulation
- MNRI techniques to assess, pattern, and integrate oral-facial reflexes
- How to create an MNRI oral-facial reflex integration home program for individual clients
- How to incorporate MNRI Oral-Facial Reflex Integration course content into daily client and home practice
Oral Facial 2 Learning Objectives:
- Describe the Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration Method and the innate nature of the motor reflex system, especially the oral-facial nerves.
- Describe the role of a reflex pattern and its sensory, motor and central nervous system connections.
- Describe how the MNRI Method techniques play a role in self-regulation and survival.
- Describe the physiological and psychological basis for primary motor reflexes and their maturational stages.
- Describe the neurophysiological aspects of the dynamic and postural Oral-Facial reflexes and brainstem functioning.
- Demonstrate the role of a reflex patterns and their sensory, motor, and central and autonomic, cranial nervous system mechanisms.
- Describe oral-facial reflex patterns activity and how they relate to cognitive oral-motor programing and performance in future articulation development.
- Describe the physiological and psychological basis for motor program strategies and developmental stages of oral-facial abilities and skills.
- Demonstrate the role of inappropriately developed protection mechanisms and articulation/speech programming.
- Describe the when, why, and how the brain engages in negative protection versus positive protection and the effect on learning and development.
- Describe the role oral-facial reflexes play in establishing a foundation for oral-motor, language-communication, cognitive development, and emotional and behavioral regulation.
- Apply MNRI techniques to assess the mirror neurons activation for tongue activation, articulation/speech imitation.
- Describe the maturational role of oral-facial reflexes within the primary motor reflex system and the impact of dysfunctional and pathological reflex patterns on daily life of children and adults with developmental and neurodeficits.
- Describe the importance of oral-facial symmetry and the maturational progression of specific oral-facial reflex including the dynamics of each reflex pattern.
- Describe the impact integration of each oral-facial reflex can have on protection and survival mechanisms including sucking, swallowing, breathing, rooting, fear paralysis, eating and general oral neuro-cranial-vascular function
- Describe how oral-facial reflexes provide protection and support for the brain functions and neurodevelopment, and for formation of higher skills.
- Explain how to implement MNRI assessment techniques to determine the level of development of a reflex pattern.
- Apply hands-on-practice of the MNRI techniques designed to activate and integrate oral-facial reflexes to address oral-facial-cranial symmetry issues.
- Describe and demonstrate how to deal with unique and challenging client situations using MNRI method techniques in context of primary oral-motor activity and articulation skills training.
- Apply the course information to create and apply an individual MNRI program for clients with various challenges.
- Describe strategies to incorporate the use of the MNRI Oral-Facial Reflex Integration course content into daily client and home practice.
Course Agenda:
Hours 1-2: MNRI and the oral-facial nerves
Hours 3-4: Physiological and psychological basis for primary motor reflexes
Lunch 1 hour
Hours 5-6: Neurophysiological aspects of the dynamic and postural Oral-Facial reflexes
Hours 7-8: Cognitive oral-motor programing and performance
Day 2
Hours 1-2: Negative protection versus positive protection
Hours 3-4: Oral-Facial Reflexes
Lunch 1 hour
Hours 5-6: Maturational role of oral-facial reflexes
Hours 7-8: Archetype Movements-necessary for development of Facial Reflexes
Hour 1: Impact of integration of each oral-facial reflex
Hours 2-3: Protection and support for the brain functions
Hour 4: Oral-facial-cranial symmetry issues
Lunch 1 hour
Hours 5: Unique client situations
Hours 6-8: Oral-Facial Reflex Integration course content into daily client and home practice
Financial Disclosure: Helena Björelius receives a stipend based upon an enrollment percentage.
Non-financial Disclosure: No relevant relationship exists.
Course Disclosure: The Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute has developed and patented a licensed technology trademarked as MNRI®. Because there are no other like-kind products available, course offerings will only cover information that pertains to the effective and safe use of the above-named products. This presentation will focus exclusively on MNRI® and will not include information on other similar or related products or services.
Special Needs Requests: If you require special accommodations, please notify SMEI at events@masgutovamethod.com at the time of registration so that needed accommodations can be made prior to the course.
Course Completion Requirements: Full attendance is required to receive a certificate of completion and any available credit hours or CEUs.
Target audience:
Speech Language Pathologists, Speech Language Pathologist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Educators, Psychologists, Physicians, Massage Therapists, Mental Health Counselors, Other Health Care Providers, Parents.
