You may have learned about intensive therapy from a mom’s group on Facebook or from a friend in your circle, but chances are you aren’t learning about this type of therapy from medical providers. Not for any fault of theirs, as insurance often dictates a lot of what doctors recommend, and intensive therapy isn’t usually one of them. Though, there are exceptions!!
Intensive therapy is a model of therapy that challenges the child for several hours a day, usually several weeks at a time. What a child progresses in a few weeks of intensive therapy can take an entire year in traditional therapy.
At TheraHappy, the big results that come with intensives are one of our favorite ways to provide pediatric OT to Houston kids with motor delays.
Intensives can often consist of:
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Feeding Therapy
- Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI)
- Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME)
Depending on the clinic, different options for the types of therapies offered will vary.
Intensive therapy is based on the Intensive Model of Therapy (IMOT). IMOT is a unique therapeutic approach developed in Poland in the 1940s (source) to treat children with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders (source). More recently it has gained popularity with more trainings becoming available and more intensive therapy centers opening.
Intensive Therapy Provides the Repetition needed for Brain Changes
- Lasting results
- In-depth caregiver/ parent education for confidence in carrying over home program after intensive
- Your child makes leaps in progress when compared to traditional therapy
- Your child’s brain has neuroplastic qualities, meaning change is WILDLY possible, and intensives provide this avenue for big changes in a short amount of time
- Repetition helps the child create new brain connections
- Every child is capable of the unthinkable with the RIGHT tools
Dynamic Movement Intervention For Your Intensive Therapy
Most intensive programs include at least one session a day of DMI or CME. A key component of this technique is to provide a diminishing level of assistance during exercises as the child progresses.
A key component of intensives working on motor skills is providing new motor experiences. Typically, lots of hands on support is needed and less assistance is needed as a child’s motor skills progress. For instance, at the start of a week-long intensive, the therapist at the trunk or pelvis because these provide the most physical assistance. As the child progresses in the exercises, the point of contact for support will move down to thighs or ankles, increasing the child’s exposure to gravity.
There are several pieces of wooden equipment that can be configured in various ways to challenge the child.
Children need to be at least 4 months of age and are typically under 50 pounds in weight.
Getting Started With Intensive Therapy for Your Child with Motor Delay
The first step is finding the right provider. This can be a challenge because there are more kids who need intensives than therapists trained to provide them.
To find a provider:
- Search the registry for someone in your area
- Contact a therapist to travel to you.
If you’re in Houston or willing to travel to Houston, Therahappy is here to provide intensives to address your child’s motor learning challenges.
Our convenient and welcoming clinic is a place of smiles and triumph. Because not every family can travel to us, we available to travel throughout Houston, TX.
Registered Practitioners
There are also therapists willing to travel to you. Right now I know of On the Fly DMI. If you know of others, please let me know in a comment or email me hello@therahappy.com.
Therahappy offers intensive therapy in Houston area, and those able to travel to Houston. Find out more here.
